Planning for our 2 years of travelling... Part 2

Our Big Travel Plans: The Latest Update

The last time we shared an update on our travel plans, we barely had anything set in stone. Well… we’re not that much further forward, but with time ticking on, there’s plenty to crack on with.

Us with beautiful Moroccan sunset

Getting Ready to Leave

The to-do list is LONG. Painfully long. We’re slowly chipping away at it, but since we’ll be renting out our house while we’re away, there’s a ton to get done before another family moves in.

Oli and I have already (and somewhat impressively, if we say so ourselves) single-handedly laid brand-new flooring in the loft. That’s where we’ll be stashing the stuff we’re not selling. Speaking of which, we’re in full decluttering mode—selling practically everything we won’t need or miss when (or if) we come back in two years.

Every penny from selling our old belongings is going straight into the savings pot. So far, we’ve made around £2,000, with loads more to sort and sell. It’s turning into a pretty decent side hustle.

A Pre-Departure Adventure? Absolutely.

Of course, we couldn’t go that long without getting on a plane. So, before we officially set off, we’re squeezing in a two-week Balkan road trip, starting on 10th April.

The best part? Our flights for the three of us cost just £3 return. No, that’s not a typo. We cashed in our Avios points and used our companion voucher, which has already saved us hundreds of pounds on flights. Honestly, if you’re not collecting Avios, you’re missing a trick. (You can read more about how we do it here).

We’ll be sharing every bit of our Balkans adventure on Instagram and across the website, so stay tuned!

Backpacks or Suitcases? The Great Debate

Ah yes, the age-old traveller’s dilemma: backpacks or suitcases? We’ve tried both—and truthfully, we’re still figuring out which we love most.

For now, we’ve settled on lightweight TRIPP hard-shell cases. Each of us will have one, along with our cabin backpacks. The wheeled cases will be a lifesaver when we inevitably end up carrying Jax’s bag too (because let’s face it, no kid actually carries their own bag for long).

Our current plan is:

• For Morocco, we’ll take one TRIPP case plus our cabin bags, since we’ll need less.

• For Thailand, we’re going all in with three TRIPP cases and the cabin bags, because packing light is a concept we never quite master.

Will we finally get our packing right? Probably not. But we’ll give it a solid go.

Our TRIPP cases we have settled on

Saving Every Penny

Right now, every spare pound is going into savings. Our goal is to hit £20,000 by September. If we manage it, we’ll be able to stretch our travels for over two years on just the rental income from our house and SOME of our savings —without needing any other income.

To reach that target, we’re:

• Selling everything we can

• Tightening up on spending

• Picking up overtime whenever possible

If we don’t quite hit the £20k mark, we won’t be too disappointed—it’ll mean we gave it our best shot. But with any luck (and a lot of selling and saving), we’ll get there.

Wish us luck—because we’re going all in!

Location Update: New Plans, Same Adventure

In our last update, we mentioned plans to head to Taiwan and then onto Japan—but that’s now on hold. Don’t worry, we’ll get there eventually, just not as early as we thought. After some number-crunching, we realised that diving into those destinations too soon would burn through our budget before we’d even properly started.

Instead, we’re making a smarter move: flying from Bangkok to Sri Lanka using our Avios points and slow travelling there for a few months.

Why Sri Lanka?

• Sunshine and beaches 🌞

• Christmas celebrations 🎄

• The sheer stunning scenery and the appeal of laid-back island life 🌴

We’re planning to base ourselves in the south for the first month before slow-travelling around the island for another month or so. We’re even considering a Workaway experience and there’s a Sea Turtle Conservation project we’re itching to be part of, which makes Sri Lanka feel like the perfect fit. We’ll be booking those flights in the coming months.

Festival Plans in Chiang Mai

As we mentioned before, we’ve already booked a two-month apartment in Bangkok. During that time, Chiang Maiwill be hosting the Yi Peng and Loy Krathong Lantern Festival on 5th and 6th November—and since we’ll be so close, there’s no way we’re missing it.

Our plan?

• Night train to Chiang Mai on 4th November

• Festival fun from 4th–8th November

• Flight back to Bangkok after soaking in the lantern-lit magic

We’re beyond excited for this one—the floating lanterns, candlelit riverboats, and the whole atmosphere look absolutely breathtaking. Can’t wait to share it all with you!

Watch this space and keep checking back as I update you as we get closer to September.