As 2019 is coming to a close we thought we’d do something a little different on our blog: our first ever annual travel wrap up. It’s probably the best year for us to do this too, given we were pretty much travelling full time the whole year.
For those that have followed us for some time, you’d know that a year of full time travel wasn’t meant to be on the cards for us in 2019.
In July 2018, we wrapped up our jobs with the goal of travelling for 6-9 months. Jeff took his mountain of long service leave + secured a career break and Kristen’s job was made redundant. The timing for us was perfect, so we took off on the adventure of a lifetime.
At the start of 2019, we’d been travelling for nearly 6 months. We spent part of January at home in Australia and then explored some of Africa and the Middle East. After a free holiday in the Cook Islands (always enter competitions when you see them!), we set off for Europe. Jeff extended his career break, and we were due back home in August.
However, August came around and Jeff decided not to return to his former employer. So, after 12 months of travel, we found ourselves with no jobs to go back to and no home (we sold most of our belongings and put the rest in storage). It was one of the most freeing positions we’d ever found ourselves in. This would have been a scary proposition at the beginning of our break. Our sabbatical has taught us however to ‘pick ourselves’ as Seth Godin puts it. We weren’t ready to ‘settle’ and wanted to make the most of this unique opportunity to spend our time how we decided.
We spent a lot of this time initially with family in between short breaks in Australia. With a retiring mother, some family battling ill health and elderly grandparents moving home for the first time in 60 years, it seemed fortuitous that we were freely available to help.
Once everyone was settled, we scratched our itchy feet with our final overseas trip of the year to Japan and South Korea. We’d been to Japan previously, but South Korea was a new country for us. It also marked our 75th country visited.
Spending more time on our blog
This year we also stepped up the amount of content we developed for this blog. Our original purpose of starting to blog was to share our travel tips with friends and family. However, this year we realised that we could start to share our experiences and advice with a wider audience.
We’re both marketers by trade, but the world of travel blogging was (and is) still very new to us. A lot of time has been spent learning about SEO, Pinterest, affiliate marketing and WordPress development. We’ve absolutely loved it. We love tracking our numbers to see growth in things like page views. We get a kick out of strangers reaching out for advice and telling us that we’ve inspired them to visit destinations they may not have otherwise considered.
At the heart though, we’re still travellers first and bloggers second. We’ve learnt through the blogging community that finding the balance between travel and blogging can be tough. We know our purpose, and that’s why travel always wins out. We’ve still got hundreds of pages of notes from our 2018 and 2019 travels, so there is a lot more content to come! If you are after some tips for places you’ve seen us travel to, do let us know.
19 top travel experiences of 2019
We love our numbers, so after a fun evening reminiscing about our year of travel, here are our 19 top experiences in 2019. We love to be organised so the list is in chronological order. We couldn’t bring ourselves to rank them!
#1 Seeing the cute penguins at Boulders Beach in South Africa
South Africa was the first country we visited this year. We did a road trip along the Garden Route, drank too much wine in Stellenbosch and then spent a week in Cape Town. Our favourite memory was seeing the cute little penguins on Boulders Beach. We’d heard about them before, but hadn’t realised just how many penguins call this little patch of beach home! We spent way too much time here and eventually had to drag ourselves away so we could explore more.
#2 Walking out onto the clay plan of Deadvlei in Namibia
We generally don’t do group tours, but this year we went on a tour of Namibia. The highlight was walking out onto the clay plan of Deadvlei, in the middle of the Namibian desert to see the skeletal trees. It’s such a unique landscape, which made the trek through the sand in 40 degree heat worth it.
#3 Road tripping around Oman
For as long as Kristen can remember, Jeff has been banging on about visiting the small country of Oman in the Middle East. It’s been a kind of inside joke. Every time we consider a trip, Jeff tries to wrangle Oman into it. “Maybe we could tack on Oman after a week in Bali?”.
Well, 2019 was the year it happened. We spent a week road tripping across the country. From swimming in the most beautiful wadi, standing in awe at the Sultan Qaboos Mosque to walking through the markets in Muscat, it was a week to remember.
#4 Exploring the old and new in Azerbaijan
Another one of Jeff’s comical country picks. He gets a kick out of talking about places no one has been, and most people looked at us sideways at the mention of Azerbaijan. Such is our love of travel though, we know there are always things to see. The amazing country of Azerbaijan is no different.
A little less frequented by western travellers (but popular amongst Russians) you’ll find a country born out of oil and gas. A fascinating history, a clash of architecture throughout the capital and an impressive old town.
#5 Seeing the most beautiful lagoon in the world in the Cook Islands
So in and amongst our world wide sojourns, Jeff won a photo competition. The prize was an all expenses paid 5 star holiday in the South Pacific’s jewel – the Cook Islands.
Whilst Rarotonga didn’t play nicely with the weather, the smaller, pristine island of Aitutaki certainly did. If you’ve ever seen a magazine with the most majestic water but no destination, it is probably here in Aitutaki’s lagoon. Simply put, it’s a pristine natural formation that we didn’t feel worthy of.
#6 Walking amongst the tulips in the Netherlands
Whilst we’d been to the Netherlands before, we’d never been lucky enough to see the tulips in bloom. Kristen had heard stories from her grandmother who had grown up in Holland about how beautiful tulip season is. Our flight to Europe was perfectly timed, and we built our itinerary around ensuring we could make it to The Netherlands to see these colourful blooms. All of our photos look over saturated, but we promise you, it’s the real deal.
#7 Being awestruck by the azulejos in Porto
Our second trip to Portugal and we were excited to visit the northern city of Porto. Aside from port wine and great food, the blue and white tiles known as azulejos bring the city to life on just about every corner.
Life goes by in front of them, whilst these stunning murals play the role of a subtle backdrop.
#8 Getting our Game of Thrones on in Girona
We are big time Game of Thrones fans. And despite having some element of disappointment with the final series, we still love the franchise. The final series aired whilst we were away and we even had to watch THAT episode on our laptop screen in a completely darkened room. No amount of darkness seemed enough until we realised it wasn’t just us!
We watched episode 4 in Girona, home to parts of King’s Landing, the Citadel and Braavos. We took a Game of Thrones walking tour with a GOT extra, so we were like Danerys on the back of Drogon at King’s Landing – in our absolute element.
#9 Castle hopping in Romania
Romania is such an underrated country. There’s so much to see and do here, but above all else, it’s pretty hard to go past the impressive castles. Bran Castle, Peles Castle and Rasnov Fortress are all impressive in their own right as well as the various pretty towns that surround them. It’s a great value destination, with plenty to see.
#10 Sampling whiskey on the Isle of Skye
From a young age, Jeff has always had an affinity with whiskey. His grandfather used to enjoy a whiskey each evening and Jeff used to take his glass into the kitchen when he was finished and sample the last remaining drop.
Visiting the stunning Scottish Isle of Skye, we enjoyed sampling Talisker (who also had a Game of Thrones edition by the way). Back on the mainland, we also paid a visit to the Glenfiddich distillery as well.
#11 Road tripping through the Dolomites
We love the Alps and Italy is our favourite country, so what do you get when you put those together…. The Dolomites! A week road tripping through this beautiful mountainous region was an absolute highlight. Taking cable cars up to alpine meadows, walking around crystal clear lakes and dodging cyclists on windy roads.
#12 Eating ALL the gelato in Bologna
We spent another amazing week in Bologna, our third visit to the northern Italian city in the last 3 years. Bologna is an excellent city to simply ‘be’. It’s a laid back lifestyle, the food scene is unmatched and the gelato is other worldly. We gave as many gelaterias a crack as we could this time around and even ranked them!
#13 Eating the best hummus in Tel Aviv
Same topic, different country. We traded gelato for hummus and discovered the best that Israel has to offer. In a small restaurant in Jaffa is Hummus Abu Hassan. We both went ‘for a wipe’ as the locals call it. Treating ourselves to a bowl each, hoovering it down with lemon/pepper dabbed bread. The real treat was the ‘hot hummus’ which was warm with some paprika. We still have dreams of that hummus to this day and are eagerly on the search for somewhere in Sydney that might be able to match it.
#14 Celebrating Kristen’s birthday in London whilst England “won” the World Cup
This one really hurts to write. As big cricket fans we aimed to be in the UK for Australia hopefully lifting another World Cup. That didn’t happen, but the most amazing cricket spectacle did. Sitting in the Crabtree Pub on a sunny Sunday afternoon as the Kiwis and English faced off, it was nail biting to watch, particularly cheering on our Kiwi cousins. No one quite knew what to do when the super over was tied. Who won? The English team are going nuts! And the crowd break into huge applause and cheers. There were a few shouted rounds in London that day!
#15 Strolling through the Hermitage in St Petersburg
Russia had been a thorn in our side for some time. You’d think with all this time to travel it would be as simple as booking your trip and getting it done. However, the one downside to travelling so much was that we were not often in a place much longer than a week or 2. This meant applying for a visa was a challenge to visit Russia more meaningfully. That was until we discovered the St Peter line cruise from Helsinki which allows you to visit St Petersburg without a visa for up to 72 hours.
We paid a visit to the Hermitage on our first day. We’ve been to all the big museums in the world, but this place is on a whole other level. So many rooms, so much art and so many sculptures. We were blown away by the Hermitage, and a little so by the parade of military vehicles outside celebrating Naval Day too!
#16 Taking a sauna in Finland
Finland was our first ever European country. Visiting a decade ago, we never partook in the quintessential Finnish experience of sauna. We made up for lost time and tried out quite a few on this visit. If you’re heading to Finland, it has to be done!
#17 KFC in Minsk
McDonald’s might exist in Moscow now, but we think we found the biggest clash of capitalism and communism. In Belarus’ capital Minsk, there is an enormous communist façade which is impressive in itself. Just underneath it, you’ll find a KFC. It’s quite the oddity.
#18 Seeing playful whales on the Sapphire Coast
When we talk with friends and family, many of them tell us we need to see more of Australia. So upon our return to Sydney, we decided on a road trip to a place in Australia that neither of us had been before – the Sapphire Coast. With aquamarine beaches, fewer people than most coastal towns and a popular stop for the migrating whales, we had an amazing time.
We were lucky to spot whales from our balcony which encouraged us to get on the water the following day. We were treated to a real show by these amazing creatures and their offspring who were only too happy to show us their moves.
#19 Seeing the fall foliage in Japan
As we’ve travelled, we have fallen hard for fall! The most colourful and pretty season of all, it’s a novelty for us as Australians where autumn kind of fades into the background and then all of a sudden its winter. We just don’t get the same sweeping reds, yellows and oranges. We were treated with some stunning fall colour in Nara, Kyoto and Tokyo just at the end of the season.
5 lessons we learnt in 2019
Always have travel insurance
We spent around 8 months abroad this year and needed our travel insurance precisely once. That’s what it’s there for, and you should always take it out. We got pinged on a car rental. We dropped the vehicle off without concern. Two weeks later, we were sent an email with pictures of some damage to one of the wheels. Neither of us can work out when this damage could have happened. We didn’t recall any incident or near miss on this trip. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had a few ‘oh shit’ moments in rentals before, that have left us with no damage, or damage too small to be charged for.
We’re both very suspect as to whether or not this was caused by us, but the ultimate point is the car rental company was hitting us up for €1050 for a scratch on the wheel. When you don’t take out insurance directly with the car rental company, it doesn’t matter whose fault it is. We were in another city by this time and in no place to disprove the claim.
We coughed up the cash, but our included travel insurance with our credit card reimbursed us fully. Additionally, don’t believe the lies that these insurances are inferior. Jeff has worked in marketing for these products for years, and they’re all backed by the major players. The trick is to read the fine print to understand what you’re covered for.
Watch out for snakes in Africa
There was just the one near death experience on this trip. Staying in a guest house in Namibia, we were all finishing washing up after dinner. Jeff was drying a plate when the camp assistant put an arm around and him and told him not to freak out. “Move forward slowly” Hamish said.
Just behind Jeff, no more than 30 centimetres away, was a Cape Cobra. A bite is often fatal, and given our location, there wouldn’t have been much chance of finding a hospital with anti-venom. We’re both grateful for Hamish’s quick thinking and amazing eyes in the dark.
Check your train platform and station
After a week hanging out Girona, we’d booked a flight out of Barcelona and a high speed train from Girona to get there. We headed to the train station, allowing for some extra time as we prefer not to be doing ‘just in time’ travel. Arriving at our platform some 15 minutes prior to our train, we both remarked about how quiet it was for a high speed train.
Kristen asks if we’re on the right platform. Jeff confirms that the next train comes at 1pm. We must be in the right spot. The train chugs up, but most definitely was not a high speed train. We trudge down to the ticket booth to realise we were on the right platform at the wrong station. The high speed station was across the street.
Even after all of our travels, we still make mistakes. Although we couldn’t help but laugh about this one. If the destination or time was different, it would have clicked. The trains might have conspired against us that day, but a traffic control strike didn’t. Our flight was delayed by 4 hours, so we ended up making our flight with plenty of time. Phew!
Pack a spare pair of underwear
Whenever we choose who to fly, we weigh up the total costs and the likelihood of issue. British Airways has always come through for us. So when we turned up at Heathrow airport to see people stacking suitcases and backpacks in the corner like some sort of rubbish collection, our confidence dropped.
The baggage system had gone down and all bags were being processed manually. After almost missing our flight as a result, we arrived in Hamburg with no bags. The dreaded email came through confirming the worst, our bags were lost. 48 hours later, our bags made it to Hamburg. Which was a relief as we were leaving the next day.
An easy lesson for us though – always pack a spare pair of underwear!
Keep an eye on the road
We loved our road trip through Oman. Except for the unexpected bumps in the road. We got the shock of our lives driving in a 100km/h zone to be greeted with a speed bump sign which was about 10 metres in front of a speed bump.
If you’ve ever wondered what happens taking a bump at that pace, it’s not at all like the Dukes of Hazzard opening scenes. The bang was loud though, and somehow the car survived (and without any accusation of damaging it by the car rental company mind you!).
What does 2020 hold?
As 2019 draws to a close, it was a monumental year that we have the fondest memories of. We’re back home in Sydney and 2020 will see Jeff start a new job and Kristen looking for a new one as well.
Although the full-time travel period has concluded for the time being, we’re not finished with travel. This break was our third and longest window of full-time travel and we will be doing it again in the future. There is too much to see in this world and as we travel more, so too does our desire to see more of the world.
In the meantime, we’ll be travelling a bit closer to home, and doing our very best with the few weeks annual leave we’ll get. As we said at the outset, we have so much content yet to share on our blog. So we’re looking forward to spending a bit more time reminiscing about our experiences.
Thank you to all of you that have consistently read our blog throughout 2019. We’ve loved sharing our adventures.
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Wishing you all a wonderful 2020 filled with the very best memories that only travel can create.
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Welcome home guys. Good wrap up blog.
Thanks Linda! The 2020 edition will likely be a bit shorter 🙂
Loved the read. Thanks for sharing guys.
Thanks mate! A year that will be quite hard to beat!
Fun to read. Happy travels.
Thanks Karen! It was an excellent year 🙂