Top 10 destinations visited in the past year

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Take only memories, leave only footprints.

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The past year was an enormous game-changer in my life. By mid last year, I was only a wannabe traveller, and had not travelled anywhere in over three years – firstly due to lockdowns, and then due to a serious Achilles’ tendon injury. How fun! But, yours truly Courageous Wanderer was persistent in making his dream of becoming a travel blogger a reality! In less then a year, I went from a wannabe traveller, with less countries visited than most people I’d met, to the owner of a blog full of magical travel experiences, having visited a few countries less than most people who had been travel bloggers for a few years. Now I know what to answer to the next “what’s your biggest recent success” question.

The following Top 10 is to shine a light on the destinations I’d been to between mid 2022 and today. Some will be cities, others countries, but all of them will share beautiful stories of wonders, great places, and even better experiences. Without any further ado, let’s dive deep.

10. The Vatican

Taking a look at the blog posts from earlier this year, I see that The Vatican never got a post on its own, just an entry in a Rome Top 10.

This city-state, if it can even be called so, better stated this small patch of land, is one of the favorite tour guide destinations, for anyone visiting the above mentioned capital of Italy. So much art is hidden among the walls of The Vatican, and only a small portion of it is on exhibit and can be viewed. It’s almost impossible to enter without a guide, or even a whole tour group. And it is also quite futile – there’s not much to hear without someone who’s skilled in walking people around for three hours in a row, talking about the same rooms, exhibitions and pieces of art.

More or less, the art is the only thing that can be talked about when visiting The Vatican. Everything else about it can simply be googled. Still, a strong recommendation for anybody visiting Rome.

9. The Magistrate Building (The Order of Malta)

For this entry, we’re staying in Rome, to mention The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, or simply Order of Malta, for short. As you may have read from the same article where The Vatican is mentioned, the Magistrate Building is their headquarters.

Again, this country cannot have a post of its own, as it’s not open to the public anymore (despite what the official website states). Still, entering even the yard of this building brings a special flex of its own, as nobody would normally trouble themselves to visit a country with barely any territory. Unfortunately, this may be the only way to visit some countries in the future, especially due to global warming and the rise of water levels.

Anyway, for anyone who wants to hear an actual history of the Maltese Order, I suggest going to Mdina in the island of Malta.

8. Side

The posts about Side were so recent, there is no need to talk about the same experience twice in under two months. Instead, I’ll happily remind you that this is not my first time around, I’d been to Side in 2019 also. The reasons why I decided to go back – exquisite food, very nice beaches, higher levels of service than anywhere else in the region, and countless CATS!

For those of you that missed it, here’s a link to my post about Side, for your convenience.

7. Malta

Malta was one of the most fun experiences I’ve had after the great break from travels. Most likely because I went alone, with no plans other than to traverse around the whole island (including the smaller island of Gozo). And I’d always recommend it, especially in the colder months.

The weather is hardly cold in December. Sure, you’ll need a light jacket, but I don’t mind it, especially when remembering I live in the middle of the continent, with awful (continental) climate, and each year filled with two months of scorching, asphalt-melting summers, and ten months of different forms of winter.

The most fun around Malta is related to not many people knowing about it, and even more believing it to be an island in Italy.

And, of course, don’t forget why I was brave to compare it with one of my favorite chaotic places on Earth, Hong Kong.

6. Sarajevo

Alike Side, this was not my first time in Sarajevo. In fact, I went twice in less than two months, one time. Although I was born in Banjaluka, the Yugoslav “opponent” of Sarajevo, I’m never ashamed to say this is one of my favorite cities in Europe. And the reasons are countless – a complete mixture of cultures, wonderful human beings, interesting geography and positioning, high value in history, amazing food… You name it!

In fact, my post about Sarajevo is one of the most frequently quoted from the whole blog website. Countless readers were amazed with how much diversity exists in such a small and not particularly renowned place. I must admit, I’d not paid this splendid city a visit in about a year. A new quarter is coming up just around the corner, and it’s a great cause for me to treat myself a trip to the city where worlds collide.

5. CYPRUS / AYA NAPA

It’s strange I didn’t get to compare Cyprus to Malta. The similarities are endless – they both belong to the British Empire in Colonial times, remnants of British culture and technology are endless (such as the sockets and driving on the right), they’re both small islands, and to make matters even funnier, they are both believed to be an island, belonging to the most famous nearby country with similar cultures (Greece and Italy, respectively).

In reality, Cyprus is much closer to Syria, than it is to Greece. Culture-wise, we can still see a lot of Greek influence, even from ancient times. But why is it so much better than the rest of the region? Because it has 330 sunny days each year (so no continental climate, yay!), and probably some of the most beautiful and clear-water beaches in Europe. Other than that, it’s a great island if you love parties, nice food, and don’t want to go into poverty over a week at the sea.

Reasons why it’s good to visit Cyprus can be found at the linked post.

4. Paris

This was one of the most wonderful discoveries and reputation-breaking cities for me. Namely, I was warned that Paris is extremely dirty, that everything is unimaginably expensive, and that there are countless pickpockets (this part turned out to be partially true). The reputation that precedes Paris is, fortunately, completely incorrect. I don’t recall seeing one piece of garbage. Also, the prices were exorbitant, because Paris is situated in Europe. They were not unreasonably higher than anywhere else on the continent.

Earlier this year, Courageous Wanderer Blog was a home to three articles about this wonderful enchanted city. For this of you who missed them:

1. Paris Top 10,

2. Birthday in Paris,

3. The magic of Disneyland.

3. ANDORRA / ANDORRA LA VELlA

Ah, my new favorite country in Europe. Not sure why, but these micro-nations, or small countries, tucked safely in between the borders of two superpowers, usually have a much different vibe, even compared to their neighbors. Even in this case, where Andorra’s governance is factually shared between Spain and France, the feeling is something completely different, as if a part of a completely different continent.

The most fun fact about Andorra is how many people I know to have visited it. Unlike super popular European destinations, such as Italy, France and Germany (that everyone’s been to) or Poland and Montenegro (that were visited by all 8B people except for me so far), I only know four in total, who have been to Andorra:

– my friend’s parents, who went there for their honeymoon, because no one else ever did and

– my friend and me, who went there because no one ever did.

2. Jordan

My series of post about Jordan has so far been the most influential thing to ever come out of my keyboard. In fact, I created this blog in order to record the Jordan travel experience, as I’ve spent countless days (if not weeks) on the phone, helping new travelers organize their Jordan adventure. Enjoy reading through the story again!

– The journey of Jordan, pt. 1,

– The journey of Jordan, pt. 2,

– The journey of Jordan, pt. 3.

1. barcelona

Everyone knew what was coming to #1 – the city where I discovered myself and, for the first time in 32 years on this planet, felt born and alive. A city that encompasses all of the worlds cultures and heritage, in its unique and intricate setting. The city in which every story of this world could have been written, and each unique sentiment of this world may have played out. A city that has no beginning and no end, for a soul, enveloping its facade. I am forever grateful for existence to the one and only – Barcelona.

Three days of immense contemplation of existence, living in a different dimension, being one with the world around me. This experience with no reprisal is something I’ve felt (so far) only in Barcelona.

Two articles adorn my blog:

– Barcelona Top 10 and

– The city of great minds.

Calling all travel agencies and agents. Do you want to have your travels set for success? Are you planning to not worry about organizing tours ever again, while doing it productively and straight-forward? Would you like to have predefined outlines for each of your trips? Are you ready to run tours off the beaten path? Don’t hesitate – reach out to me, and let’s make your success our common story.

Everyone else, prepare yourselves for the tale of my Grand Chinese adventure.