They Say I’ve Been To 52 Countries

And I still feel like I am just getting started.

Recently Linda Ng posted her story I Travelled To 22 Countries In The Last 15 Years. She found this website which allows users to click on the countries that they have been to, and it generates the image above that gives a person a visual layout of their travels.

Adrienne Beaumont quickly followed it up by posting her list and Anne Bonfert also got on board with her post.

I will admit that I’m not much of a country counter, but I do have a spot on my blog that also does track this information. On there it says that I have been to 58 (including territories), but it really doesn’t matter to me.

What matters the most is the experiences that I have in each one as I move around the planet.

Let’s get started.

Asia (8 Countries — 25.81%)

Nepal, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Macau, Indonesia & Malaysia.

Out of this group, I would have to say that Nepal was my favorite. I have been to the country three times, but they were all before I was 20 years old (1982, 1992, 1996). I’m definitely due to revisit it and Chris is really keen to go there as well. Nepal was my first true cultural experience and I loved learning about the way of life in the Himalayas.

In 2008 I did a 10-week trip with my ex-husband that took us to Vietnam, China and Indonesia (Bali). It was my second time visiting Bali and I was shocked at how much it had changed since I initially visited in 1994. I’m not sure I want to go back to Bali, but there are other areas of Indonesia that I would certainly like to see. I will definitely go back to Vietnam! I loved every bit of that country. I’m not sure about China. Things have changed a lot these days there and I don’t know if I would bother going back.

I have been to both Singapore and Hong Kong multiple times, usually on layovers. Though I did spend about a week in Hong Kong during the 2008 trip. I would go back to both places as they each have their own unique charm. Macau and Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) were both short stays. I wouldn’t go back to Macau but I would certainly like to see more of Malaysia than its capital city.

Africa (11 Countries — 19.64%)

Morocco, Egypt, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, Seychelles

We landed in Morocco in January 2020, got locked down in March, and ended up staying for 9 months, finally leaving in October. We had extended stays in Chefchaouen, Rissani, Tinghir and Essaouira. I loved absolutely everything about Morocco and would certainly go back.

In January 2021 we flew from Istanbul to Egypt. Many have read my account of visiting Egypt and know that I have no intention of going back. However, saying NEVER is a strong thing to say and if the situation is right (and I mean REALLY right), I would still love to see the pyramids. We will see.

After Egypt we traveled south to Sudan by bus, then flew to Uganda. We really loved our time in Sudan, and we fell in love with the kindness and hospitality of the Sudanese people, but I’m not sure if there is enough of a draw to bring me back there.

We totally fell in love with Uganda. We loved the country's climate and diverse landscapes, plus we made many lifelong friends there while volunteering in a village. It will be a little while, but we have no doubt that we will be back one day to check in on everyone.

We traveled overland by bus and train from Uganda to Botswana to do a housesitting job at the end of 2021. We certainly fell in love with Tanzania and want to see more of the country. However we do feel that we saw all we need to see of Zambia, including the famed Victoria Falls, so probably wouldn’t make an effort to return.

Our housesit in Botswana was in Maun, in the northern part of the country. We never did get into the Okavango Delta, so I do think if we are ever in that part of the world again, we would like to do that.

I visited Seychelles, Kenya, South Africa and Namibia on the around-the-world sailing trip that I was on in 1994/95. Of course, I loved my entire experience on that trip and we had a great time at each port of call. But I don’t think I would bother going back to Seychelles since there are so many other beautiful islands to visit in the world. I likely wouldn’t go back to Kenya either unless an ideal situation presented itself. I will definitely not go back to South Africa as we have heard too many bad stories about the safety there these days.

I would like to return to Namibia to do some overland adventuring.

Central America and the Caribbean (12 countries — 54.55%)

Antigua & Barbuda, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, The Bahamas, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Barbados, Guadeloupe, St.Kitts & Nevis, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Saint Lucia

I visited Antigua and St. Kitts with my parents in about 1992. Nothing about them really stands out to me. Of course, they have beautiful beaches and lush tropical vegetation like the rest of the Caribbean, but there are many other islands to see, so I likely wouldn’t go back.

I have been to Costa Rica 4 times now. The first was in 2004, then we started our nomadic journey there in 2017. We returned to the country two more times before leaving Central America in 2019. We loved the lushness of the vegetation and the incredible animal life we encountered. I would go back if we ever happen to find ourselves in that area again.

I have only visited southern Nicaragua on two different occasions. I would like to see more of the country.

In 2002 I did a pretty epic 4-month kayaking trip in the Bahamas with my ex-husband. We camped on the beaches, spearfished, and lived as much off the land as we could (read the series of posts here.) Lately, I have heard many bad stories about the dangers and corruption that exist in the Bahamas. I don’t think I will ever return.

I visited Cuba on a high-school trip in 1990. I think it was likely a magical time to be there and I don’t think I would return to change my perception of it. But Chris wants to see it, so who knows?

During my around-the-world sailing trip, we visited Guadeloupe, Barbados, Bahamas, St. Kitts, Dominican Republic, & Saint Lucia. Again, though all beautiful, I probably wouldn’t take the time to go back to those spots.

Guatemala is my favorite Central American country. The culture is rich, the food is delicious and the people are so lovely. We spent over 5 months in the country between 2018 and 2019 and it certainly wasn’t enough. I fell head over heels for the ancient Mayan city of Tikal, and we loved our time spent in the quaint city of Flores. I would definitely go back to Guatemala.

We spent 3 weeks staying in Puerto Rico in 2019 while we waited to go to a housesitting/volunteer job on the island of Nevis. The old town of San Juan had so much quaint architecture, and we spent many days just wandering the cobblestone streets. I would definitely go back to Puerto Rico.

Europe (4 Countries — 8.33%)

United Kingdom, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria

Europe is my least visited continent, excluding Antarctica, of course. We are currently in Greece and have plans to also visit Germany and the Netherlands in the near future. We also want to see much more of Eastern Europe in the next year. We will see what life brings us!

We only visited Italy for 4 days to spend New Year 2016 there. So we definitely want to go back and have plans to housesit around Lake Como later this year.

We are currently in Thessaloniki, Greece and will certainly come back to see more of the country if the opportunity presents itself. We also visited Greece in 2015/16, visiting Santorini and Paros Islands.

Bulgaria sits firmly in the top of our favorite countries list. We first visited during our 2015/16 trip which also took us to Greece and Italy. We fell in love with it then and vowed to return. Thankfully we did in 2022 and look forward to another visit there later this year as well. We love the beautiful nature, great food and history of the country.

The Bulgarians themselves are pretty great as well.

Middle East (1 Country — 4.76%)

Turkey

We have visited Turkey on three occasions since 2020. We spent most of our time in Istanbul and Antalya, and know that there is so much more that we want to see. We truly love the country, so much, and hope to return someday to see more!

North America (3 Countries — 75%)

Canada, United States, Mexico

Canada is my home country and I have certainly seen more of it than most. I was lucky enough to be born and raised in the Rocky Mountains, but have also spent time living on the East and West Coasts of the country. I also drove across it 3 different times. It is a vast and diverse country that I am proud to have come from, and I will always return, at least for visits.

Growing up next to the US allowed me numerous trips to travel through it. I have done road trips along both the west and east coasts, have traveled across the interior visiting the Grand Canyon and the US Rockies. I kayaked in the Florida Everglades, and have visited 4 Hawaiian Islands. It is a huge country and there is a lot to see. I’m sure I will be back one day, but when, I have no idea.

I have had numerous different traveling experiences in Mexico and loved them all. I drove there from Canada in 2001 and had a great time. Recently Chris and I spent Dia de los Muertos 2019 in Oaxaca City, plus traveled around Chiapas in the south. There is a lot to see in Mexico and the culture is rich and diverse. Plus, I LOVE Mexican food! I would certainly go back.

Pacific (9 Countries — 45%)

Australia, Nauru, Solomon Islands, Cook Islands, Tonga, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Fiji, Micronesia

All of these islands were visited on two different trips. The first was during my around-the-world sailing trip. In it, we visited Australia, Nauru, the Solomon Islands, the Marshall Islands, and Micronesia. Of course, Australia is its own massive island and we only brushed the surface of it by visiting Darwin, the northernmost capital city in the country. I also visited Sydney with my parents for about a week in 1992. I would love to see more of Australia and certainly would jump on any opportunity to return to the South Pacific islands, especially by boat.

Fiji, Tonga, the Cook Islands and New Zealand were visited on a 10-week trip for the turning of the millennium that my girlfriend and I did when we were 23 years old. I loved every destination we went to but would only really consider revisiting New Zealand as I know that 3 weeks there was not near enough to see the whole place.

Returning to Fiji would be special as well as it holds a very special place in my heart since it was there that we celebrated the beginning of 2000.

South America (4 countries 30.77%)

Venezuela, Brazil, Guyana, French Guiana

When I was about 14 years old my family was fortunate enough to sail with friends of ours on their 110-foot sailboat from the US Virgin Islands to Caracas, Venezuela. While we only spent a few days anchored outside the capital city, I do still count it as a place that I have visited. Until things change there drastically, I would not consider returning.

Brazil, Guyana and French Guiana were also ports of call on my sailing trip. I would love to go back to Brazil, and really want to explore more of South America. Traveling up the Amazon River on the tall ship we were on is certainly one of my fondest memories of that trip. Locals in their dugout canoes would paddle out to drift with us, and it was such a special experience to see their homes and how they lived along this amazing waterway.

I vowed that I would keep this short, but it was too difficult. I truly have been so blessed with the amazing travels that I have had in my life and I am so grateful for all of it.

Now that I have been full-time traveling for over 5 years, I can truly see how important it is to me and how it defines who I want to be on this planet. While 52 countries is certainly a lot of places, I do still feel like I have barely just scratched the surface.

Thanks, Linda Ng for inspiring this fun jaunt down memory lane:)

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