Hello adventurer! 👋 

Happy Wednesday, I hope you’re having a great week so far!

It’s week 12 of my accountability challenge with my friends (we’re all sending one newsletter a week) & it’s been a rollercoaster 🎢 

I always thought I was alright at writing, but I think I’m just missing my creative spark the last few months.

It’s hard to come up with topics to write about, but I’ve managed to meet the deadline every Tuesday, so if you’ve read what I’ve written, thank you!!! 🧡 

I’m always open to suggestions for topics you’d like me to cover, so feel free to reply to this email!

This past week has been a wild one

I launched my Nepal group trip for next April!!!

It has been SO scary, but there’s already someone booked on! 🎉 

I tried to make it as budget-friendly as possible, and I think the price point is great! So if you’ve been thinking of trekking in Nepal, check out the itinerary, it’s amazing! 🏔️

There’s also a trip to Vietnam launching soooooon! 🥳 

What else happened?

Well, I flew from Chiang Mai to Bangkok to catch my flight to Pakistan on Friday and they wouldn’t let me on the flight.

My visa start date was October 14th, but Friday was the 11th.

I applied for my visa with the intention to fly on the 14th and then last minute, I changed my mind and said I’d go a little bit early to explore before joining the organised trip. LOL good one!

Got to the check in desk and she said no sorry, cannot let you board haha. That was a 400 euro mistake. 😥 

I flew back to Chiang Mai because I just wanted to be home, with friends. Sounds silly, but I didn’t want to spend 3 days in Bangkok.

So, I’ve just landed in Pakistan (Tuesday evening) and we drive north for the next week or so on Wednesday morning.

I’m SO excited to see this stunning country, but I won’t lie, I am a little bit anxious as it’s prob level 3 on my destination list! 🇵🇰

What the f do I mean?

Well I like to categorise countries by how difficult / advanced they are to travel to (whether perceived or experienced by me).

Example: I would say Thailand is level 1 (easy), Sri Lanka or Kyrgyzstan are probably level 2 (moderate) and I’d say Pakistan is level 3 (hard).

This is literally just made up in my head based on my experiences and how easily I see people travelling to different countries.

What I do to prepare for a trip…

Travelling to a brand new destination can be a little scary, so here is what I do when I am travelling to a new place and I don’t know much about it.

• Look up the weather and ensure I pack sufficient clothes for hot / cold weather

• Keep in mind the culture / religion of the country when packing (e.g. when travelling in Muslim countries, I would pack conservative clothes)

• Check the exchange rate and take a screenshot to ensure I don’t get scammed when I get off the airplane and to know how much money to take out at the ATM

• Get an e-sim if it seems like it may be hard to get a physical SIM when I arrive, I usually use Airalo (EVELIN1735 for $3 off at checkout) or ZIM Connections

• Book my first 1 or 2 night’s accommodation

• Check out the transport apps, download them and create an account before flying in

• Research how to best get from the airport to my accommodation

These have been some of the main things I’ve done to prepare for my trip to Pakistan.

Some bits you may be interested in

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Don’t skip out on travel insurance! You can start your SafetyWing policy at any point of your trip, even if you have left your country of origin.

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Ev x