Morocco
This is the second time that the country has shown up in a “Where to go from here” story. I did not get to travel to Morocco in 2023 because as I planned a visit to Romania (a country in the same list), I saw that the Balkan states were ripe for the picking.
Next year, Morocco is a guaranteed stop. Ryan Air offers non-stop flights from Spain to cities like Fez, Tangier, Marrakech, and Casablanca. And once I’m ready to head back to Europe, I have a choice of destinations as well.
El Salvador and Guatemala
My exploration of Latin-America continues with El Salvador and Guatemala. In years past, I haven’t considered much of Central America beyond Panama and Costa Rica, because many of them are classified as “Level 3: Reconsider Travel” from the US Department of State’s travel portal.
In 2022, El Salvador’s president, through aggressive crackdown operations aimed at gangs, was able to improve the country’s safety rating by a significant margin. Now, it has the rating of Level 1, which tells visitors to exercise normal precautions. (As a point of comparison, both Costa Rica and Panama are Level 2 or “Exercise Increased Caution.”)
Now, Guatemala is Level 3, but a town 45 minutes from the capital, Antigua, is safe. And shuttles transport passengers between countries daily.
The Basque Country and Madrid
In 2019, I made the conscious decision to (finally) learn Spanish. Instead of picking up the Latin-American variant, however, I chose to study the one from Spain. Hear me out: I visited Barcelona the year before and I have yet to be in any country south of the USA. Since I’m in Europe every year, I figured that I’ll be back in Spain before I even cross the border to Mexico, so Castellano made more sense.
But fate is a funny thing, because even though I have not missed a trip to Europe since the world reopened after the pandemic, none of those flights involved Spain. I’ve also explored 11 of the Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America.
Before I permanently lose my knowledge of vosotros and speaking in the ceceo style, I’m using 2026 as the year to explore Spain and—because it’s already there—the Spanish Basque Country.
Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia
I’m bummed that I have only been to three countries in Asia: Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea. Well, hopefully I can add at least two to the list next year. My parents are visiting the Philippines and are taking one of the longest flights in the world: Singapore Airline’s 18-hour EWR to SIN itinerary. While I am not one for ultralong plane rides, YouTube videos have been complimentary of the service, the entertainment options, and most of all, the comfort. My folks’ opinion of the flight will be the final determinant if I would go through with the trip.
Malta and San Marino
These are the two remaining European microstates that I haven’t visited yet. (For the curious, the other four are Andorra, Vatican City, Liechtenstein, and Monaco.) I think springtime in Malta particularly would be exciting, as it offers pleasant weather and not-as-plentiful crowds.
As for San Marino, well, it’s a one-night trip so I can include it when I stay in either Bologna or Florence.
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