2025: New year, new travel plans!
In 2024, my third year as a nomad, I tried to balance my time between familiar comfort and new experiences. I started out the year with a month in Sicily, followed by a month in Albania, a quick few days back in one of my favorite cities of Madrid, then back down to Chile and Argentina for about six months. From Santiago I flew to the UK in the autumn for a few weeks, then I headed to France for 3 months where I did a bit of a whirlwind tour of several cities, followed by a month each in Mulhouse and Dijon.
I saw a lot of spectacular places, and have no regrets. But going into 2025, I know I will do things a bit differently, at least for the first half of the year. The main reason for this is burnout. I knew that picking up the pace was going to lead to feeling tired, both mentally and physically. After all, the whole purpose of my blog is to promote the benefits of slow travel. But there are always going to be places and situations where you move faster for various reasons, be it a tight schedule, budgetary reasons, or not wanting to commit to one location for a longer stay.
Slowing down…this time it’s for real.
This year, I want to really challenge myself to slow the pace and focus on healthy routines. I would like to stick to more nature-oriented locations after being mostly in huge, buzzing cities for the past three years. That definitely doesn’t mean no cities – I’m still very much an urbanista who loves museums, cultural events, cafe life, etc. But I want to minimize distractions for the majority of the time and establish a fitness routine, commit more time to writing, reading, working, and getting plenty of sleep.
So what does that all mean? I am starting the year out with a 3-month stay in tiny Montenegro. And if three months seems like a very long time for such a small country – in winter, no less – you’re not wrong. But there’s still amazing scenery, great coastal walks and hiking to be had, and some really nice apartments for half the price one would pay during the tourist season. I just arrived, so time will tell if this plan was a good one.
After my time in Montenegro, I have a short detour planned to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Most likely, it will just be for a week – I want to visit Mostar and Sarajevo, for sure. If I really like it, then I may come back to the country for a longer stay later on. I’m just not sure if it would be a good fit for me for a longer stay, especially right after Montenegro.
From Mostar, I then will go back to Croatia in the Schengen zone. I’ve heard that Croatia has gotten quite expensive in recent years, so for this trip I am just going to briefly visit Dubrovnik, and then spent a few days in Split. After Split, I will go to Zagreb for a couple days before flying to Bulgaria, which I am really excited about. I’ve been researching Sofia and Bansko for awhile and I can’t wait to explore! I’ll probably give Sofia several days before going to Bansko for a couple of (hopefully) relaxing and peaceful months. By this point, it should be the end of June. After Bulgaria, I still don’t have any solid plans, but it will be time for the “Schengen shuffle” again. Since I don’t like hot weather or crowds and it will be summer, I’m toying with a few different itineraries. I might revisit the non-Schengen Balkans, trying to stay in the cooler mountain regions. And I might go back to the UK for a few weeks. Maybe Ireland, since I’ve never been. Of course, these countries are very expensive, but staying in a low-cost destination for a couple months like Bansko helps to offset that.
South America: No “adios,” pero “hasta luego”
This will be my first year as a nomad where I didn’t go to South America during the northern hemisphere summertime. I love South America and especially the southern cone, but I am doing things differently for a few reasons.
Firstly, because long haul flights are expensive and exhausting. I’m challenging myself to try to fly as little as possible this year and sticking mostly to the Balkan region, relying on buses or trains whenever practical (I can deal with a bus for maybe 5-6 hours, tops).
Secondly, because my favorite country of Argentina has become very expensive since I left the last time. While I understand the economic reasons and I never went to Argentina *just* because it was affordable, my travel budget has not changed. I still love Argentina and I will always come back – but maybe not as often as I would like. Maybe every other year.
And the third reason – there’s still so many other places to see and explore. We are living in a strange period of history where it feels like there is instability everywhere, and freedoms and privileges that many of us have always taken for granted could change on a dime. I want to see as much as I can, while I can – without getting burned out too quickly. So for the first half of this year, at least, I’m focusing mostly on the new-to-me parts of the Balkans. What will come afterward, time will tell. 2025 has already brought some strange and unpleasant surprises.
How far in advance do you like to plan your travels? Do you always have a plan B in case something goes awry?
