After two years of working multiple jobs to earn money, Thuy Trang realized she needed to enjoy life by traveling.
Giving up an office job with a stable income in Hanoi in March 2018, the 23-year-old Nam Dinh girl returned to the motel room, arranged 15 kg of luggage for a backpacking trip. Starting from domestic journeys to Ninh Binh, Ho Chi Minh City… she continued with Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, China…
Trang shared, since sitting on the school chair, with the pressure of “provincial daughter”, she always thought that she had to earn a lot of money but didn’t spend it to save. There was a time when she received 4-5 jobs at the same time, mainly writing advertising content, collaborating with electronic newspapers. To make sure she wasn’t late for work, she didn’t get enough sleep, her eyes were dry because of work, and many times burst into tears on the bus when she got off work because she was too tired.
After talking and working with inspirational characters and travel bloggers, she realized that youth is a waste if it is only around work and money. When she has health and time, Trang wants to go out, learn about the world and herself, so she chooses to be an “unemployed” to go on the road and what she gets from the trip is the meaning. real life.
600 days of bushwalking
In 2 years, Trang set foot in 47 provinces and cities in the country and 9 countries in East Asia and Southeast Asia. In which, she went to Thailand 12 times, China 6 times, and Da Nang 11 times. She said that returning to a place so much is because of being impressed by the culture, the food, or being there with local friends.
Page shared, most of the trips are solo, some go with friends or family members because few people are willing to spend time and money to go with her. Every time she goes abroad, she stays from a few days to a few weeks, then returns to Vietnam, goes to other provinces in the country, and then continues to go abroad.
In order to have about 600 million VND to maintain the trips, Trang has used up her savings during 2 years of work, and also received more online jobs so that she can go and work at the same time. Before long trips, she also sets aside a savings account in case she has no work for 1-2 months.
“Many people suspect that they work illegally or are the children of a rich family, so they have so much money to travel, but my only secret is to save money and take time off to work,” she said. Most of her trips are minimally dusty, only going once with her family with about 27 million dongs.
Before going, she often plans a few months in advance to minimize risks in the long journey. She booked flight tickets 3-6 months in advance, chose to stay in cheap but safe dormitory rooms, which received many good reviews and scores on online booking sites over 7.2 points. In addition, learn about destinations, weather, aviation laws and bring some necessary medicine.
In 600 days, Trang shared, she experienced many events and happy memories. The family trip to Bangkok in 2019 is an example. Because the train was crowded, her father got lost in the middle of a “foreign land”. In many hours of panic, because she lost her father, Trang was enthusiastically helped by many people, staff at train stations also helped check security cameras to see the direction her father was moving but to no avail. It wasn’t until she checked Facebook messages from a stranger that her father was with a group of Vietnamese and was waiting for her to pick her up.
“At that time, when I saw a picture of my father with a familiar floral shirt, I almost cried. When I met him, I was told that he had found his way by saying half English, half Vietnamese, “Who am I Vietnamese. I’m lost” then laughed,” Trang said.
How many times has Trang encountered other “heart-pounding” situations such as car breakdown in the middle of a storm on the way to Mui Dien (Phu Yen), walking 10 km, and then being rescued by local people; If you lose your phone in Taiwan, get help from the police just before boarding time. Although there are many times of panic, Trang always thinks “What must happen cannot be stopped. Just hope it is gentle and solved”.
Of the countries that have been to, Trang said Thailand is the place with the most beautiful memories and “firsts”. Foreign language is not too good, communicating with people is difficult, but it is not a barrier for her to make friends. In the land of the Golden Temple, Trang first saw 4,000 sky lanterns flying at the same time during the Yi Peng festival in Chiang Mai, which seemed like a dream. Or another time when she came to Udon Thani province, she heard proud stories about President Ho Chi Minh by local people.
Trang shared, on the journey she also met a lot of new friends, both Vietnamese and foreigners, most of whom kept in touch and became close friends. I admit that I was previously afraid and afraid of Westerners, difficult to strangers, but now I am much more open. “Afraid of the West, afraid of the West and difficult to strangers” is what Trang describes herself before the trip, but now she feels that she is much more open.
The more she went, the more she realized that she had many shortcomings such as being easily irritated with her companions, hating when others had problems, impatient when waiting, fear of natural disasters and dangerous situations. . But all has been revised, Page of 600 days of bushwalking has become more courageous, sociable and patient.
Because of the Covid-19 epidemic, Trang had to temporarily stop going abroad, so she continued her passion for travel with a trip across Vietnam. She said that when the epidemic is under control, she will continue her journey because of the concept “If you have the capacity to fulfill your passion, why not do it now and always but have to wait until later, an indefinite period of time. no one knows in advance”. Follow vnexpress