As I write this post, 2013 is quickly entering the history books hour by hour.
I'm eternally grateful to everyone who's taken time this year to read Go Backpacking.
Your support allows me to continue doing what I love: traveling, writing, and sharing my experiences online.
Special thanks to Mark Wiens for sharing his stories every week and all the guest contributors who wrote for Go Backpacking this year.
Last but not least, I'd like to thank all the advertisers, such as Visit Britain, and companies I worked with this year, including G Adventures, Get Your Guide, Viator, and Exotic Rides Cancun.
After visiting 20 new countries in 2012, across four continents, I felt burnt out by the end of last year.
I chose to spend most of 2013 living and working in Medellin, but I still managed to squeeze in some travel within Colombia and North and Central America.
Table of Contents
Colombia
I spent much of the year in Medellin. In February, I accomplished my biggest goal of the year, publishing my first book, the Medellin Travel Guide.
In April, I took a two-week trip to eastern Colombia, visiting Bucaramanga, San Gil, Parque Nacional de Chicamocha (one of the largest canyons in the world), and the beautiful pueblo of Barichara.
I also launched a new design for my Medellin Living blog.
During the second half of the year, I visited Bogota to apply for a business visa, Cartagena for my 37th birthday, and the Rio Claro Nature Reserve.
I also learned to dance Cali-style salsa and bachata.
Mexico
My trip to Mexico was the travel highlight of 2013. I crammed so much into my five weeks there. It took me six months to write thirty articles from the trip.
Colombia aside, I've never written so much about a country.
Favorite places included Mexico City, Oaxaca, and Playa del Carmen.
Favorite experiences included lunch at Pujol, swimming with dolphins, and driving a Ferrari.
To see the full recap, click here.
Canada
I flew from Cancun to Toronto to attend the 2013 Travel Blog Exchange (TBEX) conference.
The highlight was seeing and hanging out with my friends from all corners of the world in person and making many new friends.
After the conference, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a day trip to nearby Niagara Falls.
Panama
My only new country for 2013 was Panama, which I visited for two weeks en route back to Colombia.
The first thing I did was see the Panama Canal, which was rather anticlimactic. Seriously, you have to go, but it's not exciting. An hour is all you need.
I flew to David from the capital and took a short bus to Boquete, where I bumped into my friend Shannon who ended up staying at the same hostel as me for a few nights.
The highlight of Boquete was the Dos Jefes organic coffee farm tour run by a retired American who knew nothing about coffee growing when he bought the place.
From Boquete, I traveled by land (and water) to the islands of Bocas del Toro.
The main island was a bit run down, and my first day trip to other islands was full of rain, but the weather cleared up for my last day. It would've been more fun with friends.
I flew back to Panama City from Bocas and immediately booked a three-day trip to the San Blas Islands.
This was the highlight of my trip to Panama.
I stayed in a thatched bungalow on the island of Kuanidup, which was no more than 100 meters long.
I'd love to go back again in a few years.
Annual Reviews from Prior Years
Related: Backpacking Panama, a 2-Week Itinerary
2014 - The Year Ahead
It wasn't until the last few days when I began to reflect on 2013 that I began to think I played it a little too conservatively.
Before returning to Colombia, I've already decided to kick off 2014 in Central America, with visits to Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
These are all countries I'd like to know better, but they're not destinations I lay awake at night fantasizing about.
For Fall 2014, I've decided to pick a dream destination I can throw out into the great big universe.
It's a place I tried to go to in 2008 during my trip around the world but was denied days before departure.
It's a place where the native culture is systematically being destroyed day by day. I fear if I don't go soon, there may be nothing left worth seeing.
I'm talking about Tibet.
And once I began bouncing the idea around in my mind, a more extensive Asia trip began to take shape.
This is the three-month trip I'm currently thinking about for Fall 2014 -
- Mid-September: Arrive in Beijing, China
- Enter Tibet by rail - 2 weeks (including Mt. Everest)
- Nepal - 2 weeks (including Royal Chitwan Park)
- Bhutan - 7 days
- Dhaka, Bangladesh - 3 to 5 days
- Myanmar - 2 to 3 weeks (if I can get a visa from Bangladesh, otherwise fly in via Bangkok)
- Vietnam - 2 to 3 weeks
- Mid-December: Leave for the United States
The last time I attempted to get into Tibet independently was tricky. I got lucky that the travel agency I used was able to obtain a rail ticket for me.
This time around, I'd prefer to partner with a company for a group tour.
Package trips to North Korea are also growing in popularity, giving me a chance to see South Korea.
Still, I'd rather visit Tibet, Bhutan, and Myanmar before the country of a brutal military dictatorship (which was part of the reason I skipped Myanmar in 2008).
