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Home Balkans

December 11, 2015

The End of a 100-Day Journey: My Wrap-Up

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Looking over the ancient rose-red city of Petra, in Jordan.
Looking over the ancient rose-red city of Petra, in Jordan.

Back in September I left my country not knowing where I would go and when I would return back home. Yesterday though, after having spent exactly 100 days on the road, I arrived back in The Netherlands all safe and sound. Here is my small wrap up:

Where did I go?

In the first 54 days of my trip (read more about it here) I travelled the Balkans, where for the first time in my life I visited Albania:

Route after 50 days of travel
The route after 50 days of travelling. It involved significant backtracking for various reasons.

In the second phase of my trip I travelled to countries I had never been before: Egypt and a small part of the Middle-East (Jordan and Lebanon):

Route Phase 2
During the last 46 days of my trip I travelled Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon

Why did I decide to come home?

I realised on this specific trip first of all that slow travel is not for me. I more like the adventure of being on the road and going to new places, which gives me the feeling of being alive.

Moreover, I realised that travelling without a goal is a challenge. The only actual goal in my life at the moment is to start my professional career. For that reason I felt that coming home for Christmas seemed right as it is time for this new phase in life.

How much did I spend?

The exact figure is hard to tell, but all-in-all I can say I spent €2,798.89 (±€10), of which 26% was spent on flight tickets and a ferry:

  1. Eindhoven to Skopje – €44.99
  2. Athens to Cairo – €164.58
  3. Nuweiba (Egypt) to Aqaba (Jordan) by ferry – €99.00
  4. Amman to Beirut – €163.65
  5. Beirut to Brussels – €171.27
  6. Tel Aviv to Amsterdam – €81.00

The flight from Tel Aviv unfortunately I never used because I went to Lebanon instead.

This makes it that I spent about €27.99 euro per day on average. Without the above listed flights and ferry though, this will be €20.74 average on daily expenses.

The most expensive stay for me was in Lebanon (>€35 per day), mostly because I stayed only in hostels and drank alcohol. A minimum price for a hostel in Beirut is either €13 or €18 per night and a small beer costs at least €3.65 in a bar. Also, to get into a night club expect to pay at least $30.

Jordan costed me much less, mainly because I only Couchsurfed, hitchhiked and did not drink any alcohol. I reckon that there I spent on average (much) less than €10 a day.

Me standing behind the DJ in a club in Beirut. The city is famous for its party scene, but it comes at a hefty price.
Me taking a picture behind the DJ in a club in Beirut. The city is famous for its party scene, but it comes at a hefty price.

Did anything bad happen to me?

I never lost anything, never got anything stolen, was never robbed and did not get scammed by anyone apart from a hostel in Cairo who sold me a train ticket for too much money.

READ MORE: How to Avoid Getting Scammed at Egypt’s Great Pyramids

Some intimidation happened in Serbia outside a refugee camp and at the Giza pyramids, but they never stood a chance. Also, in Jordan an Arabic man gave me some problems when I was hitchhiking but also that situation I safely managed to get out of. It was a scary moment though.

What items did I pack?

When I came home, my 50-litre backpack weighted in at 11 kg. In terms of clothes I never brought much: one pair of trousers, one shorts, one swim shorts, a pair of walking boots, six shirts, a rain jacket, shawl and hat, ten boxer shorts and five pairs of socks. For the rest, I only carried a toiletry bag, a small sleeping bag, flip-flops, a lot of (backup) tools, a backup 1TB hard disk, various chargers and two travel towels.

My hand luggage was my camera backpack, the Vanguard Up-Rise 46. In this one I carried my camera equipment (Canon 5dmii, 16-35 f4, 50 f1.4, 85 f1.8, 430EXII flash, two radio triggers), a 13-inch macbook retina, a 500GB hard disk, my wallet and some small accessories. Total weight: 10kg.

What were my weirdest moments?

There were a lot of weird moments. A small selection:

  • Albania – My story about the Tirana derby was published by a news paper the day after, but without me knowing about it. All of the sudden I was recognised by random people on the street.
  • Albania – I was interviewed by a radio channel in Tirana to talk about tourism in Albania. Some tough questions were asked, mainly because I did not really spend my time as a tourist in the country.
  • Greece – I bumped into an anarchist riot in Athens on a Saturday night. There were Molotovs and stun grenades flying around and an illegal rave taking place in a squatted university building.
  • Egypt – After facing serious delays with the ferry from Egypt to Jordan, I got offered a free night in a 5-star resort, where I was the only customer at that time.
  • Jordan – I let someone take a beautiful photo of myself at the ancient city Petra, which then got retweeted by Jordan’s minister of Foreign Affairs and many others. Definitely an all-time record.
  • Lebanon – While visiting the Baalbek ruins, I heard the sounds of shelling in nearby Syria. Apparently the Lebanese army was bombing front positions of al Qaeda’s Syria wing (al-Nusra Front).

What was my favourite place?

I have always liked the Middle-East and Balkans for the great hospitality and good food so it’s a tough one to answer. Let me give you some comments per country:

  • Macedonia – Been there before already, but it’s a nice little country with good hostels and an affordable lifestyle.
  • Serbia – Only been there on this trip because of the refugee crisis, but on my previous 4 visits I always highly enjoyed everything. Great food, drinks and people.
  • Albania – Unbeaten coffee culture, affordable and awesome people. A must-visit to anyone.
  • Greece – A tough one for me to appreciate since it was hard to connect with the locals. The Meteora monasteries near Trikala were absolutely stunning though.
  • Egypt – Egypt is good for adventure, especially when it comes to eating street food, but you must be a bit immune to the touts in the touristy areas.
  • Jordan – Cool country with super easy hitchhiking and Couchsurfing, though I never enjoyed the capital too much.
  • Lebanon – Beirut is an awesome city known for its diversity, vibrance and nightlife. The rest of the country offers cool historic places, but for a general tourist it’s difficult to know where not to go due to safety issues.
Beirut at Christmas time. I was able to pursade a construction worker to take me 15 meters up in the air with his crane so that I could take this unique picture.
Beirut at Christmas time. I was able to persuade a construction worker to take me 15 meters up in the air with his crane so that I could take this unique picture.

Some special moments?

There are so many that I will need to find the time to share them all. But being able to talk my way into an historic football game between Albania and Serbia as a photographer was definitely unique.

READ MORE: Photographing Albania’s Most Anticipated Football Game Ever

Photographing the Albania-Serbia EURO2016 qualifier. Free food and entrance, even though I was never able to sell any of my pictures.
Photographing the Albania-Serbia EURO2016 qualifier. Free food and entrance, even though I was never able to sell any of my pictures.

What will I not miss?

  • Special treatment – Being treated differently just because I am a foreigner, e.g. having to haggle over every price just to be able to pay the same as the locals. This happened mostly in Egypt.
  • Guns, armoured vehicles, military checkpoints and the sounds of shooting and shelling – Countries near to Syria are suffering a lot from the nearby war and tensions there remain very high. I came close to Syria a couple of times and heard the sound of war at a distance. Also in Egypt the threat of terrorism had a considerable impact on public life.
Inside a Palestinian camp in south Beirut, where people support among others Hezbollah and Syrian president Assad.
Inside a Palestinian camp in south Beirut, where people support anti-Israel militant groups and Syrian president Assad. Weeks ago, two bombs went off in this area, killing dozens.

What is your next destination?

For the first time in years I do not have any next trip confirmed. Does this mean I will quit travelling? Of course not. But for now it’s time to first find the right job and a place to live.

My next trip will most likely be a short one. On my list is definitely Central Asia but also Ethiopia, Lithuania and Belarus.

Some final words?

I would like to thank all of you who made my trip special. The tons of people I met along the way, the ones that hosted me, the ones that travelled along, the ones offering food, the ones offering me a ride, and simply those who read my stories from a distance and gave me (safety) tips.

In the upcoming month you can expect a backlog of stories, so please stay tuned and follow me on my Facebook page as well. 

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