2018: A Recap of Our Year Traveling to 20+ Countries

2018. A year that flew by. I look back and I feel as if I’ve hardly accomplished anything, and then I read through all these posts, look back through my photography, and think WOW – a lot happened this year. I grew as a person, a writer, a photographer, and a wife. I have seen and done things I never thought I’d do in my entire life. One thing I love about blogging and writing, in general, is that it gives you time to reflect on the past and to see what you’ve learned and accomplished (or just flat out failed) during that time. I’m super excited to share this list of countries that we’ve been to this year and ONE photo from each that, in my eyes, represented our time there. (Yes, choosing one photo was almost impossible)! I hope you enjoy this small recap of the last year of our lives.

The countries are listed in alphabetical order, not in order of when we visited. Also, all but one are in Europe because that’s where we currently live!

Albania

Starting off with one of the many countries we visited during our epic Balkans Summer Road Trip, Albania was as charming as a relatively poor country could be. There was plenty to see of the diverse landscape during our drives through the country. We were fascinated by the amount of bunkers that were everywhere, particularly the numerous ones near Lake Ohrid and the Macedonia border. Southern Albania, where we’ve heard the beautiful beaches are, is on our list for the next time we visit!

Related Post: Balkans Road Trip Part 2: Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Austria

I think I’m in love with Austria because it was the second country I’ve ever been to. Stephen and I spent our first New Years Eve together, back in 2016, at Lake Achensee in the Austrian Alps. He also almost killed me on an icy hike, but alas I knew he was the one up on that damn mountain. We’ve visited Austria time and time again since that fateful trip to Austria in 2016. I crossed my first highline bridge there and we finished up the last part of our summer road trip lakeside in Podersdorf am See. We also spent the end of this year skiing, driving through the snowy Alps, and exploring more of the Northwestern parts of Austria. (Pictured above is somewhere between Salzburg and Obertauern on Christmas Day!)

Related Post: Summer Road Trip: Croatia, Hungary, Austria & Slovenia

Belgium

The countryside of Belgium reminds me of something you’d see in Kansas. Fields for days. Historical Sights. The poppies. The fries. Oh yum, the fries. Bruges and Ghent were dreamy towns and I loved the architecture there. I haven’t gotten around to writing a post about it, but it’s definitely a place worth visiting. Driving through the country was one of the highlights for me, along with its rich history and sites from WWI and WWII.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia had a somber feel to it and is not as easy for me to describe. You can tell that they’re making the necessary efforts to recover from war not too long ago, but you can see the remnants from the days of war in the bullet holes in the buildings and the empty spaces where bombs were thrown. I respect the Bosnians for maintaining their memories while still trying to drive tourists to their towns. Mostar was one of my favorite European cities. The Bridge of Mostar is phenomenal and you should watch a video on its destruction during the war in the 1990s before you visit. It’s mind blowing that one street can be lively and full of shops and restaurants and then you can walk a block and see the “sniper” building and other bombed-out buildings that haven’t been repaired. It’s eye-opening.

Related Post: Balkans Road Trip Part 2: Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria

Although we were only in Bulgaria for a short amount of time, which seems to be a theme with most countries, I loved the landscape. We saw everything from rolling hills to fields and mountains. Oh, and there were miles and miles of sunflower fields during the summer. I’ve had friends visit the Black Sea and I have every intention on returning to Varna to discover more of Bulgaria.

Related Post: Balkans Road Trip Part 2: Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Croatia

Croatia is absolutely gorgeous, from the north in Pula and the beautiful Arena, all the way south to Dubrovnik – the filming location for scenes from Game of Thrones. There are so many incredible things to see and do, which is why we spent the most amount of time here during our road trip. Beaches, waterfalls, forests, incredible hiking routes, excellent beer, fine wine… the list goes on and on. It’s easy to be an English speaker here, because most of the locals are multilingual. We found many campgrounds that were so reasonably priced and with million dollar views (and sunsets)!

Related Posts: Croatia

Czechia

I went on a solo trip to Prague back in April and fell in love with this city full of European charm and gothic architecture. I met so many friends and really enjoyed traveling solo. It makes for a very different type of trip! It was a must to return with Stephen, which we did for the days following Christmas this year. We were able to experience the Christmas Market and saw the Nutcracker Ballet at Hybernia Theatre – absolutely incredible!

Estonia

As part of our winter leave trip in January, we visited here for just a short amount of time and stayed in the city of Tallinn. We had just missed the Christmas Markets, but we were fortunate enough to also miss the crowd and get caught in a beautiful snow storm. I loved walking around the town, seeing the colorful buildings, and sitting on top of the castle wall drinking warm drinks to try and thaw out the rest of my body. I’d love to explore more of this little country in the Baltic region.

France

Dunkirk is the only place we visited in France this year. I’ve previously been to Paris , but we went to Dunkirk as part of our four day “historical” weekend. The picture above may look like a normal beach, but it’s not just any ol’ beach. In 1940, during WWII, many soldiers lost their lives trying to board vessels from the beach to escape the Nazi Germans. About 17,000 died and even more were captured. Dunkirk was 90% destroyed in the process. It was sobering to stand on that empty beach and to think about all that went down that year.

Germany

Fussen is about the only place we’ve been to in Germany. Since we’ll be moving there, we haven’t explored very much throughout the country besides the towns near the Austrian border. I love German food – it’s a lot heavier than Italian but it doesn’t require multiple courses be ordered. I’m excited to discover more places in Germany, starting with the Black Forest – one of the top places on my list for fall of next year!

Related Post: Füssen, Germany: Suspension Bridges and Fairytale Castles

Greece

It’s easy to see why Greece is a honeymoon destination and couple getaways location. It’s an absolutely gorgeous country with delicious food, incredible sunsets, whitewashed buildings with blue domes, and picturesque scenes everywhere you turn. I loved Greece and everything about it. We spent our Thanksgiving weekend (also our one year anniversary) here and there were zero regrets. Oia was the perfect place for us for watching the sunset, getting to know the locals and enjoying the fresh seafood from the island. I want to go back and go island hopping, explore Rhodes and the medieval castle, visit Athens, and so much more!

Related Post: Thanksgiving Weekend in Oia, Greece – Blue Domes, Greek Cuisine, & More

Hungary

Visiting Budapest during our two week summer road trip helped to ground us and provide a little bit of exploration and relaxation outside of the forest. I loved Budapest for many reasons – it was bike friendly so we biked most places, their thermal spas are amazing (Gellert Thermal Spa is a must!), and the food was delicious. There are so many things to see throughout Budapest, and the country of Hungary that will keep you busy for days. I wish we had spent more time exploring the city. The city lies along the Danube river and has some incredible pedestrian bridges.

Related Post: Summer Road Trip: Croatia, Hungary, Austria & Slovenia

Italy

Living in Italy this year has been nothing less than life changing – through the good and the bad parts. Everywhere I turn, I find a new beautiful town and a hike better than the last. The Dolomites will forever be the best part of this entire country. I never grow tired of seeing those rocky peaks in the horizon or feeling out of breath from a steep hike/climb with either my husband or a group of hikers. The small town charm of where we live and the city near us, Vicenza, will forever be engraved in my heart and memories. I encourage you, if you’re reading this, to not just visit Venice , Florence , and Rome , but to go off the beaten path and truly discover what’s so special about Italy. You’ll find those answers and more when you get away from the millions of tourists and meet the locals.

Related Post: Italy Category, Best Hikes in the Dolomites

Latvia

Visiting Latvia in the dead of winter meant it was possibly one of the coldest places I’ve ever been – maybe even colder than Norway… and to think Stephen spent six months here during that time (yikes!). We visited Riga in mid January near the end of our winter trip. We were so exhausted from traveling and winter weather that we didn’t do much besides walk around and enjoy the snowy views before us. I enjoyed the monuments and the Latvian soldiers we saw guarding the Freedom Monument, as well as some delicious medieval food.

Macedonia

Rolling hills, farmland, desert-like segments, and a Greek personality. That’s the best way I can describe Macedonia. Skopje was the main city that we visited and it felt too modern, like I had just walked into the city of Las Vegas . The architecture and bridges were beautiful, but they had no history to them. It was very modern. The city of Skopje itself literally had more statues & sculptures than I have ever seen in my life – especially statues of men on horses. I did enjoy driving through the country and the National Park Galicica. In the summer, when we visited, it was incredibly hot and there wasn’t much shade to hide from. If you visit, try the traditional meso – it’s delicious! Read about it here.

Montenegro

The landscape in Montenegro is very similar to parts of Croatia. But here, it feels less touristy…off the beaten path. Places we visited felt like a spot where the locals would go. It was a more relaxed and laid back mentality. I feel like most people haven’t ever heard of this country, or know very little about it, so it’s still up and coming. We enjoyed camping here, the food, and learning about the history. Kotor is a cute little port town as well! Plus, there were TONS of cats. Stephen loved that….Presley, not so much.

Related Post: Balkans Road Trip Part 2: Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Morocco

Marrakesh was like no where I’d ever been before. This was my first country in Africa, and although it feels like the furthest thing from Africa (culture wise), it was awesome to be able to land on another continent! I loved our time there, despite being in culture shock for the first few hours. The smells, the sights, the food, it’s all incredible. It’s nothing you could ever imagine, so all I can say is you should go. We went for a camel ride, hiked in the Atlas Mountains, did lots of shopping, and enjoyed the local food tremendously!

Related Post: A Weekend in Marrakesh, Morocco: Shopping, Camel Riding, and Hiking

Norway

Seeing the Northern Lights was the highlight of my year, hands down. Norway always bring back such great memories for me. From Oslo to the highest point of Norway, I love the landscape of Norway and the freedom that the people there have. I always feel the closest to nature there. Flam, Oslo, Alta, and Skaidi have all left huge impressions on me.

Related Post: Dog Sledding, Seeing the Northern Lights, Norway in 3 Days

Scotland

Scotland is like taking a step back in time. The architecture, the homes, castles, red telephone booths, and old-timey taxis will have you dreaming of the next time you can come back for a visit. Whether I was in the city of Edinburgh or traveling through the lowlands watching a sheep demonstration, I loved every part of it. I fell head over heels in love with Scotland and the people of Scotland (their accent is quite adorable also!)

Related Post: Edinburgh, Scotland: Castles, Lochs & Highland Cows

Serbia

We had never discussed visiting the country of Serbia, until literally the night before when we were at a hotel in Bulgaria during our road trip. I had let politics and social media get in the way of recognizing that this was a country worthy of visiting. I am so glad we did – to this day it is on my top 5 list for many reasons. There were sunflower fields everywhere we looked during our drive through the country. The roadways were excellent and their landscape is just so picture worthy. We visited a fortress on the Danube River before exploring and spending the night in Belgrade. The fortress in Belgrade was unbelievable – with a military museum, tanks, guns, and so much history within the walls.

Related Post: Balkans Road Trip Part 2: Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Slovenia

We have enjoyed camping here on two separate occasions, once near Bled and once in the Bovec region. Both times have been incredible. I love the rivers of Slovenia, the food, the beer, and the outdoors. Hiking here is incredible and the Julian Alps are one of a kind. There are plenty of outdoor activities – everything from whitewater rafting, kayaking, hiking and zip lining to mountain biking. I know we will be back to explore (and camp) more!

Related Post: Summer Road Trip: Croatia, Hungary, Austria & Slovenia

Switzerland

Switzerland is the country of luxury. Everything is so expensive here, that it almost feels like we have to have a good reason to visit. We spent a four day weekend here back in August mountain biking, mountain climbing, riding the Bernina Express, and exploring the town of St. Moritz. There’s no place on earth like the Swiss Alps (besides the Dolomites obviously), but it comes with a price! Hiking/climbing next to a glacier is definitely one of my favorite memories though.

Related Post: Summertime in St. Moritz, Switzerland

I hope that you’ve enjoyed the recap of our year traveling. For us, it isn’t necessarily about country counting, but more about experiencing as many languages, cultures, and types of food as possible – and currently that means visiting different countries. There are many that we have loved and returned to time and time again: Austria, Slovenia, and Croatia. The different countries we visit leads us to new exciting experiences and adventures. Our goal is to experience as much as we can while living overseas.

Let us know your favorite countries in the comments below!