2015: A Wild Ride Through 16 Countries and One Life Reset

Taking stock of the new places I visit yearly has become an annual tradition, even though I continue to wait until the very last minute to share!

Before we begin, I would like to thank everyone reading for their support. In 2015, Go Backpacking again surpassed 1 million visitors and 2.5 million page views!

As much as I enjoy traveling, I appreciate that the stories and images published here inspire and inform others to save up and go abroad.

Destinations

Colombia

I began 2015 in the familiar city of Medellín. In February, I took a 90-minute VivaColombia flight to the Colombian island of San Andres. Geographically, it's closer to the coast of Nicaragua, but you can't fly between the two.

I rented a golf cart and spent a day cruising clockwise past white-sand beaches. The next day, I visited a little island 15 minutes away by boat, and by the third day, I was ready to move on.

Providencia is a smaller, quieter, less developed island, located 20 minutes north of San Andres by air. The airport is a short spit of asphalt surrounded by lush plants and palm trees.

Accommodation is basic, but I was due for a splurge, so I booked two nights at Deep Blue, the island's only boutique luxury hotel.

On San Andres, I rented a golf cart and spent over half a day cruising around the island, stopping to snorkel, eating fresh fish on a beach for lunch, and checking out the island's only (reggae) bar.

San Andres is to Cancun as Providencia is to Tulum. I still daydream about my stay in Providencia and would return in a heartbeat.

Turkey (Istanbul to Izmir)

I flew from New York City to Istanbul in early May with Turkish Airlines.

I felt lucky to participate in the first blog trip organized by the airline, which allowed me to see the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, the ancient ruins of Ephesus, and the natural pools of Pamukkale.

After waving goodbye to my fellow bloggers, I stayed in the capital to continue sightseeing, visit a traditional bath, and taste the world's best baklava.

From Istanbul, I traveled south overland to Bursa, then west to Çanakkale to see the ruins of Troy and learn about the Battle of Gallipoli. I wrapped up the first leg of my trip to Turkey with a visit to Pergamon's ruins and a few nights in the coastal city of Izmir.

Georgia

My curiosity led me to take a brief break from Turkey and visit the neighboring country of Georgia, a former Soviet republic. I flew into the capital of Tbilisi just in time to see the residents celebrate their Independence Day in Freedom Square, complete with tanks and fighter plane flyovers.

I took a day trip north to see a few churches listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, traveling as far along the Georgian Military Road as possible to reach the Russian border.

I also made a two-night side trip to eastern Georgia. It began with a drive to the David Gareja Monastery, located on the border with Azerbaijan.

It was followed by a day of wine tasting near Signagi, a 2,000-person town offering scenic views of the Caucasus Mountains.

Armenia

It was a five-hour van ride from Tbilisi to the Armenian capital of Yerevan. I only spent four nights there, but it was enough to get a taste of the city, check out the super cool outdoor sculpture garden called The Cascade, and learn about the 1915 Armenian Genocide.

I booked my return ride to Tbilisi through my hostel, which included a friendly guide and driver. I stopped at the UNESCO-listed 10th-century Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin near the Georgian border.

Turkey (Mt. Nemrut to Bodrum)

I flew back to Istanbul and then to Adiyaman, from which I took a bus and a taxi to Kahta. This small town serves as a base for visits to Nemrut Dagi, the mountain upon which an egomaniacal king had larger-than-life sculptures carved from stone.

I left Kahta by bus for Cappadocia, where I shacked up in a cave hotel, overcame my fear of hot air balloon rides with a 75-minute sunrise flight, and spent several days sightseeing above and below ground.

Continuing westward, I spent a few nights in Konya, where I visited the grave of Rumi, the famous Sufi poet. I also squeezed in a half-day trip to Catalhoyuk, a 9,000-year-old Neolithic site designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

My first stop along the southwestern Mediterranean coast, known as the Turkish Riviera, was the city of Antalya. However, the smaller resort town of Kas dazzled me with its relaxed vibe and turquoise waters.

Oludeniz was another beach resort town I'd never heard of before arriving in Turkey, but its beauty in person blew me away. It's also a world-renowned paragliding destination.

Finally, I reached Bodrum after six weeks in Turkey and eight weeks in the region. If I hadn't had so much work necessitating an internet connection at the time, I would have booked a sailing trip to the Greek islands.

Related: 13 Best Places to Visit in Turkey

Greece

Since my first backpacking trip in '98, I've wanted to visit Greece, so it didn't matter how I got there.

Rhodes

I took a short ferry from Bodrum to Rhodes. The highlight of a one-day self-drive tour of the island with a few women from the hostel was a beer and swim on Tsampika Beach.

Santorini

To speed things up, I flew from Rhodes to Santorini (via Athens), taking hundreds of photos of the gorgeous views, whitewashed cliff-side churches, and windmills.

Ios

Next, it was on to Ios by ferry. I didn't know it was one of the Mediterranean's party capitals. Still, I managed to secure an excellent budget hotel room with a balcony overlooking the pool and town in Ios for the summer. I rented a car and spent an entire day driving around this little island, stopping at four beaches.

Paros

I stopped over on the island of Paros for a few nights, but it didn't do much for me, and I was starting to feel burnt out from all the travel.

Mykonos

I knew Santorini would be expensive, but it wasn't until I started looking at hotel prices the night before I arrived in Mykonos that it was just as bad (all the hostels were fully booked).

The cheapest accommodation I could find was $110 per night. Granted, it was the middle of July, but dang, that hurt. Thankfully, like Santorini, Mykonos lived up to the hype.

I didn't go out partying; I was content to wander the back streets, dine on delicious Greek cuisine, and photograph the windmills.

Athens

My last stop in Greece was Athens, where I made the requisite morning trek up the Acropolis in the blazing heat.

Berlin, Germany

On a whim, I flew to Berlin to attend the Digital Nomad Conference, where I saw several friends, including Mark Manson, speak. It was a fun conference, and I'd certainly go back.

For me, conferences like these continue to be more about socializing than learning anything new. I have all year to learn from what's on the web, but my chance to hang out with friends and peers in person is rarer than I'd like to admit.

It also allowed me to hang out with friends based in Berlin at the time, including Audrey and Dan from Uncornered Market, Linda and Craig Martin of Indie Travel Podcast, Jeremy of travelFREAK, and Freddy Lansky.

Romania

Feeling burnt out from the fast-paced travel, I spent August in Romania, mainly in Bucharest. I booked a spot in a co-working space for the first time and focused on growing Travel Blog Success.

I also squeezed in a week of sightseeing in Transylvania, with stops in Brasov, Sighisoara (where Dracula was born), and Sibiu.

London, England

As fall arrived in Eastern Europe, I began to go back to the United States, but not before visiting a friend in London. Together, we took a day trip to visit Dismaland, the six-week art installation by Banksy.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

My last trip of the year was to attend the 2015 TBEX conference in Fort Lauderdale, where I represented Travel Blog Success and met dozens of our members!

Annual Reviews from Prior Years

• 2014
• 2013
• 2012 South America
• 2012 Europe and Asia
• 2011
• 2010