WOW! 2015 has been quite an exciting year!

11 countries, 22 flights, 46 hotel beds, 1 break-up,

uncountable new friends, and 34 destinations later, here I am to tell you about the good, the bad, and the ugly of this year… but mostly about the good.

Here are the my best travel moments of 2015.

1| DISCOVERING THE VIETNAM OF MY DREAMS IN MAI CHAU

I would be lying if I said I loved Vietnam.
There are a few different things that made me disillusioned and angry about the country and the way tourists are treated: just keep reading…
I was really looking forward to escape from the chaos of Hanoi, and Mai Chau in the countryside, only 3 hours away, seemed the perfect place to relax.

I had no idea though that I would finally find the Vietnam of my dreams there.
Between the paddy fields and the bike trails in the countryside, I finally fell in love with Vietnam.

And I must admit that enjoying the view over the paddy fields, while chilling in my private pool at Mai Chau Ecolodge, might or might not have contributed to that!

 

Yes I know, this place doesn’t even seem real: it’s absolutely beautiful, that kind of “omg breathtaking beautiful”.
The landscape looks like a painting, and the bungalows you see in the distance are the Mai Chau Ecolodge where I’m staying. I love how 98% of the people working there are from the ethnic minorities of the Mai Chau valley, such a great example of responsible tourism! 

Una foto pubblicata da Stefania Guglielmi (@everysteph) in data: 27 Nov 2015 alle ore 08:14 PST

 

“When we look up, it widens our horizons. We see what a little speck we are in the universe, so insignificant, and we all take ourselves so seriously, but in the sky, there are no boundaries. No differences of caste or religion or race.” – J. Gregson {#latergram, Mai Chau, Vietnam}

Una foto pubblicata da Stefania Guglielmi (@everysteph) in data: 6 Dic 2015 alle ore 12:21 PST

2| WHEN I WORKED HARD PLAYED HARDER IN HALONG BAY

There are mainly two kinds of Halong Bay cruises on offer: the luxury ones that generally attract an older crowd, and the party cruises… which one do you think I chose?

I had some great, great fun with an awesome bunch of new friends, partying but not only: so much fun that I even decided to prolonge my stay on Cat Ba Island with some of them.
If you are backpacking through Vietnam, and don’t mind some crazy fun, check out the cruise organized by Central Backpackers: it’s the same exact thing than the infamous Castaway Cruise, but costs half price!

 

Just came back from an amazing three days in Halong Bay organized by @central_backpackers_hostel! It was definitely a party cruise but for a solo traveler like myself it was the best option for meeting people my age… And was indeed great fun! First night on a boat, second night on a private island… Just leave me here please! Tomorrow is my last day in Hanoi, then I’m heading back to Thailand, will tell you more about it in the next few days… Have you been to Halong Bay?

Una foto pubblicata da Stefania Guglielmi (@everysteph) in data: 2 Dic 2015 alle ore 07:19 PST

3| WHEN I REALIZED THAT SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED TO LET IT GO

This year was not always all a bed of roses.
You might not have noticed it because I tend to keep this kind of things private, but I was quite devastated when things with my ex boyfriend didn’t work out.

It was very hard to move on, and the fact that I was running around, keeping busy not to think about things, wasn’t helping.
Then I found out about the isolated island of Kho Phra Thong thanks to my friend Claire, and I decided that I needed some quiet time.
There, I was really by myself. I enjoyed a week of silence, books on my hammock, walks on the beach and witnessed some of the most breathtaking sunsets I’ve ever witnessed.

There, I was finally able to cry it out, and let it go.
One morning on the island I woke up, and felt free again.

 

Yesterday it was a bad day, and I used to think that you couldn’t have bad days while traveling. I used to believe all those people who tell you they are “living the dream”: traveling is like life, sometimes you are living the dream and sometimes, well, you would like to stay in bed all day. I used to feel guilty about “wasted days”, but I’ve learnt to accept that ups and downs will always be there, no matter where I am. I really fell for this island, and I’m sad to be leaving tomorrow, but a place this quiet really forces you to think. And at some point those ghosts that we keep hidden in our closet have to come out, and at some point we need to face our fears. Someone said “the turning point in the process of growing up is when you discover the core of strength within you that survives all hurt” … and I guess miles of deserted beaches are not the worst place on earth to do it!

Una foto pubblicata da Stefania Guglielmi (@everysteph) in data: 3 Nov 2015 alle ore 07:25 PST

 

There isn’t an easy way to accomplish your goals. There are no shortcuts. You are not going to wake up one morning and oh, what you’ve always dreamt is magically there. So get up and work your ass off. Cause if you truly believe it, it will happen. There will be ups and downs, and bumps on the road, but you gotta keep moving. Believe in yourself ❤️ {latergram, Koh Phra Thong, #Thailand}

Una foto pubblicata da Stefania Guglielmi (@everysteph) in data: 20 Dic 2015 alle ore 21:58 PST

4| HITCHIKING ON A HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGE IN KOSOVO

It was a hot, super hot afternoon in Gracanica, Kosovo, and Lorenzo and I had this brilliant idea of walking 2 kms to check out some Roman ruins (which, well, you can totally skip), so we decided to hitchike on the way back.

Nobody would stop. We were on the side of the road for some time, then we said “fuck it, we’ll just walk”. As soon as we said that, we saw a horse-drawn carriage approaching.

“You are not going to try and stop THAT, are you??!”
“Sure I am!” – said Lorenzo.

And sure enough, the gypsy family on the carriage stopped and told us to hop on.
We sat there on the straw in the back of the carriage, laughing with the kids, and it was perfect… cause sometimes it’s the smallest moments that make you the happiest!

5| WHEN A STRIKE HIT IN KERALA AND I BECAME A BOLLYWOOD STAR…KIND OF

What do you do in Kerala when a strike cancels your plans, and you get stucked in an awesome resort together with some of the most amazing friends and a professional videographer?
You shoot a music video of course! We just had a blast dancing, making sexy funny shots in the water, and listening to the same song about one thousand times.

 

What to do in #Kerala when a strike cancels your plans? You shoot a music video of course! Stay tuned, We might become the next Bollywood stars! Photo by @jinsabraham #KeralaBlogExpress

Una foto pubblicata da Stefania Guglielmi (@everysteph) in data: 15 Mar 2015 alle ore 04:20 PDT

Unfortunately the video is not live yet 🙁 but this is THE hit. Dance away!

6| FEELING AT PEACE IN THE KERALA BACKWATERS

One of the best things that happened to me this year was having the incredible opportunity to participate in the Kerala Blog Express trip, which brought me with other 29 other bloggers around the state of Kerala in South India.

The highlight of the trip was definitely the cruise on a Kerala Backwaters houseboat.
Watching the sunset, and then the sunrise colouring the water of all shades of pink orange, enjying some great food and chatting about life for hours with Barbara and Arnaldo….unforgettable.

 

I was just going through my photos from #Kerala and found this one from our backwaters cruise – one of my most cherished travel memories. Would go back in a heartbeat!

Una foto pubblicata da Stefania Guglielmi (@everysteph) in data: 14 Dic 2015 alle ore 11:33 PST

 

Where I’d like to be today? No doubt: in #Kerala, soaking up the sun while navigating through the #backwaters on a luxury houseboat… This is life! #KeralaBlogExpress

Una foto pubblicata da Stefania Guglielmi (@everysteph) in data: 24 Apr 2015 alle ore 03:33 PDT

7| THAT TIME I HAD A PASSIONATE SIX-HOUR ROMANCE WITH THE HOTTEST LATIN MAN

Mom, if you’re reading this post, skip this paragraph.

Has it ever happened to you that you meet someone from the opposite side of the world, and you instantly feel a special connection, that you can’t stop wondering “where have you been all of my life”?

I’ve met a few similar souls out there while traveling that I could totally relate to, and it’s always a great pleasure when it happens, but let’s be honest: when they look like they could be on the cover of some magazine, and they whisper spanish words in your ear with the sexiest accent, it’s even more special. Special in a lustful way.

When I met F., let’s call him like that, I knew he was leaving soon. Soon as “I have been traveling for over a year but I have my flight to to go back home in 6 hours”.
Yes, I know, awesome timing.

So we spent a full-moon night talking about life goals, and fears, and emotions, and then one thing leads to another… and we found ourselves entwined, having some raw, mind-blowing… well, you know what, until it was time for me to drop him off at the airport, leaving me longing for more.

Who know, maybe one day…life is absolutely weird, and I love it for this.
So, who wants to come to South America with me? 😀

I obviously don’t have a picture to show you, so here it’s a bunch of latinos for you.
Girls, no need to thank me.

8| THAT DAY I WAS BEATEN BY THE POLICE THEN CHASED BY THE MAFIA IN VIETNAM

So, this happened. But no worries, this is definitely the worst moment on this list… also cause it doesn’t get much worse than this, does it?
Fortunately I’m fine and everything is alright.

I kept a little secretive about this because I heard stories of people getting in trouble for writing things on the internet, but I think you should know about it because if you happened to find yourself in the same situation, well, at least you’d know what to do.

It’s quite a long story, so I won’t get into details here, but expect a post about it soon!

 

When you travel, it’s never black or white. Some days are just incredibly amazing, and some are not. Today we went to see the White Dunes of Mui Ne, and they were breathtaking (you can see it below!) Unfortunately, coming back from that we had a terrible experience. In each country there are good and bad people, and today we were unlucky enough to meet the wrong ones. I won’t be able to tell you what happened until I leave the country, but bad experiences are still part of the travel experience, and I feel lucky that we are totally fine…with one more story to tell you about! I cannot judge Vietnam just from what happened today, so I will keep telling you how beautiful this country is… but now, please send me a virtual hug 😊!

Una foto pubblicata da Stefania Guglielmi (@everysteph) in data: 13 Nov 2015 alle ore 06:39 PST

9| CONNECTING WITH ELEPHANTS AT ELEPHANTS NATURE PARK IN CHIANG MAI

Elephants are probably my favourite animals on Earth, so when I heard about Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai there was no way I could skip it.

There are plenty of elephant camps in Northern Thailand, but this is a special one because the rescued elephants are treated with the respect they deserve.

 

Communicating: because sometimes, you don’t need ONE. SINGLE. WORD. This is Thai, one of the oldest elephants at the age of 80 years old. Yesterday I spent an incredible day at @elephantnaturepark outside of Chiang Mai, where I had the possibility to interact with these beautiful, extremely smart animals without disrupting their lives. Why is Elephant Nature Park different? Here all the elephants have been rescued from a past that saw them in the logging industry, as street beggars or in elephant trekking. Some of them still carry the physical, or mental, scars of the terrible things they lived but Finally here animals have the possibility to just being animals and to form families. It’s been a fantastic and emotional experience, and I was on the verge of tears multiple times. Expect to see quite a few elephants in your feed! 🐘

Una foto pubblicata da Stefania Guglielmi (@everysteph) in data: 19 Dic 2015 alle ore 09:14 PST

 

Jokia, the elephant on the right, is blind. She wasn’t born blind though: the owner hurt her when she was young because she rebelled after her baby died. I will never understand how some people just have no hearts. When the people of @elephantnaturepark rescued her, they were worried about how the other elephants would react to her presence. But animals once again proved to be much more compassionate than us humans: as soon as she arrived the older elephant on the left approached Jokia, touched her eyes with her trunk and adopted her. They haven’t been apart since, and here they were cuddling each other. An incredible moment to witness.

Una foto pubblicata da Stefania Guglielmi (@everysteph) in data: 20 Dic 2015 alle ore 01:01 PST

10| REUNITING WITH MY BEST FRIEND IN ISTANBUL

Because, what would a girl be without her girlfriends?
My friends are all scattered around the world, and it’s not always easy to meet up: when I’m home, they are far away, and when they come back sometimes it’s me being somewhere else.

So when I told Viola, who’s doing her PHD in Los Angeles, about my Balkans roadtrip plans and she replied that she was going to meet me in Istanbul, I couldn’t be happier.

We spent 3 days exploring the beauty of Istanbul, eating cheap streetfood and girls chatting… because, don’t get me wrong, I have plenty of guy friends, but the spicy conversations i have with my best friend are on another level!

 

You can live on the opposite corner of the world, but when #friendship is real, distance doesn’t really count. I’ve been taking a break from blogging in the past few days, I’m enjoying Istanbul with my best friend who lives in Los Angeles. #Istanbul is enchanting…

Una foto pubblicata da Stefania Guglielmi (@everysteph) in data: 16 Ago 2015 alle ore 14:54 PDT

What was your best travel moment of 2015?
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