How to visit 12 countries in One Year – From Challenge to Reality

Have you thought about giving yourself a travel goal this year or next? How about visit 12 countries in one year? It’s a great goal if you want to travel more, but it can be overwhelming for a beginner traveler.

Do you want to start traveling, but don’t know how to start traveling, let alone how to visit 12 countries in one year? Do you know where’s the best place to buy flight tickets or accommodation? How to find the best places in your chosen destination?

Keep reading and I will answer all of the above including the best places to research your chosen destinations and how you can travel cheaply.

How to start traveling and be able to visit 12 countries in one year

I always wonder why birds stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on earth. And then I ask myself the same question.

 

You’re literally like the bird you could fly anywhere you want. I know you’ll have a list of reasons why you can’t and all of them are valid. You’ve got a job, you can’t just leave. Or you don’t have a job and you don’t have the money. Your home is the only place you’ve ever known. You only speak one language, you’ve never traveled before, you haven’t got a passport, you can’t afford the gas money. There are thousands of reasons not to try, but the truth is if you don’t prioritise what you want and get started, at the end of the day that will be the only thing holding you back.

You’re not moving and once you get the simplicity of that and understand that, you can start acting right now! You could say f**k the excuses no matter how valid they are, you can finally decide that you’re going to take this step! You’re going to find your way or make one. And that is a simple truth, everything else is bulls**t. Everything else is the voice in your mind holding you back and making you a lesser version of yourself. So, I ask you: Why doesn’t the bird fly wherever it wants to go?

My routine before traveling to 12 countries in one year

Once you’ve decided to prioritise travel and set the goal to travel to 12 countries in one year, it is important to deal with all the necessary things before you start. You will want to decide the routine that works best for you as every traveler’s routine is different, but I want to show what I did, step by step, before attempting my 12 countries in 12 months. 

Searching for a destination and flights

The first thing you should do after you’ve decided to travel is to find out where you’re going and how you’ll get there. My number one rule is to choose your next destination based on cheap flight tickets. When you want to visit 12 countries in one year, you can’t choose destinations as you like, you’ll want to save money where we can to achieve your goal. 

Pelikan.sk Momondo.com Google Flights Skyscanner.net

The first thing I did was to find the cheapest flight tickets. You can use a variety of websites or apps on the market for searching for the best flight prices. I mainly use Pelikan, Momondo, Google flights, and the Hopper app on my iPhone. Another rule I follow is: Adapt your time of travel, not travel on your time. What does it mean? It means that if you find the cheapest flight tickets on a specific date, try to make it happen and adapt your next trip to travel there on that date. 

Now you know where and when you will go. It’s time to lock it in. Never buy flight tickets through these web pages or apps. I always find the cheapest flights using these websites, then I buy tickets directly on the website of the airlines that offer the flight. The two main reasons for this is that they are usually cheaper and on the airline website you’ll find more information about all the extras such as insurance, baggage or additional fees you might have to pay.

Useful apps

Hopper Ryanair Wizz air

Of course, every app that belongs to the airline you’re flying with is useful, because it will store your flight ticket without you having to print it out. Anything to help become more sustainable while you travel is a good thing!

Booking cheaper accommodation

Another thing that you need to do is book a roof over your head. The rule that I follow is very simple: The cheaper the accommodation cost the better for me. BUT that depends on many factors that you should be aware of.

Availability is key for me, I book more expensive accommodation near the attractions I want to see (I’ll talk about how to plan your itinerary with best places later in the article) rather than far away and pay more money for transportation and accommodation together. In the end, you will pay the same amount of money for room and transportation together than paying for a more expensive accommodation option closer and then not paying for transport at all. 

On the other hand, I always look for good reviews from other people. And I prefer when you can pay by card and especially on the spot rather than in advance without the possibility of canceling. Even if you think that you will 100% go on the trip, you may encounter a situation that you did not expect. I don’t know a single person who has had to cancel their accommodation due to the current situation and was not allowed to do so.

Booking.com Hotels.com Airbnb.com

My main source for securing accommodation is booking.com. I don’t know why but I always find the cheapest options here and I’m also satisfied with their genius loyalty benefits like 10% or 15% discounts on selected properties, free breakfast, or free room upgrades. You need to book a few to get these bonuses but as we are about to visit 12 countries in one year we should increase our loyalty points quickly. Of course, there are many other platforms for finding cheap accommodation.

Useful apps

If I’m already on the road and there is a situation that needs cheap accommodation quickly. I love the Hotel tonight app where you can book last-minute night hotels for good prices. I always prefer cheap hostels with multiple beds in one room, where it’s easier to make a new friend on your travels. 

Hotel tonight

 

Planning your transportation

After successfully booked accommodation, it’s important to find out everything about your upcoming movement throughout your chosen destination. That means you’ll need to research public transport, between city transportation or alternative ways to get from point A to point B.

Very important is how you’ll get from the airport to your accommodation, the main reason why the majority of cheap flights are so cheap is that they land at an airport far from the city center. It is very important to arrange transport in advance or find out if there is Uber, Lyft, or Bolt in the country you’re landing in and whether one will be available at the time of your arrival. In general, I do not recommend taking a taxi from the airport. It is usually the most expensive option and we can’t forget that we want to visit 12 countries in one year, so we have to save money where we can.

Useful apps

Uber Triplt

It is very hard to advise on how to deal with all-around transportation per trip because it depends on the type of trip and length of time at your destination. In general, it is very helpful to research public transport apps and ways to buy your tickets. Also, find out about alternative ways to move around big cities or foreign countries such as bikes, car rentals, scooters, etc. This part is totally up to you, but try to find the cheapest way to transport around your destination, I am following this rule: Always choose the lower price at the expense of my comfort.

Researching the best places and learning country laws

The most important thing when it comes to researching before your trip is to plan your itinerary to make sure you reach all the best places to visit at your destination. The first thing I do is look for already saved places on my google maps. Do you want to know how I do that? Social media, of course.

That’s right, every single person who has a smartphone has some sort of social media account. For me it’s Instagram where I am following mainly travelers and am watching everyday travel photos from different corners of the world. When I like what I see, I immediately save the place into my google maps as an “I want to go there” place. If you are not doing this already, I highly recommend starting. How to save places into your google map account.

If you haven’t started saving places on google maps as I have, you can do it before your trip in the same way I have. Start by opening Instagram, write the name of your destination, scroll, and save into Google maps the places you want to visit. You can also search for places on Google where you can find a ton of blogs from different travelers from around the world with many great recommendations for your itinerary. I highly recommend after reading my blog, the wonderintwo one.

Useful apps

Google maps

Sometimes I just open google maps, write the town or area where I’m going and look for the little hike/photo/viewpoints icons and study people’s reviews and photos. 

The last important thing you should do is look at the country’s laws. You want to be prepared for any situation, especially if you want to visit 12 countries in one year. For example, If you’re going on a road trip to Norway with a car you probably want to know the speed limit in Norway, right? (You can read more about How to Plan your Road Trip to Norway here)

You might not realise that each country has different laws and in some cases, there may be something completely different than what you’re used to in your homeland. So watch out for these oddities too.

Travel solo or in a couple or with a group

The most important part of solo travel is learning how to have fun with yourself, and discovering how to be alone but not feel lonely.

 

Sometimes it’s hard to find someone who wants to travel with you, especially if you want to visit 12 countries in one year. It will happen to you that you won’t have anyone to go with on a few of (or all) your trips. If you find someone who can handle this challenge with you, it’s great for you. If not, don’t be afraid to go alone. As I mentioned the most important part of solo travel is learning how to have fun with yourself, and discovering how to be alone but not feel lonely.

Pros and cons of solo travel and traveling with friends

let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of solo travel and traveling with a friend or friends.

Pros and Cons	Solo Travel	Group Travel
Personal Growth and Setting Your Schedule	✅	❌
Meeting People and Building Confidence	✅	⚠️ partially
Freedom and Time for Reflection	✅	❌
Avoiding Loneliness	❌	✅
Higher Costs	❌	✅
Safety Considerations	❌	✅
Foreign language practicing	✅	⚠️ partially
Missing the Human Connection	❌	✅

❌ – disadvantage, ✅ – advantage, ⚠️ – both

Personal Growth and Setting Your Schedule

One benefit of solo travel is that it forces you to become independent, make decisions, and step out of your comfort zone on a regular basis, something you wouldn’t necessarily do if you weren’t traveling alone.

Meeting People and Building Confidence

One of the biggest benefits of solo travel is how easy it is to meet people on the road. All you need to do is wander into a hostel common room and within minutes, someone will strike up a conversation with you. It really is that easy!

Freedom and Time for Reflection

Another item in the “pro” column for solo travel is that it can be a time for reflection and solitude and help bring peace to your mind. You’ll get to know yourself better than you ever have before, learn what truly makes you happy, and what you need to work on to improve as a person. It can often be challenging to face these truths but learning to overcome them is all part of the process of growing.

Avoiding Loneliness

One downside of traveling alone for long periods of time is that it can be draining, and you may struggle with issues of loneliness. Not having someone to share all the amazing experiences with can be disheartening and lead to depression. Homesickness is something most long-term travelers deal with, and the effects can be amplified when you’re alone.

Higher Costs

For low-cost travelers, another downside is that traveling alone nearly always works out to be much more expensive than traveling as a couple or group. As a couple, you can share meals, stay in private rooms, and split many of your expenses. You’ll also often find that for private tours you’ll be charged a lot more if you plan on taking it alone. There’s no doubt about it: solo travel tax sucks. 

As a solo traveler, you’ll have to pay a single room supplement if you want to stay in private rooms. It makes sense that businesses would charge more money for one person, but it certainly does punish solo travelers for something they can’t control. Time to start making friends and sharing rooms so you can split the cost!

Safety Considerations

While solo travel isn’t unsafe, it’s definitely less safe than traveling with other people, making the safety issue a “con” of traveling alone. You’re more vulnerable when you’re on your own because you only have you looking after yourself. When you’re in a group, you’ll have other people to look out for scams, to steer you away from danger, and make you less likely to get lost. 

So while this shouldn’t make you avoid solo travel, you should take extra precautions in order to keep yourself safe. Things, like being cautious when out alone after dark, researching unsafe neighborhoods before you arrive, and not getting too drunk when out with hostel friends, are all things that will improve your safety levels on the road. 

Foreign language practicing

Practicing a foreign language is a great advantage, especially when you’re traveling alone, where you are forced to speak in the local language to communicate.

If you go with a friend you’ll usually speak with them in your native language and spend less time practicing the foreign language. For sure if you don’t speak a foreign language it is a big advantage to travel with someone who knows how to speak like a local.

Missing the Human Connection

When you travel all the way to Bali and stand in front of the beautiful Kellinking beach, sometimes it’s a little underwhelming. You don’t have somebody to turn to and discuss how incredible it looks and how amazing it feels to be living your travel dream. Instead, you snap a few photos, you sit and look at it in awe and silence, and then you leave. Solo travel is one of the best things you can do for yourself, but sometimes it’s a little underwhelming when you don’t have someone to share it with. 

 

Low-cost travel and saving money

The main reason why I travel so often, besides that I like to travel low cost (I will explain what that means), is that I save money. Yeah, such a simple concept. But let me explain a little further.

Saving money

My number one travel life rule that I apply before any kind of purchase for any kind of product or service is: Do I really need that? Unless it’s explicitly about travel and the things I need when I’m traveling, or it’s not something I need to buy to live outside of travel, I just won’t buy it. Do I need a new phone, new clothes, cigarettes or alcohol? Don’t forget our goal is to visit 12 countries in one year, I guess I don’t need those things to make this dream possible, am I right?

What about the things I think I need to be able to travel? For example, a tent for camping. Sure I need to buy one. Hmm, maybe not. I bet you know at least one friend who has one and doesn’t use it or at least won’t use it when you go on your camping trip. Just ask a friend if you could borrow their tent. 

In general, whenever you buy something, think about whether you really need it and if you think you do, try to think about where you can get it cheaper or for free.

Low-cost traveling

This is basically the point of low-cost traveling, nothing to own or at least a minimum, and be able to travel around the world with the smallest expenses possible.

So what low cost traveling means, as the name suggests, is to travel at low cost. This means that all your travel expenses must be kept to a minimum such as flight fees, car fees, food or drinking fees, and so on. Or remove them such as expenses for restaurant food and replace them with fast food or make your own dinner cheaply with supermarket food.

Conclusion

What great passion for traveling do you have? I think that if someone is passionate enough, they will stop looking for excuses and start looking for reasons to start traveling right now. 

Low-cost traveling is always challenging and it can test your comfort and convenience, but if you are convinced and passionate, you’ll start wanting to chase the experiences at the expense of your convenience.

There is no exact contention to go alone or to go in a group. It’s about your preference and what will benefit you the most. I personally prefer freedom and time for reflection. It’s up to you, but don’t let this question discourage you from traveling alone if you don’t have someone to go with!

The most important thing, when you want visit 12 countries, is saving every euro you can because if you know how to travel low cost, it is very likely that you will complete this challenge.

The 12 countries I visited in 2019

In 2019, I managed to apply everything I mentioned to complete this travel challenge and traveled to 12 countries in one year. Here is the list of the countries I’ve been to and a brief description of how long I was there and how much time I spent in each place. I hope you will be encouraged to attempt the travel challenge of  to visit 12 countries in one year. Good luck and see you in two weeks for the next blog post.

Scotland – Edinburgh & Scottish Highlands

 

Spain – Barcelona

• 4 days
• Blog post soon…

Germany – Berlin

• 3 days
• Blog post soon…

Austria – Hallstatt

• one week
• Blog post soon…

Malta, Gozo & Comino

• one week
• Blog post soon…

Netherland – Amsterdam

• 4 days
• Blog post soon…

Roadtrip through Norway

 

Sweden – Abisko National Park & Malmo

• 4 days
• Blog post soon…

Denmark – Copenhagen

• 2 days
• Blog post soon…

Bali & Nusa Penida

•  10 days
• Blog post soon…

England – Birmingham

• one week
• Blog post soon…

Portugal – Porto