How do you plan a trip like this?

First I love to plan vacations. I find it therapeutic to day dream of plannings to visit, things to do and the experiences to be had. We started with Australia, we were going to do Australia for 10 weeks. Rent an RV and go! Of course the plan grew from there, the kids wanted more places, we found ourselves accommodating Grandpa on a trip to Hawaii and the neighbors that relocated to Vietnam with a welcoming place to stay were all calling our names. Then the recommendation that Thailand was a must with a few others sprinkled in to see Laos and Singapore the itinerary grew and grew. Now time to manage this thing down! Viola, change, add, grow, nix, it was a bit exhausted, but oh so much fun.

The final itinerary!

• Kauai, Hawaii - 1 week - Since we are traveling so far around, plus Grandpa really wanted to do this trip with us.
• Bangkok & Chiang Mai, Thailand - 1 week - Visiting wats (Buddhist temples), EATING Thai food, lots of food. The Elephant santuary is calling me.
• Luang Prabang, Laos - 4 days - Highly recommended by our friends in Vietnam. Looking forward to being humbled by monk rituals.
• Hanoi, Vietnam - 1 week - River boat tour through Halong Bay, visiting friends and checking out the rice fields.
• Singapore, Singapore - 1 day layover, exactly 24 hours! - Marina Bay Sands Hotel and the Botanical Gardens.
• Melbourne, Australia - 1 week - Drinking coffee in Melbourne, road trip through the Great Ocean Drive.
• Christchurch to Auckland, New Zealand road trip - 2 weeks - Road trip! South Island, North Island. Penguins, Sauv Blanc, the gorgeous scenery.
• Cairns, Australia - 5 days - Great Barrier reef, looking forward to Fitzroy Island, snorkeling!
• Brisbane to Sydney, Australia road trip - 10 days - Road trip down the Legendary Pacific Coast. Last few days of the trip in Sydney.

Months, weeks, leading up to the trip

Anxiety, definitely some anxiety, some second guesses, some questioning... After saying it outloud a few times, and talking through my reasons for quitting and putting family first. Really thinking it through, how we only live once. Looking at how responsible I've been for so long, my life was missing some spontenuity. Even after making the decision, it still took me a bit to get comfortable with the idea. After this period, came exciting, anticipation and finally pride. I realized how brave it was to make this decision. I'm proud of myself and my family for making this summer a priority. It will be a summer of build perspective, bonding and clearly building some amazing memories.

Where to stay!?

Now that I have the itinerary mostly planned, where are we staying? I need to book the plane tickets. I leverage Expedia almost exclusively for plane tickets. Why? Because I ran comparisons, checked out the low-budget sites and the prices weren't that much different. Plus the idea of consolidating all my flight itineraries in one place...won! Staying? Mostly AirBnB, lots of hotel points cashed in with Marriott, Hilton and IHG. Bring it on. We are staying with friends in Vietnam and in Australia we are renting an RV and camping.

What to Pack

I do start thinking about what and how to pack. What are you allowed and not allowed to bring? Are liquid rules more strick in other countries? Can I bring snacks?