2017 started with me knowing two things: I was over this whack ass job that was going nowhere, and I was tired of holding back my urge to travel the world. I've already planned trips to Dubai in January, Amsterdam and Brussels in March and my first group trip with my Travel Company, TravelBug by Amanda Kenise to Cuba that April! But that wasn't enough.
By the time March came around, I knew I had blown through my PTO and lost all enthusiasm to pretend to like my job. With a trip to Greece around the corner, I knew my time at that company was coming to an end, so I decided to put all my time and energy into building my business and planning for Greece.
Well planning a ten-day trip to Greece turned into a six-month backpacking trip around the world. I spent one month in the USA, three months in Europe, two months in Asia, and one week in Africa. Below is a list of all the places I visited outside of the US in order.
Santorini, Ios, Mykonos, and Athens, Greece
Goreme and Istanbul, Turkey
Bucharest, Romania
London, U.K.
Lisboa, Portugal
Madrid, Spain
Paris, France
Geneva, Switzerland
Nice, France
Monaco, Monaco
Milano, Venice, Florenz, Sienna, Pisa, Roma, and Naples (Pompeii and Amalfi Coast) Italy
Praha (Prague), Czech Republic
Budapest, Hungary
Vienna, Austria
Munich and Berlin, Germany
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Copenhagen, Denmark
Malmo, Sweden
Hong Kong
Tokyo, Japan
Seoul, South Korea
Manila and Puerto Princesa, Philippines
Singapore, Singapore
Bali, Indonesia
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Phuket, Chaing Mai, and Bangkok, Thailand
Berlin, Germany (again)
Marrakech, Sahara Desert, and Fes, Morocco
Barcelona, Spain
Yep, I ended 2017 with 33 countries and 57 destinations (65 if I include the US stops)!
Now that I am back, I'm taking a much-needed breather to re-up the travel funds, accomplish a few goals, and prep for a few trips. Stay tuned for more stories about my travels. I'll be sure to share a few travel tips, must-sees, and awesome travel stories, the good and of course the bad.
Happy Reading and Happy New Year!
May the travel gods be forever in your favor, XOXO