A Life of Travel: 21 Thoughts From 21 Countries I Visited in 2025
Derek Baron
January 06, 2026
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It's Tuesday and it's time for a travel newsletter...
update
Hello and Happy New Year from Bangkok, Thailand!
After spending December in the Romanian countryside and ringing in the New Year in Larnaca, Cyprus, I’ve now landed in Bangkok for two weeks. It’s more of a work trip than anything else but I’m also enjoying the vibe, good food and great weather.
From here I’ll head to… Ethiopia. It’ll be my first time there and I’m genuinely excited for what awaits.
But now that 2026 has begun, it’s time to look back on 2025.
Here’s the recap:
In 2025, I traveled to 21 countries.
There were endless sand dunes, an unexpected number of safaris, neighborhood strolls in cities across four continents and swims in postcard-worthy waters. I also visited quiet European villages, reconnected with friends around the globe, spent time with family in the US, led tours to Mauritania, India and Iraq, squeezed in some unexpected trips to Taiwan and Angola, spent a month in Kuala Lumpur, flew over Victoria Falls in a helicopter and got two new tattoos. It was a really cool year.
Now let’s get a little deeper…
🇭🇰 Hong Kong - New Year’s fireworks from a boat on Victoria Harbor helped start the year and the buzz of Hong Kong made for such a fun stay. Also, long lines are not my favorite, unless dumplings are involved - One Dim Sum remains a favorite.
🇵🇹 Portugal - Still my unofficial base. Thanks to Georgiana and other friends being there, I showed up five times to Lisbon in 2025. Having a place where I can settle in quickly really helps keep me grounded. Without it, I’d be far more confused in life than I already am :)
🇲🇷 Mauritania - I led my first group tour here early in the year and it was amazing. Only 7,000 tourists visit each year. Yet it’s safe, surreal, and full of unforgettable moments. So many goosebumps. Only two days ago, I published the next Mauritania trip for December 2026!
🇺🇸 USA - Two months were spent in the US to take care of a hip issue and visit family. There were also side trips to Washington DC and Wilmington, North Carolina. I have an odd relationship with my home country - I really like many aspects of it but the idea of living there is something I struggle with. At the same time, the idea of actually living anywhere is something I struggle with!
🇮🇶 Iraq - I’ve now been to Iraq 9 times over the past 3 years. And if there’s one piece of travel advice I’d ask anyone to trust me on, it’s this: visit Iraq. The warmth, the history, the people, the food - it’s unmatched. You will not regret it. I’m back again in March with another sold out group. The next Iraq trip will be in November.
🇦🇴 Angola - About 15 years ago it was almost impossible to get a visa (I tried) and the country was extremely expensive. Now it’s visa-free and affordable. So, when we saw a direct TAAG Angola Airlines flight from Lisbon to Luanda, we jumped on it. It was short but memorable and we combined it with Namibia.
🇳🇦 Namibia - Ohhhhh… driving around this country was epic. Standing on the sand dunes of Sossusvlei was the absolute highlight… until arriving at the mesmerizing white clay pan of Deadvlei… until arriving at magical Sandwich Harbor, where the massive desert dunes meet the Atlantic Ocean... until we did a self-drive safari in Etosha National Park. You get the idea. A visit to Namibia is a must.
🇮🇹 Italy - This year, it was Puglia. And naturally, it was brilliant. As a bonus, I discovered my new favorite wine. Also, the quaint town of Monopoli charmed me beyond imagination. I never thought it would be me, but it’s official - I’m now the traveler who ‘needs’ a yearly trip to Italy.
🇩🇪 Germany - This was a quick trip to visit a good friend in Berlin. The truth is, with this lifestyle, if you don’t put in a real effort to maintain connections, you won’t have many friends. The effort required often involves flights and long journeys… but it’s always worth it.
🇲🇾 Malaysia - I spent one month in Kuala Lumpur. It’s a solid value if you’re looking for high quality of life and don’t need a ton of entertainment. I rented a $1000/month high-rise apartment overlooking the Petronas Towers, with rooftop pool and gym. Perfect for a reset.
🇹🇼 Taiwan - I love Taiwan and this trip was a last-minute decision. As always, it delivered, especially on the food front. It always delivers on the food front.
🇵🇭 Philippines - Boracay was this year’s island fix, something I’ve needed every year for as long as I can remember. Barefoot days, white sand, fresh watermelon juice, wild sunsets… it’s real therapy for me.
🇿🇲 Zambia - The Royal Livingstone Express was top-notch. It’s a short train ride that stops on the bridge connecting Zambia and Zimbabwe. One side is a view of Victoria Falls and on the other side is the Batoka Gorge. Dinner was excellent, the atmosphere cozy and the herd of elephants we passed a perfect bonus.
🇧🇼 Botswana - I booked an evening boat ride on the Chobe River. So I assumed it would be a relaxing boat ride on the Chobe River. It turned into a full-on wildlife safari, and one of the best safaris I’ve ever been on. Wildlife were EVERYWHERE, and in all kinds of environments that I’ve never seen before. Unexpected and memorable in every way.
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe - Victoria Falls did not disappoint by any means. A long helicopter ride over the falls absolutely sealed the experience. Finally, lunch at the community-focused Dusty Road Township added an unexpected memory that will stay with me for a long time. It’s a must if you’re in this area.
🇲🇿 Mozambique - Sometimes travel is not about actual travel plans. Instead, you pick the closest beach town (here it was Ponta do Ouro) for a week. You wake up each day and see what happens… often, it’s nothing. So you read, hang out with locals at a cafe or stare at the waves crashing onto the beach, without worrying what you might be missing elsewhere. It’s way more important to enjoy whatever experience you have than trying to do or see it all, just because you think you’re supposed to.
🇮🇳 India - Oh sweet India. On this trip, my group ended up in the local newspaper twice. Once because we were the only foreigners at a unique ‘magic’ festival in a remote village. Then again because we visited the office of the newspaper that wrote about us the day before. Apparently, both were stories the public needed to know about.
🇹🇷 Turkiye - I visit Turkiye often. Last year, it was a 4 day stay in Istanbul. I did my three favorite things there - a ferry ride to Kadikoy to stroll around the non-touristy neighborhoods, rejuvenated myself at a hammam and ate baklava at Gulluoglu. That’s all I need.
🇪🇸 Spain - In Madrid, I got 2 new tattoos on my right arm from the talented tattoo artist, Thay, at 222 Madrid. One tattoo is a colorful dodo bird representing the idea that we all deserve to create our own paradise and follow our own path without others interfering. The other tattoo is a line from Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris’ song “All the Roadrunning”. The full line is: “I’m still your man for the roaming, for as long as there’s roaming allowed.” The tattoo is the second part of that line. I love them both. Gracias, Madrid.
🇷🇴 Romania - December’s Romania visit (to the quiet village where Georgiana’s mom lives) gave me a few weeks to decompress, reflect on the year and prepare for the travels ahead - all with delicious home-cooked food, peaceful village walks and several holiday gatherings. It was cold while there, but it’s difficult not to enjoy such a combination of activities. (I also learned kendama while there, which was super fun.)
🇨🇾 Cyprus - Random, yet ideal. That seems to be the case every time I end up in Larnaca, Cyprus. Romania was cold, there’s a direct flight from the Romanian city of Timisoara, so Georgiana and I decided to go. It was perfect - fresh brunches, coastal walks and a wonderful New Year’s involving a nice dinner, a 24-hour bakery, fireworks, music and dancing. Yes, I danced indeed :)
And that’s a wrap of 2025.
Thank you so very much for reading along this past year. Your support and curiosity mean a great deal to me, and as always, if I can be of any assistance in your own travels, just send me a message and ask. I’ll be happy to reply.Wishing you a most memorable year ahead!
where in the world?
This year, we’re starting fresh. It’s time to guess…where was the below photo taken?
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Regards,
Derek
(my middle name is Earl)