Recap of the Year: 2025

Last year I initially said that it would be a slower pace for my travels that year, but it ended up being probably the most intense travel year I ever had. This year I said the same thing to myself, that it would be a slower pace with less travel to focus on saving a buffer and buying other things I needed.

2025 actually became a year with less travel than usual. I only visited eight countries this year, which is considerably less than both 2023 and 2024. Seven out of those eight countries were countries I had never been to before though, which is actually more than last year.

The focus for this year was Europe, and specifically Eastern Europe and the Balkans. A region I had only briefly visited before, and really enjoyed. So this year I visited six different countries in the Balkans. I still have not been to Greece though. Unless we count an eight hour layover where I could walk the streets of Athens for about two hours and eat a quick dinner.

Next year will probably see much less Europe and more destinations in the East, hopefully.

I started the year with a visit to a city I have had at the top of my travel list for years. I have almost booked a trip there several times over the years, so this year I decided that I would go, no matter what.

The history in Sarajevo has few cities that can match it. It had a main role in the start of the First World War with the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in the city, and it was once again a central part of a major conflict with the break up of Yugoslavia and the Bosnian War of the 1990s. The Siege of Sarajevo is still a visible scar in the cityscape.

Walking through the center of Sarajevo is like walking from Istanbul to Vienna. Sarajevo is a melting pot of cultures due to its history and the many cultures that have been present in the city throughout the years. I can highly recommend a visit to Sarajevo.

You cannot go to Bosnia without visiting Herzegovina and Mostar. It is a small town, but it is one of the most famous towns in Europe because of the Old Bridge, which unfortunately is a replica since the original was destroyed during the Bosnian War in the 1990s.

One of the reasons why I did not visit Sarajevo earlier was that I had to make sure to have enough time to see everything in Sarajevo, as well as a day trip to Mostar. With a week of vacation I had that time, and I could then continue my trip and end it in Croatia, which Mostar is perfectly located for. Most people visiting Mostar do so as a day trip from Dubrovnik anyway.

The Old Bridge and Old Town are something you will feel done with in just two hours or less, so a day trip is definitely the best way to see Mostar. I stayed one night so I could catch an early bus the next day. Something that I can recommend in Mostar is to explore a little bit outside of the Old Town. There are a lot of remnants from the Siege of Mostar still visible, buildings still in ruins and bullet holes in the walls.

I have never watched Game of Thrones, but maybe I should have before I visited Dubrovnik. The series was filmed in the city, and it is something they seem to be very proud of, as the series is everywhere there.

Dubrovnik felt like a very typical tourist city. The compact Old Town is nice, but it is very pricey to be in Dubrovnik, and I felt that my two days of exploring were more than enough to see everything. I do want to explore more of Croatia though. I only went to Dubrovnik because it was the easiest way to get back home to Sweden.

This was actually my first time on an all inclusive holiday. A week on Mallorca, doing pretty much nothing all day. It is the complete opposite of my normal travel style, but it was a nice break from the norm.

I did use one day of my week in Alcúdia to go on a day trip to Palma. I was actually pleasantly surprised. Palma was an interesting city with lots of history.

I actually think that two days would have been ideal, as I only had time to see the main sights and those near the city center. I could definitely have used one more day to explore the city in more depth. But it is a place that I am sure there will be more opportunities to visit again sometime in the future.

I can definitely understand why Budapest is such a popular destination in Europe. The city feels like a major historic city and much larger than comparable cities. Historically, it was also much larger and more politically important than it is today.

This former glory means that there is an abundance of things to see and do in Budapest. Buda Castle is one of the most famous castles in Europe, and the view of the city is gorgeous. Unfortunately, the castle is under heavy renovation for the time being, and from the signs it looks like it will not be finished until 2030. But the view from it still makes it worth going there.

The Hungarian Parliament is another major sight, one that you will instantly recognize. Váci Shopping Street, St. Stephen's Basilica, Fisherman's Bastion, the architecture, and the thermal baths are all reasons to go to Budapest.

My second trip to the Balkans this year was in September and started in Sofia. I have been interested in going to Bulgaria for a long time. It has not been as prioritized a destination as Sarajevo and Bosnia were, but it has still been a country I wanted to visit and tick off my list.

Sofia has the potential to be a perfect weekend destination. It is located within three hours of almost all of Europe, and it is quick to get to and from the airport. There are a few major sights, such as the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and Vitosha Street, but there is not an overwhelming amount of things to do. So after a weekend you will feel done and happy with your visit.

The most important stop on any Bulgaria itinerary is often said to be Plovdiv. It is the oldest city in Europe, and it is located less than two hours from Sofia.

I went there as a day trip, and I would not recommend staying longer than that. It is definitely worth it as a day trip, but there is not enough to do to spend any extended time in the city. Plovdiv has lots of Roman history, with the most famous example being the Roman Amphitheatre.

The biggest surprise of the year is probably Skopje. I had very low expectations of this city, mainly because you never really hear anything about it. It is not known for anything, it is not mentioned as a major tourist destination, and it does not have sea access even though it is in the Mediterranean part of Europe. But I found Skopje to be a really interesting city.

Skopje is a city divided between a historic Old Town and a modern city center. The two parts, which are like two completely different cities, are divided by a small river. Crossing the Old Bridge is like entering a new country, no matter which direction you go.

The modern part of Skopje is one of the more unique in Europe. The city is called "The City of a Thousand Statues", and that is for a reason.

Pristina was just a day trip from Skopje. It is a perfect day trip, as it only takes a little more than an hour and there are frequent departures all day. The size of Pristina is also perfect for a day trip. However, there are a few things in Kosovo that I felt I might have to go back for in the future, Prizren for example. But that is a perfect day trip from Tirana, which I have not visited yet.

I liked Pristina. There is not a huge amount to see, but enough to fill a day and also allow for a slower pace. I could visit the sights, walk around aimlessly for a while, and also sit down at a café and rest. One thing you must do in Pristina is go to the top of the Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa. Great views, and the space at the top is more open than is common in church towers and does not have the usual look at all. There is also an elevator, so it is not the usual climb through a cramped stairwell.

I started the year with a city that had been at the top of my travel list for years. I ended the year by visiting the city that took its place as number one on my list. Cairo is another city that I had been talking about, thinking about, and wishing to visit for several years, but always postponed for various reasons.

A lot of people say that they hate Cairo, and most of what I read online was negative. But I have to say that I enjoyed the city. I liked the chaos. I liked the grittiness. There is something interesting about all the history combined with the modern, chaotic concrete.

And of course, the highlight is the Pyramids of Giza. Just do not stay out there too long. Giza is not a nice place. I had six days total in Cairo but still feel that I did not do everything I wanted. I could not visit Saqqara and Memphis, for example.

Most people would go to Luxor as a secondary destination after Cairo and the Pyramids of Giza. I wanted to go there too, but I also had a great interest in visiting Alexandria. Luxor and Cairo have a lot of ancient history, but Alexandria is where the Roman history of Egypt exists. In the end, I had too few days to visit both Alexandria and Luxor, and with the days I had, I preferred to do Cairo fully, which would not leave enough days to go to Luxor at all.

While I am happy to have visited Alexandria, it is not a city with a wow factor. There are some sights, and it was nice to visit a city by the ocean after the desert in Cairo. Alexandria also has the ruins of one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. So technically, I can now say that I have visited two of them.