Where are you going in 2012?

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Submitted by Holger Mette on Mon, 12/26/2011 - 12:01

March Update: I've updated this page with details of what I've been up to, and some plans for the coming months!

2012 is a great year to start a RTW trip! This year I'm planning on:

Picking 12 main destinations and spending about 2-4 weeks at each
Linking the places logically and traveling as much as possible over land
Keeping this blog up-to-date with photos and occasional stories from the road.

All this fits in with my other goal for the year: to shoot, edit and post a timelapse video each month.

January: Melbourne, Australia

I spent most of the month in Melbourne with friends and shooting a timelapse video of the city.

I have some good friend in Melbourne that I was staying with, so didn't have to worry about accomodation costs, but Australia can be an expensive place for most travelers, so I also put together a short article with some budget saving tips for travel in Australia.

February: Tokyo, Japan

In February I spent most of the month in Tokyo.

The CP+ show was on in Yokohama which I visited and did a little bit of a report about on another website that I'm starting, Travel Photography Review. On top of that, I battled the cold weather and shot a timelapse of Tokyo, the second for the year.

March: Osaka & Kyoto, Japan

I'm currently in Osaka, and have spent quite a lot of time between here and Kyoto.

The Sakura or cherry blossom festival is late this year so my hopes of shooting lots of bright flowers are also dwindling. Neverthelss I'm still busy shooting here and trying to put together the third video for the year.

With about a week to go before I fly out on 2 April there's still a lot of work to be done. I'll also be resisting the urge to go camera shopping if this becomes available on 31 March!

April: Manila & the Philippines

Apparently its "more fun in the Philippines". In April I'm going to re-visit the country in time for the crazy easter parades in San Fernando that I'll be aiming to share in photos and footage. Once that's over, I'll be traveling extensively in what's one of the most beautiful countries I've been to, hopefully get in a lot of beach time, some diving and adventure activities.

May: Philippines, Hong Kong & Macau

Last time I was in the Philippines, a month wasn't enough, so this time I've allowed for a little bit longer again. An easy and cheap place to get to from the Philippines is Hong Kong, another city I've wanted to re-visit, and that should be perfect for shooting in timelapse. Just a short ferry ride away is Macau which is equally interesting. At the risk of re-tracing previous journeys, I'll probably head here again after HK.

June: China (50% chance!)

June isn't set in stone my any means. China is a great country to travel, and when I'm so close it will be tempting to go there. However much of this is dependent on my mood as the next few months progress. Given that my previous stop includes the Philippines there's a fairly high chance that I'll spend more time on the beach instead of heading into China which can be a tough but rewarding country to travel.

July to Sept: Canada & the USA

Last time I was in North America (October '08 - Apr '09) I was in a little bit of a rush to head south to escape the onset of winter, so spent a lot more time in Central America than the US or Canada. This time I'll be aiming for a much more leisurly pace. My last trip focused on the West coast, this time I'll be heading mainly inland and east. High on the agenda will be some time on road-trips!

October, November: Mexico & Central America

If things are still on track at this time of the year, I'll be making my way south ahead of the onset of cold weather. This time I'll be passing though a little more quickly and trying to make it to Belize and El Salvador, which would be my only "new" countries for the year. Winter in Japan at the start of the year is enough time in the cold for one year! Again my plan will be to travel along the west coast of the continent, and explore places I didn't visit last time I traveled through this region.

December: Colombia

If I make it this far, Christmas in Colombia is something that seems worth aiming for. Colombia is another standout in terms of my favourite countries, so it would be a great place to end the year. Obviously this far out, plans can and do change!

Instagrams: Although updates on this site are somewhat infrequent, I'm posting Instagram photos from my iPhone and comments almost daily. If you want to keep up with these, find me on Instagram (holgsrtw), Twitter or on my Facebook page.

How are your plans developing this year?

RTW Diaries is my new blog to share my journey around the world in 2012 and beyond. Although I'm a long-term traveler, this blog is really the first time I'll really be aiming to share travels in close to real-time. If you want to follow the journey, please subscribe!