Trip Wrap Up

Before I get into the gory details of the trip, a couple more photos to share…

Below are some lists I compiled during the trip. Most are ranked in no particular order; the exception would be if a list is numbered.

Favorite Experiences

• A return to Byron House (and spending time with Mary & Tony)
• Visiting Ruth & Kent
• Hard Rock Cafe Tour
• Stamford Bridge (Chelsea Women’s Soccer)
• Lunchtime performance at the Royal Opera House
• Big Ben Tour
• The Who at The Royal Albert Hall
• Bach’s St. John’s Passion at St. Paul’s Cathedral
• Mini Day at Brooklands Museum
• The Picture of Dorian Gray
• The Ladder of Kotor Hike
• The Dave Matthews Band at The Royal Albert Hall

Favorite Places Visited (thanks for the suggestion Kait!)

1. Qatar
   • Visit Ruth & Kent
   • Itinerary
   • Food
2. Montenegro
   • Ladder of Kotor Hike
   • Perast
   • Train Ride to Bar
3. Bulgaria
   • Hotel
   • Monastery
   • Opera
4. Bosnia and Herzegovina
   • Mostar
   • Bobsled Track
5. Romania
   • Peles Castle
   • Transylvania
   • Opera
6. Slovakia
   • Hotel
   • Good for Walking
7. Albania
   • Low ranking likely due to my poor choice of locations to visit

I excluded the U.K. and Austria from the list. The U.K. dominated my time, and I only spent one full day in Austria.

Favorite Accommodation

• Byron House, Harrow on the Hill
• Underwood Manor, Doha
• Art ‘Otel, Sofia
• Morrol’s Boutique Hotel, Bratislava

Favorite Meals

• Welcome Dinner hosted by Mary & Tony
• Georgian Restaurant with Ruth & Kent in Doha
• Thai Restaurant with Ruth & Kent in Doha
• Turkish Restaurant with Ruth & Kent in Doha
• Pre-concert Dinner hosted by Mary & Tony
• Pre-Byron Talk Tea hosted by Mary & Tony
• Dinner at The White Horse with Mary & Tony
• Baguette sandwiches from Wenzel’s

You can probably spot a trend here! I rarely went to restaurants when I was on my own. I guess I find dining with myself rather boring! Undoubtedly a lost opportunity on my part, but it wasn’t a huge priority for me. A lot of times I’d just grab something from a grocery store or a takeaway place. And I had my own kitchen in Byron House.

Let’s Crunch the Numbers

Below are a bunch of statistics from this trip and all of my other winter escapes. This is where my weirdness shines! Feel free to scroll through quickly as your eyes begin to glaze over!

Countries Visited

I traveled to 9 countries on this trip, 7 for the first time. I have now visited 88 countries. I’m so lucky to have had the opportunity to pursue this passion. I don’t take it for granted. Below is a breakdown of visited countries by continent (and the % of countries I’ve been to on each continent):

• Africa: 3 (6%) – planning on increasing this count next winter!
• Antarctica: 0 (0%) – still hoping to make this my 100th country (in 2027?)
• Asia: 21 (47%)
• Europe: 35 (73%)
• North America: 19 (83%)
• Oceania: 2 (14%)
• South America: 8 (67%)

Trip Length

1. 2024 London: 108 days
2. 2023 Caribbean: 100 days
3. 2019 South America: 77 days
4. 2022 Hawaii: 66 days (cut short due to high costs!)
5. 2020 Europe: 33 days
6. 2020 South America: 30 days (cut short due to Covid)

Trip Cost

Total

1. 2023 Caribbean
2. 2022 Hawaii
3. 2019 South America
4. 2024 London
5. 2020 Europe
6. 2020 South America

Per Day

1. 2022 Hawaii (23% higher than second place S. America; what a surprise!)
2. 2019 South America (skewed higher by Galapagos Islands and Easter Island)
3. 2023 Caribbean
4. 2020 South America
5. 2020 Europe (skewed lower due to the use of frequent flyer miles for the transatlantic flights)
6. 2024 London (lower due to a) the use of frequent flyer miles for the transatlantic flights, b) visiting Balkan countries in the winter)

Steps

Total

1. 2024 London: 1.68 million (767 miles!)
2. 2023 Caribbean: 1.32 million
3. 2019 South America: 1.09 million
4. 2022 Hawaii: 1.07 million
5. 2020 Europe: 550 thousand
6. 2020 South America: 440 thousand

Per Day

1. 2022 Hawaii: 16.2 thousand
2. 2020 Europe: 16.1 thousand
3. 2024 London: 15.5 thousand (redeemed myself after last year’s embarrassing performance!)
4. 2020 South America: 14.5 thousand
5. 2019 South America: 14.4 thousand
6. 2023 Caribbean: 13.2 thousand

2024 Extremes

• Most: 31.0 thousand in Bucharest
• Least: 1.5 thousand on the day after my arrival in London

Postcards

I mailed 8 postcards to Oliver on this trip (from all of the countries I visited except Austria; I was only there one full day, a Saturday). One is still in transit; below are the mailing times for each of the 7 received (thanks for your assistance in documenting this (and promoting my dorkiness!) Holly, Mike & Ray!):

1. United Kingdom: 8 days
2. Bosnia and Herzegovina: 16 days (this surprised me; I would have expected Sarajevo to be one of the slowest)
3. Montenegro: 18 days
4. Romania: 21 days
5. Qatar: 22 days (this surprised me too; by how long it took!)
6. Slovakia: 23 days (the postcard wasn’t thrown in the trash at the post office after all!)
7. Bulgaria: 25 days

I kind of have a feeling that Albania will windup being the slowest, but maybe they’ll end up making me eat my words!

Planes, Trains & Buses

• Planes: 20 flights totaling 26,026 miles (the circumference of Earth is 24,901 miles)
  • Longest: Heathrow to O’Hare on 25 April
  • Shortest: O’Hare to Dane County Regional (Madison) on 25 April
• Trains: 3 trips in Bosnia and Montenegro (plus several rides in and around London!)
• Buses: 5 trips in Austria, Slovakia, Montenegro and Albania (plus several rides on the SL9 to and from Heathrow!)

Trip Map

The trip map, which is linked on the 2024 London+ homepage, is up to date.

Favorite Pictures

I snapped close to 4,000 photos on the trip. Here are a few of my favorites…

Well, that about does it! Please let me know if you have any suggestions for things to add to my lists, or photos I’ve overlooked.

Thank you so much for following along. I hope you’ll join me again next year!

(Spoiler Alert: Mary & Tony have gratuitously offered me the use of their flat again next year, so I’ll be making a return visit to London! My mission in 2025 will be to use London as a base to visit Africa. Can’t wait!)