2024 Annual Recap

We won the “Biggest Traveler of the Year 2024” Award by Nomadmania in November! Yeah! 59 unique countries and territories (51 UN-member countries). 1 new territory/non-UN country 75 flights on 34 different airlines, 14 train rides, 13 ships and boats, 47 car rentals (29 self-driven and 14 with a driver) for a total of 49,000+ kilometers on the road! 817 FB albums posted with 45,000+ pictures and videos! Many already are (and the rest will soon be) available on travel2unlimited.com. And now – on to the recap! We started the year swimming with manatees on a rare cold day in Florida. Hundreds of manatees gather in the warm, spring-fed rivers of west-central Florida, creating an unbelievable experience where you can swim, play, and even gently touch these gentle giants! Next was island hopping though the Antilles of the Carribean – Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Saint Marin and Sint Maarten, Antigua, St Kiits, St Lucia, Barbados, and St Vincent – lots of driving around the lush tropical volcanic islands, tasting awesome rum, and admiring stunning beaches. A quick change of pace and weather – and we were hitting the slopes and skiing at Alta in Utah, lucky to get the biggest snowstorm of the season with insane amount of fresh soft powder – 34 inches in 3 days! Then back to the Carribean to explode eastern Cuba, drive across entire Jamaica, and lounge at the Abacos islands of the Bahamas. Next – we changed the continents and it was several weeks of exploring Thuringia, Hesse, and Bavaria with their fortified ancient towns, exquisitely-decorated churches and cathedrals, and indulging in bratwurst feasts.. Since we needed to change the cuisine – we flew to the Caucasus and spent good times exploring Georgia to Armenia overland – with stunning medieval fortresses, insane culinary adventures, and mindblowing mountain vistas and landscapes. Next it was back to Europe to Spain and Portugal – both perfect and relaxing in late spring Another change of continent and we were in Africa, starting with Guinea-Bissau and the Bijagos Archipelago, then overland via Senegal to Gambia . Rough at time, it was an authentic west african experience from super hospitable people in Bissau to totally corrupt border officers in Senegal. In Gambia, we cruised on the Gambia River, while in Senegal we explored a game reserve full of rare antelope species. Next was an overland trip from Bamako in Mali to Bobo-Dialasso in Burkina Faso and back with lots of cultural and natural sights and attractions in the Sahel. Next we flew to Mauritania to ride on the iron ore train – perhaps the most epic experience of 2024 (took days to wash off the fine iron ore dust). After that it was onto the deep Sahara desert in Algeria – red sand, ancient petroglyphs, camels, and camping under the stars after having witnessed epic sunsets. We also explored the rest of Algeria in depth, both along the Mediterranean coast and into the central area of Ghardaia with its mudbrick mosques and unique culture. Finally, we wrapped up Africa with Moroccan Marrakesh and Essauria. Another change of continent and we launched a grand road trip across Canada, hitting five provinces by road – Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Colombia. It was absolutely epic – from the panoramas of Great Lakes, to the boreal forests and hundreds of lakes, to the jagged peaks of the Rocky Mountains with hanging glaciers and alpine meadows. And tons of wildlife – bisons, bears, moose, elks, bighorn sheep, and myriads of birds. From the comforts of Canada, we ventured on a short adventure into the relative unsafety of Haiti and its capital of Port-au-Prince. Back to Europe for the absolutely spectacular mushroom hunting for porcini in Germany, before launching on a grand trip of exploring more of Africa. Fist stop – Eritrea – from high plateau of Asmara to the Red Sea and back. Next we did some serious island hopping in the Indian Ocean – exploring Mauritius, the Mahe island of Seychelles, the onto the Aldabra Island group with its giant tortoises, huge seabird colonies, stunning sparkling white sand beaches, and rich underwater world. Next – a bit of culture and history in Zanzibar’s Stone Town and Pemba’s spice plantations. The Indian Ocean exploration continues with Comoros and the remote natural wonder of the Moheli Island – huge elangelang plantation, rarest bats in the world, and stunning reefs. Next was Madagascar and we went into a total lemur overload, spotting over two dozen lemur species and specifically seeking out one of the strangest and rarest lemurs in the world – the elusive nocturnal ayeaye. Done with islands, we moved to the mainland Africa, starting with Malawi and the famous Majete Reserve full of wildlife, including the Big Five. Next was a jaunt through central and west Africa and less comfroble countries – from Central African Republic to Nigeria to Ivory Coast and onto the coastal trio of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Highlight – Boali falls on CAR, Osogbo Grove in Nigeria, Kong Mosque in Côte d’Ivoire, chimpanzee trekking in Nimba Reserve in Guinea, roaming the Broad Street in Monrovia in Liberia, and finally exploring the natural and wildlife treasure of Tiwai Island in Sierra Leone. 2024 was a whirlwind of exploration, adventure, and discovery and being awarded the title of “The Biggest Traveler of the Year”, the first for a couple. Here’s to an even more exciting 2025! If you wanna join us in one of the adventures – DM us!