Friday, March 14, 2014

Travel Goal: The #30BeforeThirty Project



I have made a travel bucket list a few months ago and one item goes like this: visit thirty countries before turning thirty. I got this idea from Patty Laurel's blog when I was still in college. At first, the idea seemed farfetched due to lack of resources. Back then, I thought traveling was only exclusive for the rich and famous. But since I already have a job that pays really well, and thanks to the occasional promo fares of some airlines, I might give it a try. I am turning 24 this year and I only have six years before finishing this goal. Procrastination at its best! I have only visited two countries so far namely Singapore, and Malaysia.

Well, I guess I have to start planning my grand trip before I turn thirty and grumpy!

Exploring an archipelagic country is truly challenging, especially to amateur travelers, like me. Traveling by air is by far, the fastest, the safest, and the most convenient way, albeit expensive. Although there are bus and ferry services that provide transportation to any points of the country it will take you time and effort. I can't even visit the 81 provinces of my country since some of it is isolated and hard to reach. Thus, I resorted to this project since it is more viable and more convenient on my part... or so I thought, (edit: yikes, hindi pala!). The good thing is, some countries are not geographically isolated.

The deadline for this project will be on August 01, 2020. I can't wait for the outcome of this project!

So, let's start!


SOUTHEAST ASIA

I have already visited Malaysia (Kota Kinabalu, Sabah), and Singapore. I still have plans to visit West Malaysia because of its unique culture, but I would want to focus on the countries that I haven't visited yet.

  1. Philippines (Proud Filipino here!)
  2. Singapore (Completed, Feb 2014)
  3. Malaysia (Completed Kota Kinabalu, Aug 2012, Kuala Lumpur Nov 2015)
  4. Thailand (Bangkok, Nov 2016)
  5. Laos
  6. Myanmar
  7. Brunei
  8. Cambodia (Completed, Sept 2014)
  9. Vietnam (Completed Sept and Oct 2014)
  10. Indonesia (Completed, Aug 2015, Aug 2016, and Nov 2016)
*Note: East Timor's not part of my itinerary for some reasons, but I'll visit this after accomplishing this project.

In Southeast Asia alone, I already have 10 countries on this list. 20 more to go! Wait... 20 pa?!


EAST ASIA

The majority of the Far East Asian countries require visa thus, this would take more time when it comes to preparing my East Asia trip.
  1. Hongkong (Completed Sept 2015)
  2. Macau (Completed Sept 2015)
  3. Taiwan (Completed Mar 2016)
  4. China
  5. South Korea (Completed January 2017)
  6. Japan (Completed Oct 2016)
  7. Mongolia
For Hongkong and Macau, I only need my Philippine passport. I need to understand the visa applications and their validity. For example, if I have Schengen Visa, would I still need to apply for a Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean, and Japanese Visa? Gonna consult the travel experts.

13 more to go! Halfway there!


SOUTH ASIA

Most countries in South Asia require a visa upon arrival and costs roughly $25 (more or less). I think they are more lenient compared to countries in East Asia base from what I've read from the travel blogs.
  1. India
  2. Nepal
  3. Bhutan
  4. Maldives
Alright, 9 more to go! Haaa-haaa-haaa. Phew! Breathe in, breathe out. HAAAA!


OCEANIA

Australia (Oct 2017) and New Zealand will always have a special place in my heart. I'd love to see Koalas, and Kangaroos, and as well as visit the 'Middle Earth'. I am a fan of Tolkien's works, by the way.

7 more to go!


THE MIDDLE EAST

Time to visit the land of my ancestors! LOL just kidding. Gonna grow a beard and earn some gold before heading to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Haha! I wonder what it feels like to be on top of the world's tallest skyscraper. I can't also wait to take a plunge at Wild Wadi Waterpark and to experience riding an ATV and camel in a desert. I haven't been in a desert though. And oh, I have plans of visiting Israel for the pilgrimage.

4 more to go!


THE GRAND EURO TRIP

Hopefully, I'd acquire my Schengen Visa early next year. My planespotter friends are planning to visit Amsterdam, Netherlands since it's one of the world's friendliest airports to planespotters. It offers a great view of the airport and it's located near the runway. Yey! Picture perfect! Aside from the Netherlands, I am planning to visit its neighboring countries by train.
  1. Netherlands
  2. Iceland
  3. Sweden
  4. Norway

I have now reached thirty countries! But I'd still want to visit these countries, just in case!
  • United States of America (particularly the West Coast area)
  • Canada (Completed Feb-Mar 2019)
  • Saint Maarten, Carribean (Princess Juliana International Airport)
  • Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
  • United Kingdom
  • France
  • Luxembourg
  • Italy (the Vatican included)
  • Greece
  • Spain and Portugal (The Iberia Peninsula)

You can track my project by following the #30beforeThirty hashtag on Twitter (@renzybenzy), and Instagram (@rmbulseco). I'm so excited to fulfill my personal goal. I know this may sound crazy to some but this is what I really want in my life - exploring the world and share my experiences with everyone. You know, the world is a very beautiful place to explore!

Now, where should I start?

13 comments:

  1. Push natin yan! Sama ako sa East and South Asia legs mo. Hahaha!

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  2. Hope to be a part of 10 out of your 30 out-of-the-country trips! :P

    Sama ka na sa Japan ngayong June :))

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  3. Go Go Go! You can do it Renzy! Aja! ^-^ Let's travel together din! ;)

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  4. Mica: Spring 2015 schedule ko sa Japan! Osaka kami ni Robbie! :))

    Tin: Tara Tin! Let's travel! Go go go! Missssyewww already! Nakakamiss yung Zamboanga adventure natin 3 years ago! :D Akalain mo, three years ago na pala yun!

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  6. Wow, this is great! I was also planning to do something like this before reaching 30. But it would be a mix of international and domestic destinations for me ;)
    Would love to read on your future travels :)

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  7. Sa East Asia Renz you need a visa in each country. Hassle but worth it. Adto dri S. Korea! I.tour tka dri. :D

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  8. davidvt (ktung taas lagi)June 20, 2015 at 2:29 AM

    heeeyyyy.. the Netherlands.. that's me... let me go with you and I'll handle the translations.

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  9. a schengen visa does not qualify as visa for china, taiwan korea nor japan. one type of Visa does not have power over other visas. The type of passport one has, on the other hand, is an entirely different thing altogether.

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  10. Goodluck on your #30beforethirty travel goals! Read some of your posts and its really interesting and informative and u had beautiful photos too! I really wish you well! I love travelling also so I know how it feels! :)

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  11. hmmm..since I am over 30, guess I'll just settle with 40before40. haha

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