Happy New Year! I know, it’s been a while since I’ve sent you a newsletter. I could give you all kinds of reasons for the delay, but I won’t bore you. It seems like 2025 has been a big year for everyone, myself included. I’ve had so many incredible experiences, with highs and lows on a scale as grand as the Dolomites, which I didn’t conquer when I visited in October.

Travel writing is a privilege, and a rewarding one at that. I’d never be granted access to so many places without it, and in fact, I wouldn’t even know about the existence of certain events and people without the opportunities that travel writing presents.

On the flip side, there’s an awful lot that goes into producing a blog post, a photo, an article, a social media post or anecdote, and if I’m doing my job well, you’ll never be aware of what goes on behind the scenes. Travel writers tread a very fine line between presenting the truth versus reality. It’s not that we’re not telling the truth, but I believe it’s our job to inspire, not deter, others to visit those destinations and create their own versions of what we’re posting all over social media.

But sometimes things go wrong. Other times, we’re not feeling it or so far out of our comfort zone that we’re unable to process what’s happening before us. Logistical challenges are all part of the norm, as is burnout, illness, fatigue and the yearning to wake up in your own bed regardless of the thread count.

Like me, you’ve probably received a plethora of newsletters about incredible travels over the past year and where you should be planning to go in 2026. But I’m going to get real with you and share some of my misadventures over the last year. On a positive note, the fact that I’m still excited about writing about my travels shouldn’t put you off from your own potential misadventures, but instead inspire you to keep on exploring the world. And besides, those mishaps often make the best stories that you’ll rarely see published in mainstream media.

So, without further delay, I present you with some of 2025’s travel misadventures.

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