75 Country Recap
Countries visited: 51. Albania, 52. Montenegro, 53. Croatia, 54. Bosnia & Hercegovina, 55. Serbia, 56. Slovenia, 57. Slovakia, 58. Romania, 59. Kenya, 60. Tanzania, 61. Rwanda, 62. South Africa, 63. Botswana, 64. Zimbabwe, 65. Seychelles, 66. Sweden, 67. Finland, 68. Norway, 69. Denmark, 70. Moldova, 71. Armenia, 72. Georgia, 73. United Arab Emirates, 74. Kazakhstan, 75. Kyrgyzstan // click here to see countries 1-50 >>
75 countries, 1 anniversary, over 100k flight miles, all 7 continents, 1 lost cell phone (Hailey), 1 lost laptop (Hailey), 1 lost wallet (Max), 1 month in Africa, 90 of the worlds top 100 bars, 1 train ride on the Orient Express, a tour through Scandinavia, 300 Michelin stars, visiting every country in Europe, and “The Stans”
75 Countries and 1 Anniversary 🥳
Max and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary in Uzbekistan with a casual pizza dinner and an early night in at the hotel. Every day feels like an anniversary when you live on the road. Somebody we met during our travels joked that we celebrated our first anniversary before our honeymoon was over.
Since the last time we wrote, we’ve knocked off 25 more countries; reaching a total of 75 countries traveled together since March of 2022. Here’s a quick recap of the last chunk of travel:
After our 5-week car ride through The Balkans, we took a quick trip on the historic Orient Express Train with YPO International before embarking on a 5-week trip through Africa.
Those of you that have been to Africa know how it can change you and you’ll leave the African Safari experience a changed person. Spending 5 weeks with Mother Nature, watching all various stages of the circle of life pass before your every eyes is a sobering and beautiful experience.
After a beautiful and blissful tour of Africa, we went back up to Europe to run through a future YPO planning trip, met with friends who were vacationing in Europe for the summer, and then we flew up to Northern Europe to start exploring those countries that neither of us had been to before. Going forward, all countries that we visit will be new for the both of us.
We crossed off the Caucasus Countries, made an impromptu stop in Dubai, and just wrapped up 21 days in Central Asia visiting “The Stans” (all but Afghanistan and Pakistan).
From the last round of travel, here’s how things stack up:
Our Favorite Hotels (and/or safari camps):
One&Only in Montenegro
Aman Montenegro
Angama Mara in the Maasai Mara, Kenya
Mnemba Island, Zanzibar
Singita Ebony in Sabi Sand, South Africa
DumaTau in Linyanti Concession, Botswana
Castiglion Del Bosco, Tuscany
Casa Mari Luigia, Modena - perhaps one of the most unique hotel & dining combo experiences we’ve ever had
Hidden Travel Gems:
Lake Bled, Slovenia
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Mostar, Bosnia & Hercegovina
Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia
Franschhoek, South Africa
San Sebastián, Spain (ok, maybe not a “hidden gem”, but still deserving of a mention)
Tbilisi, Georgia
Experience Highlights:
Traveling (and sleeping) on the Orient Express Train from Budapest to Bucharest
Every single safari experience in the various camps in Botswana
Watching hundreds of baby turtles hatch from their nest and embark on their maiden voyage to the ocean in Mnemba Island, Zanzibar
Spending hours observing silverback gorilla families in the jungle in Rwanda
Cruising through the thin canals of Burgundy on a renovated private barge
Getting drenched at Victoria Falls, our 4th of the 7 natural wonders of the world
Getting scuba certified and diving in Seychelles
Spending another year witnessing the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain
Overlooking The Palm in Dubai
Watching traditional Eagle Hunters share their craft in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan
Riding the coveted ‘Golden Horses’ from Turkmenistan
Getting an up close look at flames that give the name to The Door To Hell in Durvasa, Turkmenistan
Food:
Noma in Copenhagen exceed all expectations, and remains our favorite culinary experience for a 3 Michelin star restaurant… ever 🤯
It wasn’t a very food heavy tour, but Armenian food blew us away
Reflections:
We know far less about the world than we know for certain about it