2025 Was a Smooth Sail
I just had a look at our retrospective post from last year, and 2025 was relatively calm in comparison. This year we both stayed out of the hospital, thank God!! We weren’t moving into a new apartment, with all that’s involved when you buy real estate in Colombia. And we didn’t have to renew our visas this year, with the tricky travel restrictions attached.
So what DID we get up to in 2025?
Last May, we passed a big milestone: a decade as expats living outside our home country of the U.S. It’s been the best period of our lives, filled with challenges, adventures, and the joy of new experiences. We’d do it all over again in a heartbeat!
And of course, we traveled our faces off.
As we age, we’re realizing that the time is coming when we’ll be journeying less, and our modes of travel will be different. But for now, we want to see as much as we can, while we can! We may have taken fewer total trips in 2025 – but we’re staying gone for longer stretches, now that we have a secure, low-maintenance home that’s easy to “lock and leave.”
2025 TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS
January: Return to Santa Marta, Colombia
Santa Marta is a medium-sized city on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, and it’s become one of our favorite beach getaways. Santa Marta is often compared to Cartagena, but it’s a beautiful and historic city in its own right. We kicked off the year with another trip there for some beach R&R.
Related post:
February: Santiago and Valparaiso, Chile
Chile had been on our bucket list for a while as we continue to check off the South American countries we’ve visited. We started our Chile explorations in February with a visit to the capital, Santiago, and the colorful seaside city of Valparaiso.
Related posts:
March: The Dominican Republic
We ventured to the DR for the first time, and we know we’ll be back. We stayed on the north shore in Cabarete, a cool beach town with some gorgeous playas a short drive away. We also spent some time in the DR’s deeply historic capital, Santo Domingo.
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May: Iceland
What a journey this was. We spent almost a month circumnavigating Iceland on the famous Ring Road, and were dazzled every day by the otherworldly landscapes, steaming geothermal features, and waterfall after fabulous waterfall.
Related posts:
July: A Birthday Getaway to Colombia’s Isla Fuerte and Monteria
John hit the big 7-0 in July, and to celebrate we chose a decidedly off-the-beaten-path but beautiful destination: Isla Fuerte, off the Colombian Caribbean coast.
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August: A Family Visit, Then Boston and Bar Harbor
In early August, we had an enjoyable visit from my (Susan’s) aunt and uncle, John and Anne Gifford, and my mom, Mary Lea Baker. This was Mom’s third visit to Colombia, at almost 91! We love showing off this beautiful country to our visiting friends and family.
Later in August, we kicked off our Canadian Atlantic adventure with stops in Boston, Mass. and Bar Harbor, Maine (the jumping-off point for the ferry to Nova Scotia, Canada). Boston is easily our favorite US city at the moment, and we love passing through there for a dose of history and a wonderful Italian meal at our favorite North End restaurant, Bencotto. Boston and Bar Harbor are on the long list of pending blog posts in the queue!
September-October: Atlantic Canada and the Maritime Provinces
This fantastic roadtrip was our longest trip, to date – almost two months. And it was the trip in which we fell in love with Canada, and Canadians, all over again.
Related post (with lots more to come):
December: St. Lucia and Mendoza, Argentina
After a visit to Austin, Texas to celebrate Mom’s birthday and Thanksgiving with the family, we traveled to the Eastern Caribbean island of St. Lucia for some beachy R&R. It’s a lovely island, but the trip was a mixed bag.
Related post:
At this writing, we’re in Mendoza, Argentina, a city that has piqued our interest for a long time. Mendoza is considered the epicenter of Argentina’s renowned wine industry, playing host to two globally renowned wine regions – Valle de Uco and Lujan de Cuyo. It’s been a relaxing and enjoyable getaway, the ideal place for an escape from the madness of the holidays.
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So what’s in store for 2026?
In short, a mind-boggling list of travel plans. In just a couple of weeks we will visit Mompox, one of Colombia’s most storied heritage towns, and we’ll make a return visit to one of our favorite cities, Bogotá. In Feb/March, we’re finally pulling the trigger on a trip that’s been brewing for a few years, a camper van journey through the Patagonia regions of Chile and Argentina. In May we will make a big trip to Greece, and in the fall we are hoping to finally attempt Spain’s fabled Camino de Santiago. We’re also eyeing a trip to Vietnam towards the end of 2026, our first foray to Asia.
To put it mildly, 2025 has been a challenging year for people all over the world. So many wars, so much brutality and suffering. It’s getting harder and harder to stomach the awful headlines that pop up every single day, especially from our home country. With so much turmoil, it’s easy to get swept up in the bad news and forget that there really is some positivity in the world. Therefore, we will leave you with this little reminder that great things are still happening, and humans are still capable of goodness:
19 Comments
Thanks so much for sharing your stories with us. We are considering a similar path and it is so helpful to learn from your experiences!!
So glad to hear, Shirley! Thanks for reading and Happy New Year 🙂
What a year! You guys are my heroes! Looking forward to your travels in 2026!
Thanks so much, Glen – and thanks for being a loyal reader 🙂 All the best in 2026 to you and Pat. 🙂
Wow, what a year you had. So many travels and new experiences. I love it! There are some positives about not having dogs. 🙂
I’m glad you are enjoying Mendoza. We came pretty close to each other again, geographically, with us being in Santiago for a bit. And so cool you saw our camper as well. I was really wondering who would be the first one to spot Bella without us, but I didn’t expect it would be you two!!! I thought it would be another overlander we knew.
Have an amazing 2026 – hour plans sure sounds promising – and enjoy the end of this year!
What are the chances?? I said to John right after we spotted your old camper: We actually were inside that camper, back in our home at El Retiro 4,000 miles away, and now we’re seeing it again totally at random! It was such a crazy coincidence.
Here’s wishing you three a fantastic 2026 as you figure out your next adventures!
Hope you continue to travel and post. Have a great new year! You really inspire all of us who know you (in the past like me.)
Liz Stahl
Thank you, Liz – and thanks for being a loyal reader! Hope all is well there on Steiner Street. We loved those days and still miss San Franciso. All the best to you for a fabulous 2026!
You had a great 2025! Wishing you both a wonderful 2016. Maggie and Richard
Thank you, Maggie and Richard! Likewise, we’ve loved following your adventures and getting inspired to follow in your footsteps. Here’s to bounteous travel and new experiences in 2026!
Cheers,
John and Susan
Your energy is infectious! The notion that we should travel far while we can also often crosses my mind. I love that you filled 2025 with so many travels, and 2026 seems like another exciting year for you too!
Thanks so much, Bama! And thanks for your support and for being such a loyal reader. Wishing you and yours a bounteous and healthy 2026! 🙂
– John and Susan
Wow, what a great year, full of travels and wonderful moments you had! Thank you for sharing them to fellow travellers. And yes—travel while we can, when we can! This has been my life’s mantra, and I hope to fulfill it to the fullest when I can get off the hook of the working world, haha.
Exciting 2026 travel plans ahead, I look forward to reading your stories. Wishing you a happy new year from Borneo! 🙂
Thanks for reading – you might be our first reader from Borneo! 🙂 Back ‘atcha, Happy Happy New Year and a bountiful 2026! 🙂
Although you say you traveled less this year, you still did a ton of trips! Not only did you explore more of Colombia, your adopted country, but also checked out neighboring South American countries, Europe, and North America. My fiancée and I are especially intrigued to visit the Maritimes in Canada, and it’s awesome you got to go– one of these days, we’ll have to do the same! Here’s to more wonderful adventures in 2026. Cheers!
Thanks, Rebecca. I hope you get to visit Atlantic Canada soon – it ranks up there with our favorite trips! And of course I’m way behind on my blogging for that trip. Cheers back to you for a fantastic 2026!
– Susan
Que sigan teniendo esos buenos viajes…
Mil gracias, queridos amigos. Feliz Año Nuevo! 🙂
You crammed a lot into 2025 and 2026 is shaping up nicely too! Buen camino to you both. Mel