Brief Overview of Day 1 in Iceland

Today has been hectic and slam full of sight seeing. The tour my mom and I booked was supposed to be for 10 days and 9 nights. But because of jobs, we couldn't get in until one day later and had to put two days together.

Everything worked out though and we only missed out on a few minor parts of the experience.

After picking up our teeny tiny car at the air port, we grabbed some breakfast at a place called Cafe Paris. Before I remembered to take a picture of this delightful breakfast, I had scarfed it all down. Cafe Paris seemed to be the only restaurant opened at 8 in the morning. Iceland appears to be a sleepy town. I'm not sure if it's because we came in on a Sunday or what. But NO WHERE opened until at least 9.

Once we scrunched our faces up at our $50 breakfast bill, we headed to the Blue Lagoon. I was on the fence about this whole blue lagoon experience. But it turned out great and loved it!



Now that we were nice and relaxed and washed all of the air plane crd off of us, we headed for Thingvellir National Park, where we got to see our first waterfall and the split between two plates (I'm a nerd and TOTALLY thought this was the coolest thing ever and had been looking forward to it from the start of this trip!)



By the way, I'm purposely uploading some of the more unscenic pictures so I can save the best for each of the individual posts :)

Next up, is the pretty awesome Geysir area. I wasn't sure what to expect since I had seen geysers in Yellowstone, but it was fun to watch!



Now on to my favorite part!

WATERFALLS!!!

I don't want to spoil all of the awesomeness that are these waterfalls, so here is a sneak peak ;)

First we have Gullfoss. Absolutely breathtaking but prepare to have a nice shower!



Then, one from my top 15 bucket list, Seljalandsfoss!



Tomorrow, I'll be climbing to the top of this one, Skogafoss. Super excited and can't wait to share the pictures!

I can't wait to share with you all how much I've seen and learned in just ONE day, but stay tuned for some more spectacular awesomeness! :D

Liebster Award Nomination

So, I was nominated for my first virtual blog award called the Liebster Blogging Award. I haven't been nominated for anything before and it was quite exciting :). The word “liebster” has German origins and can be translated to a variety of English meanings, such as lovely, kind, pleasant and beloved. The award has been around for a while and the rules have changed over time but then general rules of the game are to answer the questions of the blogger who nominates you and then nominate other bloggers and they'll answer your questions.

Who nominated me?

Justin and Lauren from Justin Plus Lauren nominated me for this awesome award after they were nominated. Justin and Lauren are a couple from Canada that seek new places to travel too all of the time with extensive travel in North America. They are currently saving up for a trip to Italy next year and both work as video editors in the media industry. Their blog focuses on their travels and their vegan eating lifestyle. So go check out their blog for some interesting stories :)! Thanks for nominating me y'all!

Justin and Lauren's Questions to me

1. Why did you start writing your travel blog and what is the inspiration for its name?

I started writing my blog because I will begin a trip around the world in just a few short days and wanted to share my stories and experiences with friends, family and anyone else who would enjoy reading my story. When I thought about making a website, I went through a whole list of names and World Trippin' It was at the top. I'll be gallavanting across the world and thought it suited me the most. And it's catchy ;)

2. What has been your favorite travel destination so far?

I absolutely LOVED visiting Switzerland. The people are so nice and the views there are absolutely breathtaking!

3. Where was the first place that you remember traveling to?

The first place I remember traveling to is Disney World. My parents had their honeymoon there and once I was born, we began going every single year. I always loved going and participating in the parades once I was a bit older. I always enjoyed watching the shows at MGM studios.

4. Where are you traveling next?

The first stop on my around the world trip is Iceland. My whole route can be found here. I'll be visiting about 20 countries or more if I have the time and resources.

5. What destinations are at the top of your bucket list?

New Zealand and Iceland. All the way. Ever since I began watching Lord of the Rings when I was younger has put New Zealand at the top of my bucket list. I love hiking, nature, waterfalls and endless amount of green. Both of these destinations encompass all of my loves into one and pack even more wonderfulness. I am ecstatic for these two destinations and Iceland is my first I'll be visiting on my trip!

6. What is your most memorable meal that you’ve enjoyed while traveling?

My dad and I visited a roadside stand when we went to Hawaii and while we didn't have a meal, we tried their fried bananas and fresh fruit. I tried fruits I had never seen or heard of. Lychee was my absolute favorite fruit that I had never had before and the mango slices we bought were so juicy and amazing. It was the first time I had ever tried fried bananas and ended purchasing two of them because they were so delicious.

7. What place would you enjoy returning to again and again?

I would LOVE to go back to Costa Rica. It's a beautiful country and embodies all my loves <3. My first time around, I didn't see any where near enough of what I wanted to and I went with a tour group (which was awesome). I got to do a lot while there but we moved around very quickly. I could definitely see myself going back there over and over just to experience the beauty.

8. What was your least favorite place to visit and why?

My least favorite place that I have visited would have to be Nassau. Maybe it would be different if I didn't come in to the port. The destination is strictly for tourists and has so many tourist traps and people trying to trick you into buying things. When I went, I would try ignoring the people or explaining to them I didn't want to purchase what they were selling. They would proceed to try and guilt us into purchasing stuff from them.

9. Who is your favorite travel writer/blogger?

This is very difficult because I follow tons of travel bloggers, but I can list my top three. Alex, from Alex in Wonderland is awesome to follow. I began following her blog while she was jaunting around South America for several months. A lot of my ideas for what I want to do while in South America have come from her blog. Cez and Agness, from Etramping, always have good tips and show that it's possible to travel throughout the world on a cheap budget. There blog focuses on traveling for under $25 a day. It's amazing to see how it can be done. Lauren, from Never Ending Footsteps, always has funny stories to tell about her "incidents" around the world and I love reading her monthly updates about how much she's spent, where she's been and all her stats for the month.

10. What advice would you give to someone who is looking to travel around the world, or live in a foreign destination?

My advice would be not to let anyone else influence your decision. If I had let what people said about my trip bother me or influence me in any way, I wouldn't be going. Follow your dream and do what you want to do. If you feel selfish (I did), DON'T! You are stepping away from the norm of what everyone else is doing. You are doing something courageous and brave. Millions of people would love to be able to travel or move to another destination but don't. They have a whole list of reasons. Don't be like those people. Break away. Break away from the norm, be different and experience this amazing world so many people miss out on.

Who I'm Nominating

Anna, from Slightly Astray . She just began her trip back in April with her partner, Daniel and they are currently traveling throughout South America right now.

Vicky, from The Travel Well , is currently in Australia on a work visa and is finding ways to sustain her long-term traveling goal. Vicky got bit by the travel bug when she went on a World Challenge Expedition to Malawi and has traveled and learned so much since!

Elaine, from The Whole World Is a Playground is currently located in Dublin, Ireland with her husband. They've been to about 11 countries and continue to add to their travel destinations.

Oksana, from Drink Tea and Travel , blogs about her travels throughout 30 countries in three years. After chasing dream from dream, she began to slow down once she moved to China and began experiencing traveling differently.

Jessi and Ken, from Berry Random is a travel blog about the Berry couple. They blog about their travel experiences and their many bucket list items!

My questions for the nominees.

1. When did you begin traveling and why?
2. What is unique about your way of traveling?
3. How do you sustain or save up for your travels?
4. What is the most unique destination you have visited?
5. Which destination did you visit that affected you the most and in what way?
6. Have you ever traveled while in debt? If so, how did you pay off your debt and continue traveling?
7. What has been your favorite activity throughout your travels?
8. Do you collect anything on your travels? If so, what?
9. What do you enjoy most about traveling?
10. What was one person that influenced you about your travels?

How I Have Planned This Trip

I have been getting many questions on how I was able to plan for this trip, if someone planned it for me or if I have had to take out loans to take this trip. I will go through my many ways of how I've prepared for this world tour of mine.

1. Choosing my locations

To plan my route and the countries I'm visiting, I picked out the absolute major sites and countries I MUST visit. After that, I built my trip around those places and looked to see what other places were practical to add.

My major MUST sees were Dettifoss in Iceland, Norway, Amsterdam, the Moulin Rouge in France, Pompeii, Santorini, Hagia Sophia, Great Wall of China, Phuket, Galapagos Islands and Easter Island. Once I plotted those on my map, I looked at surrounding areas and found what else was reasonable to see within a decent or cheap distance.

2. Finding my flights

I have always been obsessed with finding really cheap flights and was able to use my obsession to my advantage for this part. I used three main websites to find and book my flights.

Kayak.com Kayak is a very good resource to use. It has many different options you can use to your advantage.

When you add in an airport you're leaving from and/or flying into, you can choose more than one airport. This was you can ensure you're going to be flying out of the cheaper airport. For my area, I always use Charlotte, Charleston, Atlanta and Myrtle Beach for my home airport.

You can also look at advanced options to change the range of dates. If you're able to be flexible with your dates, you can always find a cheaper flight. I usually set my date for the middle of the week and select +/- 3 days. Again, this will ensure you can fly out on the cheapest day.

Momondo.com After finding the cheapest date to fly out on on kayak, I would put the airports Kayak gave me as being cheapest on the cheapest day and see what prices I got from momondo. Almost 98% of the time, Momondo came back with a cheaper price than Kayak would.

Bookingbuddy.com Bookingbuddy is good for comparing several different websites on one page. I've found several flights on this website that are $20 to $200 cheaper than Kayak or momondo. It's just a matter of checking your resources and cross checking to find the better deals.

You can also sign up for cards that give you miles for purchases and flying their airline. I signed up for Spirit Airlines and that's how I got my $17 flight to New York. I also have a Citi card in my wallet that collects miles for American Airlines. I have over 35,000 miles which I plan on using for my flight from New Zealand to South America.

Using these three websites, mileage cards and booking my flights 6 months to a year in advance saved me a ridiculous amount of money. Yes, it cuts down on the amount of freedom I have, but I'm going on this trip to experience as much as I can and not just float around wherever I please. I needed some certainty and security on this trip and booking my flights gave me that. I know most travelers don't do it like this and that's perfectly cool. Maybe one day I'll do that as well, but for now, I'm happy with saving a ton of money and the certainty.

3. Research

Next up, was research and finding out all I could about the countries I'd be visiting. I used Lonely Planet and Frommers for basic information such as finding out the "in" season and shoulder seasons, rainy seasons, average weather for particular times of the year and so on.

For more in depth research, I went to government and embassy websites, travel bloggers who have traveled for years and years and tripadvisor forums.

I looked up visa requirements, vaccination requirements, average daily costs for living and food expenses, costs of all the touristy things I wanted to do and different modes of transportation and the cost of those different ways. One thing I also focused on was finding the American Embassies in all of the countries I'm going to be visiting. usembassy.gov shows you where they are all over the world.

This took up most of my time when figuring out this trip... Not only do you need to know what to expect to spend, when to go and what places to see but also how you should act and the culture of the people you're going to be around. When you go some where different, you need to be aware of the differences between you and the people in the country you are visiting. Respect the fact that you are a visitor in someone else's "home." Don't go in ignorant because that will create conflict and unnecessary problems.


This is pretty much the process I have gone through for each and every country I have decided to visit. I want to make sure I am well prepared and know the necessary and maybe even unnecessary information about the places I am going to. I love learning about these areas anyways. I mean, I'm going to visit them, so I want to learn about the countries. The research was long and sometimes annoyed me but overall, I loved going through this and it has helped me learn a lot and made me more prepared for where I am going.

I hope this post has been helpful and can maybe help you for booking your future trips, whether they're short trips or longer ones like mine.

Final Expenses Before I Leave

When I first started this website, I broke down my expenses based off of my flights and my camera purchase. Since then, I have completed the list of items that I needed and have a total pre-trip expense report.



Flights are my largest expense because I had to book all of those. I already had the majority of the items I needed except for the flights and clothes and I also purchased a new camera.

So here is a break down of what I spent on each category.

Electronics Camera $518.39
Laptop Charger $16.90
Adapter Plug $4.13
Mini Surge Protector $12.95
2 Extra Batteries for Camera $31.02
32 GB SD Card $17.32
Nikon Lens Cap $7.59

Total: $608.30

Gear Wallet $6.98
TSA Locks $14.02
2L Platy Bottel $12.95
Coolmax Adaptor Liner with insect Shield $57.95
Backpack Rain Cover $11.99
Packing Cubes $29.50

Total: $133.39

Clothes Merino Wool Socks $13.83
Columbia Arcadia Rain Jacket $41.90
Tank Tops $11.88
Smartwool Socks $31.90
2 shirts $80.00
2 Shorts $90.00
Capri $55.00
2 panties $40.00

Total: $364.51

Beauty/Bath Veet Facial Hair Cold Wax Strips $3.52
Soap Holder $0.97
Eyeliner $5.94
Tweezers $2.47
Hairbrush $1.06
DryLite Towel Large $36.95
DryLite Towel Small $7.00

Total: $57.91

Health World Nomads $253.00
Ibuprofen $1.76

Total: $254.76

Chinese Visa Actual Visa $140.00
Service Agency Fee $40.00
Shipping (Back) $6.00
Visa photos $12.95
Shipping Cost (To) $5.60

Total: $204.55

Flights Myrtle Beach to New York $17.50
New York to Iceland $264.00
Iceland to Bergen $93.80
Oslo to Amsterdam $68.11
Paris to Barcelona $39.10
Barcelona to Rome $39.10
Rome to Frankfurt $51.91
Istanbul to China $422.00
Hong Kong to Bangkok $106.00
Phuket to Kuala Lumpur $29.03

Total: $1,130.55

Total: $2,753.97

(This list does not include prices on items I already had or items I received for Christmas).

My goal at the beginning was to not spend more than $2,500 on my pre-travel expenses. After using Christmas gift cards and receiving help from my family, I was able to come just under that goal. I know I could have probably spent less by hunting down those hard to find bargain deals or using some of my own clothes instead of purchasing new ones. But I chose to purchase new clothes based on the fact that they are quick drying, cooling and great quality. I plan on hand washing my clothes every few days and they are going to be put through a lot throughout my travels. I needed to be sure I purchased higher quality material to last me my trip. So, now I have my bag packed and all my gear ready to go. It's just time to get on my flight :) 4 More days!

Packing List for my Round The World Trip

After checking though tons of packing lists from other travel bloggers and ideas from my previous trips, I finally made a list of everything I needed/wanted to take. I followed through with most of the things on my list but decided I didn't need some items and ended up adding some items. Listed below are the final contents of my back pack. This is kind of a long post, so tuck in and enjoy :).

The Backpack



I decided to go with a smaller backpack than most backpackers and travelers use. I am shorter than your average person, so I couldn't really see me using one of the larger backpacks, as they would overtake me and would result in taking unnecessary stuff.

I chose the REI Lookout 40 Pack, which is a woman's day pack. It's a 40 liter bag with the dimensions of 20 x 13 x 10.5 inches. Not only did I choose this bag because it fit my size, but because it fits most of the dimensions for a carry on bag, especially Ryanair's strict dimension policies. Their dimensions are 21 x 15.7 x 8 in (I'm sincerely hoping they don't notice that mine is 2.5 inches off on that last part). Bags also have a weight limit of 22 pounds. Mine comes in a 18.6 pounds after everything is put in it :).

The Contents

Shoes

• Sketcher's Memory Foam Tennis Shoes


• Pair of black Old Navy flip flops

Jackets

• Rain Jacket


• Scottevest Hoodie (I chose this jacket because it is warm and has 14 pockets and you can only see two of them. This will help if I need to lighten my load in my backpack and can double as a carry on bag without actually counting as one!)

Shirts

• 4 tank tops


• 2 Columbia T-shirts

Bottoms

• 1 pair of Capris


• 1 pair yoga pants


• 2 pair Columbia shorts


• 1 pair comfy shorts (to sleep in)

Undergarments

• 3 underwear


• 2 sports bras


• 2 regular bras (not pictured)


• 4 pairs of socks (I'm obsessed with socks)

Other clothing Items

• 1 Sarong


• 1 infinity scarf


• 1 bathing suit (not pictured)

Electronics

• All in one converter plug


• Mini Surge Protector


• iPad


• iPod


• Samsung Galaxy S4 (I use Verizon, it's already unlocked and prepared for the use of another SIM card)


• Charger cords and main plug for iPad, iPod and Samsung


• Asus notebook and charger


• Passbook (Not pictured)

Health

• Ibuprofen (I'm prone to headaches)


• Sleeping Pills (To help with the jet lag or over excitement)


• Midol


• Pepto


• Mini first aid fit and extras


• Eye drops

Bath/Beauty

• Mini toothpaste


• Toothbrush


• Floss


• Deodorant


• Fold up hair brush with a mirror


• Soap


• Soap case


• Sea to Summit Extra Large Microfiber Towel


• REI small microfiber towel


• Q-Tips


• 1 self sharpening Eyeliner


• Grooming Kit


• Veet wax strips


• razor


• Hairbows

I plan to purchase shampoo, conditioner and detergent as I need them along my trip.

Writing

• My gorgeous new leather travel journal (yes, it's heavy and impractical but I love it)


• 2 pens


• 1 Glue stick (to glue in important things that I'd like to keep track of)

Misc

• 2 liter collapsible water bottle


• 1 backpack rain cover


• 1 insect proof sheet liner


• 1 travel wallet


• 1 flash light


• 4 TSA approved travel locks


• 1 chap stick (I actually packed 4 because I always misplace them)


• 2 packing cubes (these help tremendously with organizing and smashing things in)

Camera Bag Contents

• Camera Bag


• Nikon D3100


• Extra Lens Cover


• 1 32 GB memory Card


• 1 16 GB memory card


• 1 8 GB memory Card


• 3 rechargeable batteries


• Battery charger


• 1 zoom lens


• 3 filters and filter holder


• 1 Memory Stick

So, what do you think? Am I taking too much, too little? Is there anything I should get rid of or add?

It's The Final Countdown... Graduation

So, I've graduated! Graduation day marked exactly seven days until I leave for my trip and all I could focus on was getting across that stage. Throughout this past week, I had been making preparations for my trip and working out last minute details, not really thinking about one of the biggest milestones of my life.



It was an extremely early morning for a graduation but after seeing the weather forecast, it made sense that it started so early in the morning. I woke up at 5:30 am, got ready and made my way to the school.



Once I got to the practice field, I got my name card and talked to some friends until they made us line up in alphabetical order. Of course, my last name being Young, I was in the VERY back. Thanks to some guy with a last name that started with Z, I was second to last. And since I was a business major, our class was next up to graduate after the masters degrees were handed out.



No feeling will ever compare to the feeling I had as we walked out onto the field to our seats. The stadium was the fullest I have ever seen and there were so many people. As soon as I walked through the opening and stepped onto the field, I broke out in goosebumps and felt true pride and excitement like I never have before, even at my high school graduation. After four years of working my butt off, I was finally getting my degree. It was surreal.



After what seemed like hours sitting in the heat and sun and listening to long unnecessary speeches, it was time for us to walk across the stage and shake the President's hand and receive our empty degree holder. I realized that I won't even be seeing my degree, since it won't be coming in for another 6 to 8 weeks. But it didn't matter. As my line got up from their chairs and made its way to the stage, my feelings of happiness and excitement couldn't be contained. I handed my name card to the announcer and broke out in the biggest grin. My face refused to wipe the goofy smile off my face as I excitedly made my way across the stage and accepted my diploma holder from the President.





I did it. I graduated college. I have accomplished something many people don't in their lives and I am so lucky to have experienced this. College and the people I have met has changed me, made me a tougher person and challenged me in ways I never would have thought of. I wouldn't change it for anything and I am glad I chose to go to college before setting out on my journey. It has prepared me and given me time to save up and learn more about myself. Without having gone to college, I would not be who I am now and am so lucky to have gone through this journey.

Updates on My Upcoming RTW Trip

It has been a couple of months since I have updated any information about my upcoming trip, which begins in 8 days at this exact moment in time. The amount of nervousness, excitement, fear and amazingness I feel can not be described. This is something I have waited and saved up for almost my whole life and now this moment is finally here. Will I succeed? Will I fail? What's going to happen? How many amazing people can I meet along the way? How homesick am I going to be? All of these questions and more are running through my head at a speed faster than the road runner running in Wile E. Coyote. But I have confidence and a strong support system to help me through this highly emotional and pivotal point in my life.

Since my last update, I have added one more flight to my journey going from Phuket, Thailand to Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia (costing me a whopping $29.03!). I've also began purchasing and gathering all my gear that I'll be needing (stay tuned for a future post on my checklist) and I purchased five months worth of travel insurance from World Nomads. I chose to start off with five months just in case I don't have the funds to continue for a full year. If it turns out that I can, I'll extend my policy then. The ease of setting up my insurance with World Nomad was a huge plus and their prices are very reasonable. I got my policy for just $1.80 per day.

I am in major pucker mode though, because I sent off my passport to a Chinese visa agency. It wouldn't have been a problem and I would have had plenty of time to receive my passport back, HOWEVER, I was dumb and didn't notice that the embassy was on holiday for Thursday and Friday (my package arrived at the agency on Thursday). My application did not begin processing until May 5th. I leave May 16th and the agency told me I should be getting it back by May 14th. Very, very, very close to my departure date and putting me in a semi-panic mode. FYI: Learn from my mistakes people! Don't wait until the last minute and look up the embassy holidays! I'll put up a post later about the process of getting your Chinese Visa, after hopefully getting approved.



I graduate on Saturday and head back home for the week before I leave. During that week, I will be gathering up the last little bit of gear I need, going to a dentist and eye appointment and saying my final goodbyes to my friends and family. Although, it's more of a "see you later" and not a "goodbye."