How I planned this adventure

I wanted to be flexible in my travels with a rough itinerary and list of countries I'd like to visit but with no concrete plan or set of dates to live by.  But that doesn't mean I haven't researched and read like crazy up to this point.  Since the idea bore inception, I've read up on backpacking hungrily.  That was 4 years ago.

This post is for two reasons: a bookmark for myself for resources I've used (and actually I have a dropbox folder for that), and to show everyone how much research I've done and possibly get them interested in doing it. And to help put my parents at ease :)

The documentary, A Map for Saturday, initially gave me the idea to do this trip and what inspired me.  I believe it's only available for purchase (no Netflix, unfortunately).  I'll be happy to lend you my copy (well maybe, assuming I get my copy back from a certain someone :) ).  Either way, I highly recommend watching it.  The movie will basically be my life for the next 5 months.

A list of countries I'm planning on visiting before coming back in June. It's pretty close to being in order. The latter ones being more tentative since they're further out.

• Australia
• Malaysia
• Cambodia
• Thailand
• Nepal
• India
• Maldives
• an Eastern European/Asian country (Turkey, Croatia, Jordan)

Countries I cutout officially for now. I was kinda planning these but with my summer plans changing, I had to cut them out. Of course I want to visit many other Asian countries (China, Japan, South Korea, Myanmar) but this is my preference.

• New Zealand (I want to do 1-2 months here and rent a campervan)
• Vietnam
• Laos
• Indonesia

Oh and official disclaimer:
I did my research only during my lunch break at work :)

List of books I've read:
Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel (reads more as an inspiration to go travel)
The Rough Guide First-Time Around The World (very practical guide to backpacking. A lot of helpful info here)
The Beach
Seven Years in Tibet
Trekking in the Everest Region, 5th: includes Kathmandu City Guide
Let's Go Australia 10th Edition

Online resources (a mix of blogs, resources, guides, articles)
BootsnAll Indie Travel
Art of Backpacking: Backpacking Independent International Traveler
Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog
Help Exchange: free volunteer work exchange abroad Australia New Zealand Canada Europe
Visa and embassy information for all countries - Projectvisa.com
The Professional Hobo
How to Travel Full-Time for $17,000 a Year (or Less!)
Would You Be Able To Ditch The Desk Early?
Maximize frequent flyer miles, credit card points and hotel points - The Points Guy
Everest base camp info
Proof of onward travel (some countries require this which can be a problem if you're traveling with only oneway flights and no set itinerary)
Ghetto Gourmet
Stay with locals
A great travel blog from a couple
Trekking Asia

Those are the ones that I can find in my dropbox and bookmarks folder but I know I've read many more blogs and online articles.  So yeah, I think I'm ready.  But I fully expect to get pretty sick while on the road, get money and/or belongings stolen, get lost, become super frustrated/sad/angry with being in an area I don't understand.  All a part of the experience :)