The Travel Speak’s Featured Traveler : Jenny MacLean

In our series of traveler stories, this post is from a young girl from Britain who had quit her full time job in 2014 and has been traveling since. She has traveled across 6 continents. It takes a lot of courage to do what she has done. A lot of us can get inspired from her story.

You can follow her adventures on her amazing Instagram profile. You can also checkout her travel blog for her latest travel stories. Jenny also provides travel coaching.

Here Jenny is sharing a short travelogue from her trip to Laos.

Introducing Jenny MacLean (unedited)

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I’m Jenny – a solo traveller, freelance writer and eternal sun seeker, made in Britain but born to travel the world. I’ve been on the road since April 2014, when I quit my job in content marketing and hopped on a plane to Ecuador. First stop, Galápagos Islands! Since then, I’ve explored six continents (Antarctica is still on the bucket list!), visited 28 countries and lived in Australia, where I found my dream job on a whale watching boat.

 

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I’ve slept in hostels, hotels, boats, monasteries, hammocks, tents and on couches, floors and overnight trains. I’ve caught planes, trains, coaches, tuk tuks, ferries and songthaews to get me from A to B. I’ve ridden a horse through a caiman-infested swamp, snorkelled with sharks and slept under the stars in more places than I can count.

Places Visited

List of places she has traveled:

  1. Galápagos Islands
  2. Ecuador
  3. Peru
  4. Bolivia
  5. Brazil
  6. USA (east and west)
  7. Spain
  8. Portugal
  9. Italy
  10. France
  11. Belgium
  12. Netherlands
  13. Greece
  14. Cyprus
  15. Turkey
  16. Iceland
  17. Morocco
  18. Egypt
  19. Kenya
  20. Tanzania
  21. South Africa
  22. Hong Kong
  23. Thailand
  24. Cambodia
  25. Laos
  26. Vietnam
  27. Australia (east and west)
  28. New Zealand

Favorite destinations

  1. Melbourne
  2. Barcelona
  3. Chiang Mai.

Jenny’s Travel Speak – Travelogue (unedited)

I recently returned from a six month trip around Western Australia, Southeast Asia and New Zealand. Out of the five countries I visited, Laos is the one I look back on with the fondest memories.

 

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Things to do in Luang Prabang

The UXO Visitor Centre should be the number one activity on your list. Full of information about unexploded ordinance that still kills and mutilates Lao people today, it was an eye-opening and very moving experience.

Spend an afternoon at Kuang Si falls, which boasts gorgeous, chalky blue plunge pools that you can swim in. Climb to the very top for spectacular views across the jungle.

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Have a drink at Utopia – the best bar in town – and then go bowling! Bars close at 11pm, even on a Friday night, and the only places that stay open are bowling alleys, which serve pizza and beer until 2am.

Things to do in Vang Vieng

Tubing is the biggest attraction in town and with good reason! It’s so much fun and the views are breathtaking. You have the option to stop at around three bars on your way downstream. Just make sure you leave enough time to float home, otherwise you’ll be tubing in the dark!

Get off the beaten track. Cross the bridge and venture out of the centre to escape the tourists: the surrounding countryside is stunning and chances are you’ll meet some lovely locals.

Drink! Vang Vieng is party central and offers free drinks (usually in the form of Laotian whisky) to travellers looking to let loose. Be warned, however: Vang Vieng is mistakenly believed to exercise a lax approach to weed, when in fact anyone caught smoking it in public runs the risk of being arrested and having their passport confiscated – until a hefty fine is paid. Local whiskey

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Things to do in Vientiane

Eat! Vientiane is positively bursting with eateries, from Spanish and Italian restaurants to French bakeries and, of course, delectable local cuisine. The best bakery is Annabelle Café (the name keeps changing but you can find it on Quai Fa Ngum, near the night market). It’s run by Jeremy Herzog, a hugely talented French pastry chef who makes blueberry cheesecake to DIE for.

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Tyson’s Place is run by a Canadian, and has some of the best Western food in town – great if you fancy a chicken and avocado salad or mac ‘n’ cheese! Another must-try is the sticky rice lollipop, which can be found in the night markets.

Outdoor zumba – watch the sun sink into the river then head to the main park every night for a cheap get fit sesh (you’ll need it after all those cheesecakes)! Mekong sunset

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Word of advice: don’t bother with the Buddha Park. It took us nearly two hours to get there and just twenty minutes to see the park. Waste of time!

Jenny

Jenny’s Favorite Travel Quote:

“Life is like riding a bicycle – to keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

Get inspired by the amazingly comprehensive list of all time best travel quotes.

The Travel Speak - Inspirational Travel Quote - Life is like riding a bicycle – to keep your balance, you must keep moving
The Travel Speak – Inspirational Travel Quote – “Life is like riding a bicycle – to keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

 

Editor’s Note

We sincerely hope that Jenny inspires a lot of you to make your travel dreams a reality. Our planet has so many beautiful places and wonderful experiences to offer that one lifetime isn’t enough!

With over 4 years of traveling across 6 continents, all on her own, Jenny is truly an inspiration. So all you wanderlusters, especially women solo travelers, you can even get direct travel coaching from Jenny.

Thank you Jenny for sharing your story. We wish you all the best for her future travels. Hope you share more stories with us 🙂

Happy travels.

 


More Travel Speak

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51 Breathtaking Places To Visit Before You Die

101 Best Travel Quotes For Travel Inspiration


 

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