Challenges
The Packed Bag created “The Challenge” travel series to provide motivation and focus for her travels.
On this page you’ll find all of the ‘Challenges’ that The Packed Bag has completed – and those in the planning stage.
We hope that they inspire you to explore more of this wonderful world.
“When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money.
Then take half the clothes and twice the money.”
— Susan Heller
Upcoming Challenges ---
Upcoming Challenges ---
This Challenge has been postponed due to COVID-19.
Now tentatively scheduled to start in April 2024 – I’m going to visit all of the counties of England in six months.
Did you know that there are 48 counties in England?
Nope, me neither.
Travelling regionally from top to bottom, I will spend 3.5 days(!) in each county, reporting on the ‘where, when, why, who and what’ of each.
It’s going to be a fun ride, so strap in, hang on and get ready for an exciting ride through every county in England!
Completed Challenges ---
Completed Challenges ---
The trip to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of The USA 50/50 Challenge was a great success
Travelling through 10 states in 5 weeks, I revisited selected top ten states, cities and towns and managed to visit some new ones that were missed on the original challenge.
I was thrilled to revisit Seattle, Friday Harbor, Sheyboygan and Door County. Finally got to experience Atlanta and the tiny town of Laurel Mississippi, from one extreme to the other. Made my fourth visit to fabulous New Orleans, my tenth to Boston and my eighth to Lower Manhattan.
Every stop was fabulous and held its own unique charms and sights to behold. This was my first post-COVID international trip and it delivered all the wonder, travel near-misses and excitement that I’ve been so long missing for 3 & a 1/2 years. So glad I did it, even though the currency exchange was brutal!
Meet The USA 50/50 Challenge: One Aussie Girl, 50 US States, 50 Weeks and One Packed Bag
This was the first and the biggest challenge in the series. Linda completed this unique journey in 2013 and became the first person to spend a calendar year travelling non-stop through 50 US states in 50 weeks.
The book of her adventure is now available on Amazon!
Visit all 50 United States in 50 weeks…? Yup!
New Zealand is one of the world’s dream destinations
In the 8th annual Virtuoso Annual Travel Dreams survey, New Zealand came third after Australia and Italy respectively, as a Dream Destination and ranked fourth in Dream Islands.
While those in the know are aware that it’s a fabulous ski and adventure destination, very few know that there are a remarkable 29 regions, each with their own interest and beauty.
For many in the northern hemisphere, particularly the lucrative North American market, it remains a dream that is rarely fulfilled as evidenced by the fact that Australian visitor numbers outstrip the US 6:1 and Canada by an amazing 25:1.
The Packed Bag’s challenge in 2014 was to change those statistics and encourage year-round tourism to all the regions of the country, documenting the adventure every step of the way.
What is the optimum vacation length?
Recently in the press there has a been a focus on the smartest way to vacation, often citing a study from Finland which found that more frequent trips are the best way to use up vacation days and that 8 days is the ideal duration.
This is where The 8 Day Challenge came into play in 2017. The objective: to spend 8 days in each destination and immerse myself in the culture and rhythm of the city. The chosen cities were diverse: a mix of ‘top tens’ and places that people dream about but rarely get to – in my travels the city that most Americans tell me they “wish they’d gone to but hadn’t yet” was New Orleans – and "where?" destinations.
Seven Asian countries in seven weeks
In late 2018, The Packed Bag travelled using flights and ferries through:
Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur
Thailand: Bangkok
Viet Nam: Hanoi
Taiwan: Taipei
China: Shanghai
South Korea: Seoul and Busan
Japan: Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo
