--- Planning ---

One day I leave my everyday life behind and travel the world - a thought that surely everyone has had at some point. Including me. However, to turn a fleeting thought that comes to mind on the way to work one morning into reality, it takes a lot of preparations.

Even if, like me, you belong to the people who live by the motto "what you can do today, you better put off until tomorrow", it is advisable not to plan everything at the last minute when it comes to preparations for a trip. The flights will not get cheaper the longer you wait, and the stress before the big trip will certainly not decrease if you don't have a passport a week before it starts and the processing time for it is 4-6 weeks. Besides, anticipation is known to be the greatest joy, so it can also be a lot of fun to plan the trip step by step.

Ideally, you book the flight several weeks, if not months, before the big trip, as the flights are usually still very cheap. Personally, I only booked a one-way flight because I wanted the freedom to decide spontaneously how long I stay where.

It is also advisable not to take too much luggage with you. Everyone knows it, you take five more T-shirts with you just in case you think you might stain yourself while eating and then you need a few more shirts. But let's be honest, most of the time you have too many clothes with you that you end up carrying around. And even if the case occurs and you do spill yourself on one or the other meal, the next washing machine is certainly not far away. Besides, at the other end of the world, there are certainly also shops where you can buy things anyway. I travel with a 75l backpack that is only half full when I leave (so there is also enough space for souvenirs ;) and weighs just under 9 kg. I also have a carry-on backpack with me, which I mainly need for day trips during my journey. In short: if you have a passport, ID card, credit card, and a plane ticket with you, you have everything important, everything else can be obtained in an emergency over there. So you don't have to constantly worry on the way there: Did I forget something?

For my first travel destination, I chose the Philippines: a beautiful country that consists of more than 7100 islands. What particularly appealed to me about this travel destination was the fact that many of the islands are still very natural and not as crowded with tourists. Judging from the pictures I've seen, the beaches in the Philippines look like the typical picture-perfect beaches that people have as posters in their living rooms. Palm trees and sandy beaches as far as the eye can see. Let's see if the beaches and waterfalls in the Philippines meet my very high expectations and if they also impress me when I'm there.