This is probably my favorite post to write here, on the blog. The end of December is a good time to sit down and reflect on the past twelve months and what I’ve been up to. And 2023, the last year of my 30s, was a pretty good and stable one. There were no major changes or events, but I didn’t mind that at all. Here’s a little recap of 2023.

Travel

It wasn’t my best travel year, but I definitely can’t complain. I spent 79 days traveling, visiting seven new countries (Tunisia, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Belize, United Arab Emirates, and Oman) and returning to some of my favorite destinations. Here are the places I’ve been to in 2023 (some of them are already covered on this blog; more articles will be published soon):

• Tunisia (Tunis, Carthage, Sidi Bou Said, Bulla Regia, Sousse, El Jem, Kairouan, Djerba)
• Guatemala (Antigua, Lake Atitlan, Flores, Tikal, Guatemala City)
• Honduras (Copan Ruinas)
• El Salvador (El Tunco, Cerro Verde National Park, San Andres Archeological Site, Joya de Cerén)
• Belize (San Ignacio, Xunantunich, Belize City, Caye Caulker)
• Slovakia (UNESCO churches, Kosice)
• Romania (Oradea, Salina Turda, Alba Iulia, Brasov, Sibiu, Sighisoara, and numerous smaller places in Transylvania, Bukovina, and Maramures)
• Hungary (Budapest)
• Austria (Vienna, Wachau Valley, Linz, Innsbruck, Zell am See, Kaprun, Bad Gastein)
• Norway (Oslo, Larvik)
• Lithuania (Vilnius)
• Bulgaria (Varna, Veliko Tarnovo)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sarajevo, Mostar)
• Croatia (Dubrovnik)
• United Arab Emirates (Dubai, Abu Dhabi)
• Oman (Muscat, Nizwa, Bahla, Sur, Qalhat, a few wadis and mountains)
• Cyprus (Larnaca, Limassol, Kourion, Paphos)

There were also a few trips around Poland, but much less than I was hoping for – that’s something I would like to improve in 2024!

Here are a few pictures of the places I visited this year:

Blogging

This was the most successful year in the eleven years of this blog, and I’m more than grateful for what I’ve managed to achieve here and for your constant support of my work. I published 51 articles, which is pretty fine considering I still work full-time and try to balance my job, blog, travel, and regular life. This is the article number 600 I’ve ever published here – I still can’t believe how far I’ve come with this little corner of the internet.

As always, with my articles I was aiming to give you all the best information for your travels so you can explore the world hassle-free and discover all the amazing places I’ve been to (and enjoyed) as well! And I think it paid off as I reached almost two million pageviews here – I still can’t wrap my head around that!

I couldn’t be more proud, as this was a very challenging year for content creators, and it might get even worse in the future. So, I’m more than grateful for what I’ve managed to achieve here. And I wouldn’t have come that far without you, my Dear Readers! So, thank you again!

Personal Life

This was another stable year, but as long as everything is fine, I’m OK with that. I still work for the same company (it’s been over 15 years now…). I still do my best to give my time and focus to people I care about, as those friendships are very important to me. I still enjoy quiet time at home, with a TV show or a romance book (the best way for me to relax; I read over 200 of them this year – don’t ask me how I did that; I have no idea).

And I still try to attend some good metal concerts nearby. Even if this year wasn’t as good as the last one, I still managed to see Rammstein in Budapest, Halestorm in Warsaw, and Lindemann in Katowice.

2023 was also the year when COVID finally got me, in December, but it was very mild, so again, nothing to complain about. Overall, it was a good year, even with no major events.

Plans for 2024

I’m actually really looking forward to 2024 as I have some exciting things planned, including visiting new countries and attending fantastic events.

In January I’m going to Mexico – it will be my country no 80! In March, one of my dreams will come true as I’m going to see an NHL game live in New York City. Later that month, I’m going to Sri Lanka, another new country for me.

Spring and summer will be full of concerts: Slash, Rammstein (this time in Belgrade, Serbia), Foo Fighters, and two Metallica shows. And at the end of summer, I’m going to Cuba. Accidentally, I booked tickets for the day after my 40th birthday (it took me a few days to connect the dots), so it will be a nice present for myself.

As usual, I’m also hoping to explore more of my favorite part of the world – Central Europe, the Balkans and Caucasus, and share these amazing places here with you.

When it comes to the blog, I will continue working hard and providing you with the best guides and information I can. I really enjoy writing those, and when I get your comments and emails, I can see that my work pays off. Your feedback is always the best motivation for me!

Again, I will try to be more active on social media, as interacting with you on a daily basis is always the highlight of being present online. 2023 was already better in that aspect, but I’m still hoping to do better next year. I’m active on Facebook and Instagram mostly, you can follow me here and here. I’m also planning to send a newsletter more regularly – I failed big time this year, mostly due to technical reasons, but those seem to be solved now. To join my newsletter, click here.

As for everything else, I have no expectations or goals, like every other year. This might sound lame to some, but I’m not demanding, and as long as everyone around me and I are healthy and doing OK, I’m happy. I think I’ve already achieved a lot over the years; I learned to let things go and enjoy simple things like time with friends, good books, etc. Life is more than just work. But of course, I will be grateful for any opportunities and will deal with any challenges that might come my way.

Once again, thank you for being here with me! Have a wonderful New Year with beautiful places, exciting adventures, good people around you, and a relaxing time for yourself! All the best!

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