That Was 2024

Well, our travelling for 2024 is done and dusted and we eagerly await our first adventure of the new year. We think it’s fair to say that although 2024 was another splendid year of travel, not everything went according to plan. What with having to return home when Michaela’s Dad passed away, hiking ability being blighted by hip/groin trouble, becoming unexpectedly Africa’d out and heading to Turkey instead, the year ended up with a shape significantly different from the original plan.

You could say it was a year of mighty rivers, as we saw or sailed upon the Amazon, the Rio Negro, the Mississippi, the Tennessee, the Thames and the Zambezi.

We didn’t break any records this year though – travel days totalled 216 (best ever 270 in 2023), we visited 12 countries (record is 18 also in 2023), slept in 73 beds (our highest is 92), and “only” walked 1,170 miles on our travels, way short of our best ever of 1,680. Our longest trip of the year – Africa- was 84 days, making it joint third longest.

In any event, this is how 2024 unfolded….

JANUARY

Countries visited: None

Route: home- Padstow-home

Bed count: 4

Memorable people: Met no one new.

Best bars/restaurants: Only the usual haunts in Kent, Padstow and Lowestoft

Memorable events/bucket list items: None

Low point: Making a slow start to the travel year

FEBRUARY 

Countries: Brazil.

Route: home-Rio de Janeiro-home

Bed count: 6

People: None really

Bars/restaurants: Xodozin, Rio de Janeiro.

Memorable events/Bucket list: Staying up all night at the incredible Rio Sambadrome party, spending days at the Rio carnavale, the feeling of being at Copacabana and Ipanema, heading to the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain.

Low points: Being pickpocketed and losing my iPhone, receiving the call advising of the death of Michaela’s Dad and having to head home.

MARCH

Countries: Brazil, Argentina.

Route: home-Sao Paulo-Paraty-Guarulhos-Foz do Iguaçu-Puerto Iguazu-Foz do Iguaçu

Bed count: 12

People: None really

Bars/restaurants: Cabore Brewery Bar (Paraty), Patagonia Brewing Company (Puerto Iguazu).

Events/Bucket list: The charm of Paraty, watching the streets of Paraty flood at high tide, the Iguazu Falls, a first taste of Argentina, crazy boat trip under the falls.

Low points: None

APRIL

Countries: Brazil, USA

Route: Foz do Iguaçu-Olinda-Manaus-Cachoeira do Castanho-Manaus-New Orleans-Crystal Springs-Hot Springs-Memphis.

Bed count: 21

People: Leo (host in Olinda), Crazy Jim and “Speedy” (guides in the Amazon), Will (English lad staying in the jungle), Stacey (host in Crystal Springs).

Bars/restaurants: Bar do Peneira (Olinda), Bar do Armando (Manaus), Da Luca’s (Hot Springs), Creole House (New Orleans), BB King’s Blues Bar, Blues City Cafe and The Slider Inn (all Memphis). 

Events/bucket list: So many! The joy of Olinda, staying way out in the Amazon including a night in a hammock deep in the jungle, the “meeting of the waters” on the Amazon, spending a week in New Orleans with my daughter and her wife, the jazz, the food and the paddle steamer trip on the Mississippi, visiting a plantation, just the joy of being in “Nawlins”, unearthing the gangster and baseball history of Hot Springs.

Low points: Absolutely none, a fabulous month.

MAY

Countries: USA

Route: Memphis-Nashville-Gatlinburg-Fort Payne-Bay Minette-New Orleans-Acton CA-home-London-home

Bed count: 29

People: Meg, Brad and Tess, Jeanette and Ruby.

Bars/restaurants: Coop’s, Molly’s Market (both New Orleans), Kid Rock’s Honky Tonk Bar (Nashville), the restaurant which Meg and Brad took us to (Loveless Cafe, outside of Nashville).

Events/bucket list: So many again! Visiting Graceland, the Sun Studios tour, the music history museums of Memphis, the amazing blues bars in Beale Street, the music scene in Nashville, meeting fellow blogger Meg, her husband Brad and delightful daughter Tess, seeing bears in the street in Gatlinburg, enjoying the summits of some of the Smoky Mountains, the scenery around Gatlinburg, spending a chilled week at my daughter’s house in California, springing a birthday surprise on Michaela by meeting up with oldest and closest friend Jeanette in London. Oh, and just the joys of a US road trip.

Low points: Driving through extreme weather on leaving Nashville, a bedroom with a leaking roof in Bay Minette (not exactly deep lows!).

JUNE

Countries: None

Route: home-Gosport-Derby-Hexham-home

Bed count: 33

People: Spent June visiting family and catching up with friends.

Bars/restaurants: Good places but nowhere new

Events/bucket list: None

Low points: None

JULY

Countries: Kenya.

Route: home-Nairobi-Ololaimutiek (Masai Mara)-Nakuru-Kimana (Amboselli)-Ngulia (Tsavo West)-Voi (Tsavo East)-Diani.

Bed count: 40.

People: Stanley (safari guide), Barakha (barman/waiter in Diani), Teddy (friendly security guard in Diani).

Bars/restaurants: Africa Pot, Funky Monkey, Havana and La Gusta for amazing grilled octopus (all in Diani).

Events/bucket list: Without doubt the incredible succession of amazing animal spotting on safari, seeing all of the Big Five, relaxing in Diani.

Low points: Overnight stops at safari lodges too short to enjoy the location.

AUGUST

Countries: Kenya, Malawi, Zambia

Route: Diani-Mombasa-Lilongwe-Cape Maclear-Zomba-Bvumbwe-Dedza-Lilongwe-Chipata-Lusaka-Livingstone

Bed count: 52

People: Isaac (guide in Zomba), Soven (helpful guy in Chipata), Darius (guide in Lusaka).

Bars/restaurants: Hiccups Pub (Cape Maclear)

Events/bucket list: The surprise of Mombasa, the beauty of Lake Malawi and its incredible underwater scenes, hiking to the roof of Zomba plateau, the thrill of the adventure of crossing the mysterious border between Malawi and Zambia.

Low points: The dullness of Lilongwe (there too long), a bag snatch attempt (thankfully failed) in Mombasa, the dreadful long bus journey from Chipata to Lusaka. 

SEPTEMBER 

Countries: Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana.

Route: Livingstone-Victoria Falls-Bulawayo-Great Zimbabwe-Nyanga-Gweru-Bulawayo-Francistown-Maun-Morematao (Boteti)-Motopi.

Bed count: 61.

People: None especially 

Bars/restaurants: Zulu, Marula and Lookout Restaurant (all Victoria Falls), Selborne Bar (Bulawayo).

Events/Bucket list: Seeing the Victoria Falls, boat trip on the Zambezi and seeing elephants swimming, zip line at the Falls, visiting Great Zimbabwe, more safari.

Low points: The horror show of Rhodes Nyanga Hotel and its attempt to outdo Fawlty Towers, the realisation that we’d had enough of safari lodges and were going to change plans.

OCTOBER

Countries: Botswana, Namibia, Turkey

Route: Motopi-Maun-Windhoek-home-Padstow-home-Fethiye.

Bed count: 67

People: None

Bars/restaurants: Deep Blue (Fethiye).

Events/bucket list: Enjoying the European flavour of Windhoek, catching late year sunshine in Fethiye.

Low points: None

NOVEMBER 

Countries: Turkey, Greece

Route: Fethiye-Datça-Bodrum-Kos-Pothia(Kalymnos)-Bodrum-home

Bed count: 72.

People: Our lovely hosts in Pothia, Stella and Sotiris.

Bars/restaurants: Sapa (Datça), Taverna Antonou (Kos), Mad Music Cafe, Tsaposperi Meze, Lelekis Nikolaus (all Pothia), Yok Deve and Turunç (both Bodrum).

Events/bucket list: Amazing food on Kalymnos, discovering the Datça peninsula, ancient sites including one of the ancient 7 wonders, reacquainting ourselves with our old friend Turkey.

DECEMBER

Countries: None

Route: N/a

Bed count: 73 with a Christmas stay in Essex

People: Meeting up with fellow blogger Sarah (Travel With Me) and her husband Chris in London.

Bars/restaurants: N/a

Events/bucket list: As above with Sarah and Chris, and of course Christmas with family will be great.

Low points: None yet, let’s hope it stays that way.

And that, everyone, was 2024. Compliments of the season to everybody, and here’s wishing all fellow explorers good health and happy travels in 2025.