Where to? My Plan for the Next 12 Months

As many of you know, I am about to embark on the journey of a lifetime. In three days time I will be heading off for around 12 months of extended travel in South America and Central America. Some of my friends and family have seen or heard about my plan and have a general idea of where I’m headed. I thought at this point it might be fun to share more definitively what my plan for the next 12 months actually looks like for where I will be headed and when. I thought it might also be fun to look back at this post in 12 months time and see how much my actual trip deviated from my plan and what it evolved into.

The beginning of my trip is a bit more structured and locked in due to the hikes I have planned in Patagonia, but beyond that I am hoping to keep my travel plan a bit more open and flexible. I have mapped out a general idea as a guide, but am hoping I fall in love with new and unknown places along the way, meet amazing people who take me on life changing adventures and linger a little longer in areas that truly capture my heart.

My plan for the next 12 months

January

20 January 2018 – Depart Brisbane and fly into Christchurch, New Zealand.

When I was looking into flights from Brisbane to Argentina I was trying to use my frequent flyer points, and also take the most direct route. Virgin allowed me to use my frequent flyer points for the first portion from Brisbane to Auckland and then I had to book the second leg with Air New Zealand separately. I figured if I was flying via New Zealand I may as well check out the North Island while I was there.

My mum so deserved a holiday and a break from life, so I booked her a return flight with my extra points while I was at it.

We will be spending two weeks making our way up through the Northern end of the South Island, crossing over to the North island and after several days exploring the North island we will end up in Auckland. The plan is to make some amazing memories along the way and also gives us both an extra two weeks to get used to the idea of my solo adventure to come. 

February

February 2018 – Depart Auckland and fly into Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

This is when the big, exciting, and slightly terrifying, part of my trip kicks off. At the beginning of February 2018 I will officially be a solo female traveller, having landed in Buenos Aires, Argentina on my own. I have given my self a week or so in Buenos Aires to find my feet, catch my breathe and settle in. After that I’m pretty much jumping in head first into Patagonia.

For anyone who has spoken to me in the last 12 – 18 months, they would know that Patagonia has been a huge dream for me and is one of the main reasons I started planning this journey in the first place. Around mid February I will make my way across to Bariloche where my plan for Patagonia gets started.

The plan is to start my hiking season around Bariloche, then cross over into Chile to Puerto Montt. From there I will begin my journey down the Carretera Austral, which will eventually lead me to Villa O’Higgin’s. This highway is quite a remote part of Chile meaning limited buses and likely some hitchhiking along the way. The trade off is that you get access to some of the most stunning natural environments, hikes and glaciers in the world.

March

All of March – Patagonia continued and Torres Del Paine

After this I am hoping to be crossing the border back onto Argentinian soil on foot into El Chalten to continue my Patagonian experience. The plan is to continue hiking around El Chalten, making my way down to El Calafate eventually and then back to Chile for the prize hike that is the full “O” circuit at Torres Del Paine. This is the hike that I had to book, which resulted in such a structured start to the beginning of my trip. Once I lay eyes on the famous towers, I’m sure it will all be worth it. 

April

Most of April – Chile including Santiago, the surrounding regions and the Atacama Desert

In the first week of April I should be flying up to Santiago in the Northern end of Chile. From here I have a rough plan to spend most of April exploring the city and surrounding regions, and then adventuring up to the Atacama Desert. After such a strict plan for Patagonia I think I will be looking forward to a looser timeline.

May

All of May – Bolivia!!!

Towards the end of April and beginning of May I am hoping to be on a jaw-dropping tour from the Atacama Desert, across the Bolivian Salt Flats to Uyuni. My plans beyond here are very broad and full of options. There is literally so many things I want to see, do and experience in Bolivia that I have allotted the rest of May to this amazing place.

June

Most of June – Peru and all of it’s wonders

At this point in my plan I’ve decided that around one month seems like the right amount of time for each country. I know there is plenty I have on my to do list, but also just as much I will stumble across along the way. I’ve heard such amazing stories and adventures from Peru so have kept my options very open. I know that to hike the Inca Trail, the permits book out about six months in advance. As I did not want to be locked into dates this far in advance, I’ve decided to leave the hiking planning for Machu Picchu until a little closer to my arrival date. I have read about so many amazing hikes in Bolivia and Peru, and even to Machu Picchu that aren’t the Inca Trail that I don’t think I will be disappointed. 

July

Most of July – Ecuador, adventure and maybe the Amazon

Time for Ecuador! I had originally allowed for only two weeks each in Ecuador and Colombia in my initial travel plan. After a little bit of Pinterest research, blog reading and an in depth update from two close friends who had just returned from Ecuador I knew I had to increase my time here. I have planned to spend around the one month mark in Ecuador also and sink my teeth into some amazing adventure activities such as canyoning and white water rafting. I am also hoping to get to the Amazon in either Peru or Ecuador, but will try and book that locally when I’m there.

August

Most of August – Colombia on so many levels

By this time of year I should be entering Colombia. The more I read about Colombia and talk to friends about it, the more excited I get. I can’t wait to explore all of the diverse experiences that are available. I know I will take so many photos, get a chance to relax and also get some more hiking in. This should also be my last stop for South America before I make my way over to Central America.

September

Start of September – Sail via San Blas Islands to Panama

My initial research indicated that flying from Colombia to Panama was a bit painful and quite expensive. I almost considered cutting Ecuador and Colombia from my plan altogether until I heard about a sailing trip you could do from Cartagena, Colombia to Panama City, Panama. The trip takes around 5 – 6 days and goes via the San Blas Islands. It definitely sounds like a better option than flying!

Rest of September – Panama and then Costa Rica

I will then be exploring Panama for a little while before travelling further North into Costa Rica. I am so excited for Costa Rica. It was one of the first Central American countries I fell in love with and I can’t wait to do the adventure circuit. There are just so many different experiences here I can’t wait to try!

October

All of October – A little more Costa Rica at the start of October and then venturing North

At this point in the trip my plan gets a little bit hazy. I haven’t decided yet how long I want to spend in each place and haven’t done as much research into independent solo female travel. I want to leave this a bit more open so that I can decide what I want to do further down the track when I know what I want and have a fair amount of solo travel under my belt. At this point I will also have a better idea of which countries I want to spend the most time in and if I want to jump onto any tours for a bit of a change in pace and environment.

November

All of November – Making my way up to Mexico and then exploring Mexico and Cuba

By November I should have made my way through several countries from Costa Rica up to Mexico. My plan is to then spend the rest of November in Mexico and Cuba. I have a few adventures on my list for these countries but want to leave it as open as possible for this far into the plan.

December

December – Mystery plan

I will be nearing to the end of my travel savings and trip by December. At that point I should be in Mexico and have the opportunity to sit down and crunch the numbers and see where I can go for Christmas and New Years. I have a lot of ideas and options but it depends on how much money I have left, who I have met along the way and where any friends or family might also be travelling to at Christmas.

Plans are made to be broken

My original plan changed so many times when I was researching, dreaming and jotting it down. What started out as a trip to Patagonia, and then changed to a possible round the world endeavour, eventually resulted in a very Latin American focused adventure. I know that by the end of the 12 months my trip may look completely different to my plan, but it’s nice to have an idea of where I want to go and when. I can’t wait to see how this all plays out and to find out where I end up. Not all those who wander are lost. And if I am lost, then it sure feels good to be lost in the right direction for once!

-- Girl Seeking Purpose