by Matthew Allison | Feb 17, 2024 | Caribbean, North America
February 2024: I visited Grenada for three days as part of a two-week journey through the Caribbean, marking the last of the 197 sovereign countries I aimed to visit. Grenada was a place I was particularly excited about due to my fascination with revolutions and the...
by Matthew Allison | Jan 20, 2024 | Caribbean, North America
Return Trip to Trinidad February 2024: On what was my second visit to Trinidad, my plans were unexpectedly disrupted by a flight delay out of Saint Lucia. What was meant to be a full day and night on the island was reduced to a single night, forcing me to cancel an...
by Matthew Allison | Jan 14, 2024 | Caribbean
January 2024: Barbados – A Rocky but Memorable Start The Final Push to Visit Every Country As part of a two-week trip to visit my last five sovereign countries in the world, I began the journey in Barbados with my nephew, Dylan, and my friend, Jimmie. Over three days,...
by Matthew Allison | Jan 6, 2024 | North America
I feel very fortunate to have spent half of my life growing up in Minnesota—the land of 10,000 lakes, vast forests, and the mighty Lake Superior, the world’s largest freshwater lake. No matter where I travel in the world, even after seeing some truly incredible...
by Matthew Allison | Nov 28, 2023 | Europe
November 2023: A few years back, during a trip to Cyprus, I’d attempted to visit the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) but was turned away at the border due to missing some required COVID-19 documentation. That experience left me all the more intrigued to...
by Matthew Allison | Nov 1, 2023 | Asia
Exploring the Cold War Legacy: A Journey to the Polygon, Kazakhstan In November 2023, I traveled to Northeast Kazakhstan for a week, drawn by my fascination with the Soviet era. Kazakhstan was once part of the USSR, and few places embody the Cold War’s tensions and...
by Matthew Allison | Jun 4, 2023 | Asia
May 2023: I first fell in love with the Buddhist regions of the Himalayas in 1998, when I visited Ladakh and Zanskar in northern India, spending several months traveling and trekking in the region. Since then, I’ve returned to trek in Bhutan (2005) and in Tibet...
by Matthew Allison | May 30, 2023 | Middle East
A Brief Return to Iraq: Baghdad, Babylon, and Beyond May 2023: With only a few days to spare before heading to Nepal for a two-week trek in the Mustang Valley, I decided to squeeze in another visit to Iraq. My previous journeys had introduced me to some incredible...
by Matthew Allison | May 14, 2023 | North America
Short Trip into the Canadian Rockies June 2023: For our final “babymoon” trip, my wife, her mom, and I took advantage of the direct flights from San Diego to Alberta, Canada, to explore what I consider the wildest and most breathtaking part of the Rocky...
by Matthew Allison | Apr 23, 2023 | Australia & Pacific
March 2023: As part of a larger Pacific Island trip and a ‘babymoon’, my wife and I chose to end our journey by relaxing in the Yasawa Islands of Fiji at the rustic yet tranquil Barefoot Manta beach bungalow resort. It was the perfect way to conclude our...
