Yearning to take that big trip? Need that extra little kick in the pants to get out the door? Maybe you’ve never taken a long-term trip before. Or maybe you’re like me and you have, but you’re back into the routines of daily life and dreaming of that next big excursion.

When I think back to our big trip back in 2008-2009, I often have to pinch myself to remind me that it was real. The sites we saw. The landscapes we admired. The people we met. The experiences we had. The things we learned. I am a different, and better, person for having taken a year off to travel the world, and if you take that leap of faith, it will impact your life in a profound way, too.

So let me show you, in 11 photos (one from each country we visited), what you can expect to experience when you travel the world.

The road to El Chalten, Argentina

Sacsayhuaman ruins outside of Cusco, Peru

Isla del Sol, Bolivia

 

Standing atop Volcan Villarica, Chile

 

Early morning hours in Cartagena, Colombia

Doubtful Sound, New Zealand

Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand

Monks in Luang Prabang, Laos

Crazy traffic in Saigon, Vietnam

Volunteering in Cambodia

Itimad ud Daulah’s Tomb in Agra, India

Photo credits: all photos courtesy of the author and may not be used without permission