2020 Travel in Review
Whilst most of the world was in travel lockdown, we were some of the few people who managed to see new places! 2020 will always be a strange year for our travel. It began with such hope and great plans, to staying in our 500 sq ft flat to scrambling to scrambling to find out where we can go based on our last two weeks of travel. We soaked in every moment and do not regret it!
Number of overall trips: 16 (2019: 13)
Despite a strange year where we did not move from our 500 square foot apartment for 5 months, we still managed to keep our trip count in double digits! For our 3 month long sabbatical, I only counted it as "1 long trip" so this number could be longer. Rather than flights across the US, our trip count had more day trips across England and the US.
Total New Countries: 7 (2019: 5)
Whilst some of the countries may not be new or one of us, these are the new countries for us as a couple! It began in sunny Malta on New Years to ending our sabbatical in Bulgaria.
2020
2019
Malta
Portugal
Northern Ireland
Singapore
Cyprus
Maldives
Ukraine
Thailand
Turkey
Poland
Romania
Bulgaria
Total Countries: 16 (2019: 13)
Again this is not the surprising given our long trip across Europe! Even then, when we spent at least half the year living in a suitcase, it seems like a small number.
2020
2019
France
Portugal
Monaco
Singapore
USA
Maldives
England
Thailand
Northern Ireland
Italy
Ireland
Scotland
Malta
Slovenia
Italy
France
Croatia
USA
Greece
Germany
Cyprus
Poland
Poland
Belgium
Ukraine
Turkey
Romania
Bulgaria
Flights: 20 (2019: 37)
Helped by our three month sabbatical and a worldwide lockdown, our total flights decreased significantly from years past from 37 to 20, but we still enjoyed it.
In a weird COVID year where most of the airports were empty, our favorite airport was the new Istanbul International Airport whilst our least favorite airport was Athens but only because I had to take a COVID test there!
Distance traveled: 25,686 miles (2019: 45,922 miles - flights only)
Surprisingly, our mileage is remarkably low despite traveling for three months straight! Our longest flight was the flight from London to Miami and our shortest flight was Malta to Catania, Sicily. Most of our sabbatical flights were on European budget airlines, but we had to pay for baggage this time!
Trains: 12 (2019: 15)
Because we can use the excellent train system around England and Europe, this total can easily be higher if we include the airport transfers or “just because” train trips we have taken throughout the year. Thus, I limited it to trains that took us to a place as part of a mini-holiday or actual holiday. For example, my train to work would cause this figure to skyrocket so I excluded it from consideration!
Interestingly, our longest train ride was Taormina to Naples, Italy, which narrowly beat our overnight train from Kiev to Lviv, Ukraine. I still wouldn't take either train today if offered it... Especially the Italian one as the travel time was not worth missing all that pizza!
We took three 8+ hour train journeys this year. All of them that were okay during the time because we had time, but probably not worth it if I was planning a time sensitive holiday.
Buses: 7 (2019: 2)
Similar to trains, this number could be much higher if I included our “daily” bus trips. Because of the lack of car and constant travel, our bus count did increase but it was mostly due to our 4 bus rides in Sicily hopping between the cities. The bus rides were much nicer, mostly on time, and did not last longer than 2-3 hours. That is the best way to do your bus travel!
Longest (& Best) Flight
Because our longest flight also was the only flight that we were on a normal air carrier, our American Airlines flight from London to Miami was the best one! In COVID times, the plane had maybe 75 people and we could have had an entire row to ourselves if we wanted it!
Least Favorite Flight
Unsurprisingly, our least favorite flight was our final London to US flight that brought us home. Whilst the flight only had 30 people, we were very emotional getting onboard. However, we were (again) happy to escape London lockdown 2.0!
Best Hotel
Before our sabbatical, our main goal was to see as many new countries as possible so Poland was not on our list. Once we figured out that we had to go to Gdansk in order to go to Ukraine, we figured it would be just okay. Perhaps because we had zero expectations on the city and the hotel, our stay at the Hampton by Hilton Gdansk City Center was unbelievable. Our room overlooked the beautiful church, our bed was incredible, the location was in the middle of the Long Street, and Gdansk was a HUGE surprise!
Then again, I would be remiss if I did not mention Cocoon Suites in Santorini, Greece. With our own hot tub overlooking the wonderful Greek sunset, we enjoyed ourselves every second. At night, we tucked into our little cocoon. The mattress was so comfortable that Mary Frances saved the label.
Worst Hotel
Heading to Sofia after a 10 hour train ride, I wanted an easy hotel that would be open and didn't have to do much work. Selecting the best hostel with rave reviews, I booked a private room. From the moment we arrived, we were surprised at the lack of courtesy, help, and just a terrible room.
When we entered, I had to go find an ATM at 11pm in a new city, then go break a "hundred dollar bill" at 11:15pm, then we had to walk another half mile to our flat. In the room, the bed was hard, the pillow was nonexistent, and our towel was a hand cloth. It was miserable. I'm not bitter, at all.
Can't Wait to Visit Again
No surprise what this category means as we literally CANNOT wait to visit again!
In no particular order...
- Crete: Beaches, food, and Greek life - what more does one want?!
- Bulgaria: Surprisingly, the wine and food was a perfect end to the trip! We want to explore more of this hidden wonder.
- Romania: While I think we hit most of the tourist high points, the countryside is perfect for exploring.
- Croatia: Seafood, beaches, islands, and wine. Croatia will always be on the top!
Glad it’s off the bucket list
On our travels, these are the places that are beautiful and wonderful, but we likely will not visit again...
- Taormina: Despite the beautiful views, the city is expensive, extremely hilly, and full of people. Visit for the day, then stay in a more local Sicilian town!
- Dover: Other than the cliffs, there isn't anything here...
Top Food Experiences
With heavy debate and lack of favorites, we have two tiers:
- Memory Lane
- Pictures worth a thousand words
Memory Lane
Without needing a single prompt, these restaurants instantly came to mind when I think about our favorite meals in 2020. After hours of debate and thought, we still can't decide which one is our favorite because they are all different cuisines and experiences. Regardless, get these on your bucket list!
In the order that we ate at the restaurant....
- A) Chesters in London, United Kingdom
- B) Zero Sei in Valletta, Malta
- C) A Wong in London, United Kingdom
- D) Hora Farm in Hvar, Croatia
- E) Yemeni in Paros, Greece
Pictures Worth a Thousand Words
While looking through my photos, these are the meals that sparked a good memory that I would instantly eat again! In no particular order...
- Traditional Bulgarian cuisine Pavaj in Plovdiv, Bulgaria
- Wonderful Italian at Max in Sibiu, Romania
- Istanbul Food Tour in Istanbul, Turkey
- Typical Napoleon pizza in Naples, Italy
- Excellent Sicilian in Al Vicolo Pizza & Vino in Catania, Italy
- Highly rated Perakis in Heraklion, Crete, Greece
- Classic Georgian in Mama Manana in Kiev, Ukraine
Top Desserts
One would think that with my love of desserts that this list would be longer and harder than the meals. However, we did not have much dessert on our trip according to our pictures as it seemed to end once we left warmer climates (and gelato) to the cold north. This did not stop us from eating dessert though!
- Bread Ahead Donuts in London, United Kingdom
- Tasty Cornish Fudge from Roly's Fudge Pantry in Padstow, United Kingdom
- Cold, Fresh Ice cream from Lotia Gelato in Santorini, Greece
- Delicious cake from Mara Mura in Bucharest, Romania
- Cold Gianni Gelato in Dubrovnik, Croatia
Favorite 2020 Wine Region
Because we love exploring a country's wine region, I have to pick our favorite one that we visited! Again, a difficult decision but one that I feel very good about!
Favorite City in 2020
London, United Kingdom
This is incredibly difficult as probably my favorite city that we visited was London. Whilst I never want to experience another COVID lockdown where we can't leave the flat, exploring the city on foot was incredible. It opened my eyes to the beauty within the city and made me grateful for our time there. Plus, we discovered great restaurants, grocery stores, butcher shops, and bakeries!