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15 Countries visited in 2025📍🌎😎

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2025: My first full year taking a run at retirement!

2025 turned out to be my most traveled year ever—and somehow, I feel that I’m just getting started.

January – Vietnam
(HCMC, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue, Phu Quoc)

February – Cambodia & Thailand
(Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao)

March – UK & Europe
(London, Greece, Iceland, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Italy)

April – October–US & Mexico

(Mesa and Rocky Point—two incredible home bases)

November & December – SE Asia
(Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Bali)

Every trip felt different. Every move resets my brain. And somehow, it all worked out absolutely perfect!

2026: Already Booked (Of Course It Is!)

January to mid-April
Mexico, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Philippines

May to October (Homebases in Mesa/Mexico)

Volaris + Frontier all-you-can-fly chaos—route TBD, cheap is guaranteed

Nov and Dec– Europe by Rail-pass

Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Southern Spain/Portugal

Eastern Europe is still being self-negotiated with my grade-three attention span.

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Three months looking out windows!

by AccommodationsAirBnbAsiaBarcelonaEuropeHCMC / SaigonItalyLondonMadridRomeSingaporeSpainThailandTravel bucket listTravels DealsTravels StoriesVietnamWizz - AYCF!

I left Arizona on January 12th and didn’t return until April 7th, 2025, heading first to Vietnam and then bouncing across the globe. In order, I visited:

Vietnam → Cambodia → Thailand → London (twice) → Singapore → Greece → Turkey → Egypt → Italy → Spain

Eight of those ten countries were brand-new pins on my map, which made the whole thing feel even more unreal. 📍🌍

I spent the first three months slowly moving through Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. After that, I flipped the switch and went full chaos mode with my all-you-can-fly pass—whizzing (Wizz Air style) through London, Singapore, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Italy, and Spain.

Here’s the actual chain of planes, trains, ferries, and buses that somehow all worked:

✈ Phoenix → Los Angeles
✈ Los Angeles → Singapore
✈ Singapore → Saigon (HCMC)

🚆 Saigon → Nha Trang
🚆 Nha Trang → Huáșż
🚆 Huáșż → Da Nang
🚆 Da Nang → Hoi An
🚆 Da Nang → Saigon
🚱 Saigon → PhĂș Quốc
🚱 PhĂș Quốc → Saigon

🚌 Saigon → Phnom Penh
🚌 Phnom Penh → Siem Reap
🚌 Siem Reap → Angkor Wat

🚌 Angkor Wat → Bangkok
🚱 Bangkok → Koh Tao
🚱 Koh Tao → Koh Phangan
🚱 Koh Phangan → Koh Samui

🚱🚌 Koh Samui → Bangkok
✈ Bangkok → Singapore
✈ Singapore → Athens

✈ Athens → Istanbul
🚱 Istanbul → Princess Islands (day trip)
✈ Istanbul → London
✈ London → Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
✈ Sharm El Sheikh → London
✈ London → Naples
🚆 Naples → Rome

✈ Rome → Madrid
🚆 Madrid → Barcelona
🚆 Barcelona → Madrid
✈ Madrid → Rome
✈ Rome → Los Angeles
✈ LAX → Phoenix

(That doesn’t even include all the local buses, metros, tuk-tuks, and 25+ ride share ((Grab/Uber/Bolt/InDrive)) rides along the way.)

Three months in Southeast Asia.
Then a rapid-fire lap through Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

It sounds insane written out like this—and honestly, it kind of was.

But that’s part of the fun.
And after traveling like this for three straight months


Sometimes all you can do is drop a blog and watch miserable people be jealous. 😄

This was, by far, the longest—and most expensive—trip of my life.

I blew through my budget. And once that happened, I made the call to keep going anyway, because I was already there. I ended up canceling my Eurail pass and coming home three weeks early to stop the financial bleeding.

At the time, I didn’t think I’d ever use my all-you-can-fly pass again, so I went into “see everything now” mode and stacked as many countries as I could. I still missed a few, which means there’s a pretty good chance I’ll give it one more run someday—especially since I’m not renewing the pass.

And here’s the truth:

I have zero regrets about spending money on travel.
Not at the end of this trip.
Not at the end of any trip.

What I do have is better awareness.

Travel is worth it.
The memories are worth it.
The experiences are worth it.

I just need to be smarter next time in Europe and use train travel—pace it better, plan a little tighter, and learn from the mistakes without losing the magic.

That’s not regret.
That’s learning and sharing.

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Hot shave and a massage a day! Vietnam!!

by HCMC / Saigon

Each time I have visited Asia (Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, and now Vietnam), I get a hot shave every Monday morning.

Since the cost is pennies on the dollar, I also treat myself!

USD $5 for a hot shave with the same crew, too!

Each experience has been fantastic and well worth the money each time. 

Most legit massage parlors are down an alley with someone advertising at the entrance.

Imagine a lifestyle where you can casually rack up hundreds of dollars’ worth of massages a week for literal pennies on the dollar.

A basic massage? $12.
Every day for a week? $84 total.

That’s the price of one massage back home in North America—before tip, taxes, and the awkward upsell.

Same hands. Same quality. Zero guilt.
At that point, it’s not indulgence
 it’s just good math.

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Good morning, Vietnam!đŸŽ™ïž

by HCMC / Saigon

Good morning, Vietnam! đŸŽ™ïž

Good morning, Vietnam was made by one of my favorite actors, Robin Williams, and released in 1987, which would have made me 15 years old at the time.

There is zero chance I even dreamed of visiting Vietnam when I was that age. 

In January 2025, I visited the Vietnam War Remnants Museum, which had a lot of aircraft and artifacts from the war.

The torture the Vietnamese people endured!

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Made in Vietnam! Inexpensive knock-offs!!đŸ€‘

by HCMC / Saigon

I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on January 14, 2025.

I expected the street food to be good. I did not expect it to dethrone Thailand in my personal rankings.

Vietnam didn’t just meet the hype—it recalibrated my standards. The flavors are sharper, the broths deeper, the herbs brighter, and somehow everything still lands at prices that feel like a clerical error. Every block is a menu. Every sidewalk is a kitchen. And every meal makes you wonder how you ever paid $18 for lunch back home.

I ended up writing a full breakdown of Vietnamese street food—the dishes, the prices, the daily rhythm of eating your way through a city. You can read it by clicking

HERE.

I knew, in a vague “fun fact” way, that most clothes and shoes are made in Vietnam.

What I did not fully appreciate was how quickly that information would turn me into a shopper.

I swore that I would never own Crocs. Which is still technically true. I just forgot to clarify that I wouldn’t own two pairs of Crocs. Language matters.

I also grabbed a Nike jacket made from the same moisture-wicking fabric as the real thing. Same feel.

You can’t buy one of the items in North America for what I paid for all five in Vietnam.

I didn’t go shopping.
I hacked the supply chain.

Ben Thanh Market was wild — tons of stalls selling every kind of knock-off brand you can imagine. If it exists in fashion, someone there is selling a version of it (and usually with excellent negotiation skills).

Here are some YouTube videos of the market in action — they give a great sense of the chaos, the colors, the haggling, and the creative branding:
👉 Click the link to explore more videos and info

YouTube definitely captures the vibe better than I ever could with words — and honestly, watching people barter for “authentically–authentic” sneakers in a crowded stall might be the closest travel gets to performance art.

Ben Thanh market:

The North Face, Patagonia, Nike, and Crocs all looked authentic to me—which, at this point in my life, is the only certification I require. 😎

If it keeps me dry, comfortable, and unbothered while I’m wandering through a new country, it’s doing the job. Brand purity is a luxury tax. I’m optimizing for function, not corporate approval.

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Ho Chi Mihn! Scooter mayhem!!đŸ›”

by HCMC / Saigon

I’ve been to a few countries in Asia—Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines, and now Vietnam—and the dominant mode of transportation is almost always the scooter.

Every time, I’m completely blown away by how the traffic actually works.

On paper, it looks like chaos. In reality, it flows. No rage. No honking wars. Just constant motion. I always describe it the same way:

It’s like ants marching.

Everyone knows the rhythm. Everyone adapts. Instead of fighting for space, they share it—moving together in a strangely efficient, self-organizing system.

From the outside, it looks insane.
From the inside, it somehow makes perfect sense.

Everyone gives way to everyone else—constantly adjusting, flowing, and somehow still getting exactly where they need to go.

That’s what makes crossing the road such an adventure.

You don’t wait for traffic to stop.
You don’t sprint.
You just
 commit.

Step out slowly, stay predictable, and trust that the moving swarm will bend around you—like water around a rock. It feels insane the first time, mildly terrifying the second, and oddly empowering after that.

As you’ll see in the video below, it looks like chaos

but it’s actually cooperation in motion.

This was my Airbnb neighborhood—the loop I walked every day. What I loved most were the familiar faces and friendly waves. After a while, it stopped feeling like a place I was staying and started feeling like a place I belonged.

That’s the whole point of slow travel for me.

By the end of the month, I had my coffee shop, my barber, and a short list of favorite restaurants that recognized me and welcomed me back like a regular. Small routines, simple connections—nothing flashy, but deeply grounding.

It’s amazing how quickly a neighborhood becomes home when you give it time.

This is an amazing temple in my neighborhood—one I walked through often as part of my daily routine.

At some point, I noticed something funny: I always end up facing the camera in the same direction I’m looking. Not sure if that’s good or bad, but it definitely gives away where my focus is as I walk—eyes forward, mind wandering.

I tried not to catch the lady praying in the shot
 and to be fair, I mostly succeeded.
She did ask for my number afterward though—after she finished praying.

Dreams really can come true.
Just kidding. I’ve still got jokes. 😁

If you take the time to watch any of the videos, you’ll notice something pretty consistent—almost everyone smiles and says hello to me.

That’s always the first thing I pick up on in a new country. It tells me a lot about the place
 and exactly how much I can lean on my charming personality to get into (and out of) trouble.

When smiles come easily, travel gets easier.
And when they don’t, you adjust.

Either way, it’s one of the quickest ways to read a place—and decide how much fun you’re about to have.

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Vietnam – Pho, coffee, tea and me!🍜

by HCMC / SaigonTravel bucket list

One of the best parts of traveling—anywhere—is street food and trying the local beer.

I don’t care if you’re in your hometown, a different province or state, checking out a new food truck, or traveling internationally and ordering food from a cart that looks like it might be pulled by a donkey. It all counts. And it’s all worth trying at least once.

Street food tells you more about a place than most restaurants ever will. It’s fast, cheap, local, and honest. You’re eating what people who live there actually eat—not a polished version made for tourists.

For me, it all started with Mexico and street tacos. That was the gateway. I still try new taco stands every chance I get, and I’ve got favorites in cities all over the map. The same goes for street noodles, skewers, soups, and whatever else is sizzling on a cart when I walk by.

Pair it with a local beer, stand on the street, watch life go by—that’s the good stuff.

Some people collect souvenirs.
I collect meals.

EDIT: I loved it so much that I’m heading back at the end of 2025 to explore Northern Vietnam in more depth. When a place pulls you back that fast, you listen.

I definitely found my favorites, but I still make it a point to try at least one new spot every day. That’s easy to do when most street food meals cost a few dollars—or less. The risk is low, and the reward is usually high.

On my very first morning, I stumbled into a small neighborhood coffee shop in Hanoi. I’ve gone back every single day since, and today is day five. The owner knows exactly what I like—iced coffee and tea—and keeps refilling them as needed for the same price: 87 cents.

Yesterday, I sat there for three hours, listening to a hockey game and surfing the internet. My total bill?
Under a dollar.

That’s not just cheap—that’s a lifestyle

The cold tea was so addictive!  This was my favorite, lemongrass! It was $1-$2 at a nice cafe, but a lot cheaper at the street vendors.  I enjoyed both!

Below is an outdoor food court with hundreds of choices—rows of stalls cooking everything imaginable, all in one place. You can walk for ten minutes and change your mind 20X on lunch.

This is where indecision becomes part of the experience
 and where pointing at what looks good is often the best strategy.

This place does not mess around—and you can tell immediately from the video and the photos. The scale, the energy, the nonstop cooking
 It’s organized chaos in the best possible way.

If there was ever a place where “just one more bite” turns into a full-blown food crawl, this is it.

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