Chapter 03: My Upcoming Trip Around the World

Doug Newton
5 days ago
4 min read

A quick overview of my upcoming travel plans, and what to expect in the coming weeks as I take a trip around the world.

Alright let's get this journey started! I've been planning to do some traveling since the beginning of the year and the time has finally come. I've had a plethora of ideas about where I wanted to visit, including South America, Australia, and even moving to Italy for a few months. However, after talking with several people, it became apparent that I had a unique opportunity to link up with a few old friends all over the globe. I've also had a burning desire to visit Japan and South East Asia, so I thought why not take a lap around the globe and only visit places I haven't been. So here's my very rough itinerary that will most certainly change as I go. Cue the music.

"All around the world, we can make time, rompin' and a stompin' cause I'm in my prime" - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Stop 01: Sweden

Aerial view of a city by the sea with modern and historic buildings, canals, and a prominent twisted skyscraper under a blue sky.

First stop is Malmö Sweden, which is directly across the bay from Copenhagen Denmark. I'll be visiting a long time friend from LA, Alex, who has been living there for the past few years, so he'll be my local tour guide while I stay with him for a week. I couldn't ask for a better start to this journey. Not only will I be visiting with a great friend I haven't seen in a while, but we don't have any agenda, which is my favorite part. I'll have a full week to adjust to the time zone, relax, and do as I please. Alex and I have are no strangers to making our own adventures, more on that in another post, but I'm very excited to kick this off with a stress free week in Sweden.

Stop 02: Norway

Modern urban landscape at night, with illuminated buildings and a calm river reflecting city lights. A peaceful, vibrant atmosphere.

Next stop is Norway. I'll be flying from Sweden to Oslo on May 17th to meet up with one another long time friend, Hunter. We go way back to our time on the club water polo team in college and we've remained in touch ever since. We'll be joined by one of his friends, Kelly and we'll be embarking on a few hiking excursions in northern Norway. Here's the current list of treks we have planned so far.

Pulpit Rock
Ritland Crater
Trolltunga
Kvalvika Beach Hike

I'm very excited to spend some time in nature, disconnect, and explore the scenic landscape northern Norway has to offer.

Stop 03: Greece

Santorini at sunset with white domed buildings and windmills overlooking the sea. Warm lights glow, creating a serene, picturesque scene.

After a week of hiking in the cooler rainy weather, Hunter and I decided it would be nice to spend time on a beach. I've never been to Greece and it seems like the perfect place for us to relax and rest after hiking about 29 miles in total. Santorini has been on my list of places to visit for quite some time, so I'm looking forward to exploring this island and other parts of Greece. There's no real agenda other than finding a beach to lounge on. We'll take it day by day and just do whatever we're feeling while we're there.

Stop 04: South East Asia

Two pagodas on a lush hilltop at sunset, with a vivid sky in shades of pink, orange, and blue, overlooking distant mountains. Peaceful mood.

South East Asia has always been a part of the world I've wanted to explore and this is the perfect time to do it. I currently don't have a timeline, so this part of the trip is where I really plan to improvise and go where the wind takes me. I don't have anything booked yet, but I will likely fly from Greece to Thailand and then explore from there. My plan is to research places to visit as I go, and book whatever interests me. I'll be solo for this part of the trip so I can really do as I please.

Stop 05: Japan

Pagoda surrounded by cherry blossoms and people, with mountainous background and a clear sky, conveying a serene and cultural atmosphere.

Up next, I'll be checking another bucket list country off and visiting Japan. I've had several friends visit here, and everyone I know that's been always tells me I would love it there, so naturally I have to go find out for myself. Kyoto has always been a place that interests me and the minimalistic Japanese culture has always captivated me. This is where I really plan to slow things down and absorb as much of this country as I can. Perhaps I will learn a thing or two from Japan that I can implement into my own life. I'll be by myself here as well, which gives me the opportunity to pursue whatever presents it's self.

Stop 06: Hawaii

Serene beach scene with palm trees lining the sandy shore, turquoise sea, and partly cloudy sky. Peaceful and tropical atmosphere.

Finally, I'll round out this trip around the world by stopping in Hawaii to break up the travel from Japan to Las Vegas. It doesn't hurt that I have another long time friend, Thant, from the JMU club water polo team that lives here. Not only did we go to college together, but we overlapped in LA for about 4 years until he moved to the island. Surprisingly enough, I've lived on the West Coast for 12 years and I've never been to Hawaii, so this is the perfect way to finish my lap around the world, exploring a new place while catching up with a great friend.

That's my extremely loose travel itinerary for the upcoming month or two. I'm leaving much of it open ended so I have room to improvise and explore opportunities as they present themselves. I'll be photographing my journey and documenting everything here, so stay tuned for stories and pics along the way.

If you've been to any of these places and have any recommendations for places to stay, things to do, or bars and restaurants to check out, please leave them in the comments.

That's all for now! My flight to Sweden is tomorrow night, and I couldn't be more excited!

See ya when I see ya

-Doug

All Over The Place