It’s been one year since we left Portland, Oregon. One year since we left behind our steady jobs, steady friends, and a steady and comfortable life. We traded in our beloved apartment management positions where we paid no rent in a very desirable neighborhood in a truly lovely city. To some, giving up all this security and comfort might seem crazy, but for us, it was a chance to create a future. A first step in building something that would be fulfilling, unrestricted, and truly our own. We were also driven mad by the US standard two week “vacation” model.

In fact, this is an adventure we had planned and crafted meticulously for more than three years before departure. We are, after all, both dyed-in-the-wool planner and efficiency-driven people. So, we embraced being total cheapskates over those three years, eliminating or cutting costs where we could and living on potted coffee or making DIY meals (aka “cooking at home”) and saving as much as we could. We looked for new “income” by selling all of our belongings (see ya, crap we’ve accumulated for 10 years), investing in passive income streams, and even (gasp!) dropping our craft beer consumption and Greg upping his home brewing production levels. We changed our internal monologues to include guilt inducing statements like, “Well, I could buy this $8 glass of wine, or use a couple of bucks in gas to drive across town to run an errand that I could also easily bike to…OR…I could save that money and buy two entire meals and two glasses of wine in Albania…” And although it was an agonizing to put all that aside over three years and leave behind so much, it has by far, been the sanest decision we’ve ever made.

We started last July in Iceland and so far, we’ve visited 21 countries…19 in Europe. Sure, we could have certainly checked off a lot more new countries during that amount of time, but country counting isn’t for us slow travelers. Slow travel has allowed us to get the real vibe and essence of a country and of its people and landscape, live as a local, see off the beaten path destinations. Of course, we also have to stick with a strict budget of $50/day. And for those that want to know, we’ve spent $18,134 or ~$49.68/day in our first year of traveling full-time. Right on target! We’re walking proof of the notion that travel doesn’t have to be expensive. This includes accommodation in private rooms 75% of the time, all transportation (not including all flights), food, alcohol, sightseeing, (including a few splurges), and miscellaneous expenses like haircuts, laundry detergent and toiletries. We keep diligent track of our expenses through the excellent Trail Wallet app.

One of the most common questions we get is, “What are your favorite places?” So, one year down, we’re ranking them along with our favorite moments in each month from the past year, and throwing in some life lessons as well.

#12 Craigmiller Castle: Edinburgh, Scotland (February)

News flash…the UK is NOT a cheap country to travel through. However, we spent two whole months there in January/February and stayed on our $50/day budget thanks to two multi-week housesits. And since we were in Northern England, we made the jaunt to Edinburgh in Scotland. We made the tough decision to skip the #1 tourist attraction in Edinburgh… the castle (because tickets were ridiculously expensive.) Instead, we got our Scottish castle fix in at the very nearby, yet significantly less touristed, and equally atmospheric Craigmiller Castle. In fact, on a beautifully sunny January day we were two of only four other tourists in the castle ruins! And for a third of the price ($7.75)! This ruined regal gem is best known for its association with Queen Mary of Scots, which ironically was also playing in theaters at the time we were there. Following an illness after the birth of her son, the future James IV, Mary arrived at Craigmillar in 1566 to recover.

#11 Walks in the English Countryside (January)

Not many people say, “gee, I’d just love to spend some time walking in England…in January.” And granted, if we returned, it would probably not be there during this month. However, our time in Lancashire & Yorkshire Counties was very pleasant despite the lingering threat of January. At every sun break possible, we raced outside to those green undulating hills to do our best to soak in the natural beauty. One of the incredible things about England is pretty much being able to step off your doorstep to walk anywhere you want. In fact, it is English law that private landowners cannot restrict the public right-of-way to walk through their open fields and land. As a result of this law, there are “Public Footpaths” all over the countryside, crisscrossing in every direction, and sometimes going for dozens or hundreds of miles. Often, there are different types of gates built into the stone walls as you cross between lands… the aptly named “kissing gates”, were fun to run into. Not to mention, it was extraordinary to check out touristy towns like Haworth, home of the Brontes, without any crowds.

#10 Beer Touring in Bamberg, Germany (December)

We were fortunate to snag another housesit in Nuremberg, one of Germany’s beeriest regions Franconia in December. If you’re any kind of fan of beer then a trip to this part of Germany can easily turn into a beer pilgrimage. We took one such beer pilgrimage to the storied UNESCO world heritage city of Bamberg to gulp down some incredibly unique Rauchbier, a smoked malt lager beer first crafted in Bamberg 600 years ago. The Rauchweizen has some truly strange yet impressive flavor combinations going on… think candied hickory-smoked bacon.

Also located in Bamberg is Weyermann Malting Company, one of the world’s oldest, biggest, and most pioneering maltsters. At Weyermann you can take a tour of the factory and see every step in the process of making and producing malt. No malt… No beer. The tour ends at Weyermann’s nano beer production test facility where you can sample some of the freshest, one-of-a-kind beers exactly as the maltster had intended it to taste. Greg was once again in beery heaven.

#9 First Hike: near Melliha, Malta (November)

The kind of travel we’re doing—constantly moving, little downtime and relying only on our feet, buses and trains to get from point A to B can be exhausting. So, as bizarre as it may seem, when we arrived to Malta after five months, it felt like the first time we were on “vacation.” It also may have something to do with the azure waters, the cool Mediterranean breeze and the gorgeous weather.

Malta was not somewhere we ever imagined going when we began planning our adventure. After all, this exquisite Mediterranean island is 60 miles from Sicily and 200 miles from Tripoli… and not exactly a budget destination. However, as luck/fortune/fate would have it shortly before we left Portland we scored a sweet two-week house and dog sit opportunity in Melliha, Malta. And just like that, we were going to Malta. This housesit also gave us the much needed chance to slow down and live as a couple of locals. With nearly three whole weeks to while away our Malta days we set out on walkabouts. As we quickly discovered this tiny island nation is a perfect walkers destination. Official and unofficial paths cross the entire island, and your feet make the best possible vehicle for exploring the natural beauty, ancient ruins, and dramatic coastline vistas that await you. Malta also has, as we came to learn, a very significant and traumatic World War II history and a vivacious and captivating cultural capital city.

Our first hike around the north side of the island was our favorite day on the main island of Malta and the moment we felt like we’d made it to “vacation.” The color of the blues were simply hypnotic. Unfortunately the mid-60’s temperatures were not quite warm enough for a full-on deluge. We did lots of splashing, however, and did plop into one swimming hole (top right!)…lasting about 3 minutes!

#8 Road Trip from Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina (June)

Most people know that Mostar is one of the gems of the Balkans, but our favorite day in Bosnia was the day we rented a car with a fellow British traveler from our hostel, and made a road trip to some nearby less accessible attractions.

Our first stop was to Kravica Waterfall which is roughly 25 meters high and separated into a whopping 20 breathtaking falls. What made it extra special was we were able to get in the water. Of course, that jump into the water also featured a squeal of shock at the chilly water, but it was still pretty unique because most places like this won’t let you swim. Naturally this could be a bad thing that they allow it. We’ll find out in 10 years if its been destroyed from human impact.

We also went to Mogorjelo, which is a Roman ruins villa site and the town of Počitelj, which is a historic UNESCO village which was built in a natural amphitheater. It dates back to 1383 and seems to be a place where very few tourists find their way to, which makes it an absolute gem. It’s extraordinary because it’s not managed, and is just left as it is…no renovations, no entrance fee, but still widely intact and free to explore. Its ancient fortress tower is a unlike any we’ve seen and provides remarkable framed views of the picturesque landscape from its upper windows. This entire village is a wonder of architecture and nature combined. Definitely one of our favorite places in Bosnia.

#7 Sunday in Maramures County, Romania (October)

Maramures is located in northwest Romania and borders the Ukraine. Arriving here is like walking into a storybook of just the type of centuries-old landscape you’d hope still exists in rural Romania. The wooden churches, quaint and unassuming villages, rolling rural landscapes, woodcrafters who still meticulously carve ornate wood facades and gates, and beautiful, hospitable people with still active customs and traditions perfectly preserved in time. We have never been anywhere quite like it. 

There is no better day than Sunday to explore the religious traditions of Maramures. We set out early Sunday morning for a full day of exploration and were greeted with the most perfect, crisp fall day you could ask for with landscapes on every turn to make you go, “ahh….today could not be any better.”

It was remarkable as an outsider to feel the essence of these sacred places through the tranquil hymns that flowed from the sanctuary’s interiors and observe the locals in their traditional Sunday best. An apparent weekly ritual, all the women wore ruffled shirts, vests or sweaters, mid-length floral skirts and head scarves. The only place that differed, we noticed was their feet where especially the young accessorized plentifully with glitter and suede pumps. The men always topped off their look with a dapper hat, and sometimes even intriguing and very ‘elven-like’ footwear as the man in this picture. Simply extraordinary to see all these people which continue to wear these very traditional outfits today despite our modern times and trends… it’s still their ‘Sunday best.’

#6 Sunset in Mikulov, Czechia (August)

It’s easy to see why Czech poet Jan Skacel referred to Mikulov as a “piece of Italy moved to Moravia by God’s hand.” Mikulov is perhaps our new favorite Czech gem that, to us, rivals popular Cesky Krumlov, but lacks the tourist crowds. Mikulov has a hulking and gorgeous chateau, a unique sight Holy Hill catches your eye as it sits perched gloriously atop a beautiful limestone massif, and multiple Baroque and Renaissance spires pierce the skyline. Arriving here, as you wind your way through the narrow and steep alleyway like streets cobbled with limestone, it is like stepping into a storybook Moravian village, infused with a lovely Mediterranean warmth.

#5 Hiking the Lycian Way, Turkey (April)

We can safely say the Lycian Way is epic… it has blissfully undeveloped wild mountain terrain matched only by aqua seas and white limestone beaches that mesmerize and majestic old black pine and cyprus tree forests grow alongside ancient olive groves clinging to life on terraced cliffs. The peace filled mountain hamlets and hidden under-any-radar coastal villages beckon you to stay “just one more day,” there are wonderful colorful and truly kind people here who offer you mouth-watering food, every time! Oh, and you literally stumble over ancient Lycian ruins that are 2,500 years old… dating from 500 BC. 

We found all this in about 100k in 7 days of walking from village to village, staying in guesthouses every night. (You can also camp, but we purposely left our tent in Iceland!) To complete the entire Lycian Way is to hike 540k (335 miles) in about 30-days. We aren’t saying we’re quite finished with the trail just yet (And we don’t say that about many places.)

One of our favorite moments on the trail was staying with sweet Fatima, one of our adorable pension hostesses. In this picture she is making the bread over the fire for gozleme pancakes. She wouldn’t stop feeding us as she giggled like a gremlin. So cute. 

#4 The water: Ksamil, Albania (May)

Water seems like a pretty simple “favorite moment,” but it’s sometimes the simplest pleasures that bring the biggest gains. We’ll never forget the jaw dropping moment when we saw the Adriatic from the coast of Ksamil. It looks like it was plucked from the South Pacific or Mayan Riviera and tossed in Europe, which undoubtedly makes the Albanian Riviera our FAVORITE beaches in Europe…at, equally important, THE best value. Along Albania’s Riviera we found beaches which produced the most hypnotic aquamarine colors intertwining with coves and sandy stretches of irresistibly inviting sapphire splotches of water. And swimming? It’s got that too! With only lightly lapping tides to slow your entry into the surf, it’s as easy going as swimming gets. Then, after your dip comes lounging on some breathtaking powdery stretches of white limestone sand or pebble beaches for as long as you can stand to stay horizontal on them.

Ok. Ok. Sound like your own private paradise yet? It gets better! The real reason to run to visit the Albanian Riviera is that the beaches are not yet saturated by tourists. Our estimation are that the crowds are like Croatia 20 years ago or Montenegro 10 years ago. Add to all this is the extreme affordability of a beach stay in Albania compared to anywhere else in the Mediterranean. Albania’s beaches will be undoubtedly be discovered by mass tourism. And, it’s not a matter of if but when. So, to quote the biggest backpacker cliche of all time, go now! Our stay on the Albanian Riviera, included a one week stop in the southern end of the Riviera (near Corfu, Greece) in the village of Ksamil and four days in Himare, in the central area. Eleven days, but oh, we could have stayed a LOT longer. Click here for our complete post on this area.

#3 Seeing the Treasury for the first time: Petra, Jordan (March)

We had two days to explore the remarkable 2000-year-old Nabatean city of Petra and one of the New 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. It’s hard to imagine that a city can be built from carved rock facades, but when you glimpse Petra firsthand it’s clear… this was an ancient and functional city of rock in the desert. And as you can see, getting there at 6:30 am was well worth it for dodging crowds and getting epic pictures.

The moment where you become enamored with Petra is an easy one. It’s when you first spot the Treasury after slithering through the Siq, which is the most popular way to enter. This magnificent structure was chiseled from the rock from the top down. An incredible 2000 years ago?! Can you even imagine how difficult that would be to make everything so symmetrical on this scale? The Treasury ruin was actually the tomb of the Nabatean King Aretas III, but got its name because supposedly some Egyptian pharaoh hid his gold there while going after the Israelites. Click here for our complete Petra post

#2 Stepping onto Diamond Beach, Iceland (July)

Iceland is a country where the earth moves, and moves you. With 30 active volcanoes, and vast glaciers occupying nearly every mountain range, the land of fire and ice is utterly captivating. The stark beauty on display is hard to grasp. Iceland is also a place where legend and fantasy seem to be taken as literal, ingrained into every jaw-dropping natural wonder is a local legend about it. This is a place built for nature lovers and fantasy enthusiasts.

The otherworldly Diamond Beach and accompanying Jokulsarlon Glacier, however, was the standout of all the natural wonders because it was strikingly surreal. Jokulsarlon is a glacial lagoon bordering Vatnajokull National Park. It’s still icy sapphire waters and luminous blue icebergs are fed from the Vatnajokull Glacier. It developed into the lake after the glacier started receding from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and has grown at varying rates because of melting glaciers. There is now a .9 mile river that connects the lake and ocean and because of this, chunks of ice flow from the lake to the ocean and deposit “diamonds” magically all over the beach, yes…Diamond…Beach. Seeing crystal clear chunks and blocks of glacial ice set against a coal black beach definitely makes you suspect fantastical things might really be possible in such a magical land like Iceland. You simply can’t prepare yourself for seeing a wonder of nature like this place. Hollywood must think so too. It has used this location for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Batman Begins and several other movies. Click here for entire Ring Road on a Budget post.

#1 After hiking four days, arriving to Ushguli, Georgia (September)

To be honest, we didn’t even have to debate over our number one slot. It was understood. At an elevation of 6,844 feet, the gorgeous mountain hideaway village of Ushguli in Georgia is the highest continuously inhabited place in Europe, despite being covered and inaccessible by snow more than 6 months per year. This mountaintop paradise also served as the grand finale on our 57k four day hiking trek. Among the mountains that ring Ushguli include majestic Mt. Shkhara at +17,000 feet and also serves as the Russian/Georgian border. The ridge line that includes Mt. Shkhara is also considered one of the most arduous and demanding mountaineering treks in the world. We absolutely loved walking the tiny streets, between the old stone buildings and medieval tower-houses and among the livestock of this living museum that has been on the UNESCO world heritage list since 1996. Ushguli, Georgia is an absolute world treasure!

And 12 Lessons…

1. Practical Disorientation: When you arrive somewhere new late at night in a new place, just take the taxi. It may cost more, but it’s a helluva lot easier and will avoid an argument or further injuries. 
2. Know Your Enemy: Literally, avoid flocks of sheep in the Romanian countryside. The dogs WILL chase after you.
3. Value Your Valuables: Make sure you do a full and complete sweep of your room after you leave to your next destination. Have a mental checklist of VIP’s (Very Important Possessions) to tick off. We learned this lesson the hard way when Greg left his money belt behind in Kiev, Ukraine. (After a lot of effort, we did get it back!)
4. Sovereignty Has Its Benefits: We are both avid planners by nature, so it was important for many reasons for us to establish a “pilot” and “copilot” for each country we visit, which we rotate. The pilot is the person who calls the shots, does the planning and bookings while in their country. In the same vein, we have also established “meal days” by taking turns on odd/even days of the month; deciding where to eat, what to cook, and what to buy at the market. 
5. Have An Exit Strategy: This next one may seem obvious but it took us awhile to get it fixed into our heads…when arriving to a new city, take the time to sort out your departure information at the bus/train station…even if its days away.
6. Know When To Shoot: When offered shots of liquor by locals you should accept, but sip don’t shoot. If you shoot, it gets refilled. It also helps to clutch it in your hand. 
7. Left Luggage: When embarking on a village-to-village trek, plan ahead and organize the same accommodation at the beginning and end of your trek. Leave the majority of your items with the accommodation and just take small day packs/valuables.
8. Early Birds Get The Juiciest Worms: It really is worth it to get up super early to go out and explore your surroundings. Not only will you see it through a new lens, but you will likely find more intimate connections.
9. The Perks of Respect Are Earned: Pay it forward in all accommodations by interacting with the local hosts and always tidying up well when leaving. We have had numerous hosts go out of their way to help us after staying with them by giving private tours, feeding us, driving us around, mailing left behind money belts to us (see item #3), and arranging onward transport. Almost everyone we stay with comments in our reviews about how kind and tidy we are and welcomes us back. Just because you’re paying for something doesn’t give you the right to be a slob or expect unsolicited kindness in return.
10. Lead By Example: Our beautiful planet is already littered with way too much plastic. We have seen how bad this problem is becoming now more than ever. We always carry and use our reusable water bottles as much as possible. It’s our responsibility as consumers to enforce a better way. We also politely decline plastic bags in the markets and grocery stores by firmly saying, “thanks, no bag/plastic” and showing them our reusable bag. It’s amazing how many sellers have paused, looked at our reusable bag questioningly while grasping their plastic bag, and then seeing that we mean it, nodded in vague understanding.
11. Good People Are Everywhere: If you ask, people will help. The world is full of hospitable and kind people. A smile goes a long way, as does learning the few necessities in every language…hello, thank you and please.
12. Stress Management: Adaptation is key. In travel, as in life, you have to be ready for any and every situation. There’s always a chance your bus will be canceled, there will be loud distractions when you’re trying to sleep, or you’ll get ripped off. But learning to let go, move forward, and adapting to the challenges you can control is the most important lesson of all. 

Where to next?!

Thank you so much to our followers for your continued support, comments and likes! We’ll be finishing out our time in the Balkans and Europe by summer’s end then we will segue way to Africa and onward to Asia. Next up…we’ll be taking you to the sprawling deserts and peaceful oases of Oman! We look forward to having you along for the ride!