A Life of Travel: 26 Thoughts From 26 Countries I Visited in 2024
Derek Baron
December 31, 2024
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It's Tuesday and it's time for a travel newsletter...
update
Hello from Hong Kong!
This final newsletter of the year will be a little different.
Instead of the usual format, I’m going to provide 26 thoughts from the 26 countries I visited in 2024.
So let’s get right into it…
🇲🇦 Morocco - Being in a hot air balloon over Morocco with a group of friends was one hell of a way to start 2024.
🇸🇳 Senegal - Laamb (Senegalese wrestling) needs to be seen. Upon arriving in the small town of Fimela, we heard music in the distance and we went to check it out. That’s how we came upon this nighttime event in a football field filled with hundreds of spectators. It was a chaotic scene of intense blaring music, wild dancing and a few dozen barely clothed wrestlers competing in a tournament, all at the same time.
🇬🇲 Gambia - Sometimes what you remember most is a person. Sparky, a random taxi driver that I had the good fortune of meeting, was so kind and helpful and so focused on supporting his family despite limited opportunities in his country. I’ve tried, unsuccessfully, to help him get a job in the cruise industry but will continue to try and find ways to help him achieve his goals.
🇵🇹 Portugal - Lisbon is where I enjoy a routine in familiar surroundings. It’s my go-to place for a daily structure of work, long walks and meeting up with friends. Without this part-time routine, the instability of constant travel would eat away at my sanity too much.
🇻🇳 Vietnam - Two months in the beachside city of Danang this past summer was exactly what I needed. While the 35C/95F heat might be a bit too much for some, the combination of stunning white sand beach, diverse food options, laid-back atmosphere, safe environment, endless day trip options and extremely affordable living will make this city even more popular in the coming years.
🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe - A destination completely untouched by tourism. It’s rare these days to find such a place but so damn refreshing when it happens. This was a very special two week trip as every day was full of genuine discovery and interactions.
🇮🇶 Iraq - I’ll say it again - more people need to travel here. It’s as simple as that. This country is not what you’d expect and every tour I organize here has been a huge success with life-changing experiences every single day! The next Iraq trip is in April!
🇬🇧 United Kingdom - I couldn’t live in London but give me morning scones at Gail’s, a long walk through random neighborhoods and an evening at the theater and I’ll be happy. This year I saw The Picture of Dorian Gray, a one-woman show with Sarah Snook. It was brilliant!
🇺🇸 USA - I always told myself that if I couldn’t return to the US whenever I wanted in order to visit family, I would stop traveling. It was a non-negotiable deal with myself as family time is too important to give up. I made two trips to the US this past year specifically to spend time with my mom and sister and I’m very much looking forward to my next visit with them in one month from now!
🇹🇷 Turkey - I’ve been to this country too many times to count. And yet, I never get tired of roaming the streets of Istanbul without a plan, contemplating life while on a ferry going across the Bosphorus, eating at Antiochia (one of my favorite restaurants in the world) or spending an evening at the hidden Çorlulu Ali Paşa Medresesi shisha cafe inside of a beautiful 300-year old building.
🇮🇹 Italy - Sometimes you just need ten days in Italy with excellent food, culture, history and nature to fix all of your problems…at least temporarily. This year I made it to Sicily and it was indeed magical.
🇿🇦 South Africa - Any trip that includes impressive landscapes everywhere you look, great wine, fresh food, a lot of friendly and fun people, hippos walking down the street and a few peaceful days at a remote game reserve with some of the best wildlife spotting in the world, is a trip I’m happy to take any day.
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan - I had a hard time coming up with a thought about this country. The trip actually involved a thorough exploration of Baku and even day trips to visit Zoroastrian temples, mud volcanoes and more. But it’s the restaurants and food that stood out the most. Baku has some very atmospheric eateries (such as Mari Vanna and Firuze) where an affordable meal proves to be far more delicious and memorable than you would expect.
🇹🇯 Tajikistan - Our driver, Abdul, made this trip. Sure, the mountains and villages were fascinating, but Abdul shared his vodka every night, gave speeches about his appreciation for travelers coming to his country and took us to his home to meet his family and to try the very tasty apples from his orchard.
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan - The fresh traditional breads that are baked in the Chorsu Bazaar in Tashkent are out of this world! There’s an entire hidden area full of traditional ovens, with teams of bakers preparing all kinds of bread. Once you try some straight from the oven, you too shall have an Uzbek bread addiction.
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan - Lavish and utterly delicious home-cooked meals in Shymkent, touring the surreal town of Turkistan and watching an authentic game of Kok boru (played on horses with a goat carcass) were just a few of the special moments that we included in my very first Wandering Earl Surprise Tour!
🇷🇴 Romania - These days, when I go to Romania, it’s typically to spend some quiet time in a village 45 minutes from the city of Timisoara. It’s where Mimi (Georgiana’s mom) lives. While here, I’m truly spoiled as I’m free to dive straight into my own schedule and enjoy the laid-back nature of village life without a care in the world. To top it off, I’m also treated to mouthwatering home-cooked meals every day, complete with delicious desserts and even homemade liquors!
🇧🇩 Bangladesh - Don’t be fooled by appearances. The intensity, massive crowds, constant noise, insane traffic and pollution in this country is nothing compared to the friendly greetings, heartwarming smiles, endless handshakes, genuine invitations and absurdly hospitable nature of the Bangladeshi people.
🇧🇹 Bhutan - There’s such a different vibe in this country. It’s a sense of peace and contentment, a way of life that focuses on kindness, community and connection with nature. The noise, distractions and frustrations of the modern world play a limited role and the difference is drastic, beautiful and powerful. (Also, the hike up to the Tiger’s Nest monastery absolutely lives up to the hype!)
🇸🇬 Singapore - Expert tip: Avoid getting cholera if you can. While I’m pretty sure I got it from the water in Bangladesh, it hit me when I arrived in Singapore. I love Singapore but unfortunately I was not able to do much this time around.
🇫🇯 Fiji - Ten days spent on the small, remote island of Waya was better than any other kind of therapy I can think of. Beach walks, fresh food, a lot of reading and watching the most breathtaking sunsets imaginable - it sounds corny, but I honestly forgot about the outside world and I felt great.
🇼🇸 Samoa - Sometimes the main highlight of a destination is something you never expected. In Samoa, it was the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum, located inside of the residence where the Scottish author lived with his family. Surrounded by a botanical garden and lush forest, there were also nature trails leading to the top of a hill where Robert was laid to rest.
🇹🇴 Tonga - Fiji Airways lost our luggage on the way to Tonga and it took 4 days to finally get it back. When I’ll think of Tonga, I’ll mostly think of my lost luggage. We also took a nice trip all around the main island with a local husband and wife, had fun wandering the markets and did a self-guided tour of Nuku’alofa (the capital). But it was tough with the luggage situation on our mind!
🇻🇺 Vanuatu - The 7.3 earthquake that took place while I was here, and the damage caused to the island, is something I will never forget. Nor will I forget the sheer luck of being stuck at a great hotel on a beach, isolated from the rest of the island, for an extra week until the airport re-opened. My stay here brings up so many feelings due to these contrasting realities. (Here’s a summary that I wrote about the situation.)
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands - Due to the earthquake in Vanuatu, the airport closure and my forced extension there, my time in the Solomon Islands was reduced to one night (a total of 15 hours to be exact). After checking into the hotel in the capital, Honiara, I took a seat in the outdoor lounge, had a whisky, listened to the live music and chuckled at this bizarre Christmas eve experience!
🇭🇰 Hong Kong - What a way to finish the year! This city has enough to keep travelers busy for months. Between waiting in line for an hour to eat delicious dim sum, walking through perfectly manicured gardens and a diverse range of chaotic markets and taking in the sweeping views of the city from the top of Victoria Peak, each day has been a blast. To top it all off, tonight shall involve a New Years boat cruise in Victoria Harbor to watch the spectacular fireworks display at midnight!
On that note, I want to thank you so much for following along with my travels and this newsletter in 2024. As always, it is greatly appreciated and if you ever have any travel questions, please don’t hesitate to hit reply and ask. I will do my best to help out as best I can.
Wishing you good health, great success and of course, happy and safe travels in the year to come!
Happy New Year from Hong Kong!
where in the world?
The previous photo had the most correct guesses of any photo I’ve ever posted in my newsletters! So, here’s the long list of people that got it right:
Vicky, Mike F, Julie, Michael, John, Barret, Marie, Anneliese, Mike P, Sharman, Gonzalo, Mark, Davie, J.E., Earl A, Mary, Kim, Rafael, Andrew, Brad, Steve, Corina, Gaye, Robert, Tory, Gordon, Aleta, Julia, Joss, Enz, Tom, Tim, Craig, Rayna, Kevan, Anik, Laurel, Kenric, Jon, Beck, Ariana, Carla, York, Rebecca, Marcia, Nancy, Josie, Cheryl, Ruchi, Cindy and Jennifer
Congratulations to you all!
The photo is of the Rain Vortex, the world’s largest indoor waterfall, located inside of The Jewel at Singapore’s Changi International Airport.
This week’s photo:
It’s time to guess…where was the below photo taken?
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Thank you so much for reading!
Derek
(my middle name is Earl)
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