Europe Travel
Europe has been a big part of my journey toward visiting 50 countries. I’ve now traveled to 21 countries across Europe, from backpacking through Eastern and Central Europe to exploring France for work and taking a road trip around Iceland that became the most important European trip I’ve taken: Iceland was my 50th country.
I’ve traveled through Europe for two very different reasons. Sometimes I’ve had a specific destination in mind. Other times, I’ve simply followed my curiosity and figured out where to go next. My two-month backpacking trip through 10 countries was very much the latter. I started in Scandinavia, traveled through the Baltics and Central Europe, island-hopped through Greece, and eventually ended in Budapest.
More recently, I’ve returned to Europe to explore places more slowly. I’ve discovered beautiful beaches in Portugal and Croatia, fallen in love with Tallinn and the Baltic countries, explored southern France around my work trips, and spent time in places I never expected to enjoy as much as I did.
Iceland: My 50th Country
Iceland was always going to be special to me because it became country #50 in my journey to visit 50 countries before 50.
I spent nine days there in June on a group trip, starting in Reykjavík and renting a car for what may have been the best road trip of my life. Iceland seemed to have an incredible landscape around every corner: enormous waterfalls, black sand beaches, volcanic landscapes, canyons and mountains.
We explored Reykjavík, drove the Golden Circle, visited Gullfoss and the geyser area, walked behind Seljalandsfoss, stopped at Skógafoss and Reynisfjara, explored Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon and traveled around the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.
I even got to snorkel between tectonic plates at Silfra. It was incredibly unique, although surprisingly it wasn’t my favorite part of Iceland. That’s one of the things I love about travel: sometimes the experience you expect to be the highlight isn’t the one you remember most.
There is still plenty of Iceland I haven’t seen. I never made it far enough east to visit Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach, so I have a pretty good excuse to go back.
Backpacking Through 10 Countries in Europe
One of my biggest European adventures was a spontaneous two-month backpacking trip through 10 countries.
My route took me through Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece and Hungary.
The trip started when I had a few weeks between jobs and decided to travel before starting the next one. I originally planned to spend just a couple of weeks in the Baltics. Instead, I loved the region so much that I kept extending the trip.
I traveled by inexpensive flights, buses and ferries, often using one country as a starting point for exploring another. I loved Tallinn, fell for Prague, stumbled into Oktoberfest in Munich, island-hopped through five Greek islands and finished in Budapest.
It was an adventure that reminded me why I love traveling without having every detail planned in advance.
🇮🇸 Iceland: My Favorite Road Trip Highlights
Iceland was my 50th country—and it delivered one of the best road trips I’ve ever taken. In six action-packed days, we rented a car and explored massive waterfalls, black sand beaches, volcanic landscapes, dramatic canyons, geothermal lagoons and even snorkeled between tectonic plates.
The scenery seemed to change around every corner, making the drive itself part of the adventure. From standing behind Seljalandsfoss to photographing Kirkjufell in the rain, Iceland quickly became one of the most visually spectacular countries I’ve ever explored.
Iceland’s Black Sand Beaches
Reynisfjara is one of the most dramatic places I’ve visited in Europe.
The black sand, enormous cliffs and rock formations make it unlike most beaches I’ve experienced. But it’s also a place where the ocean deserves respect, and my experience there led me to write about the safety issues travelers should understand before visiting.
Exploring Prague
Prague was one of my favorite stops during that backpacking trip. I had high expectations, and somehow the city still exceeded them.
The architecture, atmosphere and historic streets made it feel almost like a fairytale. I’ve returned to Prague in my writing through the Lennon Wall, including the unusual experience of jumping at the wall.
The World’s Smallest Country You Can Rent?
Liechtenstein is one of those places that makes travel fun simply because it is unusual.
I became fascinated by the idea that you can actually rent the entire country for an event or experience. It’s a quirky story, but it’s also one of the European travel topics that has unexpectedly attracted readers.
More Europe Adventures
I’ve visited 21 European countries, and I have many more stories still to tell.
Greece
Greece remains one of my favorite places in Europe. During my backpacking trip I visited Crete, Santorini, Mykonos, Ios and Paros, as well as Athens. Every island had its own personality, and I loved the combination of beaches, sunsets, food and the people I met along the way.
Crete was probably my favorite. I went there craving beaches and warm weather near the end of my long backpacking trip, and almost didn’t want to leave.
Portugal
Portugal surprised me with how much there was to explore.
In the Algarve, I spent different days discovering different beaches, each with its own dramatic rock formations. Porto was fun to explore, including what may have been the most port wine I’ve ever consumed. From there I took a road trip through the Douro Valley, visiting beautiful vineyards along one of Europe’s most scenic landscapes.
I finished in Lisbon, a city I enjoyed much more than I expected. The food was delicious and surprisingly affordable, and day trips to Belém and Sintra added even more history and architecture to the trip.
A Portugal travel guide is coming soon.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
The Baltic countries were actually the reason I chose that region for my backpacking trip.
I visited Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania consecutively, traveling between them by ferry and bus. I was fascinated by how much these three countries shared historically while still feeling distinct from one another.
Tallinn was one of the biggest surprises of my entire Europe trip. I loved the architecture, history and atmosphere, and I found myself wanting to learn more about how these countries have changed in recent decades.
More stories from the Baltics are coming.
France and the South of France
I’ve traveled to France about once a year for the past five years, often around work at Cannes Lions.
Those trips have given me opportunities to explore beyond Cannes and Nice, including Antibes, Aix-en-Provence, the lavender fields, Arles, Monaco and other parts of southern France.
I’ve learned that one of the best things about returning to the same region is that I don’t have to repeat the same trip. There’s always another town, road or landscape to explore.
More South of France travel stories are coming.
Croatia and Beyond
Croatia was another European favorite. I’ve explored Hvar and other islands, Dubrovnik and Split, with side trips into neighboring Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
And there are plenty of other European destinations I’ve visited that I haven’t written about yet.
That’s part of the fun of Visit50: I’m not finished exploring.
Europe and My Visit50 Journey
My goal was to visit 50 countries before turning 50. Europe has played a major role in that journey, from my first spontaneous backpacking adventures to the road trip that brought me to country #50.
I’ve now visited 21 European countries, but I’m nowhere near finished. There’s so much more to explore! See my country count progress here – 50+ countries visited so far.
There are still islands in Greece I want to return to, more of Portugal to explore, more of France to discover, and plenty of countries I’ve visited that deserve their own stories.
Follow along as I continue exploring Europe and working toward the next 50.