9 Countries in 99 days

While I had originally hoped to have written a few skiing related posts before embarking on this adventure, Utah's winter of 2026 had other plans... with record breaking bad conditions, I am remised to say I didn't explore much of the Wasatch on skis over the last few months. With loads of gratitude for three (well mostly two) unforgettable winters at our cabin in Silver Fork, Sean and I packed up, said goodbye to Aspen Bend Ln, quit our jobs and prepared for our next chapter: 99 days across 9 countries.

As we set out, this plan includes:

• New Zealand (16 days driving through both islands)

  • Auckland, Coromandel Peninsula, Rotorua, Taupō, Tongariro, New Plymouth, Wellington, Kaikōura, Aoraki/Mount Cook, Wānaka, Te Anau & Milford Sound, Queenstown

    
    

• Australia (7 days in Tasmania and Melbourne)

  • Hobart, Tasman Peninsula, Freycinet, Maria Island, Melbourne

    
    

• Nepal (17 days in Kathmandu and treking Manaslu Circuit with Himalayan Masters)

  
  

• India (14 days in Delhi, Jaipur, and a 10-day Vipassana silent meditation retreat)

  
  

• Thailand (8 days in Bangkok, Koh Tao, Railay Beach & Hong Islands)

  
  

• Malaysia (5 days in Kuala Lumpur and the Perhentian Islands)

  
  

• Indonesia (~30 days)

  • Sumatra (Mentawai Islands surf camp), Java (Batu Karas), Bali (Medewi & Nusa Lembongan), Lombok (Ekas), Sumbawa (Lakey Peak), Komodo National Park

• Mystery stop, maybe Papua New Guinea, Palau, or if we can't add on another, we'll just stick our arms across the Tibetan boarder and throw China on the list as our 9th country...

  
  

• Singapore (2 days before flying home on the longest flight in the world Singapore to Newark, 19 hours)

Vaccines prior to the trip: Chikungunya, Japanese Encephalitis, Tetanus booster

Packing: 9 countries, 99 days, and two backpacks (a person).

Thanks to my dad, we each are carrying the Patagonia Black Hole MLC Pack 45L, stuffed with well organized packing cubes as well as a 30L black diamond pack for our personal item. In case someone finds this useful, I will paste in pictures and a packing list below:

Activewear Packing Cube

• Fleece lined legging sweatpants & sweatshirt base layers

• 2 pairs leggings

• 2 pairs running shorts

• 1 pair biker shorts

• 1 pair lululemon dance studio pants

• 1 pair Cotopaxi Losdos Zipoff hiking pants

• 2 longsleeve sunshirts

• 1 longsleeve tight base layer hoodie

• 1 black diamond zipup midlayer

Lighter Clothing Packing Cube

• 3 sports bras

• 3 athletic tank tops

• 2 athletic t-shirts

• 3 casual T shirts

• 1 pair jean shorts

• 1 flowy romper

• 1 pair flowy linen pants

• 2 light dresses

Trekking Gear

• Hiking boots

• 3 pairs of Gloves (insulated, mid warmth, & liners)

• Beanie

• Wide-brim sun hat

• Lightweight down vest (packable)

• Rain shell jacket

• 1 Neck gaiter

• 1 buff

• Hand warmers

• Electrolyte tablets (Nuun)

• Sleeping bag liner

• Rab rain/ wind pant

• Headlamp

• 1 ear/headband

• 1 packable thin airshell

• Ketl travel towel (the best little thing)

• PACT outdoor wipes

• Small CamelBak (Sean carried)

• Sawyer water filter

Snorkel + Water Gear

• Mask & snorkel

• Dive computer

• Padi card

• Big wave ear drops (can't live without these)

Beachwear + Undergarments

• Graphic t-shirt

• Soffe shorts

• 1 PJ set

• 2 bikinis

• 1 onepiece

• 7 Underwear

• Socks (ankle + crew)

• Cozy lounge socks

• 1 pair heavy wool sock

• 1 pair medium wool socks

• 2 pairs regular Smartwool hiking socks

• 1 pair liner socks

• 1 pair wool ankle socks

Travel Essentials + Misc Gear

• Notebook

• Pens

• Eyeglasses

• Plug converter

• Disinfecting wipes

• Tide pen

• Laundry sack

• Luggage locks

• Thermacare heat wraps (for long haul flights)

• Supplements / vitamins

• Packable duffle

• Battery pack

• Black Chaco's

• Running sneakers

• Laptop + charger

• Sunglasses

• Motion sickness wristbands

Medical Kit

• Ibuprofen (regular strength)

• DayQuil and NyQuil

• Silver sulfadiazine cream (for burns)

• Two Z-packs (antibiotics)

• Alka-Seltzer

• Neosporin

• Band-Aids

• Alcohol prep pads

• Cervino betamethasone dipropionate spray (for severe skin itch/allergic reactions)

• Prescription-grade ibuprofen (600 mg)

• Afrin (also useful for stopping nosebleeds)

• Excedrin

• Benzonatate (for a bad cough)

• Imodium (for diarrhea)

• Dulcolax (for constipation)

• IBgard (for IBS or digestive comfort)

• Fluconazole (for yeast infections)

• Ondansetron (Zofran-- anti-nausea)

• Benadryl

• Spironolactone

• Prednisone

• Pepto-Bismol (for stomach upset)

• Aloe

• Dermatone sun face stick

• 100% DEET spray

• Foot powder (like Bond’s or baby powder)

• Sting-Eze (insect bites and stings)

Toiletries

• Mini hairbrush

• Cuticle cutters

• Cosmetic scissors

• Tweezers

• Shampoo

• Hair mask/ conditioner

• Face wash

• Cotton swabs

• Prescription face cream

• Moisturizing lotion for face

• Contact lenses

• Toothbrush + toothpaste

• Deodorant

• Makeup brush, mini cream blush, cream bronzer

• Bronze drops

• Doctor Jart SPF 30+ green cream

• Body oil

• Curl cream

• Sleeping mouthguard

• 1 pair dangly earrings

• All purpose skin cream

• Razor

• Face razor + blades

• Hair oil

• Perfume oil

• Hair ties + claw clip

• Slickback brush

• Scrub cloth

On the Plane

• I wore: light linen set from free people, comfortable bralette, wool/silk pashmina (doubles as a blanket, cover up), fleece zipup, compression socks (huge for the long-haul) and my hiking boots to save room

• Inside my smaller backpack I packed a nylon purse with:

  • Hydropak collapsable water bottle

  • Iphone charger

  • Kindle

  • Airplane earplugs

  • Hand sanitizer

  • Airpods

  • Chocolate

  • Patagonia fanny pack with credit cards, debit card, license, passport, cash

  • Handwipes

  • Gum

  • Nyquil just in case

  • IBguard (spearmint tummy meds)

  • Tissues

  • Sleeping mask (though they provided on the plane)

  • 2 Sheet masks

  • Neck pillow

Pro tip-- we flew Delta on a long-haul from LAX and got the bulkhead Comfort+ seats. We were super comfortable and, in fact, much better off than the premium select passengers in front of us. A bonus: after takeoff we pulled our 45L packs down and placed them in front of our feet giving us a propped footrest. I had enough legroom to fully extend my legs without touching the wall in front of me. We departed LA at around 11PM and arrived to Auckland at 6 AM two days later having crossed the dateline.

I will hope to update this blog every few days, sometimes more often than others as there will evidently be some stretches where we wont have connectivity. My goal being to share me and Sean's big adventure will anyone who cares to tune in, but to do so all in one place :) Bye for now!