I am a South-African girl who is addicted to travelling and seeing the world. I was born with the travel bug. You could say it’s a curse, because the adventure of travel is all I ever think about.
I love exploring and travelling around the world and am having lots of fun sharing my travel stories and pictures so that you can see why I love it so much. I have been travelling and working my way around the world for more than a decade now and have had some amazing experiences along the way.
When you live in a country you get to experience it from a different view than that of the ordinary tourist, I think it’s the people of the country and the little crazy everyday things that keep it interesting.
One of the biggest misconceptions about travel is that you have to have a stash of cash to be able to take big trips. It’s simply not true. You don’t have to be wealthy, or even make an above average salary. You just have to choose travel over “stuff”.
Here is a taster of my travels up until now as I still need to type up and blog about a lot of these adventures:
My first job abroad was in the Bahamas and Caribbean on a cruise ship. I swam with stingrays at Sting-ray City and drove down the Mexican coast of Cozumel on a moped. Loved New York and Charleston– would go back any time. Moved to England for a while where I stayed all over the place. Bath was the best place to live but ended up in Cambridge.
Backpacked through Spain and Portugal, even made a pit stop on the island of Majorca. Fell in love with Barcelona, the art, people and definitely the seafood paella. Grenada took my breath away and had too much port in Porto.
Had a snowball fight next to the Eiffel tower in Paris and stuffed myself with chocolate crepes. Had a break in Egypt where I saw the sun come up over the Valley of Kings and Queens in a hot air balloon. Duck and dived the traffic with my bright yellow Honda cup motorbike and enjoyed the sunshine in Vietnam for a while. Got lost while exploring Angor Wat in Cambodia while drinking cafe sau da.
On my way to Japan I made a pit stop in South Korea to taste kim chi. Stalked the geisha in Kyoto, Japan before heading to Hiroshima for a sad memorial service. Lived in the desert of the UAE for a while, even rode on a camel! Had my full of baklava in Turkey and walked along the Via Dalarosa in Jerusalem during Christmas.
I lived in Russia for 2 years and learned to appreciate good Russian vodka. I walked the streets of St Petersburg during “White Nights” and mastered walking on snow and ice during the cold winter. I walked along the Great Wall of China after cruising down the Yangtze River during my China Odyssey. My next adventure took me to South America. I lived and worked in the street art filled Santiago, Chile for a couple of weeks where I got to stand knee deep in snow on the Andes Mountains.
I moved back to South Africa where I worked at Pentravel, a Leisure travel company in Cape Town as a Travel Agent before returning to teaching English! I lived in Shanghai, China for 3 years before moving to Vancouver, Canada for 2 years to become a certified Art Therapist. I am excited to see where my journey will take me next.
My challenge to you: Choose one place that you want to go, and pick a date in the next nine months to go there. Buy your plane tickets immediately. Once you do that, you are committed! Get excited and make a promise to yourself to do this every year.
©Janaline Smalman – All rights reserved,
All material contained within this blog, whether photographic or written is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without prior approval and permission granted by the author, is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links to photography may be used, provided that © Janaline Smalman is credited, such that it directly refers to and reflects the original source and material content.
Hi Janaline,
Thanks for sharing your experiences as you live and travel through the world. Saw you wanted to throw a coin in the Trevi fountain. 🙂 Hope you get to do that. Having been there a couple of times and never having thrown a coin in, you can be rest assured that is a myth busted! 🙂
Wishing you safe travels!
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Thank you so much!! I have so many places on my travel wish-list and hope to be able to some of these places very soon!!
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Congratulations, Janaline!
I have nominated your blog for the Versatile Blogger Award.
More about this nomination is at
https://dearkitty1.wordpress.com/2018/03/10/versatile-blogger-award-thanks-siddarth/
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Thank you so much for that lovely compliment!! Hope you have a fabulous week.
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Wish I could emulate you…a regular job and too less leaves spoil everything for me 😦
Not to forget the monetary worry!
Wish you all the luck with your trips. I shall travel the world through doers like you 🙂
Cheers to travel!!
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Thank you for joining me on my travels!! I think we all wish we had more leave and more money to enjoy our holidays.
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Wow, I wish I could emulate your trip. I do little hops when I can but would love to turn life into an endless adventure like this.
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Thank you! I do love this and can’t wait for my next adventyure of living in China a bit. Even if you only travel in short bursts it is till incredible to be able to see and experience the world. Where do you want to go next?
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Too many places: New Orleans, Berlin, Florence, Lisbon. I may need another life.
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I agree, too many places and too little time and money to see them all!
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Wow, what an amazing life you’ve led. You’re right about not collecting things and rather travel. Great blog. I hope the drought in Cape Town isn’t making you want to travel again 😉
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I have been in one place long enough now, think 2018 might be the year I move somewhere new again!
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I just read your”about” page. You’re pretty awesome. You’re definitely an inspiration.
You rock!
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Thank you so much for that lovely compliment. Welcome to my journey.
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It’s going to be an awesome one.
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Good to know about you and your blog, keep travelling and exploring – thats the best one can experience. Thanks for following my blog and stay connected, loved your blog and your posts.
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Thank you so much Subhash, and a very warm welcome to my journey.
Wishing you many happy travels in 2018.
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Welcome 🙂
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Hi there!
As a fellow expat, serial-traveller, I totally relate with your journey and I love your blog and your writing style!
Congrats!
Happy 2018 and Safe Travels!
Best Regards,
Raquel
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Thank you so much Raquel!! It is always a pleasure to meet fellow serial-travellers!
I can’t wait for my next adventure in 2018!!
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Well travelled, you are! Enjoy. And thanks for the follow 🙂
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Thank you and a very warm welcome to my journey!!
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Great blog, thanks very much for stopping by Leighton Literature!
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Thank you so much for that lovely compliment. Thank you for joining my journey!
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Hey Janaline, thanks for stopping by and liking as well as following my blog – happy, safe travels 🙂
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Thank you Rachael and thanks for joining my journey!!
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Oh my, what an exciting life you lead Janaline, good for you. I love every bit I see on you site. Thank you for following me- much appreciated. Keep on traveling and share with us.
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Thank you so much Valentina, and glad that you have joined my world journey!
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My pleasure.
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Thanks for stopping by, Janaline. Loving the travel information and recommendations here!
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Thank you so much Karen, and a very warm welcome to my world!
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Awesome site Janaline. You hit the nail on the head about choices… stuff over travel. We like the travel much more. We are glad to have discovered each other and the interest in travel should be an exciting way to share our worlds.
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Thank you so much and a very warm welcome to my journey!! Looking forward to reading about your travels. 💚
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You are welcome. It is nice knowing you will be following along as we follow you. It is great learning together.
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Hi there
Thanks for the follow! How have you been and how’s your blog doing?
I created a blogger tips group to connect with all my long last WordPress blogger friends, and to help all of us to learn from each other. I would love for you to share your knowledge in the group and connect with other bloggers. Here’s the link:
Blogger Tips Group
Finally, here’s a blog I thought you may find interesting:
The Ripple Effect of Blogging
Best regards,
Greta
Founder of Healthy Living
http://www.healthyliving894.com
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Thank you!! I will definitely check it ou!
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Thanks for liking my post….big boost for us beginners. You have a very interesting blog and am looking forward to reading more. Cheers.
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You are very welcome and a very warm welcome to my journey!!
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Thanks for liking my post. Big boost for us beginners. You seem to have a really interesting blog…looking forward to reading more.
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Thank you and a huge welcome to my journey!!!
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Your blog always inspires when I stop by. I love your philosophy 🙂 Happy travels!
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Thank you so much for that beautiful compliment!
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Hello! Just found your blog – loving it! 🙂
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Welcome to my journey Katie!
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Hello and thank you so much for stopping by and liking my post! I’m Alex and I’m kinda new to this kind of blogging. I’m just about to start my adventure after dreaming about it for years!! It’s about time now and I’m really glad you found me so I could find you and your very inspiring blog 🙂 What an adventure! Looking forward to read more about it.
All the best from Sweden! Alex
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Thank you Alex!! I hope you have an amazing adventure and look forward to reading all about it!
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My travels keep me much closer to home, but your blog is fascinating. You are an excellent writer.
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Thank you so much! For the coming year or two I am also going to stay close to home…..but there is always more places to see in your own area than you think, so happy travels!!
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Love your bio! You’re a well traveled individual, that’s for sure!
Victoria
http://awayweroam.com
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Thank you Victoria. I love exploring and cant wait to go on a new adventure
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Hello, Jana. 🙂 I’m glad you found my blog..
I’m going through some of your travel posts, and they’re super!!!! I hope you’d consider visiting Philippines one day, too. 🙂
Keep in touch!
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Thank you so much!! I would love to visit the Philippines some day…there are so many places on my travel wish list that I still have to see!
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You’ve certainly had amazing times, good for you and keep them going! Many thanks too for visiting my blog and liking it enough to follow 🙂
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You are welcome Jude and a very big welcome to my journey!!
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You look like great fun and have some amazing photos. Good luck with your travels
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Thank you so much!!
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I’m so amazed with your adventures…commitment indeed! I like your style of travelling. I also did solo backpacking and it was so much fun. Keep sharing your stories. Thank you for liking my recent post, by the way! Cheers to life and happy travels! 😉
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Thank you so much and a very warm welcome to my journey!! There are still so many places left to travel to….and I cant wait for my next adventure!
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Indeed so many places to go. One lifetime is not enough I guess, but if you travel with a purpose, it will be more meaningful. 😉
Thank you also for following my blog. More adventures to come! 👍
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I couldn’t agree with you more! Life is about making decisions and then following through on them. We made the decision many years ago that we would rather invest in memories by travelling and doing new things, rather than collecting *stuff*. I’ve never regretted it and it sounds like you haven’t either 🙂
Happy travels!!
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Thank you so much and a very warm welcome to my journey! I am always happy to meet fellow travelers and free spirits who experience the world!
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Hi there! As you know I love your blog – would you like to do a short written interview for my travel bloggers series? please email me – andyjamesb75@gmail.com
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Hi there Andy! Just saw…will email you in a bit!
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Thanks for visiting my Blog and Liking my post, Namaste!
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You are more than welcome!! And a warm welcome to my journey!
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It would be so enjoyable to travel through your blog 🙂 Thank you for sharing with us and also Thank you for visiting my blog. You are amazing. I loved your style, photography and your energy and smiling face… Blessing and Happiness, Love, nia
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Thank you so much Nia for that lovely compliment!! Hope you enjoy traveling aong with me through my blog!
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Hello Janaline. Thanks for following me. I’m looking forward to reading more about your adventures too. I totally agree with you. Choosing travel over stuff is a great philosophy.
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Thank you an a very warm welcome to my journey!
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Hi Janaline, happy to stumble upon your blog. Now I’ll follow your journey. 😊
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THank you Anna!! looking forward to sharing travel stories
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So where in Russia did you live? Been here now for 3 years, I’ve enjoyed so far but the winters………oh they get cold.
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I lived in Moscow, loved it! Where are you living? My first winter I thought I was going to die, but by the second or third one I could look past the cold and see the beauty of it all. Good luck with the winter ahead!
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Oh, this is my fourth winter here, the first and second weren’t that bad, last year sucked because I was sick, hoping this year won’t be like the last.
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Hope you have an amazing winter!!!
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Well it started out rough, hope the rest isn’t that bad.
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I have nominated you for the Creative Blogger Award. Please find the details here : http://talkingthailand.co.uk/awards/creative-blogger-award/
Best Wishes
x
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Thank you for the lovely compliment of nomination me!!
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you are very welcome
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Thanks so much for following Oh, the Places We See. It’s been a pleasure to follow you through many travels, but I especially like seeing pictures of South Africa. We may never get back, so you’re just extending the journey for us. Best wishes for happy travels always.
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Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy travelling through South Africa with me!
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such an honor to be followed by a master traveler like you Ms. Janine. Hoping that our mutual love for traveling will lead us to greater heights. 😍
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Thank you and a massive welcome to my world Maria.
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I found your blog interesting. Just one thing that bothers me; for a seasoned world traveler, I was disappointed that you still did what many did. I found you listed Bali and Indonesia separately. Bali is one little island in Indonesia. I was born from a Balinese mother, and it irked me to no end when I read that Bali was separated from Indonesia in many travelers’ blogs.
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Welcome to my journey! I totally understand your point about Bali and will amend it as soon as I start posting my Indonesia adventures.
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Just found your blog love it enjoy travelling and never stop.
http://www.itsallaboutsonia.com
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Thank you! Dont worry, I dont plan on stopping…..ever!
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Wow you have quite a travel diary !!! Loved the spirit and the fun pics! Hope someday I’d have as many travel tales to share as you ! Till then happy travelling !!
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Thank you and a massive welcome to my journey!
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Thanks for opening a window in your world!
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You are welcome! Thanks for joining my world and my adventures.
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Wow, you’ve travelled so much! You are an inspiration! 😀
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Thank you and a huge welcome to my journey!
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Hi Janaline – I’ve nominated you for the Premio Dardos Award. I think your blog is amazing and you have a great perspective on everything. Thanks again for supporting/following my blog. Anyway, the details are on http://rheacollections.com/2015/01/22/premio-dardos-award-nominee/
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A massive thank you for the lovely compliment Ailene!!!
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You’re welcome! Also, apologies for the delayed response – have been road tripping the last few days & playing catch up as we speak =)
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Hi Janaline: I was in Cape Town over the Xmas/New Years on vacation. I was standing outside the Craft Market at the V&A shopping center and I saw someone that looked vaguely familiar. Then I figured out that it might be you? It felt too odd to say anything as the odds would be against that and I might have sounded really creepy! Now I’m back in Kathmandu, I checked your website and saw you are South African, which I didn’t even know before. Could that have been you? How weird is that?! Caroline
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Hi there Caroline. Chances are it was me as I was exploring cape Town over Christmas and New Years with my family who came to visit. You should have come over and said hi, would have been lovely to meet a fellow traveler and blogger…next time we cross paths we have to say hi!!
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I wish I had known you were South African, I would have at least checked your blog before I visited! We had a wonderful time. You have a very beautiful country, I only wish I had time to see more.
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I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a blessed new year
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Thank you Ana, Hope you had a lovely Christmas and a very happy New year. I spent the festive season with my family exploring Cape Town so had a wonderful time.
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That sounds like fun, I’m glad you were with family, that’s so important. I look forward to seeing where this year’s adventures take you.
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I love your blog, and I have nominated it for the One Lovely Blog Award & the Inspirational Blogger Award. If you would like to accept it, just follow this link http://donningthecrescent.com/2014/12/18/one-lovely-blog-award/; http://donningthecrescent.com/2014/12/18/very-inspiring-blogger-award/ to see what it all entails.
Blessings! ❤
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Thank you Heather for that very lovely compliment of nominating me!
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