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Home Year in Review

December 29, 2019

Year in Review: 2019 was an EPIC year for travel

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Travel year in Review

It’s that time of the year again. A reflective moment, looking back on the most adventurous travel year of my life. I travelled solo, without a car, overland in 10 countries in West Africa for 2,5 months. I spent over a month in Southeast Asia and went for epic holidays in Iraq and Northern Cyprus. I’m a happy man.

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Travel statistics

In 2019 I visited a massive total of 19 countries, of which 15 (!) new on the list. In chronological order: Australia, Germany, Algeria, Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leon, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Iraq, North-Cyprus and Belgium.

All together I spent 38% of 2019 abroad. That is almost entirely due to my 4-month sabbatical leave that I got from my corporate job.

Compare the statistics with 2016 (10 countries), 2017 (14 countries) and 2018 (11 countries) and you can see why 2019 was truly EPIC.

In fact, I have now visited 92 UN member states, or 104 countries and territories in the UN Plus definition. In some ways you could claim I visited over 100 countries. To avoid any debate though, I am giving myself some additional time to continue visiting a bunch of new countries. It will probably be 2021 by the time I reach my 100 goal properly.

Looking back on an amazing year full of adventure travel. Picture taken in the remote Fouta Djallon region of Guinea (West Africa)

West Africa

My route through West Africa, taking me through 10 countries (Algeria not shown)

The greatest adventure of 2019 was certainly my solo overland trip in West Africa. One of the most difficult parts in the world to travel independently, but surprisingly low on crime and with super friendly people.

I spent 70 days on the continent, averaging 1 week per country, spending 3,000 euros on the way. It was a low-budget trip, but I needed 430 euros for visas and budget accommodation starts only at 15 euro / night. Nevertheless a hell of a trip, with the usual hitchhiking, couchsurfing and street food adventures.

If I have to summarise my experiences I would say the following:

  • The biggest challenge is to get from A to B. I spent 50% of my time on figuring out the logistics
  • You will have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable all the time. The extreme conditions while on the road, low hygiene, bureaucracy, language barriers, the occasional loneliness, etc. At times it was tough to keep going, but I pushed through
  • The highlights are few but so worth it. There is amazing nature, scenery and history.
  • The people, no matter where you go, are amazing. Often you see people struggling to get by, but they are happy to meet foreigners who show genuine interest in their way of living. If there is one reason to return to West Africa (which I certainly will), it would be to meet the people again
Travelling by public transport in West Africa, spending hours squeezed inside an old Renault like a sardine
Crossing from Senegal into Gambia. Always need to stay on top of your game to avoid any troubles with border officials
Taking boats to get from A to B, slow and not so safe but part of the experience
When all accommodation options fail, you negotiate a 5-star room in a local hospital
Crossing remote land borders you usually have to rely on local youth with (unregistered) motorcycles to take you there

Unfortunately I could not take out my DSLR camera as much as I wished. Many people in West Africa seem to have an animosity towards ‘white’ people with large cameras. I therefore choose to avoid any confrontation and rely more on my phone for pictures. The experience made me even think about changing my entire camera setup for something smaller.

My plan is to write up a summary of the highlights, but you’ll have to wait for that until 2020. You can sign up here to receive an automatic email notification when that article is finally up.

Southeast Asia

Balancing act at the amazing Kuang Si waterfalls near Luang Prabang in Laos

As part of my 4-month sabbatical I choose to pay another visit to Southeast Asia. Flying from Sierra Leone to Bangkok, then moving on to spend a few weeks in north Laos, then northern Vietnam and Cambodia.

One highlight was travelling from Luang Prabang to the far north of Laos. I booked a private tour and spent 3 days in a remote jungle between different hill tribes. Away from the developed world, locals here still rely on hunting to provide for their families.

A village in the remote mountainous part of north Laos, where people still live a traditional and rural life
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A post shared by Bart | Adventure Travel (@offbeattravelling)

Another highlight was a 5-day self-drive on a scooter through the north of Vietnam, doing the so-called Ha Giang Loop. I visited remote communities and regional live-stock markets, with stunning scenery and epic roads along the way.

Driving the Ha Gaing Loop in remote north Vietnam, seeing how remote communities live
A 5-day self-drive across northern Vietnam, this is a rare picture of myself

It’s a mission impossible to summarise 6 weeks in these countries in a few paragraphs. To do just to all my amazing experiences I will probably write a more detailled account at a later point.

Iraq

Standing at the massive Slemani city sign with my Instagram host Baderkhan

It’s been a long dream to visit Iraq, a land of incredible history, food and hospitality. In september I got the chance to visit the autonomous region Iraqi Kurdistan and it did not disappoint. It was an incredible experience, among others due to my host the incredible Baderkhan, a local (instagram) travel celebrity.

I already wrote a full article about the ten days I spent in Iraq, which you can find here.

Northern Cyprus

Last, I paid a short visit to northern Cyprus. Being a country not recognised by anyone but Turkey (who have de-facto control), it surely was an interesting visit to a complicated place.

Among others I caught a glimpse of the largest abandoned ghost town in the world, Varosha near the city of Famagusta. It used to be the number-one tourist area on the island, until the Turkish invasion in 1974. These days the area is a Turkish military base off-limits to the public. Thousands of mostly Greek residents were forced out of their homes, becoming refugees on their own island.

Looking at the abandoned ghost town Varosha, from the Turkish controlled side of Cyprus

Also I checked out the demarcation line where the Greek and Turkish Cypriots face off, under the surveillance of a large UN peace-keeping force.

The demarcation line between Cyprus and Northern Cyprus, as seen from the Greek side
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A post shared by Bart | Adventure Travel (@offbeattravelling)

Website

In the last year I unfortunately noticed my website visitor numbers drop significantly. I’m still not sure what caused it, but I certainly did not change anything relevant on the website myself (apart from a better-looking homepage!).

Homepage
Screenshot of my new look for the homepage

What I do see is that the online travel blogging industry is maturing and competition is now harder than ever. If you do not post content every 3 days, of you suck at writing clickbait titles, if you do not have your own Youtube channel and keep your Instagram fan base engaged, then you will quickly find yourself left out.

As we enter a new decennium, keeping up has become a tremendously time-consuming thing. This is why I see that almost all the big names in the blogging industry are full time digital nomads. Many rely on (undisclosed) sponsored posts, sponsored trips and often do not show the ‘real’ side of travelling. A few exceptions there, but overall this is where I feel the industry is going.

This website though is my little creative space on the web, a hobby rather than a serious job. I like experimenting with writing different types of content and playing around with technical features, just for the fun of it. I do not monetise the traffic it creates, in fact the hosting itself costs me more than it brings. At least that’s if you look at it from a financial perspective.

If money was the reason to start this website, I would have stopped years ago already. I sometimes spend days on an article that in the end only attracts just a few hundred readers on a year basis. A few examples:

  • Riding the iron ore train across the Sahara in Mauritania
  • Searching for The Abandoned Laboratory Apes in Liberia
  • How I spent a great and safe holiday in Iraq
  • 10 must-visit museums in the age of dark tourism

If you like photography, then you really need to check out my articles about the Fish Market in Mauritania and the Abandoned Ghost Ship in Liberia.

In 2019 I managed to post 8 new articles. Not too bad I must say, but I wish it was more. Let’s just see what 2020 will bring.

Plans for 2020

Apart from writing a whole lot of articles for my website, of course I plan to continue travelling in the next year. Im still figuring out exactly when and where, but for sure I will hit Switzerland, Liechtenstein and San Marino to get closer to finally finish visiting every European country. All that will be left is Monaco then.

To add a bit of adventure to 2020, I am certainly visiting the Middle East again. I really want to return to Iraqi Kurdistan, but I guess I will try to visit either Syria or Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Also I am contemplating visiting Cabo Verde, or perhaps even South America.

Time will tell, but for sure it will be pretty impossible to beat 2019. This year was an epic year for travelling, and it’s been a pleasure to share it with you all. Hope you will stick along again for 2020!

How was your travel year? Thinking of visiting any of the regions in this article? Leave a comment down below or let’s chat on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter!

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Previous Article10 Must-Visit Museums in the Age of Dark Tourism
Next ArticleYear in Review: 2020 was a difficult year for travel (8 countries visited)

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About Bart

"My name is Bart and I travel to some of the world’s most fascinating places"

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Top Posts & Pages

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Dog sledding in Finland 😍. Out in the incredibl Dog sledding in Finland 😍. Out in the incredible nature with these beautiful huskies. Is it on your bucket list?

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#travel #husky #huskylove #huskylife #huskylovers #huskiesofinstagram #husky #dog #finland #lapland #snow #travel #tourist #traveldestination #bucketlist #dogsofinstagram #dogstagram #instatravel #everycountry #exploretheworld #traveladdict #wanderlust
I’m stepping out of the spot light! It’s bee I’m stepping out of the spot light! 

It’s been a wonderful and eventful three months of travelling around Africa and Saudi Arabia and a pleasure to share it all with you guys! But it’s time to get back to normal (working) life again, so that’s why I’m posting this from the comforts of my home in the Netherlands.

I might create some reels of my past adventures, but the pace of me using social media will drop significantly. As you might know, I don’t use Instagram that much when I’m not travelling. So the moment I will, you will be the first to know! 

Thanks all once again for following me and tagging along on my journeys around the world!

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#travel #instatravel #fuji_travel #wanderlust #picoftheday #travelphotography #exploretheworld #worldtraveller #everycountry #everypassportstamp #beautifuldestinations #traveldestination #backpacker #solotravel #adventure #adventuretravel #natgeotravel #passionpassport #nomadmania #aroundtheworld #jeddah #visitsaudiarabia #saudiarabia
What a great party at the 2023 Grand Prix Formula What a great party at the 2023 Grand Prix Formula One in Jeddah!

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#swedishhousemafia #saudiarabiangp #concert #performance #dj #visitsaudi #jeddah #travel #party #mood #disco #edm #dancemusic #electronicmusic #holiday #grandprix #saudiarabia #shm #mdlbeast #formula1jeddah
Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 in 2023 Travelling to Saudi Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 in 2023

Travelling to Saudi Arabia all by yourself? No tour guides or sponsored trips? Totally possible! I hired a car and drove 3.000 km from Riyadh to Jeddah!

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#adventure #tourism #visitsaudiarabia #travel #travelblogger #wanderlust #worldtrip #aroundtheworldpics
Wealth is not measured by how much money you have. Wealth is not measured by how much money you have. Neither by how much you travelled and the experiences you gathered. It’s determined by the number of camels you own.

How many camels do you have?

#camelmarket #saudiarabia #visitsaudi #visitsaudiarabia #market #animals #souq #travel #instatravel #fuji_travel #wanderlust #picoftheday #travelphotography #exploretheworld #worldtraveller #everycountry #everypassportstamp #beautifuldestinations #traveldestination #backpacker #solotravel #adventure #adventuretravel #natgeotravel #passionpassport #nomadmania #aroundtheworld
Where the road ends, is where the adventure starts Where the road ends, is where the adventure starts.

#saudiarabia #visitsaudi #visitsaudiarabia #independenttravel #tourist #travel #instatravel #fuji_travel #wanderlust #picoftheday #travelphotography #exploretheworld #worldtraveller #everycountry #everypassportstamp #beautifuldestinations #traveldestination #backpacker #solotravel #adventure #adventuretravel #natgeotravel #passionpassport #nomadmania #aroundtheworld #travelquotes
Is it safe to travel in West and Central Africa? W Is it safe to travel in West and Central Africa? Well, after two months travelling using public transport I came a long way and made it to my final destination!

Yes, I did get malaria twice and road transport is not always the safest. But never did I encounter crime, hate, violence, etc. Just smiles and curiosity.

It’s been mostly solitary travel though. I did not meet many other like-minded people on the road. In these regions, solo travel really means solo. Eating out alone almost every day. Going on hikes all by yourself. Staying in a hospital without anyone visiting you. Always paying for a double room by yourself.

But in the end, my two months here have been full of nice and memorable encounters. The tea guy at the bus station, selling amazing ginger lemon tea. The Ghanian woman who crossed the border into Togo with me. The young boy selling ice cream for absolutely no money. The local kid who offered me water when I was totally thirsty.

Soon I will leave this continent once again, but for sure the continent will not leave me. I’ll be back!

#ghana #togo #benin #saotome #gabon #cameroon #westafrica #centralafrica #africa #travel #instatravel #selfie #wanderlust #picoftheday #travelphotography #exploretheworld #worldtraveller #everycountry #everypassportstamp #beautifuldestinations #traveldestination #backpacker #solotravel #adventure #adventuretravel #natgeotravel #passionpassport #nomadmania #aroundtheworld #peoplephotography
São Tomé and the iconic Cão Grande. I guess you São Tomé and the iconic Cão Grande. I guess you all liked this photo from my stories, so why not post it here as well?

Have you been to Sao Tome? Did you do a self drive like me, on a motor? Or by car? With a guide? Let me know how you travelled around the island so others can read and learn about the different options! 

#saotome #paradiseisland #paradise #mountain #island #principe #saotomeprincipe #travel #instatravel #fuji_travel #wanderlust #picoftheday #travelphotography #exploretheworld #worldtraveller #everycountry #everypassportstamp #beautifuldestinations #traveldestination #backpacker #solotravel #adventure #adventuretravel #natgeotravel #passionpassport #nomadmania #aroundtheworld
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