Who am I (Besides a Certified Boomer)
I’m Valentin. Certified boomer, allegedly in good shape (depending on which mirror I use). I wanted to be an actor. My parents told me “You can be whatever you want as long as you’re a doctor.” So I did the Med School thing, then detoured into entrepreneurship. I enjoyed building companies, chasing crazy ideas, and yes, one of the best perks: traveling. Conferences were my stage, presentations my monologues — the closest I ever got to the acting career that never was. Start-ups may come with stress, but they also come with stamps in your passport.
How I Became a Travel Addict
Over the years, I’ve wandered through 47 countries (give or take a few airport layovers I’m not counting out of spite), explored cities that ranged from jaw-dropping to “meh”, met fascinating humans and a few who made me reconsider humanity, and absorbed cultures like a sponge with a passport. This blog is my attempt to document the triumphs, disasters, and the occasional moment where I accidentally became the protagonist in a travel farce. Expect dry wit, unsolicited advice, and travel tips that unfortunately, will not involve hitchhiking across galaxies (my name is Valentin, not Arthur Dent). If you’re here for heartfelt inspiration, you might want to recalibrate your expectations. But if you enjoy travel stories, honest food and hotel reviews (when they are or aren’t worth it), and other (un)useful travel tips, welcome aboard.
Ohh, in case you were wondering, it is me in the picture up there, rappelling for 100 meters into a cave in New Zealand.
When did the addiction start?
As the tagline of this blog proudly admits, I’m addicted to travel. Here’s where the whole mess started, For my 60th birthday, my wife and I decided to gift ourselves a trip to Machu Pichu—a bucket-list dream. And since Peru is practically neighbours with Bolivia, we figured, why not add that too?
Whatever you heard about how beautiful Machu Pichu is, it is true. It’s awesome!
We prepared well: acclimatized slowly, took Diamox to fend off altitude sickness, and followed all the right steps. But when we reached the Atacama Desert, altitude had other plans. I felt breathless, especially at night, couldn’t sleep, and experienced a physical weakness I wasn’t used to. For the first time, I realized that wanting to do something doesn’t always mean you can. That moment changed me. It reshaped my priorities. Since then, the highest priority is to travel and see all the destinations on my bucket list.
It is me (with the hoodie) and my wife (blue jacket) with friends in Atacama Desert in Bolivia. If someone tells you you’re on Mars, when you’re in Atacama Desert, you’ll almost believe it.
Where did we travel ? Just the highlights — the lowlights are classified
I’ve always had a long bucket list of places I wished to see, and it was at that moment that I decided that travel would become my main focus. Thankfully, my wife shares the same passion, so we’ve been traveling at least twice a year ever since (even during the pandemic we continued to travel, although only in Canada). We’ve done a 4.5-month round-the-world trip, cruised to Antarctica, hiked to see mountain gorillas in Uganda, and more—but I’ll get to those stories some other time.
We’ve always loved discovering new countries and places. We’ve explored most of Europe—from the Netherlands to Hungary, Romania to Iceland—and plenty in between. We’ve wandered through Asia, Australia, Africa, and all three North American countries. Our trips blend beautiful scenery with vibrant cities, wildlife encounters, cultural deep-dives, and most importantly, meeting people.
What we actually travel for (spoiler: it’s not only museums)
With time, we became our own travel agents. We know what we want to see, where we want to stay, and how to get around. We’ve learned where to find the best advice, snag good hotel deals, rent cars, and when to hire a guide (or when to just wing it).
The Food
We’re foodies. That means we sometimes splurge on high-end restaurants—at least once per trip, no matter the cost. We’ve dined at Disfrutar in Barcelona, Pierre Orsi in Lyon (back when it had two Michelin stars), Belcanto in Lisbon, Quintonil in Mexico City, and Central in Lima.
Disfrutar Barcelona – chocolate peppers oil and salt. Is it art? Is it science? Maybe both?
Prep kitchen at Belcanto, Lisbon. The best service we’ve ever had at a restaurant.
But we’ve also had unforgettable meals in simpler spots like Pho 10 in Hanoi and Chez Wong in Lima—proof that great food doesn’t always come with white tablecloths and a wine list the size of a novel.
Pho at Pho 10 in Hanoi – just a broth with some beef and vegetables, but what a soup.
Chez Wong in Lima it is not about plating, it is about flavour and taste… amazing flounder and octopus ceviche. Unfortunately, the restaurant is closed.
The Wine
Speaking of wine, we love it. Visiting wine regions and learning from local winemakers is always part of our itinerary. We usually spend 2–3 days in each region, visiting 2-3 wineries a day—not to get tipsy, but to learn and taste. Okay, maybe a little tipsy…
The Budget
We’ve never traveled on shoestring budgets, but we don’t go overboard either. We’re somewhere in the mid-to-upper range, which we think is typical for people our age. Of course, the budget depends on the destination—Antarctica isn’t exactly a budget getaway, while Vietnam is more forgiving.
Visiting Antarctica is not just another trip to a beautiful place, it is a state of mind
Depending on the destination, we pick the travel companions least likely to revolt.
We’ve traveled with our kids many times and still do (when they have time). It’s probably the best travel. We’ve also traveled with friends, which adds joy and helps split costs. I’ve organized trips for two couples, then three, and recently for a group of 16—some of whom I hadn’t met before (friends of friends, who may become new friends). Every time, people thanked us for the planning, the guides, the places we visited, the accommodation we chose, even the prices we managed to negotiate, and the refunds we were able to get. Apparently, I missed my calling as a travel agent.
Why this blog exists?
After years of traveling and organizing trips for ourselves and others, we feel ready to share what we’ve learned. We’ll offer tips on planning, booking, packing, and more. We’ll also describe some of the places we’ve visited—what we loved, and what didn’t quite live up to the hype. I’ll start with our latest adventures and then rewind to older ones—until we hit the road again, at which point you’ll get fresh tales as fast as I can type them, preferably before the jet lag wears off.
This blog is my attempt to share world travel stories and tips — with some dry wit. If our style of travel and my style of writing sound like your cup of tea (or glass of wine), stick around, keep reading or send me a note. If you want to know how I plan trips? Start here.
If nothing here is really for you, no hard feelings—we know everyone travels differently. Thanks for reading this post and hope you’ll come back and read more.