Once the travel bug bites, there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life Michael Palin
I know I have a reputation when people message me and ask not “how are you?” but “where are you?” This year’s answer included going to 27 countries around the globe: from Brazil and South Africa in the south, to Finland and Norway in the north, Japan in the east, and Colombia in the west. This wasn’t an easy year, but what a journey it has been. Ranked below are my top 12 travel experiences in order of impact: two I never want to see again.
#1 Iguazu Falls, Argentina/Brazil.
As a young teen, I was captivated by the music, imagery, and story of “The Mission“. Decades later, I finally stood where that film came alive. Nothing prepared me for the thunder and noise of Iguazu with the constant walls of water crashing over the edge. The crowds and selfie‑hunters were a shock, but they faded into the background once I caught sight of the falls. Foz do Iguaçu, the lively Brazilian gateway town, is the perfect base for exploring both sides of this natural wonder.
#2 Mass Shooting at Or Tor Kor Market, Bangkok, Thailand
Imagine visiting one of the top ten markets in the world, only for it to become, in a moment, one of the most horrifying, surreal, and traumatic moments of my life. The gunman was just two metres (six feet) behind me, and his first two victims were one metre (3 feet) to my right. I’m grateful to be alive. The market has been struggling since and I do encourage people to visit. Check out Royal Project Coffee!
#3 The Complex, Pulsing Energy of Rio
Rio takes third place. Intoxicating, dazzling, and endlessly alive. It was everything I had imagined and more. Staying in Copacabana felt like stepping inside a movie: the rhythm of the waves, the endless parade of impossibly confident and beautiful locals and a city that hummed day and night. I walked the length of Copacabana and Ipanema, visited the fort where the two beaches meet, stood before Christ the Redeemer, and explored Rio’s markets, churches, cathedrals, and museums, old and new. The view from Sugarloaf easily ranks among the most breathtaking I’ve seen. Beyond the beach’s glossy edge, I discovered everyday Rio.
#4 Kruger National Park
Watching a leopard in full flight trying to capture a baby baboon was both terrifying and mesmerising. The entire time I spent in the national park was participating in a rolling parade of life: elegant springbok, majestic giraffes, hippos wallowing in the water, a hyena and her cubs resting by the track, and countless impala. We did not see any of the park’s estimated 1,600 lions this time, presumably hiding somewhere in the 19,485 square kilometres (7,523 square miles). It was heartening to see so many elephants, yet distressing to know how many are still lost to poaching across Africa. PS The baboon survived!
#5 Beautiful Bergen
Take a stunning waterway and add a beautiful cityscape and throw in some mountains and forests. Mix a great arts and sports culture, good food, cafes and restaurants and you have Bergen, a city of 300,000 people about 300km (180 miles) from Norway;s capital Oslo. Getting there, you have four spectacular choices. Fly over stunning land and water scapes, drive and train through diverse jaw-dropping mountainous routes or sail through magnificent fjords. Catch a concert at Grieghallen grand piano shaped concert hall, stroll the waterside and ride the cable car up Mount Ulriken, the highest of Bergen’s seven mountains. I hiked the 18km Vidden trail with the city and fjords spread out below.
#6. Cape Town, South Africa
Another waterfront and mountainous city. I soon learnt why Cape Town more than earns its reputation as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Lion’s Head, Table Mountain, the coastline, and the light together create a city that feels cinematic, but it is also a place shaped by centuries of conflict, inequality, and deep fractures that are impossible to ignore.
The people were as warm and friendly as the landscapes were stunning, to the point where even two would-be muggers greeted me! (They didn’t succeed in a mugging).
You must add two places to your list if you visit. The first is the sobering District 6 museum which documents the erasure of an enture community under Apartheid and the Cape of Good Hope.
I wrongly assumed the Cape was both the southernmost point of South Africa and the exact place where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. Its not. That point is Cape Agulhas, 150 kilometres (93 miles) away. Still the cape is fabulous. Make sure you see the Penguins at Boulders Beach.
#7 Earthquake!
Second terrible travel Event. Sitting in Bangkok’s beautiful Kimpton hotel, lobby, I suddenly felt dizzy. It took a few seconds to register that the entire place was shaking. That sensation was a jarring reminder that nature can intrude on our best-laid plans. After it stopped, we all ran, thinking that a building collapse was inevitable. Condolences to the 2000+ who died in Myanmar and Thailand.
#8 Beautiful Bern, Switzerland
This medieval UNESCO-listed old town sits inside a tight bend of the turquoise river, a maze of arcaded streets, fountains, and sandstone buildings that feels both grand and intimate. The mountains rise in the distance, ever-present reminders of where you are. It’s a capital city that somehow doesn’t feel like one. It’s quiet, walkable, and impossibly picturesque. I am obsessed by the people swimming down the Aare River as casually as others take the bus, diving in upstream and floating through the old town with the current.
#9 A China sweep: Chengdu (Pandas), Chongqing (Cliffs) and Xian (Warriors).
Watching the pandas in Chengdu was pure joy as they rolled, sprawled and munched their bamboo with complete disregard for the crowds watching. I came expecting to tick off a “Panda city” and left genuinely impressed; there was much more to Chengdu than just pandas, even though you will see their images everywhere as ice‑cream shapes, panda candy, and on café signage and restaurant decor.
This was my second visit to Chongqing. On that first trip, the city hadn’t really been discovered by foreigners; this last year it seems everyone has been trying to see the place – and for good reasons: the stunning cliffside scenery, the amazing food, the friendly people, and that extraordinary monorail! Are there enough superlatives to describe my second‑favourite city in China after Shanghai? Check out Eling Park at the top of the mountain, then follow the local tourists as they head down to Ciqikou Ancient Town, Chongqing’s old‑street district full of stone lanes, snack stalls and tea houses.
Down to Xi’an, and once I battled my way through the vast crowds of domestic tourists, the Terracotta Army absolutely lived up to its reputation. Row upon row of life‑sized warriors and horses, created in the 3rd century BCE to guard the tomb of China’s first emperor, show staggering scale and detail – every face seems different, every rank and role carefully modelled.
The city walls of Xi’an are superb, and the Muslim Quarter with delicious food and a very beautiful ancient mosque is a must‑do.
#10 Garden Route: wine, whales and walking
Some of my happiest days of the year were spent strolling the beaches around Mossel Bay and Hermanus while southern right whales breached and rolled just offshore. I hiked from the coast through bush and plantations near the cute town of Storms River, and made new friends in Knysna over good food and local wine. Make sure you take your time here.
#11 Yala and southern Thailand
Few tourists end up in Thailand’s four southernmost provinces: Narathiwat, Pattani, southern Songkhla and Yala.
On paper, the provinces are intimidating, with headlines, bomb scares and travel advisories, and I exercised maximum caution travelling here.
The whole area feels like a different country to the north, with intensely lush landscapes, more spoken Malay than Thai, a skyline of beautiful mosques instead of wats, and a very visible security presence with machine‑gun‑toting soldiers at checkpoints and bases. It is not a casual side trip, but going in informed and respectful revealed it as one of the most thought‑provoking, complex corners of Thailand to spend time in. Check out the planned city of Yala and try khao mok gai, a local Muslim Malay–Thai chicken dish.
#12 Okinawa
Okinawa is so unique. Once an independent Kingdom (Ryukyu), it traded heavily with China for several centuries. It was then annexed and absorbed into Japan in the late 19th century. The US then took control after World War II until 1972 when it reverted to Japan again. Located closer to Taiwan and the Philippines than Japan, the islands feel more subtropical and Southeast Asian than “classic” mainland Japan.
The food culture mixes Japanese, Chinese and American influences. American bases continue to operate on the islands, adding both an economic input and tensions over land usage. On the main island, try and see all three castles from the and the Ryukyuan era. A stop at the ubiquitous Blue Seal ice cream stop is a must.
2025 In Conclusion
What have I gained? Peace in the midst of chaos, a renewed appreciation for just how lucky I am, lots of moments with friends and a sense of wonder at how magical and beautiful this world truly is.
Over to you
What have you gained from your travels? Where have you visited in 2025, and what did you discover? Where are you off to in 2026?
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Living in California, it never occurred to me to run outdoors and yell “Eathquake”. I’ll keep that in mind.
In the continuing effort to improve blogs, I want to point out (#12, Okinawa), that nothing can be “so unique.” Unique is absolute – it is or it isn’t. So no place can be “so unique”, “very unique”, etc. If you want to modify the description, try “so unusual”.