125 Country Recap

Passing the 100 county mark brought both a sense of accomplishment, but it’s also a wake up call that we are half way done with our world travel pilgrimage project. This grouping of travel touched almost every continent: Asia, South America, Europe and Africa. The majority of time was spent in Africa, as travel between the African countries can be tricky with scheduling, frequency, cancellations, and drive times. We didn't take a straight path, we repeated visiting a few countries, including India, Japan, Thailand, Spain and Italy - just to name a few.

The Baltics were a breath of fresh air, so clean, unique, and beautifully designed. Driving between them was a highlight, as we got to spend even more quality time together! Greenland was a total mind bender - we braved the elements and camped in the cold far outside of the main cities. We got a taste and appreciation for what real life is like for the local Inuit. The Faroe Islands landscape was so peaceful and precise - we'd love to return during their annual Olavsoka cultural festival. The fresh caught salmon does not get any more fresh. The biggest block of all turned out to be our 6 week cruise along the coast of West Africa. Spending 6 weeks on a ship in close proximity with 200 other well-traveled strangers is not for the faint of heart, but we ended up making new friends, and even started a health and fitness journey in the process!

Spending time along the coast of west Africa was a reminder of the collective worlds’ involvement in colonialism, trade (including human trade), natural resources, and opportunity for the future. We are forever grateful for the reminders of our history, and hopeful for positive progress for our future. We learned deeply during these few weeks and we’re forever grateful for it.

Peru was added to our top 10 favorite countries. You just can’t beat the food, the people, or the incredible history. Most people don’t realize that the Amazon River also runs through Peru and the cruise we took was exceptional.