Pre-pandemic Travel Timeline

We’re nearing the end of August and I realize I’ve been quiet for way too long… Am I the only one who feels like 2020 is a blur? Last year I stayed on track by looking forward to and reflecting on travels. It’s been a while since I got to go anywhere and I’ve been struggling to put together new posts, so I decided to share a little timeline of my travels since I moved to the Middle East.

MAY 2019

I got to play Audrey Hepburn for a day in Rome, had the best massage ever in Saigon and had the most humbling experience roaming around the Golden Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar.

  • Ciao Roma, ciao Gelato!
  • The famous Spanish Steps
  • Where I want all my future dates to happen – no pressure
  • Dodging scooters in Saigon, Vietnam
  • Golden Pagoda, Yangon
  • Humbled by the beautiful people of Myanmar
JUNE 2019

From rainy days and castles in Cardiff to sun rays and Buddha temples in Bali.

  • Cardiff Castle
  • Cardiff Castle
  • Blending in in Bali
JULY 2019

I ate all the dim sum in Hong Kong, visited a temple in Bangkok and fell in love with Budapest.

  • Dim sum in HKG
  • Bangkok, Thailand
  • Climbed a hill in Budapest during a heatwave (38’C)

In these months I also visited Prague 3 times, which explains my obsession with Aperol Spritz.

  • Pretty Prague
  • Charles Bridge
  • Aperol Spritz in Old Town Square
AUGUST 2019

I went from counting steps on the Great Wall of China to chasing starfish along the coast of Kenya.

  • The Great Wall of China
  • Exploring the reefs of Mombasa, Kenya
SEPTEMBER 2019

I got to visit Bali again with friends!

OCTOBER 2019

My favorite as far as bucket-list adventures go – I doubt that anything will ever top Peru. It took my breath away, literally 😉

  • Machu Picchu hiking trail
  • Rainbow Mountain
  • Cusco, Peru
NOVEMBER 2019

Off to a superb start with a visit to Amsterdam, followed by getting lost in London and ended on a high note (literally) overlooking Guangzhou, China from the Canton Tower.

  • The crooked buildings in Amsterdam
  • London
  • Canton Tower, Guangzhou, China

…but then I had some bad luck when my phone got stolen in Paris!

DECEMBER 2019

A series of Glühwein in Germany, followed by a surprise trip to Poland with my best friend and travel companion who happens to be half Polish and introduced me to all the best local dishes!

  • Frankfurt, Germany
  • Warsaw, Poland
JANUARY 2020

New Years luck was on my side as I got to return to my great love, Budapest. If I ever have to move to Europe, this is where you’ll find me!

  • Sunset over Budapest

Another dream destination I’ll never forget is Oslo, Norway. It was a really short stay, but I’ve seen enough to convince me that I simply must go back!

  • I’m sure Olaf was hiding somewhere in the background!

I visited London again a couple times and even squeezed in a solo trip to Ireland.

FEBRUARY 2020

I finally got to visit Saint Petersburg where I was out exploring by 9:30am, which turned out to be before sunrise – eager beaver!

The rest of February was an explosion of fun, sangria’s and African sunsets.

MARCH 2020

I finally developed the stamina to set foot outside of my hotel room after a flight to Australia and I remember regretting that I didn’t push myself to do so previously!

  • Perth, Australia
  • Perth Zoo
  • Convinced him to like me for a second
  • Melbourne, Australia
  • Lunch on a boat
APRIL – AUGUST 2020

My recent trip to Manchester was the only travel memory I made in the last 5 months, which basically brings us up to date.

2020 showed us that we can’t count on tomorrow, that we should be more present in the moment. I’m grateful for all the experiences I had before the pandemic – it’s definitely worth the lack of sleep (as you’ll see I’m half asleep in most pictures)!

Sifting through these memories reminded me of a few stories I am yet to share on my blog. If I can hold on to the inspiration I’ll have some more posts coming up soon!

I’ll end by sharing what’s become my mantra this year: May next month bring more adventure!

What are some of your favorite pre-pandemic travel memories?

28 thoughts on “Pre-pandemic Travel Timeline”

    1. I mostly travel for work so the traveling in itself is the perk I guess 😄 thanks so much for checking out my post! I’ve been quiet for some time, but it’s nice to be active on WP again. I enjoyed seeing what you guys have been up to lately

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  5. I knew you’ve traveled a lot, but WOW! I didn’t realize just how much you really did in the past year! Really awesome you got to travel to Australia, Indonesia, and Myanmar…I haven’t been there, but they’re places I’d love to go some day. Here’s hoping that 2021 will be better for travel (although I probably won’t be going anywhere for a while due to my new job). Can’t wait to hear of more adventures from you, perhaps in the Middle East!

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    1. It’s funny because even I didn’t realize until I put it all together like this. I left out a few things (lost photos here and there which made my archives scattered).. Another really special place was the Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, have you been there?? But yes please may 2021 be more adventurous for us all and I hope your new job will allow you to start planning a trip soon! I’m sure settling down abit is nice after you’ve been abroad for such a long time though 🙂

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      1. Never been to Malaysia, but it’s high on my list! Need to see more of Asia honestly…for the moment, I’m just focusing on my new career, but I do hope I’ll be able to return to traveling in due course! Can’t wait to see where you go once the pandemic blows over!

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      1. You started following me a while ago, so you should have my “real” blog in your reader. Just to be clear: my first blog was The World of Data (https://hdombrovskaya.wordpress.com/), but that’s my professional blog. Then I created my personal blog Hettie’s Reflections (https://hettie.family/), but whoever tries to find my blog, the professional one is always displayed first, and I do not know how to change it. So – https://hettie.family is the right one, you do not need the stories about the information management 🙂

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  9. Look at all those famous sights around the world! Not many people get this opportunity, so I am happy that you use the time well and explore and get to share it with us, even if the flights are long and tiring. You have visited more in your twenties than I am sure I will in my life 😀

    Also I don’t blame you for putting Peru at the top of your list. It looks amazing. As do all the places in your shots. Great post!!

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  11. Whoa… You traveled so many places ya; very nice places and photos you had.

    When you have time to come back to Indonesia please don’t forget to put Yogyakarta on your list; that’s my hometown and it has many beautiful places to enjoy.

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