Travel has been a big part of my life, and I’ve been fortunate enough to visit many countries and work abroad when I was younger. It does make finding somewhere new for this challenge a little more difficult, but that’s all part of the fun.
So, where did I visit?
1. Albania, August 2024.
This was a brief trip, with a few days in Tirana before taking a bus trip across the Albanian countryside to North Montenegro.
Impressions? Lots of development in Tirana, with an abundance of UK registered luxury cars. It was an insanely hot few days so we retreated underground into old war bunkers and attempted to find shade in churches, parks and statues. A special mention to the amazingly clean and modern Tirana bus station – some places in the UK could take note!
The countryside was beautiful and I loved the bus ride through villages, passing huge piles of watermelons and farmers driving donkey carts. It felt like a wonderful glimpse of a slower, more traditional side of Albania that you don’t always see as a visitor.
2. North Macedonia, August 2024
Still on the buses (but now older bone shakers) we followed the well-travelled route through North Macedonia, stopping for a few days each in Lake Ohrid and Skopje.
Lake Ohrid was very busy with tourists (it was August after all). We took a boat trip on the crystal clear lake, with our Captain spending more time having his photo taken with passengers than his hands on the wheel. Fortunately we survived and got to enjoy the incredible views of the Church of St John at Kaneo. We also took a day trip around local villages with a guide who really didn’t like Albanians, thus reminding us of the divisions that still exist in the area.
We continued to melt in Skopje, the city of modern statues and Brutalist architecture. We treated ourselves to incredibly cheap sunset cocktails on a rooftop bar, ate numerous shopska salads and marvelled at the street dogs sunbathing in the midday sun.
3. Finland, August 2025.
After a few days exploring Helsinki we headed to a cabin to experience its wood fired sauna, compost toilet and lakeside views. We then took the long train journey up to Rovaniemi, where we walked for miles, played disc golf and stepped across the Arctic Circle at Santa Claus village.
Another long journey, this time overnight, bought us back to Turku where we caught the ferry to the Åland Islands. This is a demilitarised autonomous Swedish speaking part of Finland. We spent our time cycling and going on a memorable tour of the Parliament building.
I loved Finland. If it wasn’t for the long dark winters I could see myself living there.
4. Malta, December 2025
I stayed in Malta on my own over New Year, based just outside of Valletta. The island was busy with tourists and is very built up, but it made a good base for exploring.
I visited Valletta, Mdina, the Three Cities and the fishing village of Marsaxlokk. While I enjoyed the sightseeing, I was a little disappointed by the food, having expected stronger southern Italian influences.
The highlight of my trip was a jogging excursion around the south of the island. Despite getting caught in a heavy downpour, it was a great way to escape the crowds and discover some of Malta’s countryside.
2. Costa Rica, April 2026
This was my first long haul trip in over 20 years and it didn’t disappoint. We spent a fortnight exploring the southern half of the country, basing ourselves in four very different locations. In Orosi we visited a coffee plantation, ate our first of many casados and explored the ruins at Ujarrás. San Gerardo de Dota, in the cool cloud forest, was all about the bird watching, whereas in humid Uvita we visited a cocoa plantation, walked along the beaches and spotted crabs. The highlight was remote Drake Bay and Corcovado National Park where the wildlife was simply stunning. Overall a fantastic trip.
Challenge partly complete
Challenge partly completed. Pop over to read the full list of my 60 things to do before I’m 60.