Pardon my silence. I have been extremely busy doing nothing.

Enjoying what is perhaps the first bit of genuine downtime I’ve had this entire year. Movies. Grocery shopping. Home-cooked dinners. You’ve never met a girl happier to do such simple things.

Naturally, with the year nearly under wraps, I have also been reflecting.

This is my 2024 Travel Wrapped.

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I turned 27 last week. In honor of these 27 years, I present a list of 27 places — specifics, not cities or countries — that have made me who I am today. 

As someone who resists the idea of defining myself in any singular way, I think this paints a beautiful picture.

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Three months of Balkan Summer — gone. 26 places. Done and dusted.

Prices dropped. Temperatures… also dropped. And while I am by no means ready for the darkness of winter, I am ready to unpack my bags, and be still. 

For now.

I hereby present the final round of unedited excerpts from my notes app: Balkan Summer edition.

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Two months later and I am still thinking about that tiny, triangular country in the heart of the Balkans that no one thinks to go to. Two months later and I have sold several a wayward backpacker on where to travel next. 

In a detour from my typical, more personal content, I’ve compiled a concise list of reasons why you should consider visiting Bosnia & Herzegovina.

This is not sponsored by their tourism board, but it might as well be.

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Look. I’m at the tail end of this trip, enjoying the moment while it lasts. I’m also booking accommodation for next month’s trips. And! Somewhere in my subconscious, I’m searching for the mental capacity to buy that next plane ticket.

This week, there’s not much going on in my head besides logistics.

As I must deal with what is on the surface, here are some scattered travel thoughts — crowdsourced from the public, contemplated by yours truly.

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Two months of Balkan Summer — gone. 17 places. Done and dusted.

Prices rose. Temperatures dropped. Wine and seafood reigned. And I am very tired.

I now present the next round of unedited excerpts from my notes app: Balkan Summer edition. 

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Croatia: sunshine, crystal-clear water, fresh seafood. Considered by many “savvy” travelers to be the “new” European hot spot, a bucket-list trip, a once-in-a-lifetime vacation destination… and I never need to go back.

See: three intersecting reasons.

• The rise of tourism.

• The impact of long-term travel.

• Personal experience and perception.

Let’s dive into these (not so) crystal-clear waters, shall we?

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This weekend marked one month of Balkan summer — 9 different cities/towns! — and I am happy to report that I have, in fact, learned some things. It is time to reflect.

Yet… I don’t feel I have much to say. That is, until I remember there is much I’ve already said.

I now present unedited excerpts from my notes app: Balkan Summer edition. 

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An old man with a room to let. A half-Russian actor from Albany. A local bartender with a penchant for eco-tourism. A Serbian entrepreneur based in Stockholm. A man-about-town smoothie company owner.

And the way each one of them led to the next.

A series of anecdotes. A deeper look at the statement: people are the reason why I travel.

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