Chapters in our lives don’t normally fall in line with dates on the calendar, but the end of a year is always a good time to reflect.
For me, 2024 (and much of 2023) have been all about one country – this is not a new love affair but one that just got serious…
The last 18 months have been all about rediscovering Thailand, a country I’ve visited multiple times over the last 12 years. It was my first solo backpacking trip back in 2013 and I’ve returned many times over the years and always find something new to enjoy.
Searching for a new home base
My first love, India, recently changed its visa rules so, after spending many years in Goa, I needed to look for a new home base and Thailand was the obvious choice for an affordable, fun and easy digital nomad lifestyle.
It’s been great rediscovering Thailand, I’ve spent a lot of time in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui, Koh Tao, and Pai and there’s still much more I want to explore.
Thailand is such a beautiful country, I love the stunning temples, beaches, islands and national parks, the lively night markets, delicious Thai food and the friendly people.
I like to stay in each city or island for at least 1 month – this way I can explore beyond the tourist trail to really get to know the place and consider if it’s somewhere I want to live for a longer time. Going in-depth to each destination also means I can write really detailed and useful blog posts to help other travellers.
I’ve also been able to revisit some of my favourite places in Southeast Asia from my backpacking days, seeing how they’ve changed and experiencing them in a new way – this time as a digital nomad couple with a bit more money to spend on the unique experiences and nicer hotels that I couldn’t afford before.
I love beaches and have been able to fulfil my long-time dream of visiting the Maldives (btw, it doesn’t have to be expensive!) I also revisited Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Penang and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and Vietnam. I was also able to return to Goa and the UK to visit family and friends.
And I finished off 2024 with a very special trip! After 4 years I finally returned to Sri Lanka and this time with – the best travel buddy – my Mum! It was the first time we travelled together since our South India trip in 2019. We both really enjoyed our trip around the island and I can’t wait to share my itinerary and tips with you.
The reality of being a travel blogger and digital nomad
I really enjoy exploring beautiful places, learning about different cultures, and sharing my experiences by writing useful blog posts, travel guides and itineraries which I hope help other travellers plan their trips too.
It might seem like I’m always on vacation but being a travel writer and blogger is much harder work than it looks. With the explosion of AI, freelance travel writing jobs aren’t so common and the frequent social media and Google search algorithm updates have made blogging a wild ride!
I’m so grateful that I can still afford to travel and support myself doing what I love in a time when many blogs and small websites have been killed off by the Google updates.
So if you’ve found my recommendations useful and booked a hotel or trip through my blog, thank you! It’s great to know my tips are useful and really helps me to keep me traveling and writing.
Even though there are much better ways to make a living online these days, I love to travel and I love to share my experiences and help others, so I don’t want to stop!
I feel extremely lucky to be living in this time and to be able to experience the freedom of the digital nomad lifestyle but it’s not always easy and there are downsides to it too.
The truth is, while at first it’s fun and exciting to travel all the time, it can get stressful, lonely and exhausting trying to juggle work and everyday life with travel and life is largely ruled by visa expiry dates. Being a digital nomad is very different from being on vacation and most nomads burnout after a few years and need a home base.
I don’t want to give up traveling, but I do need somewhere where I have time to rest, work, and have longer term friendships.
Plans for 2025
So what will 2025 bring?
Well, with the recent introduction of the 5 year Destination Thailand Visa (aka DTV) hopefully I can take my relationship with Thailand to the next level! I’d love to settle down a bit more and find a long term home base in the Land of Smiles.
I also want to explore more of Asia – I’ve seen so much of South and Southeast Asia now I want to head to the Far East – Hong Kong, Korea, Japan!
After all, visiting Shanghai in China on a university study trip in 2010 was what first opened my eyes to Asia and I’ve gone on to spend most of the last decade here. I love Asia, the culture, spirituality, food, people, nature – I want to see and experience all of it!
So, until AI takes over the world or Google kills my blog, I’ll keep sharing my travels with you!
Thanks for reading! Happy 2025 and Happy Travels!
Where will 2025 take you? Do you have any trips already planned?