How to Travel the World for a Year with Courtney Stephenson

Continuing with my traveler profile series, I’m very very excited to publish my interview with Courtney Stephenson, a long time friend and adventuress who was midway through taking a year off to travel when the pandemic hit. Life threw her a curveball and now she’s staying with her parents until she can go back to Southeast Asia and continue her year of travel. So I wanted to take some time to chat with her about her experience so far and what it’s like to take a year off to travel.

In this interview, we’ll discuss tips on how to travel on a budget, how to save for travel, how to make friends traveling alone in your late 20s, and much more!

First off, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me. I think it’s a common dream, taking a year off to travel the world and I’m so excited to dive in & share your story. Can you start by introducing yourself to the readers & sharing a little bit about your background?

Hi! My name is Courtney -- I grew up in southern Indiana and went to college at Indiana University, studying Apparel Merchandising. While I’ve always had an adventurous and independent spirit, I really didn’t grow up traveling much, besides a yearly family trip to Florida.

My first trip overseas was when I was 21 - I did an internship in Sydney, Australia & tacked on side trips to Thailand and New Zealand (that Thailand trip is actually what sparked my current travels!)

After college I spent 3 months traveling by train around Europe before moving to Las Vegas. I lived in Vegas for almost 6 years working as a Buyer for Zappos.com before quitting to backpack Southeast Asia. I was on the road from October 2019-March 2019 and plan to return to long term travel once COVID-19 settles down.

Traveling for a year, that’s a long time! I love it. Tell me a little bit about your decision to go travel long term.

In the back of my head, I’ve kind of always known I wanted to do a long term travel trip. When I came to Thailand 7 years ago the country just blew me away... it was the first time in my life I really felt like I was experiencing cultures and landscapes that looked really different to anything else I had ever seen or experienced. I remember thinking to myself at the end of that trip, “When I’m at the point in my life where I can do a long term trip, I have to come back to Southeast Asia.”

When I first started my job with Zappos, I thought I’d stay a year or two and then quit to travel. However, I loved that job & city and it never felt right to leave until last year - nothing about my job or life in Vegas changed, but suddenly my heart and gut were telling me to travel and that voice got much louder than the voice saying I should stay.

I was scared sh*tless to quit - but just kept reminding myself that if I didn’t do this trip, I would 100% regret it on my deathbed, and that was my guiding light to follow through with actually quitting to travel.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Tell me - how did you go about planning a year of travel? Did you do a lot of planning or did you want to play it more fast and loose?

I actually did a lot of planning before this trip! You read a lot of advice about long term trips that say “just book your flight and wing it all!” which I 100% respect, but that is just not how I like to travel. I love researching & planning - but not actually *booking* anything.

What I did instead was start a GoogleDoc per country I thought I’d go to and added in notes from blogs, Instagram, friends who’d traveled, etc. - that way I knew some of the options of what each country offered, but wasn’t tied to any set schedule.

I booked my flight into Vietnam and a hostel for my first two nights, and that was the only thing I truly planned ahead. If you are staying in hostels (or anywhere meeting other travelers), I guarantee you will get the majority of your travel advice “on the ground”. The best hostels, restaurants, bars, “off the beaten path” places I found on my trip were mostly word of mouth recommendations.

Yeah I totally relate to that….researching and planning - without getting too rigid with your schedule. The best info is always garnered once you’re on the ground in a place!

Now for a topic everyone is always curious about….let’s talk about budget.  Any tips on how to save to travel? Do you give yourself a daily budget? How do you travel on a low budget?

I started saving for this trip roughly 5 years ago - I opened a separate savings account and every month I had a fixed amount of money transferred to it, increasing over the years. Anytime I felt like I had extra money I would transfer it in, and I also never allowed myself to take money from that account for other things.

I could have probably done a lot more to save money quickly, but I didn’t want to cut into my quality of life at the time - I was still traveling a LOT during those years, going to music festivals and shows, going out with friends, etc.

On the flip side, I cut my expenses drastically in the areas of my life I didn’t particularly hold value - buying new clothes, for example (which sounds so strange for someone who worked in fashion). I also took full advantage of my work benefits - I had access to free breakfast/lunch on campus - and while a daily oatmeal and salad definitely got old after 6 years, it helped me save over 5K just by choosing to eat free meals everyday.

On the road I loosely gave myself a budget of $40/day. However, Southeast Asia is one of the cheapest regions of the world and I averaged around $30/day while still doing some of the more expensive things (The Gibbon Experience in Laos and yoga retreats, for example).

If you plan to travel long term I think it’s essential you track your expenses.

Otherwise it’s easy to overspend because almost everything is paid in cash (at least in Southeast Asia). I use an app called TrailWallet - the paid version is around $5, but I’ve had it since my post-college Europe trip so I think it’s well worth the cost. You’re able to see your spending by category, daily average, etc. which is so helpful - obviously some days are going to be waaaay over your “daily budget”, but you’ll also have days where you spent almost no money, so it all evens out.

Oh that’s a good tip! I hadn’t heard of that app before, but will have to check it out. I know another common way of stretching your budget further is seeking out free accommodations in exchange for work. You served as a hostel volunteer for a few weeks, what was that experience like and would you recommend it to others?

The experience was amazing! I wanted to find places to “slow down” on my trip - it’s nearly impossible to continually travel and not get burnt out, so I thought finding volunteer opportunities would be perfect to not only have a temporary home base, but also be a way to make better connections and save money.

I joined a Facebook group for hostel volunteers & reached out to a hostel in Chiang Mai, Thailand (Stamps Backpackers - highly recommend this hostel!) when they posted needing a volunteer. I was given a free (shared) room, a small food stipend, some free drinks, and free activities in exchange for helping change bedsheets in the mornings and leading nightly activities at the hostel.

I met so many amazing travelers, got close with the local staff and other volunteers at the hostel, and felt like I really got to know and explore Chiang Mai by spending over 3 weeks there. I’m planning to continue looking for volunteer opportunities down the road in my travels - Work Away is a popular website for backpackers to find these opportunities…work assignments range from hostel positions to agriculture to teaching, etc.

So what has been your favorite Southeast Asian city so far?

Kampong Cham in Cambodia - this city is not super popular on the backpacker trail and it was not initially on my radar, but I had a few extra days to spare and decided to check it out.

Best decision ever!

I stayed at an incredible hostel called Mekong Bamboo Hut - it’s right on the river on Koh Paen island across from the city. You can explore the small island by bicycle and truly get a feel for Cambodian village life - the island didn’t even have a concrete bridge connecting it to the city until 2017. I spent another day riding a motorbike to surrounding temples and down dusty roads - no other tourists in sight.

The rest of my time was just spent at the hostel - we had a core group of people - all different ages, all different nationalities, etc. - who stayed several days and just became a mini travel family. Since the hostel is on the small island, and the island doesn’t have any real restaurants or businesses, we cooked a family dinner every night which felt incredibly special after spending so many nights at larger hostels with bar crawls being the only nightly activity.

As travel will teach you, sometimes it’s not just about the place, it’s about the people. And when you find a city that has both beautiful places and beautiful people - it’s pretty damn special.

Soooo true. Often times our best travel memories are places and moments we least expected all due to who we met.

What would you say are the best places to travel for beginners? And on the opposite spectrum, which countries in Southeast Asia proved hardest?

Thailand is one of the best countries in Southeast Asia if you’re a first time traveller - it’s a very well-established backpacker/tourist hub. *Most* people in tourist areas speak English, the country is incredibly safe, and getting around is pretty straightforward. There are lots of direct busses/planes/trains so it’s great for shorter trips too - you won’t waste a lot of time in transit.

Laos would be the country I consider the “hardest” - mostly because transportation was difficult (LONG bus rides, poor road conditions/infrastructure) and English is not always widely spoken, even in tourist cities.

What about Southeast Asia has surprised you the most?

The most surprising thing (which really shouldn’t have been a surprise) was just how open, kind, and humble the locals were - these are people that sometimes have a much different quality of life versus Western standards, yet welcome tourists with open arms.

In Vietnam one of the most popular tourist towns is Sapa, a gorgeous mountainous region with rice terraces where minority hill tribes live. I stayed in a local homestay with “Mama Mu” - a mother of three who welcomes tourists to stay in her own home and spends her days showing people the area. She speaks three languages (her local dialect, Vietnamese, and English) and is a badass female entrepreneur in a town notorious known for exploiting its people in the name of tourism.

It’s easy to look at her way of life and think she has so little - to Western eyes - but her outlook on life is still so open and positive. On the flip side- it’s also important to note that most countries in Southeast Asia still suffer from either political turmoil, economic struggle, and/or poverty that hang in the air of these beautiful places.

I think it’s important as a tourist to do a little bit of research into the places you’re visiting to understand the history and current struggles. It was shocking to me, as an American, to learn about our country’s interference in places like Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, which still affect their lives today.

Sapa, Vietnam

I’ve come away with these exact same sentiments after traveling Southeast Asia. It’s a part of the world that really leaves a mark on you.

What has been the hardest part of traveling alone for a year?

I found it initially hard to adjust to backpacking in my late 20s vs. early 20s - while I’m still young (I’m only 28), I don’t really fit in with many of the young, party, gap year backpackers anymore, and a good portion of backpackers closer to my age were traveling with significant others. At first I felt like I was in a weird limbo stage between these two worlds of young backpackers - but then as I got my “travel legs” I realized I just wasn’t looking in the right places for the kinds of people I wanted to surround myself with on the trip.

For example, in the beginning of my trip I was blindly booking hostels with the best ratings without actually reading reviews to see why those hostels were highly rated. Most of the time, “top rated” hostels in Southeast Asia are chain, party hostels; while there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, I realized that wasn’t my scene anymore, and dug in more on reviews to find independently owned, smaller capacity hostels that people highly rated for social/solo travelers, but not party atmosphere (also a tip - Booking.comsometimes has different hostel options than Hostelworld, and many of the independent/small hostels I loved were only on Booking).

I also used Facebook to find interesting events happening wherever I was traveling - open mic nights, live music, yoga, ecstatic dance, etc. - whatever interests you have (or want to try!) you’ll find in most major cities in Southeast Asia and they will be full of like-minded people.

And - I think it’s important to mention that while we kind of associate backpackers as only young, gap year or between jobs people, I met a TON of older travelers on my trip - both solo travelers and couples - that completely shifted my perspective on what being a “backpacker” means. While I’m still so glad to be traveling young, you will find people on the road at all ages and stages of life - and that was extremely reassuring that it’s never too late to travel.

What are 3 essential items that everyone should take when they set out on a backpacking trip?

These are by no means “essential”, but these are things you won’t find on any standard packing list that I wish I had brought/done:

• Spotify playlist dedicated to your travels: I recently started a “Southeast Asia” playlist and added songs I heard throughout my trip - in bars, at karaoke, at festivals, or just songs I associated with different people/places. Southeast Asia is known for their cheesy pop covers and less-than-stellar club music - but I know even the songs I roll my eyes at now, I’ll want to remember years down the road!

• Disposable Camera: I started shooting film in the last 2 years and I love rediscovering memories months later when you finally get the film developed. I didn’t have space in my bag so I decided to not bring one along and now I’m regretting it! Developing film would be the perfect way to help ease post-trip blues.

• Okay one practical essential: a thin towel wrap! Hostel bathrooms can be notoriously gross and hot, and I personally HATE having to immediately dry off and put real clothes back on. Instead, I just throw on my towel wrap & comfortably walk around the dorm until I’m fully dry and ready to put real clothes on haha!

Terrific answer. I love the travel playlist especially. There are songs that always remind me of my travels and make me smile when they randomly come on, but I’d never thought to create a playlist at the time. So smart!

Okay, if you had to choose, what are the best things to do in Southeast Asia?

• Ha Giang Loop in Northern Vietnam:

  • It’s a 4 day motorbike loop in the mountains with the most beautiful landscapes! At the time I didn’t know how to ride a motorbike, so I did an “easy rider” tour with a local guide driving me on his bike - it was great because I didn’t have to pay attention to the road and could just soak in the views!

• Volunteering at Jai Thep Music Festival in Thailand

  • I’m a big festival person back home & thought it would be so neat to do one out here. I decided to join the build crew to keep my expenses low - I got a free ticket in exchange for helping out the week before the festival started. It also helped me meet tons of people before the festival started, so I had new friends going into the weekend! It was incredibly special to experience something I love doing back home in Asia.

• Hitchhiking in northern Laos

  • Myself & 2 friends decided to hitchhike between Luang Prabang and Nong Khiaw - it’s only ~80 miles but it took us 8 hours and 3 different pickups. Hitchhiking isn’t super common in Laos, so our waves on the side of the road were often just met with smiles of confusion and waves back. While waiting at our second stop, a man came over to us with a handwritten cardboard sign for us. One of our rides was a semi-truck driver on his way to China who video-chatted some friends to show off his newly-picked up travel companions. These seem like silly uneventful things to cherish, but while some might look at that and see a travel day wasted, we had so much fun and I’ll remember that day much more fondly than if we had just taken the bus as usual.

Ha Giang Loop Vietnam

Hitchhiking in Laos

How did your family and friends react to this big adventure?

While I don’t think my family would have necessarily chosen this path for me, they have been quietly and incredibly supportive of my decision to travel long term. They recognize my desire to see the world and live life on my own terms and have long stopped trying to intervene - they are the opposite of “helicopter parents” and I respect and appreciate that so much.

I also think they were frankly relieved I didn’t quit earlier to travel - I’ve definitely grown a lot as a person and I think traveling solo in my late 20s vs. my early 20s probably gave them more peace of mind. My friends were also incredibly supportive and unsurprised by my announcement - many of them are travelers too :)

What is one thing you wish you had known before you set out on a year of travel?

Travel is not always easy and it’s easy to get wrapped up in the beautiful photos we share on Instagram or the funny Snapchat stories. But the reality is, travel can be hard. Stressful. Disappointing. It’s far from the picture perfect image we see. But the way we learn and grow is through the things we overcome while traveling. It’s also a big lesson in putting the “human” back in humanity - the kindness of strangers, fellow travelers, and locals you meet along the way

-- That’s actually something I wrote in an old travel journal and re-wrote down in a note on my phone before this trip. I don’t think there’s anything I wish I’d known ahead of time - difficult times lead to beautiful destinations, and everything is a teaching moment.

That’s 100% true and a perfect message.

Just one last question…what would you say to something who has never travelled before and needs a little extra encouragement?

The world is a lot less scary than you think! Obviously you need to have some general awareness and take safety precautions, but generally people are kind and only out to help.

One of the most recent examples of this - while on a motorbike trip in Laos, my friend's tire blew out while we were in the middle of nowhere. We were HOURS from the next real auto shop, but luckily a local man stopped and pointed us toward a house in the nearby village. No one spoke English, but they kindly spent the next hour changing the tube for her - for the equivalent of $1.50.

They had no reason to help us, but chose to with a smile on their face.

I love stories like this of just pure kindness and goodwill. Well I sincerely hope you can get back on the road again soon and continue collecting these wonderful memories & adventures <3

Nong Khiaw Laos

You can find Courtney on Instagram at @court_kneeeeeee - make sure to check out her story highlights where she details her Part I adventures in solo travels around Southeast Asia, and stay tuned for Part II!

If you have any questions for Courtney, please share them in the comments below and I’ll be sure to pass along :)

As usual, if you found this interview helpful and you would like to share it, we’d much appreciate it xo