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slightly astray

an honest look at life on the road

Three years of travel (in photos!) + a giveaway

Usually I don’t publish posts over the weekend, but today is a special date and I will not break the tradition of an April 1 post every year. Today is exactly 3 years since I first boarded a flight out of the US to seek adventures and make dreams come true.

This 3rd year of travel has been a roller coaster. Though technically, it has been less travel and more staying in one place.

The first year was all about exploring as much as possible and learning to be full time travelers. The second year was about reconnecting and bonding with family. In a way, this third year has been the hardest and most rewarding at the same time. It has been about personal growth and creating a free life for myself. Three years from when I first left, I can finally say I’ve made my dreams of location-independence come true.

This year started with a breakup, which was the catalyst I needed to whip my butt into gear. The beginning of this year was truly a low point – I was basically jobless and homeless. I was afraid to continue on the journey alone. But I knew I didn’t want to go home.

So it was easy to decide to stay in KL. To just stay in a city I already loved and figure things out. Soon, I found some freelance work that allowed me to live in such an affordable place. And besides, by that point, I had already fallen hard for a local boy from KL.

It wasn’t easy transitioning into a new stationary life with new work and a new relationship. Even though I was so so happy with the new relationship, I felt restless from not traveling anymore, and I often felt depressed from feeling overworked and underpaid from all the random work I had. In short – it was hard. I guess eventually, it got too hard and the relationship fell apart, and with it – my heart.

When that happened, I was truly on my own for the first time since I had started this journey. And it was terrifying. But I learned one thing. I realized that I’ve been depending on someone else to make me feel safe and happy. So I silently vowed to improve myself. To give myself happiness and love and confidence. And to take myself to the places I want to go.

This third year ended with my first real solo trip to Dubai. It was a fantastic trip in many ways. Not only did I have so much fun, it gave me the confidence to continue this journey alone. It was exactly what I needed at that time.

And now I’m happy to enter the 4th year with new travel plans and a renewed excitement. I’m also at a good place with freelancing, where I’m earning a decent rate and have enough steady income to fully sustain myself. It’s been a hard journey getting to this point where I’m doing okay both financially and emotionally. There has been more tears than I want to admit. But I’m here. I’m proud of getting myself here, and I think the 4th year will only be better. :)

Anyway, enough blabbing. Here’s what my year looked like in travels.

  • Most of the year in Kuala Lumpur
  • 7 days in Taipei
  • 3 days in Lombok
  • 10 weeks in Beijing
  • 4 days in Tokyo
  • 13 days in Dubai

Pretty sparse compared to previous years. But this year was more about getting myself together, after all. And I really did love being able to get to know KL well. Of course by now it’s not a yearly recap without a huge mosaic, so I’ve put one together as usual. But instead of one picture of each week, I’ve just gathered my favorite photos of this past year to represent the memories and best moments.

As usual, click to enlarge and hover for the caption. :)

One thing that saddens me about this year’s mosaic is that there are so little pictures from the first 6 months. Even though I was happy in one aspect (a new romance), I still spent a lot of it confused and uninspired, and therefore not really going anywhere or taking any pictures. But even though this year hasn’t been all fabulous travels and sunshine, what’s important is that I’ve grown as a person. In that sense, I think this has been the best year yet. :)

On a side note: I’m really happy to have met so many good friends this year who have supported me through the tough times and helped me create new happy memories – from the new local friends in KL to long-term blog friends to even friends who just passed through. 

So what’s coming up in Year 4? I’m starting it off with a month in Penang (I’m road-tripping there with CL tomorrow, actually!), where I’m hoping to eat really good food and have some beach time. After that, I’m not sure but maybe to the Philippines or Bali? My sister may come visit me in Malaysia later on, and then I’d love to meet Amanda in Chengdu (and cuddle some baby pandas!) as she does her study abroad month. I still have some places on my SEA bucketlist to tick off, so let’s see how well I do. Come fall, I’m planning a couple of months back in Los Angeles, where I’ll be a bridesmaid in my best friend’s wedding. And then – who knows? :)

As always, thank you so much for following along. I love all the friendships I’ve made from this blog. If you’re a silent reader, say hi :). Who knows, maybe our paths will cross sometime this year too!

Giveaway

And now, it’s giveaway time!

Are you planning on visiting Hanoi or Kuala Lumpur? If so, you’ll find this extremely helpful.

GPSMyCity (to which I’m a contributor) is once again giving away free GPS-guided maps. Quick introduction: GPSMyCity has guides and walking tours for over 700 cities around the world. The app makes it easy to plan your trips by storing tips and maps all in one place. All articles are free to download and available to use offline (so you don’t need a local SIM).

You also have the option of upgrading an article (for $1.99) to include a GPS-guided map. The map will include all the points of interest suggested in the article along with a walking path if you so wish to do a self-guided walking tour. See a more detailed description for GPSMyCity.

For the next week, two of my articles will be available to upgrade for FREE. I have chosen my most popular ones: What to Eat in Hanoi, and First Time Visitor’s Guide to Kuala Lumpur.

Here’s how to get them:

  1. Download the GPSmyCity app. It’s free. Then browse by city (such as Hanoi) to find the article and download it for free. For this limited time, the upgrade to get the GPS-guided map is free too!
  2. Or click on the links below, and you should be prompted to download the app. After it downloads, you’ll be directed to the article.

This giveaway is valid from April 2 – April 9. If you’re going to Hanoi or KL, snatch them up! I promise they’ll be helpful and save you a lot of travel-planning stress!

Comments

  1. I love this post!! Love you jiejie ! You’re one of the bravest people i know <3

  2. So happy for your and your journey! I love that each year was all about something… exploring, family, or independence… I hope your next year brings you lots of happiness!

  6. What an achievement through some real highs and lows Anna! Hadn’t even realised about the new romance you had in KL – not that I should have course but I don’t know whether it’s because I fell short of time to read blogs for a lot of last year so apologies if it was that! Hope you have an amazing time in Penang. I know Bali gets a mixed rep but personally, I loved it. Can’t wait to see where the road takes you next!

    • No worries! I know I have months where I fall behind on blog reading and catching up with everyone’s lives. And I didn’t talk about it until it was already over, because I wanted to enjoy it in private. And then when it was over, I wanted to document that phase of my life. I’m still not sure if I’ll make it to Bali this year. This is the first time when I really have no plans beyond a month out, and it’s so stressful, haha!

    • Thank you Teesh!! I really appreciate your continued support, and yes I would love to meet!! You’re in the Philippines right? Who knows, maybe our paths will cross there or somewhere else!

  8. Happy Anniversary and Congrats! I was totally in your shoes, I was totally in a funk during/after my divorce (obviously right?) but now I feel like I’m happier and more motivated. Year 3 looked amazing, and here’s a great Year 4!

    • Thank you Christine!! Wow, I totally didn’t know you were divorced. I’m so sorry to hear that, but thanks so much for sharing that. :) I’m so glad that you are so happy now with your family and all the amazing recent travels! It just inspires me that we can bounce back from anything and be even happier. :)

  9. Happy travel anniversary! Even though this year has been the hardest for you, it sounds like you’ve really grown a ton, and that’s one of the main reasons that we like to travel, right? Here’s to many more fun adventures in the next year!

    • Thank you Ashley! It was a hard year, but I’ve grown so much and I really do feel like a good place now. And yes, I realized that travel does make you learn a lot! I’m looking forward to new growth and travels this year. :)

  10. Well done for being strong and independent, good luck for your next year of travelling!

  11. You are inspirational and so beautifully honest in this post and others. Travel has also helped me to develop independence for similar reasons, and I’m sitting here routing for you on the other side of the internet through all the ups and downs :) I hope you have a fabulous trip to Penang, an awesome 4th year, and keep getting stronger and more confident as you continue your journey. Happy travel anniversary!!

    • Thank you so much Ali! I really appreciate the support. I admire you too for having traveled by yourself to so many places, and it makes me think that I can do it too :). I’m having a great time in Penang so far… it’s a good change!

  12. I appreciate your honesty and it’s so good to hear that things have been turned out for the better for you! I love reading about your travels in Asia and you definitely inspire me!!! Good luck for all your future adventures :)

    • Thanks Van! I hope you make it to Asia one of these days!! Unfortunately, Europe and especially Scandinavia is not in my immediate future plans. I’ll need to earn a bit more first!

  13. I love a good yearly round-up as a chance to reflect and plan for the next year. So excited for your year 4 – it sounds like you’re approaching it in a really good place! And even though year 3 was tough, your pictures still show you had a lot of fun (and some delicious meals!).

    • Yes! I definitely did still have a lot of fun and good memories from this past year! It was still overall a very good year in terms of new experiences and growth. I’m looking forward to what’s coming in Year 4 too!

  14. I’ve loved getting to know you through your blog and seeing you flourish especially this past year. It sounds like you’re on the up and up though which is awesome. I’m sure you’ll be rocking your 4th year on the road as well :)

  16. Anna I’ve gotten so much enjoyment in following your journey! As I’ve said before (And I’m sure I’ll say again) I always love how honest you are when blogging and think you are such an inspiration! I can relate a bit to how you started this year, as I am now currently jobless and homeless as well hahah .. And starting my first ever real journey on my own. I’m excited to see where it will take me and it’s people like you who give me the courage to do this in the first place! Excited to continue following along and can’t see what year 4 has in store for you :D

    • Awww thank you so much Lauren! Comments like this is why I continue to share. :) I didn’t know about your job situation Lauren! I thought you are going back to Santiago to continue the job. I’m curious what your new plans are… we should chat! This is also my first year of real traveling on my own. Maybe our paths will cross this year since I will be back in the Americans later on!

  17. Happy Travel-versary! I love following along on your journey and am exciting for your 4th year of travel! I’m debating doing a visa run to Penang in the next couple weeks (to eat.. everything), would be fun to meet up!

  18. I think it’s so great that you’ve been able to objectively look at your time and see the good as well as the bad, and importantly what you’ve learned from all of the above. It’s a skill many people struggle with! I’ve loved following your journey and I’m excited to see what next year brings. It’s a shame we’ll miss each other in KL but you never know, maybe we will be able to meet in Sydney one day!

      • I’m sure we’ll meet up another day in another place!! Now that we’re both on the same side of the world hehe. I really did like NOTHING in Lombok! I was only there for 3 days and the main goal was just to relax and do nothing, which I accomplished very well. But I’ll message you! :)

  19. Anna, you went to Bukit Kiara?! That’s like the number one place I have to go whenever I’m back in town.

      • Bukit Kiara is a hill in Taman Tun Dr. Ismail. I assumed that you were there from the black-and-white picture of you holding a large piece of leaf. I’m actually in Australia now. =)