My 15 Unforgettable Travel Memories of 2018 – Highs and Lows

29/12/2018 by Piia | Ticket to Adventures 11 Comments

All I can say is wow! What a year it was. 2018 was such an active and incredible year for me. This year was all about adventure and exploring new countries. All together 9 weeks, 13 flights, 3 continents, 7 countries, 5 islands, 11 cities, countless villages. Thousands of photos. 33 blog posts. Feelings of all sorts. Happy smiles, crocodile tears, excitement, disappointments. I have encountered them all.

The memories I made and everything I got to discover in 2018 were truly amazing and I am so thankful to have gotten the opportunity to travel so much. Now looking back, maybe even a bit too much as there was too little down time at home. That said I would love to share with you my most unforgettable travel memories – highs and lows – of 2018.

Prettiest scenery: Bali’s volcano shooting ash at sunset

I will remember this scenery forever. Sweeping bays of Amed, black volcanic sand and the most beautiful sunsets with Bali’s active volcano Mount Agung in the background. No tv needed for entertainment when nature puts on a show like this every night! Mount Agung even kept shooting ash cloud into the sky as some kind of a warning sign of what was to come.

Scariest experience: Earthquake in Gili Meno

I had some pretty interesting but at the same time very scary times on the Indonesian paradise island of Gili Meno. Bali’s volcano Mount Agung was erupting and Gili Meno was hit by an earthquake. One night in Gili Meno at around 7.30 pm I was getting ready for dinner in my villa when the whole building started to shake. It lasted about 5 seconds.

I exited my villa immediately and went to the hotel reception to talk to hotel staff members. When I asked them whether they felt the earthquake the just said “It was the wind”. I was like yea right. I surely can tell the difference between wind and earthquake. The main reason why I was worried about the earthquake was the fact that I was on a small island that is basically an atoll with absolutely no high ground. Normally I take things easy and as they come but this time my imagination went a bit wild with tsunamis and stuff.

So, I decided to prepare my survival backpack with the most essentials only and ensured that my mobile phone, laptop and power bank were fully charged before I went to bed that night and had my backpack ready – just grab and run for your life in the case of a tsunami. Feeling restless, I went to bed with millions of thoughts in my head that night. I put on my earplugs and actually had a good night’s sleep. The tsunami never arrived and off I went to the beach in the morning.

Learning to ride a scooter in Lombok

I have travelled a lot in Southeast Asia but have never hired a scooter until in Lombok, which is a huge Indonesian island and you need a car or a scooter to get around since public transport is very limited. I was fairly nervous about riding a scooter as I was a beginner. I expressed my hesitation at the rental shop, which was opposite to my hotel and the friendly shop keeper asked one of his employees to give me a short driving lesson. After a 30-minute session I was ready to go. Exploring the south coast of Lombok on a scooter was a lot of fun and I got to see so any amazing hidden spots.

Feeling like a film star in Lombok

Another fun memory from Lombok is that the locals made me feel like a film star. No matter what I was up to, sightseeing, hiking, sunbathing, local people came up to me and wanted to get to know me even with their very limited English. All of them had two to three basic questions like “What’s your name?” “Where you from?” “Where you stay?” And then they asked the most important question: “Selfie?” They all wanted to take a selfie with me. It was very confusing. Why would they want to have me in their photos. But then I figured it out: I am a giant with pale skin and blue eyes. Okay just for your information, I am not a giant, I am just 156 cm tall so in the western world I am a very small person but in Asia I actually do feel fairly normal and sometimes even tall since Asian people are very small. Inspired by locals taking selfies with me, I got a bit carried away taking selfies with just me, myself and I, too.

Beating the heat in Doha

Doha is super hot, especially during the summer months when temperatures can reach 50°C and more. During my weekend in Doha in June temperatures were up at 43–47°C with no one cloud in the sky. My body and mind is not used to temperatures like this as I live in Finland where during the warmest months it can get up to 30°C. My strategy to beat the heat was wearing white clothing and covering my head with a light scarf. I also used my umbrella as a parasol and drank plenty of water. Further reading:  10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Travelling to Doha

Exhilarating challenge: Conquering Holmenkollen Ski Jump in Oslo

I conquered Holmenkollen Ski Jump from toe to top. This is such a huge thing for a person like me with a severe fear of heights. With shaky legs I climbed up the steepest stairs from the bottom all the way up to the lower observation deck just to find out that most people arrive by car. After that the lift ride up to the ski jump tower felt like a walk in the park. Further reading: Conquering the Heights of Holmenkollen Ski Jump in Oslo . 

Quintessentially Indonesian: Bali belly

Two days into my adventures in Indonesia I woke up to Indo realism: I caught the famous “Bali belly” (upset stomach) in Bali and it lasted for more than 4 weeks. Antibiotics and other medicines didn’t really do much and I lost 6 kg during my travels in Indonesia. I didn’t mind the weight lost. However, this did hinder my island hopping adventures and I didn’t get to explore all the places on my list. It was also a positive thing as I ended up spending quite a few relaxed days by the hotel swimming pool doing absolutely nothing.

Best airline experience: Qatar Airways

Finally this year I had the opportunity to fly Qatar Airways, one of the best airlines in the world. It didn’t quite meet all my expectations but will definitely fly again. Further reading:  Airline Review: Qatar Airways  

Worst moment: Victim of pickpockets in Tunisia

On my second day in Sousse I headed out to discover the city’s old walled town, Sousse medina, which is a Unesco World Heritage site. The medina is a busy area with plenty shops, attractions, restaurants and cafes. Some side lanes may feel lonely and quiet and this is where you have to pay attention to your surroundings and belongings, especially if you are solo.

After visiting one of the museums in Sousse medina I strolled a quiet alley uphill with my mobile phone in my hand, taking photos like I always do when I am exploring. I stopped for a few seconds to locate myself on the map app. All of a sudden, a guy approached silently from behind and nicked the phone from my hand. I heard nothing. I only saw someone’s hand very quickly snapping my phone. Then he ran away. I ran after him trying to catch him. No luck. My phone was gone. I was shocked. Pickpockets are everywhere in Tunisia, however not everyone has bad intentions. I have been travelling around the world for 20 years and nothing like this has never happened to me. After the incident I spend several hours at the police station  filing a report for insurance purposes. I must admit that I still feel a bit jumpy when some approaches me on the street when I have my phone in my hand. Related reading: 25 Photos That Made Me Fall in Love with Tunisia 

Saving the planet in Gili Meno

One of the most rewarding days this year was in Gili Meno where I joined a beach clean up organised by Trash Hero Gili Meno. It is such a good cause. They organise beach clean ups every Sunday at 4 pm and everyone is welcome to volunteer: tourists, locals, adults, children. We were more or less a group of 50 people that day and spent more than 2 hours walking on the beach with black bin bags collecting trash. It is crazy how much plastic there is floating in the oceans around us causing serious damage to marine life. I was particularly happy to see that especially local kids were very excited about the clean up. They were competing against each other on who finds the largest amount of trash. Everyone of course wanted to be a trash hero, and everyone who participates in making this world a cleaner place is a hero.

Hot summer days in Finland

This year the summer in Finland was just insane. In terms of weather. It was like a true Indian summer, hot and sunny. And that is how I love it. This is very rare for Finland. I reckon I have never experienced a summer like that before. It was such a perfect summer to spend time in the fresh outdoors exploring Helsinki’s islands, sunbathing on the beach, picnicking with friends and doing all types of outdoor activities. Related reading: Island Escape in Helsinki Archipelago: Liuskasaari Island 

Early morning bike rides along the seashores of Helsinki

What I enjoyed a lot in my everyday life at home in Helsinki this year was my early morning bike rides to work. During the warm summer months, I woke up already before 6 o’clock every morning, jumped on my bicycle and rode to work along the seashores of Helsinki and Espoo. At times I would stop along the way, take a few minutes, breath in, breath out and just soak up the early morning magic. This is a perfect way to spend quality time with just me, myself and I before the rest of the world wakes up. When you have a scenery like this all to yourself you know that it is going to be a good good day. It was magical, even on a Monday morning, believe it or not.

Swimming with turtles in Gili Meno

One of my favourite experiences on the Gili islands was exploring the underwater world where you can do snorkelling right off the beach. On my underwater adventures I saw lots and lots of colourful fish, several sea turtles, beautiful corals as well as incredible underwater statues. Gili Meno has got it all.  The best thing by far was swimming with turtles! I have never experienced anything like this before. The second best thing was swimming hand in hand with our snorkelling guide lol.

Tapas and red wine in Barcelona

My recent city break to Barcelona was all about spending quality time with friends. And what could be a better way to do it than over tapas or should I say pinxtos, and red wine. On our second day before visiting Antoni Gaudi’s masterpiece Sagrada Familia, we stumbled upon a cute little tapas bar called restaurant Aitor. The restaurant is very popular among locals and they have a wide selection of mouth-watering tapas for just 1.50 €/piece. Such a great find.

I cannot believe 2018 is almost over. Without a doubt this year has been so incredible. I have experienced so many things I never thought I would and I have met so many amazing people from around the world.  Currently I am on my last solo adventure of the year in Morocco creating more unforgettable memories! I cannot wait to see what the new year brings. What was your most unforgettable memory this year? Please share your best memories in the comments section below. Happy new year and safe travels!

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