United Arab Emirates
Pictured: Playing a game of chess at Deep Dive Dubai
Max said it best when he described Dubai as what life might be like if we were forced to live on Mars. Life in Dubai is very different from life in the states and we’re grateful for the opportunity to experience both!
Georgia
Pictured: Atop the city walls in Sighnaghi, the city of love.
Traveling around Georgia is best done via car and we saw so much beauty that has brought backpackers and trekkers here for many years. Tbilisi has so much unique personality that we couldn’t quite place it or compare it to any other city we’ve been to. The mix of asian, european, authentic Georgian and other surrounding cultures made the city of Tbilisi a lively one and we look forward to going back to visit.
Armenia
Pictured: Standing in front of the Temple of Garni, located about 45 minutes outside of Yerevan
Armenia has an impressive history of preserving their history, language, and culture all while being surrounded by “giant empires” throughout history. The city of Yerevan had many different areas to explore, and the local authentic food quite possibly could have been our favorite part.
Moldova
Pictured: Outside the Schimbarea Orthodox Cathedral located on Saint Stephen The Great Boulevard
Moldova is a beautiful country with many historic remnants of their war torn history. Across the city you can notice markings on buildings that share insight into the inner struggle the country has between respect for the old world way of life (Soviet Union) but also a hope for a brighter and much different future than was their past.
Denmark
Pictured: Riding scooters in front of Amager Bakke; the modern incineration plant in Copenhagen
The highlight of our trip to Copenhagen was definitely having the much anticipated meal at their number one restaurant, Noma. We’ve been around the world at this point, and eaten at plenty of high rated restaurants. Noma, without a doubt, has been our favorite. The rest of Copenhagen does not disappoint and we feel like our “to do” list kept growing with each day that we stayed.
Norway
Pictured: Posing in front of the Northern Lights in Tromso, Norway
Norway has so much to offer and we look forward to going back and exploring more. The locals call Oslo a small city, but it felt big to us; it has a royal palace, opera house, bustling harbor, buzzing with locals and tourists, and plenty more in the countryside.
Sweden
Pictured: Walking across the Skeppsholmsbron Bridge to make our way across the water to the Vasa Museum, ABBA Museum, and Grona Lund.
Of all the cities visited in the Scandinavian countries (so far), Stockholm has been our favorite. It’s no surprise that we like to be near the water and the nautical life that surrounds the city makes it feel both old school and modern all at once. With so much to do, we tried our best to see it all in our limited time; we visited 3 museums and 1 roller coaster theme park. We will be back!
Finland
Pictured: Sauna bath at Loyly waiting for locals to warm up to the bone inside before jumping in the ice cold water below. Rinse and repeat.
The furthest north on the planet we’ve been to date was Helsinki, Finland. We lucked out with great weather and were able to walk around all the main highlights of Helsinki in a full day; including partaking in the sauna-to-polar plunge ritual that many Finnish people regularly do. There’s much more to explore in Finland than the capital city, and one day it might be nice to see more of the countryside.
Seychelles
Pictured: taking in some sun at the Six Senses on Felicite Island in Seychelles
We had the privilege of spending a few nights in Seychelles after spending 5 weeks in Africa; a much desired island escape! We stayed on Felicite Island, but went scuba diving all around the other islands (Big Sister, Little Sister, Ave Maria) and toured a day around on La Digue Island. Another short flight away is the also exotic island of Mauritius.
Botswana
Pictured: With Johanne, our moccoro boat driver, after a cruise in the Okavango Delta
Botswana stole our hearts; the scenery changed what seemed to be every corner you turned, from flying over the Okavango Delta to the Vumbra Plains with desertlike savannah terrain. The variety of scenery opened the doors for seeing different types of wildlife and seeing the animals in their natural habitats. Botswana very well may be our favorite country for safari!
Zimbabwe
Pictured: Hopping into a boat to head to our resort on the Zambezi River
We spent 2 nights in Zimbabwe at the Victoria Falls River Lodge located on the Zambezi river. The Victoria Falls were well worth the visit and we are happy we were able to see it both on foot (and drenched!) as well as from above in a plane. Looking at the falls puts earths existence in perspective (it was formed over 180 million years ago). Seeing both the river and the falls were magical and made you appreciate this water-source and how many countries in Africa depend on it - both upstream and downstream.
South Africa
Pictured: Cape of Good Hope in Cape Town, South Africa
We spent almost a week in the country of South Africa and were amazed at all the different offerings: scenery in the Western Cape Town, safari in Sabi Sand, wine country in Franschhoek, and city hustle in Johannesburg. Spending time in wine country and at safari made us wish we had more time to explore the areas more, but we are forever grateful to have had the chance to experience it in the first place.
Rwanda
Pictured: Heading into Mount Karisimbi to meet the Isimbi gorilla family with our guide, Eugene, in Volcanos National Park, Rwanda.
We were so impressed with Rwanda, the people, the landscape, the history, the wildlife and the way of life. We found ourselves in awe at the peacefulness of the countryside and the genuine happiness of the people who spend their days transporting things up and down the busy streets. The experience of trekking to find gorillas and spend time with their ‘family’ impossible to capture with mere words.
Kenya
Pictured: Hot air balloon ride over the Mara River in Maasai Mara, Kenya
Our first safari began in the Maasai Mara where we stayed a few nights at the mountain top lodge of Angama Mara. We were blown away at the beauty of the land, the plethora and variety of animals, the connection to local cultures, and the full scale operation of the safari teams. Seeing a kill on our first day of certainly set the bar high, and every day while out on safari is sure to be full of excitement, anticipation, primitive thrills, and a sense of perspective.
Tanzania
Pictured: Aboard a dhow boat near Mnemba Island in North Zanzibar Island
We started our African journey off at the relaxing and private beach resort on Mnemba Island, Zanzibar. We rode a traditional dhow boat, saw sea turtles laying eggs, watched a turtle nest hatch and run to the ocean for their first time, became dive certified, snorkeled, had beach dinners, forest dinners, massages, and yoga galore.
Belmond Venice-Simplon Orient Express
Pictured: VSOE Train in Romania
Climbing aboard the Orient Express is historic from the moment you spot it at the train station. We loved getting to know fellow YPO International and learning more about the worlds around them. We haven’t had an experience quite like the one we did aboard the Orient Express, but we’re glad we were able to be a part of its ongoing history. Watching people snap the trains picture as we traveled along the [mile] journey also helped remind us of the incredible experience we were embarking on.
Slovakia
Pictured: Hviezdoslav Square in Bratislava
We had a great short stay in Slovakia. The town of Bratislava has so much to offer and the city was buzzing with people. There was a promenade style street where art exhibitions were set up, and we were also surprised with a mini classic car show at the end of their Main Street. The watering holes we drank at were creative and delicious and we feel like we only scratched the surface of what Slovakia has to offer.
Slovenia
Pictured: Lake Bled
Slovenia won our hearts over quickly with the incredible capital of Ljubljana. The city felt like a castle itself, surrounded by a beautiful river with tour boats constantly going up and down. The visit to the castle itself was also a dream, remarkably remodeled (we haven’t seen another one like it) and has an entire culture and nightlife of its own. Spending time in Lake Bled was the highlight; no other lake town has a small naturally built historical island in it, with water so clear you can see fish swimming 20 feet away. Lake Bled stole our hearts and gave us the right of relaxation that we needed.
Serbia
Pictured: Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade
Serbia was one of our favorite large cities to visit in the Balkans. It had it all, both historical and eastern elements as well as modern and western influences to it. The city of Belgrade was so vast and expansive that we didn’t feel like we got to explore it all properly. Belgrade is hailed as the most lively of the Balkan cities and you can see it easily when walking past the many different mom and pop restaurants, bars, and local shops.
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Pictured: The Old Bridge in Mostar
The countryside in Bosnia & Hercegovina is some of the most memorable we’ve seen. The natural waterfalls at Kravica and the small town of Mostar were highlights of our trip through the small country. While in Sarajevo we took the time to learn more about the city’s war torn past and how it’s been able to recover over the years.