Head-spinning summer plans for Earth Vagabonds

Summer travel season is coming fast.

The Earth Vagabonds have been preparing. In fact, over the last few weeks, we’ve locked in our schedule for the next six months.

I can honestly say, it’s been one of the most mind-boggling planning periods of our ongoing adventure. We’ve got a lot going on.

Our travel scheme is unfolding in our current hide-out; a comfortable, compact, modern, studio apartment near the beach in Hua Hin, Thailand.

I would do a Kortn’s Crib video tour — but its just one room! Not a lot to show.

There’s a few pics above. The space is 18×12 feet, plus a small kitchen, bathroom, and balcony. Strong AC, fan, smart TV, WiFi, couch, desk, washing machine, hot water shower. Huge pool, outdoor lounge area, and exercise room. Beach, grocers, restaurants, mall; 5-10 minute walk. Public transit (songthaews) available right out front.

Airbnb price: $388 for 28 nights, plus electric & water. We expect under $2 per day for utilities. I stayed in this same complex before – at similar price. (Wife Ellen was in the USA.) Obviously, it’s a great deal if you’re OK with the studio set up.

In any case, it’s where I’ve been engrossed researching/securing the route, accommodations, transport, activities, etc. that we will make use of during summer 2025.

China, Egypt, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Germany, Czechia, Austria, Albania; will be the order of our upcoming stays. We’ve had the general idea – and air reservations – for weeks. Now was the time to fill in the details and options; cities, dates, apartments, transits, payments, etc.

Really, it was crunch time. We’d already delayed the preps while completing some medical tests. Now, options for month-long Airbnb rentals with A/C in east Europe were dwindling. Good deals (especially by our Asian standards) were nearly non-existent. All prices felt high and rising.

And Eastern Europe was just a fraction of my travel design. As Earth Vagabonds, we have far more immediate concerns.

We are going to be in Chengdu, Sichuan, China for one day this week. Yup, one day!

Not an error. We actually have a 21-hour scheduled layover on a flight between Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Cairo, Egypt.

This is one of those rock-bottom, 35-hour+ flights discovered thru a Skyscanner search. For $575, we scored 2 flight tix (including bags) — KUL to CAI with the crazy 6 am Chengdu day layover.

Under Chinese Visa rules, US citizens can stay Visa free for up to 240 hours (10 days). We plan to spend the ONE day at the world-famous Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Then other sightseeing via Uber/Didi, a cheap hotel if we choose to sleep, eventually a meal — and back to the airport for a 1:30 am departure.

We were in Taiwan last year, but this will be our first time ever on Chinese mainland soil. It will undoubtedly be an ‘interesting’ 48-hour travel experience. A blog post here for sure!

After Panda day, another overnight flight and we start again the following morning; 5:30am — in EGYPT! Holy sensory overload, Batman!

I actually booked our Egypt accommodations – and a flight: Cairo to Aswan – some weeks ago. Now, the granular research on the specific locations, tours, options, recommendations, etc.

In the middle of the scheduling binge I came down with a head cold. Last weekend I sneezed more than I ever have! How does that happen in the tropics? Medicated, hazy, sniffling, slumbering, the arrangements continued.

At times, 3 continents, 5 flights, 11 countries, 150+ days felt overwhelming. More than once I was struck by the blessed ‘ridiculousness’ of our vagabond travel lives.

Both Airbnb and Booking proved useful to arrange our month-long Egypt visit; Cairo, Aswan, Luxor, Hurghada. Bonus: all hosts were highly reviewed for helpfulness and honesty in arranging tours and transport. I’m in touch with them on WhatsApp. We’re happy to pay a little more to avoid hassles in the heat.

Finally, back to Europe. We arrive in Budapest, Hungary for a month-long stay beginning June, 11. A 1-bedroom AC apartment near the parliament building for $1,200/month will provide a nice crash pad after the Egyptian month.

Also confirmed: 2 weeks in Krakow, Poland and a month in Warsaw. The details of a quick ‘Schengen exit’ through Germany, Czechia, Austria are still in the works.

September 7 will mark 90 days in the Schengen Zone; we grabbed $75 airfare – Vienna to Tirana, Albania. The waters of the Adriatic Sea will be warm for many more weeks.

Schengen Area rules for Americans

Twenty-nine European countries make up what’s called the Schengen Area, named after an agreement designed to allow easy border crossings without any passport controls for millions European citizens.
However, Americans with a tourist visa can stay in Schengen countries for only 90 days every 180 days.
See more details at the European Union’s Schengen info page.

Sandwiched within the summer schedule is our 10th Wedding Anniversary, our birthdays, and planned visits with extended ‘old-country’ family in Slovakia. Wow! What a summer. What a life! It still feels like a dream.

Of course, the reality of the modern world is even more fantastical. Wars, climate issues, lunatic leaders, and economic uncertainty loom over everything. Our early-retirement plan remains on track, but we feel some urgency to address our bucket list. Who knows what the future will bring.

It doesn’t mean much out of context, but thus far we’ve spent about $5,500 on the advance planning through mid-September (airfares & lodging). The remaining Western EU stops will undoubtedly result in increased costs during our last few Schengen weeks. Overall, we hope we can keep our living expenses to under $150 per day throughout the whole four-month period — a $4,500 per month budget.

Don’t miss our budget breakdown page. It has many examples of monthly budgets for a couple, and those budgets are far lower in Asia.

We look forward to a summer of unforgettable experiences and fun in China, Egypt, and old-world Europe. We’ll document how it goes and what it costs right here. Incidentally, we’re already checking our bucket list and thinking about 2026! And as always, we urge anyone wanting to travel to get it going – now!

It may sound trite but LIFE IS NOW! THESE are the good-‘ole-days. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. You only live once.

Be thankful and generous, happy trails & more beer!

Thanks for reading, “Head-spinning summer plans for Earth Vagabonds.”

Is long-term travel in (early) retirement on a budget for you? Read our post on how to test it.

About Theo

Tedly (Theo) retired early from the news business to wander the planet with wife Ellen. He enjoys exploring all Earth has to offer: jungles and beaches, volcanoes and deserts – always drinking beer along the way.