Iceland
– Norway (hiking) – Stockholm, Sweden - Tallinn, Estonia - Helsinki, Finland
day trip - Riga, Latvia – Vilnius Lithuania – Sicily – Naples - Taiwan
All these countries lift COVID restrictions, and USA also removed COVID test to fly back. I am luck to find travel mates for Iceland and Norway to share rental cars which are crucial to move around in these two countries. It is a busy and expensive summer to travel with so many tourists. I switched to a newer model of i-phone so I can use e-SIM, such as Google Fi. I am very concerned about pickpockets in Naples, Italy yet it turned out to be not a problem.
I traveled during summer 2022 to Iceland – Norway – Sweden - Estonia - Finland - Latvia –Lithuania – Sicily – Naples - Taiwan. My trip highlights include (1) hiking up Reine Reinebringen in Lofoten Islands Norway, (2) hiking to Trolltunga (the troll’s tongue) an awe-inspiring cliff in Norway, situated about 1,100 meters above sea level and hovering some 700 metres above Lake Ringedalsvatnet; (3) driving via 11-turn Trollstigen (Troll’s Ladder, very winding to drive) in Norway; (4) taking the Flam train ride in Norway, (5) bus via the Amalfi Coast in southern Italy; (5) hiking up Mt Vesuvius and waling via Pompeii ruins on the same day; (6) a morale-boosting encounter with a vision impaired traveling family on the way from Catania to Palermo, Italy, (7) hiking up Mt. Aetna from Catania, Sicily; (8) strolling via Copenhagen, Denmark; (9) touring castle town Sigulda in Latvian National Park; (10) partaking Tallinn medieval festival; (11) touring via Snaefellsnes Peninsula in Iceland; (12) soaking in Mývatn Nature Bath, Iceland. See details at https://jtnortheurope.blogspot.com/
After this trio, I have visited 82 countries: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Macedonia, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Montenegro, Myanmar, Nepal, Norway, Netherlands, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Portugal, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Vietnam. Believe me, you can but do not need to learn local language to travel. I only learn one word of Farsi but traveled Iran for 3 weeks. After staying in South America for three months, Spain for 2.5 weeks, and Central America for two months, I speak just about 30 words of Spanish.
Other people deploy strategies such as working via the internet or remotely, finding jobs abroad, work-stay at hostels, guest worker at organic farms, etc., to realize their own overseas life style. If you really want to travel, you will find a way to do it.
Here are some budget travel tips:
“Last year I traveled around the world on just $2000. I hitchhiked, Village hopped, couch surfed through more than 20 countries.” Eric, NC, USA. 1/6/2013 http://www.yourworldyourhome.com/how-to-travel-across-the-world-on-less-than-2000/
How to Hitchhike Around the World? Ask the Guru, Kurt!http://www.teachingtraveling.com/2013/01/24/hitchhiking-around-the-world/
You can browse my venture blogs:
Fall 2011 Argentina/Chile/ Colombia/Ecuador/Peru http://southamericajt.blogspot.com/
Fall 2012 Taiwan/China/Vietnam/Cambodia/Thailand/Nepal/India. http://asiajt.blogspot.com/
Fall 2013 Middle East
(Greece/Turkey/Georgia/Armenia/Iran/Spain) http://jtmiddleeast.blogspot.com/
Summer 2014 Cuba/Mexico/Guatemala/Honduras/Nicaragua/Costa Rica
http://centralamericajt.blogspot.com/
Spring 2015 to Taiwan, Indonesia, and the Philippines. http://jtseasia.blogspot.com/
Summer 2015 cycling with a group across Virginia along the Transamerica
trail in 10 days http://cyclex-us-jt.blogspot.com/
Fall 2015 to UK, Poland, Czech
Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro,
Netherlands. http://easteuropejt.blogspot.com/
Summer 2016 to Italy, Vatican City State, Greece, Albania, Kosovo,
Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, and Germany. http://italyeasteuropejt.blogspot.com/
Summer 2017 to Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Chinese Silk Road,
Taiwan. https://jtsilkroadcentralasia.blogspot.com/
Winter 2019 to Sri Lanka, South India, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Brunei, Korea, and Taiwan. https://jtasiaiii.blogspot.com/
Early Spring 2020 to Taiwan - Egypt – Jordan https://mediterraneanjt.blogspot.com/
Fall 2021 to Portugal - Monaco - France - Luxembourg - Belgium - Netherlands - UK - Morocco https://jtwesteurope.blogspot.com/
Summer 2022 to Iceland – Norway – Sweden - Estonia - Finland - Latvia – Lithuania – Sicily – Naples – Taiwan https://jtnortheurope.blogspot.com/
Summer 2023 to Israel – Palestine - Cyprus - Kenya – Tanzania – Malawi – Zambia – Zimbabwe – Botswana – Namibia - South Africa. https://africajt.blogspot.com/
