Hello my travelling friend!
Welcome to my very first monthly (may eventually be weekly), travel journal post.
My goal is to document my comings and goings, not to just waffle on about myself for 1000+ words, but to share with you interesting experiences, places to visit and recommendations from the fabulous whereabouts I explore along the way!
But right now, I’m not going very far! As a family (my husband, daughter & I), we’ve lived mainly in Phuket, Thailand for the last 8+ years seeing my daughter through school. (If I had my time again, I would have world schooled her, but that’s another subject.)
Leaving Thailand
As of the end of May next year, she finally finishes and has agreed to come travelling with us for a year or so before making any further educational or life decisions!
So I’m literally counting down the days! Don’t get me wrong it’s been fantastic living on a paradise island all these years, but more recently it’s become crazy expensive, the roads are choc a block full of traffic and it’s so westernized and commercial. It’s not the same as it was some 10 years or so ago when we first holidayed here.
That does not go for the whole of Thailand by the way. Cities such as Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and the more rural areas still hold on to their Thai charm, but the romance has certainly gone out of Phuket for us. (Too much of a good thing I guess)
A Trip to Chiang Mai
And talking about Chiang Mai, I was up there for a conference at the start of November and could easily live there for a few months of the year.
Other than the Khao Soi which is probably my favourite Thai dish of them all, it also comes with remnants of the ancient city, (which was a big deal back in the day), beautiful temples, the original moat and, all enhanced by more modern but quaint artisanal cafes and shops.
Sure there is also a big shopping centre, a cinema, some of the standard chain restaurants, shops etc, but they haven’t taken over the city. I love to walk about and explore Chiang Mai which is a haven for backpackers, nomads and trendy folks!
Check out my post on FB for more details.
Why The Working Traveller?
So, the conference I attended was all about SEO (search engine optimization), which was greatly needed following the pummeling of my sister site Your Lifestyle Business through Sept & Oct.
Unfortunately google recently ran a set of updates which hit a large proportion of niche sites very badly. I don’t think I met one person at the conference who hadn’t been negatively affected by the affectionately known google ‘not so helpful content update‘!
However, for me it was a blessing in disguise. When my site started to lose traffic I decided to split my content leaving business articles on Your Lifestyle Business and moving all my travel related articles to my new site The Working Traveller.
And as we’re going travelling next year I can’t think of a better time to start a travel blog!
So here we are! And I couldn’t be more excited. In fact I don’t think I’ve been this excited about my business for a number of years.
So keep your eyes out for lots of tips and strategies to both travel the world and generate a fab income while doing so!
Sisters on Tour (in Phuket)
In other news, my lovely sister came to visit this month. For the last few years pre & post Covid, my sister & I have been doing 3 week tours of a variety of areas around the world.
The first year we did an Asian City Tour including Bangkok, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
The second year an Asian Cultural Tour including Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam & Indonesia.
The third year we backpacked across India & had a few days in The Maldives
Last year following the death of our wonderful Mum, we backpacked across Europe, going from Croatia to Amsterdam.
And in 2025 we’re meeting in Rio for the Carnival!
So in the meantime she popped over for a holiday with some friends and we did some sightseeing here in Phuket.
Here’s some photographic highlights;
December
So, looking forward to December, my daughter and I are headed to Tokyo for 4 days just before Christmas to see all the Illuminations and have what I expect will be a decidedly chilly day at Disneyland!
I look forward to sharing a Christmassy Tokyo with you!
Be sure to follow my FB & IG for updates!
Have a fab December, Merry Christmas!
Jo 🙂
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