Goodbye 2011: Our year of travel in pictures
Posted on 31. Dec, 2011 by Dany in Canada, Germany, Italy, Laos, Photo Essay, Portugal, Thailand, USA
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Another unforgettable year is coming to an end – this time it is our second year as full-time travelers! We’ve literally been around the world this year and, rather than rattle off a list of everywhere we’ve been, this Goodbye 2011 post will highlight our favorite pictures of the year, starting in Central America and ending in Thailand after stints in Europe, the U.S. and Canada.
January 2011
As we mentioned in our Goodbye to 2010 post, we began the year at Lake Yojoa in Honduras, where we were the only guests at our hotel. 2011 started out as laid-back as can be…
For more January highlights, check out our Facebook album Best of 2011: January (Honduras & Nicaragua).
February 2011
Shortly after the start of the New Year, we moved on to Nicaragua – and fell head over heels in love with the country. The picture was taken in Masaya, just outside of Granada…one of Nicaragua’s most visited cities. Throughout the country, the horse and buggy is still a common and totally valid form of transportation – alongside cars, buses, SUVs, motorcycles and bicycles.
For more February highlights check out our Facebook album Best of 2011: February (Nicaragua & Costa Rica).
March 2011
After three relaxing weeks in Costa Rica we made our way to Panama and were most impressed with the Casco Viejo area of Panama City (check out our picture post of Casco Viejo). We resisted actually picking up a Panama hat, but couldn’t resist photographing them. Panamanians have certainly got style!
For more March highlights check out our Facebook album: Best of 2011: March (Costa Rica, Panama & Germany).
April 2011
Going from six months in the developing countries of Central America to visiting the mighty castles of Germany was an extreme contrast. This is what we love most about our nomadic lifestyle! At the end of the month we completed our first year on the road (find out how much we spent in one year of travel here).
For more April highlights check out our Facebook album: Best of 2011: April (Germany, Austria & Italy)
May 2011
In Spring we traveled in Europe, from Germany and Austria to a few weeks in Tuscany. While we were both blown away by the romance of the countryside, the taste of the wine and the warmth of the locals, it was the pizza…the glorious pizza…that became the highlight of May 2011 for us.
For more May 2011 highlights including Jess with a group of aliens in Spain, check out our Facebook album: Best of 2011: May (Italy & Spain).
June 2011
In the first week of June, we went on our first ever cruise and followed that up by reaching 400 days on the road! Just a week later we would discover a city that could possibly, one day, be called home: Lisbon, Portugal. The Portuguese capital just ticks so many boxes – laid-back, sunny, warm, good (and cheap) coffee, beaches as far as the eye can see, plenty of history and oozing with charm. What struck us most was how similar Lisbon is to San Francisco. We spent three fabulous weeks here in June (despite a near heart attack experience that still has us cracking up).
For more June highlights, check out our Facebook album: Best of 2011: June (Spain, Corsica, Portugal).
July 2011
From Lisbon we flew directly to Toronto to begin an entirely new North American chapter of our travels. We spent six weeks house-sitting outside of Ottawa. These weeks were filled with exploring adorable villages, peaceful sunset bike rides, evenings in the jacuzzi and hanging with the friendly neighbors drinking great Canadian micro-brews.
For more July highlights, check out our Facebook album: Best of 2011: July (Canada).
August 2011
August was truly an unforgettable month that brought us through Montreal, Quebec, Boston, and the start of our NYC2NOLA road trip through New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC on our way down to New Orleans. While we loved the freedom of the open road, it was our four nights in New York that dazzled us the most. There is just something about this concrete jungle that gets us every time.
For more August highlights, check out our Facebook album: Best of 2011: August (Canada & USA).
September 2011
After four weeks and over 4,000 miles we finally made it to New Orleans in September. What we found when we arrived is a city with style, individuality and people with a zest for life and love of music like we’ve never experienced before. We could easily spend more than a week in the Big Easy…in fact we toyed with the idea of a few months here sometime in the future, too. On September 13th, just before reaching Chicago, we hit 500 days on the road.
For more September highlights, check out our Facebook album: Best of 2011: September (U.S. Road Trip).
October 2011
And then we flew to the other side of the planet – for our first trip to South East Asia! We started in Thailand, and it was definitely a relief to gaze out at this crystal blue water after a few chilly weeks in Chicago and Colorado!
For more October highlights, check out our Facebook album: Best of 2011: October (Chicago, Colorado & Thailand).
November 2011
After finding a good place to settle down to work in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, we hopped a series of buses and boats to travel around northern Laos for the last two weeks of November. While the two countries have their similarities, we were struck by how much simpler life in Laos is compared to fast-paced and modern Thailand. We have learned so much since arriving in Asia, especially about Buddhism – and have become accustomed to sharing our daily lives with the hundreds of monks populating cities and villages across the Buddhist nations.
For more November highlights, check out our Facebook album: Best of 2011: November (Thailand & Laos).
December 2011
The last month of 2011 marked a major milestone for us, as we hit 600 days on the road! In some ways it feels as though we have just started traveling. Looking back at everything we have done in these six hundred days truly feels like an accomplishment. One lesson we have learned is that in order to be happy as nomads, we need to know when to take longer breaks and relax. That’s why we booked ourselves in to an apartment in Chiang Mai for one month in December. We love this city, as it has everything we could ever need or want. We celebrated Christmas with friends, went on hikes, spent time with elephants, eaten endless veggie cuisine and learned so much about Thai culture and tradition.
For more December highlights, check out our Facebook album: Best of 2011: December (Laos & Thailand).
Happy New Year 2012 to all our readers!
We would love for you to tell us about your travel highlights for 2011 in the comments below – we’re always on the lookout for new locations about where to travel next!
26 Responses to “Goodbye 2011: Our year of travel in pictures”
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Alouise
31. Dec, 2011
Love these photos. Looks like you had a great year of travel in 2011. I hope 2012 brings more great travel for you as well.
Alouise recently posted..Looking Back on 2011 and Looking Ahead to 2012
jess
01. Jan, 2012
Hey Alouise thanks so much! It’s so good to reflect on the year to really take a look at how much we have truly accomplished this year!
Nomadic Samuel
01. Jan, 2012
What a fascinating year of travel you both had. Wishing you the best in 2012!
Nomadic Samuel recently posted..Hello world!
jess
03. Jan, 2012
Thanks Sam! Happy new year to you too – what are your travel plans for this year?
Jade - OurOyster.com
02. Jan, 2012
Beautiful photos! I like the idea of posting a photo for every month instead of a wrap up written post! Nice one
Jade – OurOyster.com recently posted..24 Hours In Cape Town – The Only Guide You’ll Need
jess
03. Jan, 2012
Thanks Jade! We wrapped up 2010 in pictures and decided to do it again – it was incredibly hard though to pick 12 photos out of more than 10,000!!
Laura
02. Jan, 2012
You’ve been bouncing all over the planet. Congrats for a great year!!!
Laura recently posted..Nativity Scenes From Around The World
jess
03. Jan, 2012
Thanks Laura! We’re excited for 2012 – not sure yet where the second half of this year will bring us!
crazy sexy fun traveler
02. Jan, 2012
Lovely photos Dany! Hope to see you girls in South America this year!
crazy sexy fun traveler recently posted..9,601.56 € -12 MONTHS, 14 COUNTRIES, 21 FLIGHTS
jess
03. Jan, 2012
Thanks Aleks! Would be great to catch up with you again, but I think you’ll get to South America much sooner than we will – we still have another six months in Asia and will head to the U.S. first for the summer before heading to South America
Rease
03. Jan, 2012
Happy New Years! Great photos of an amazing year. So sad I am leaving South America before you get here, but we will definitely find somewhere to meet up in 2012!
Rease recently posted..Cheap Hotels in Santa Barbara
jess
03. Jan, 2012
Happy New Year to you too, Rease! We’ll keep you posted about our U.S. travel plans this summer – would love to meet you!
Lindsay
03. Jan, 2012
Beautiful photos! Sounds like you had quite the year. I liked your mention of Lisbon. I was there in September and it’s one of my absolute favourite cities.
Lindsay recently posted..Falling for Fado
jess
03. Jan, 2012
Thanks Lindsay! We fell in love with Lisbon last year – totally unexpected! It’s one of the places we definitely want to return to, and we’re planning to spend at least 3 months there next time! Happy New Year
For 91 Days Travel Blog
04. Jan, 2012
Oh .. your travel photos rock!!!! What a year!!!
For 91 Days Travel Blog recently posted..Carini and its Castle
jess
05. Jan, 2012
Aw thanks guys! That’s all Dani
We really did have an amazing year – can’t wait to see what 2012 brings (and during what part of it we actually meet you guys)!
Mark Wiens
05. Jan, 2012
Happy New Year and fantastic round-up of 2011′s travels. I especially loved that Italian pizza was your highlight of May 2011 – that’s a delicious highlight!
Mark Wiens recently posted..Dining on Authentic Peking Duck in Beijing
jess
05. Jan, 2012
Hey thanks Mark! And about the pizza – it would even be in the running for a top three travel moment of the year. It may have been the light May breeze, the chilled white wine or the views out over Tuscany, but that pizza in the picture in particular was just devine!
Cam
06. Jan, 2012
What a year! Living the dream…
Cam recently posted..Traveling Canucks’ Best of Travel in 2011
jess
08. Jan, 2012
Hey, thanks Cam! Living the dream for sure…much of which was spent amongst the friendly Canucks this year! Happy New Year to you!
Ekua
07. Jan, 2012
Wonderful collection of photos and experiences. Happy New Year!
Ekua recently posted..Journeying on to the Mexico City Magic
jess
08. Jan, 2012
Awwww, thanks Ekua! Happy New Year to you, too!
cheryl
07. Jan, 2012
Looks like one heck of a fantastic year and some really great photos! So glad that you visited my home town of Toronto as well and enjoyed some of our good beer. =)
cheryl recently posted..2011: A Year In Review For cherylhoward.com.
jess
08. Jan, 2012
We were in Toronto twice this year, actually – we loved the street art over by Queen St! And yes, 2011 really was one heck of a year!
Linda @EcoTraveller
16. Jan, 2012
Must say, this post has made me green with envy! You have had a fab year by the looks of it. And love, love your Thailand image… just like I remember.
Linda @EcoTraveller recently posted..Harads’ Hanging Treehotel
Dani
17. Jan, 2012
Thanks so much, Linda!