My 2018 Year in Review - A Look Back on lnteresting Places to Travel
Last updated on : Apr 16, 2021
I can hardly believe how fast 2018 has flown by! I can definitely say that I picked some interesting places to travel in 2018, and I’m ready to see what the new year holds!
One thing that stuck with me in 2018 is the following phrase:
And this phrase has been my words to live by as it relates to travel and life.
I’ve always considered travel to be an informal classroom, a place for experiential learning. So, it’s great to see and learn about places I’ve always read about or never read about!
2018 has been a truly amazing year, and it’s not over yet! This year, I visited numerous countries from Nicaragua to Lithuania. Here’s a recap of some of my favorite experiences:
Soaring through the treetops in Arenal was so exciting, and the views from above were awesome, too! Costa Rica should be on everyone’s travel wish list!
It was here in Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula that I contemplated becoming a beach bum. The Nicoya Peninsula is one of five Blue Zones in the world. Pura vida!
It was really neat to visit the Masaya Volcano in Granada, Nicaragua at night. The crackling sound of lava flowing was just as cool as the sight of it. Check out my post, 5 Things You Must Do In Granada, Nicaragua.
With more bikes than cars, Copenhagen has a bike culture that rivals Amsterdam. It’s an intense place to bike, but I thought I held my own! Watch my brief video here.
There are many exciting outdoor things to do in Iceland. Snowmobiling on Iceland’s second largest glacier can only be described as thrilling. At first, I was a bit uneasy but half-way through, I put pedal to the metal!
The warm waters of Iceland’s famed lagoon were so fabulous, I didn’t want to leave! You actually do stay in for hours, because the temperatures when you get out of the lagoon are a bit of a shock, and the waters are so soothing. Lava, the onsite restaurant. is really good, and I would love to go back and stay in the new Retreat Hotel.
I enjoyed visiting the Vasa Museum in Stockholm to see this wooden ship built in the 1600s. It sunk shortly after embarkment and has been pulled from the sea and beautifully restored.
Riga, Latvia has the highest concentration of Art Nouveau buildings in the world with more than 1/3 of buildings in the city center incorporating this decorative architectural style. Watch my short video of this beautiful city.
The Hill of Crosses is a place of religious pilgrimage and remembrance that also symbolizes Lithuania’s historical defiance against foreign invaders. Hundreds of thousands of crosses have been planted by people from around the world.
I have always loved Puerto Rico, and it was good to return post-hurricane to support the local economy. The island is on the mend, and it’s one of the best value places to go!
Medellin is a modern and vibrant city with incredible street art and public art spaces. Check out my post on Why You Should Visit Medellin!
Palenque, the first freed slave settlement in the Americas, was an intriguing place to visit. I enjoyed learning about Afro-Colombian history, including the importance of hair styles, which escaped slave women would use to send messages and weave the paths to freedom.
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Great! You have visited my country. Did you visit only Hill of crosses or you also went to Vilnius or Kaunas? Maybe seaside of Lithuania? What did you like the most?
Hi Nomad Joseph,
I really enjoyed your country! I thought the food was amazing!!
I did visit Vilnius, but I did not make it to Kaunas, so I would love to return to visit Kaunas and Nida. I wanted to do the hot air balloon ride, but the weather was not cooperating. Next time…
I have always wanted to do zip lining, it looks so fun! I also visited Medellin and had a fantastic time. I loved the street art. Love your travel wish lists!
Thanks Brett,
The zip line is sorta crazy when you think about the fact that you are sliding down a cable between platforms built around trees! 🙂 Colombia is awesome, and I’d love to return.
Wow- what an incredible year! Copenhagen, Sweden and Iceland are all on our family’s bucket list- hopefully someday! They look amazing! Happy New Year!
Hi Elizabeth,
All three of those places are amazing with kids. Iceland is better for older kids, but still doable at any age. Copenhagen and Sweden are so beautiful. They are small scale with lots of things to do! Happy New Year to you!!
Wow! Looks like you had an incredible year! I’ve been wanting to go to Copenhagen for soooo long – hopefully 2019 will be my year!
Wow, what an amazing year of experiences you’ve had! The masaya volcano would have been an incredible experience – how close did you get?
Hi Mel,
2018 was a great year! As for the Masaya Volcano, you can walk up to the platform and look down into the crater, but you can’t go down into the crater. Also, due to the atmosphere, you are only allowed to stay about 10 to 15 minutes. It was still very neat to see and hear!
Very cool list! Funny how you’ve been in a very hot and a very cold environment. I see a lot of Iceland posts, so that country is moving up on my list definitely.
You’re right, Izzy, and that was not intentional! Iceland is a really cool place and worth the hype!
Happy New Year Dear!! .Your journey is truly a inspiration and the way you described it shows your experience. I greet you for 2019 . I hope that I’ll read more from you this year.
Such kind words, anshul! 🙂 Thanks so much!!!
wow, looks like you had a great adventure last 2018. I hope you will have more this year. Really like to try that zip lining in Costa Rica too.
Thanks Laurence!
Zip lining was loads of fun! It’s just great to try different things, too.
Wow. We also visited Costa Rica, Colombia, Sweden, Denmark and Costa Rica last year! Love the pics but am most haunted by the hill with the crosses in Lithuania.
Thanks Marcia!
We share love for similar places. I wish those crosses could speak, as I’m sure they have witnessed a lot!
What a varied travel year you’ve had! Great inspiration for me to get booking up some trips, Copenhagen being pretty near the top of my list! Have a great travel-filled 2019!
Wow, you got quite around this year.
I’m probably going to visit Colombia this year (not sure which month yet), so all these murals & graffiti pictures get me excited
Colombia is amazing! I’d love to go back, Mario.
I’m so jealous you saw the lava flow in Masaya Volcano, I just went to Erta Ale in Ethiopia and it was just smoking. I’ll be doing snowmobiling in 2 weeks in Finland although Iceland is on my list for 2019. What fabulous memories!
Wow! That all sounds great. I’ll be looking out for details on your amazing adventure. 🙂
You had an amazing 2018. What are your plans for 2019? Some of these things are in my bucket list, like the Blue lagoon and zip line looks so much fun!
What a fantastic year you had. So many places and experiences. Costa Rica is definitely on my wish list, as you suggest. I wish you even more exciting 2019
Thanks Anna! You’d love Costa Rica. 🙂
Wow you really had an amazing 2018. I hope you have an adventurous 2019 too. Also, I would love to try Zip lining. Looks like a lot of fun.
It really was, Anisha! Thank you. I am hoping for a great year and wish you one as well!
Wow! 2018 was certainly a good year in terms of travel for you. Wishing you more travels in 2019 🙂 Iceland is so my list and couldn’t tick it off in 2018. Hopefully, I’d be able to visit the land of ice and fire in 2019. Copenhagen is my favorite city in the world.
I love Copenhagen, too Anjali! 🙂 You will love Iceland, too. Maybe, you can catch a fare sale from one of the airlines.