Women only adventures
To the world's most interesting places

Why I keep coming back to Northern Thailand...

Aidan here. I ended up in Chiang Mai purely by coincidence, and it was one of the best non-decisions I’ve ever made in my life.

The first thing you’ll notice about Chiang Mai is how insanely GREEN it is. One step out the door and you're instantly surrounded by hills covered in trees.

I’ve always been a ‘beach > mountains’ type of guy, but there is just something so comforting about being tucked away between those hills. It’s like you’re a baby bird in a big green nest.

It is the most relaxing, calm, peaceful city I have ever been in.

I literally have no complaints, which is rare. In every city I’ve ever spent an extended time in, I’m thinking to myself, X is great, but I wish that it wasn’t quite so Y.

There is no ‘Y’ in Chiang Mai (literally haha).

A fellow traveller was trying to convince me that the reason Chiang Mai was so calm was because the magnetic pull of the Earth was equalised in that area or something.

I’m not so sure about this ‘magnetic pull’ – I’d rather give the credit to the root cause of this amazing feeling: the people.

They are so, so unbelievably calm, happy and friendly. I had a couple of interactions where they just did not really get the concept of worrying and why anyone would do it.

One thing I really love about North Thailand is that it is wayyyy less touristy. Developed enough that you will have the niceties and amenities (great internet), but unlike a lot of Thailand, you feel like you are face-to-face with Thai culture.

You have the opportunity to really interact with the locals and their culture and traditions, in a way you just don’t get to in Southern Thailand.

And those places are the sort of places that I love (and I know our Patchies do too).

Let me put it this way:
I originally booked a week in Chiang Mai….
I stayed for 2 months.
Then I went back again a few months later…
Now I’m going back AGAIN…

So maybe there are some magnets involved? Who am I to dismiss that theory?

All I know is that the place definitely has some sort of pull, because I keep ending up back there. ...

30% of the Mongolian population is nomadic.

True nomads that move at least four times a year with all their gers, lifestock, children and belongings.

These people are tough and live in very remote areas, their kids go to the nearby towns to school. They are between 30 to 50 kilometres away, some stay with relatives, some of them go to boarding schools.

Nomads live very simple lives with no access to running water, toilets or electricity. Some of them have solar panels and they use batteries to charge their phones and have light in their gers.

We stayed with Gala's family for two days and got to see how these people live their daily lifes.
They are always busy and constantly going. Gala's family had about 40 horses, 40 yaks, about a 100 sheep and goat. Everyone in the family contributed, even the kids. His youngest son wants to become a hurder like his dad.

It was a great honor to watch the family dynamics and how they take care of their animals, while cooking home-made food for 12 women.

We were there during the weekend, so all kids from the neighboring gers came and played along.

When Gala was asked "Gala, it's 21 century - what do you want from life?"

His answer was: "Rain".

That simple.

#mongolia #mongolianadventure #nomads #Patchies #patchadventures #adventures #women-only ...

Here’s one idea for souvenir-collecting.

A recipe book with all the delicious meals you’ve had on your travels.

You could find the instructions on how to make the most heart-stopping dish you’ve tried on the internet.

Then, try it out yourself, grade it from one to five and keep it in your cookbook for the next time you want to wow your guests.

Or, we have a better idea.

On your next adventure, ask your fellow Patchies to pack their recipe books. When it’s time to roll up your sleeves and try out local recipes, write down notes on the age-old cooking techniques.

It’d be so special to have your local chef/teacher sign your cookbook or write you a little note, wouldn’t it?

The same goes for your fellow Patchies and getting them to write down their thoughts about the dish. Who knows, maybe a ‘Who has the most local recipes’ competition would start?

Share your favourite recipe you’ve got from your travels in the comments.

Unless you’d rather keep it a secret🤫 ...

Patchies are tougher than I thought.

Radina here from the team at Patch, typing all of this from Mongolia.

I joined an incredible group of women on our Mongolia adventure and we’re on day five of our trip.

This country is absolutely mind-boggling, and just looking at the landscape leaves you speechless. I’m just not sure the pics do it justice.

But that’s not what this post is about.

It’s about our Patchies and what a resilient group of ladies we have as a community here.

This trip is not for everyone: long and bumpy rides for hours a day, drop toilets, lack of showers on some days, unplanned changes, homestays with very basic facilities.

But Patchies haven’t complained even once. What’s more, they’re embracing the conditions, the situation, and each other.

These women are admiring everything around them, in awe of the nature and our surroundings, thankful to the family we visited for their hospitality - and the best part is, we’re all laughing our way through Mongolia. Aussies and Kiwis have such an amazing sense of humour that I can’t remember the last time I had so many belly laughs with others.

Everyone is just embracing and loving Mongolia - so am I 😉 ...

Courtney from the Patch Adventures team here!

I just got back from a trip to Cambodia with my dad, and wanted to share it with you all! When Dad and I were deciding where to go, we actually both thought the other had suggested Cambodia (I still maintain that it was his idea 😂). The idea was to continue the “Southeast Asia” theme after we went to Vietnam in 2022. I didn’t really go with any expectations, and just before we left the land border between Thailand and Cambodia closed. We were about to learn a whole bunch of history in a very short amount of time!

We started in Siem Reap, which is full of cafes, restaurants, bars and markets, not to mention the hundreds of tuk-tuk drivers at your doorstep to whisk you around. We actually had female tuk-tuk drivers around the Angkor temple complex which was an awesome treat! Girl power!

Angkor Wat is really hard for me to describe. I’d seen photos of it so many times I thought I knew what it would be like, and I’ve never been happier to be proven wrong.

I didn't know that Angkor Wat was built as a Hindu temple, and then gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple. When you get up close, there are lots of carvings that started out as Hindu symbols, that were later ‘redesigned’ into Buddhist symbols. I sure wouldn’t have known from looking at them!

(Continues in the comments) ...

It’s a wrap! 🎉

If you joined us on our recent Balkans by Rail Adventure, you’ll know this wasn’t just an adventure. 🚂

It was epic train rides turned into rakia moments, spontaneous singalongs and even testing your dance moves with locals (📸 1).

You test-drove a train. Yep, really – but in a museum. (📸 2)

You traveled through 7 countries, learning how diverse the Balkans are – different religions ethnicities, and cultures living side by side. (📸 3)

The locals you met along the way were absolute legends – so welcoming, talented and fun that hanging out with them quickly became the highlight of the trip. (📸 4)

You probably stuck your head into a barrel at a local woodshop just to smell it – and loved it. (📸 5)

You measured your weight and height on an old-school scale, just to make the local lady’s day more fun (and pay her fairly). (📸 6) Of course we took pictures of it!

The nature is absolutely mind-boggling and you appreciated those cooling water dips with your fellow Patchies. (📸 7)

You ate some seriously delicious food!
Yes, we know it’s quite a bit of work sometimes – but that’s the locals’ care and love language here. So be warned! (📸 8)

Oh… and you’ll also get to cook some of that delish local food. (📸 9)

And finally – you’ll be seriously spoiled by the best guide in the region. Hats off, Danijela! (📸 10)

We probably could go off to 100, what would you add Patchies?

#patchadventures #womenonlytrip #womenonlyadventure #balkans #balkansadventure #balkansbyrail #patchies #localfood #localartist ...

Our Patchies are absolute legends

We’re always honest and open with our community – and it shows.

Yesterday, Mat sent out a transparency email, and the replies he got back were full of love.

Check out some of them

#patchadventures #womenonly #womenonlytravel #womenonlycommunity #patchies #patchiesquad ...