Oops. Seems that I’m a day late again. 😬
I suppose that’s what happens when you’ve been traveling pretty much nonstop for most of 2026. Somewhere between the flights, trains, hotels, border crossings, daily runs, and trying to remember which country I’m waking up in (seriously, you have no idea how many hotel walls I’ve walked into in the middle of the night forgetting which city I was in), keeping to the schedule I’ve tried to maintain has become more than a little bit of a challenge. 😂 But I love the time to write and reflect, so here we are!
We’re now 288 days into 2026, and I’ve spent exactly 82 of them at home in Washington, DC. That’s actually MORE than I expected, to be totallly honest. But it also means I’ve spent 206 days away from home, or roughly 72% of the year so far. Really makes me wonder why I keep paying a mortgage…
So, what has this year of nonstop adventure taught me? Well, I’m still processing that, but one thing is for sure:
I absolutely love traveling. I’m just not sure I love traveling at THIS pace.
Before I get into that, though, I thought it might be fun to take a little trip through the year so far. Remember exactly why I’m exhausted. Partly to share some of the highlights, and partly because I’m not entirely sure I remember everything myself anymore.
2026: A Little Time Capsule
January started with four weeks on a Eurail pass, wandering through Central Europe and Italy before finishing with Albania and Greece. Trains, winter weather, new places, familiar places, and the freedom to change plans whenever I felt like it. Pretty much my idea of a great start to the year. Something old, something new…
After a little less than two weeks at home, I headed to Egypt for another two weeks, with plans to continue to Yemen for a week afterward. Unfortunately, life and circumstances intervened, and Yemen would have to wait.
One week at home, and I was back in Europe, picking up where I’d left off with my Eurail adventures. That trip was supposed to last another two weeks and include Azerbaijan, but I cut it short when my father passed away. A reminder that no matter how carefully we plan our travels, life back home doesn’t stop while we’re away…and some things are non-negotiable.
I spent about a week at home before heading back to Europe to use the remaining days on my expiring Eurail pass. More Central Europe, Spain, and eventually Dublin.
Then came another week in DC. That was supposed to be three weeks, but apparently I got bored 🙄 so off I went for ten days of island hopping and avgeeking around the Caribbean. Because clearly what I needed after all those trains was more airplanes. Seriously, not sure what I was thinking on this one.
After two weeks at home, it was time for a BEAST of a trip: two weeks in Spain and Portugal, four weeks in Brazil, and another two in Colombia. A chance to connect with more than 100 people who’ve been to every country in Portugal, and then off to Brazil to hang out with dozens more super avid travelers in Ouro Preto.
Eight weeks of incredible cities, fascinating people, beaches, rainforests, and more than a few logistical adventures. Shockingly, for a trip that involved over forty flights, not a single bit of flight drama! Brazil in particular reminded me just how much there is to discover even in countries I’ve already visited.
Two weeks back in DC, and then it was off to Papua New Guinea and Australia for a month. Again, this wasn’t in my plans. My plans were to stay home and rest. But a good friend mentioned the PNG trip while I was in Brazil, and yup, I booked it. The Mount Hagen Festival was absolutely extraordinary, and Australia delivered another wonderful combination of cities, remote places, and unusual aircraft. Yes, I still get ridiculously excited about flying on a Fokker or a Dash 8. Some things will never change. ✈️
Then came a whopping FOUR DAYS at home before heading off to Kazakhstan for Baikonur and the rocket launch that wasn’t, followed by another four weeks exploring Central Asia. Because…hey, unexplored regions nearby are exactly the reason I needed to keep going.
There were Soviet space shuttles, extraordinary landscapes, some seriously obscure destinations, and a visit to the former Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. Because apparently my definition of sightseeing now includes putting on protective clothing to visit a radioactive atomic lake. 😂
And finally, after another four days at home, I was off again. This latest adventure has taken me to Yemen (finally!), Germany, Armenia, and soon Georgia and Türkiye. Then it’s on to Bangkok for the Extreme Travel Festival, followed by more Indonesia and Australia before I eventually make my way home in November. I want to do more trip report style writeups, and promise I’ll get to it!
Just writing all that makes me want a nap.
So, What Have I Learned? (If anything)
First, I wouldn’t trade these experiences for anything in the world. I’ve had an extraordinary year, seen some truly remarkable places, met wonderful people, and made memories I’ll treasure forever. I recognize how incredibly fortunate I am to be able to travel this much, and I don’t take that for granted. A good friend who’s been doing a similar post-career couple years of traveling (and who also plans to go back to work a bit) told me recently: if this is the only retirement I can end up affording, it will have been worth it.
But here’s the thing: I’m not tired of traveling. I’m tired of the pace I’ve been traveling at.
There’s a huge difference there.
I’ve spent much of this year moving every day or two, constantly thinking about the next train, flight, hotel, border crossing, or region I want to visit. And I genuinely enjoy that sort of travel. I love the planning, the logistics, the unexpected discoveries, and the satisfaction of making an ambitious itinerary work. I think the planning and logistics are some of my favorite parts of travel.
But doing it for a week or two is one thing. Doing it for most of a year is something else entirely.
Even when everything goes perfectly, there’s a certain amount of mental energy involved in constantly being on the move. Packing up, checking out, getting somewhere, figuring out a new place, and doing it all again 48 hours later. Add the occasional 5 AM alarm, delayed flight, or six-hour drive, and suddenly what should be an adventure starts to resemble a rather demanding full-time job. One with no weekends. 😂
And those little day trips that sound so relaxing on paper? Often they mean leaving before sunrise and returning after dark. Wonderful experiences, absolutely, but not necessarily restful ones. Especially when you still have to get your daily run in.
I’ve started wondering whether, if I ever really wanted to travel full-time, I’d need to do it differently. Instead of spending two nights somewhere and moving on, maybe I’d rent an apartment in a city for three or four weeks. Get to know the neighborhood. Find a favorite coffee shop. Join a local running group. Have a few ordinary days mixed in with the adventures, and make occasional excursions without feeling obligated to fill every single day. More supermarkets, less cafes and restaurants.
In other words, spend a little more time living somewhere rather than constantly passing through.
That doesn’t mean giving up my ridiculous itineraries. I suspect there will always be a part of me that looks at a map and thinks, “Hmm, I wonder if I could squeeze in three more regions before dinner?” 😜
But maybe those trips need to be the exception rather than the default. Also, the problem with having such ridiculously well-traveled friends is that they keep inviting you on trips that you know you’re too exhausted for, but just can’t say no to. In 2027 I’m going to have to do a better job of prioritizing and saying no.
And What Comes Next?
Here’s something that might surprise people who know me: I have absolutely nothing booked after this trip. Yes, there’s still four weeks left on this trip (which tends to be my prime booking window recently) but I already know how the year will likely shake out:
I know I’ll be spending Thanksgiving week traveling with a friend on our annual Thanksgiving adventure, probably somewhere in northern South America, but we haven’t decided exactly where yet. After that, I’m looking forward to spending Christmas with family. More than just a couple of days.
And that’s it for 2026.
As for New Years? As for 2027? I genuinely have no idea.
I know I’ll keep traveling. There are far too many places I want to revisit, people I want to see, and experiences I haven’t had yet. But I also know that next year needs to be slower than this one. Not necessarily fewer adventures, but perhaps fewer frantic transitions between them.
Maybe the biggest lesson of 2026 is that there’s a difference between having the freedom to go anywhere and feeling like you need to go everywhere.
For someone who has now spent decades chasing countries and regions, that’s a pretty interesting realization.
And I’m curious: For those of you who travel extensively, especially for months at a time, how do you make it sustainable? Do you establish a home base for weeks at a time? Alternate busy trips with slower ones? Or have you somehow figured out how to keep moving without exhausting yourself? Or am I just getting “older?”
I’d genuinely love to hear how others have found that balance, because I’m still working on mine.
And if there’s one thing this year has taught me, it’s that even after visiting every country in the world, I apparently still have a lot to learn about traveling and about the world.
Thanks, as always, for coming along for the ride. ❤️