Thursday, January 17, 2013

Where I've Been, And Where I'm Going

Some of my readers have been asking me to write more about my travels and favorites spots around the world. I really love travelling and often suffer from travel fever if I haven't gone to a new place for a while. I prefer going to destinations that are off the beaten path and not very touristy. Sometimes I travel for great diving spots. Other times just for the culture. Or just a great beach.
Discovering new places makes me feel alive and I'm constantly planning on new adventures. There are so many amazing places I want to visit..but right now my life is hectic with the two babies and I'll have to keep the travel bugs in check until the kids are a bit older. I also want my kids to grow up seeing as many different cultures and places in the world as possible..hopefully that would make them more open-minded and tolerant toward other cultures but also instill a sense of pride of their roots in both Finland and Saudi-Arabia.

Here's a list of the countries I've been to so far..

Sweden
Norway
Estonia
Russia
Denmark
Netherlands
Belgium
United Kingdom
Germany
Poland
Switzerland
Austria
Slovenia
Hungary
Italy
France
Spain
Portugal
Gibraltar
Greece
Cyprus
Turkey
Lebanon
Jordan
Egypt
Morocco
Saudi-Arabia
Yemen
Oman
Bahrain
UAE
Qatar
Kuwait
Sri Lanka
Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
Hong Kong
Macau
South Korea
Fiji
Tonga
Australia
U.S.A
Canada
Mexico
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Cayman Islands
Barbados
Martinique
Columbia
Equador, Galapagos Islands
Peru
Bolivia
South Africa
Swaziland
Tanzania, Zanzibar
Kenya


That's 59 countries if I counted correctly :)

Here's my quick bucket list:
Maldives, Mongolia. Japan, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Namibia, Congo, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Kirghistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Pakistan, Brazil, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, Madagascar, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Senegal, Romania, Nepal, Bhutan, Syria, Comoros Islands..was that another 50?

Which one of the places on my been to list would you like to hear more about? One of my favorite travel destinations so far has been Galapagos Islands.


23 comments:

Umm Ahmad said...

That is so neat! Masha'allah, I could only dream of going to 1 country, and yet you have been to 59! Lovely! :)

Anonymous said...

woooow amazing! How did you go to Yemen? That would be interesting to hear!

dB said...

WOW! OMG! I'm imprest of how many countries you have visited! Great!!
I would like to read about all your visits here on your blog!
It must have been amazing experiences! So many people met, so many places seen!
I really love to see Romania on your bucket list! It is my home coutry which I love and deeply miss! You will find great places to visit there!

Mudassir said...

Thats a LOT!! btw any special reason for omitting India? just curious.

Dentographer said...

Life, you are living it right.

Noor said...

You are very much like me in that way. I also love travel and culture and want to go to the places no one else does. As for the places that are filled with people I rather pass bc you do not get the real experience.

BTW hello coffee date asap :)

Anonymous said...

Its awesome that youve been to so many countries.! Ive got quite the travel bug myself, but Ive only been to : France, Turkey and Cyprus....

Layla said...

Umm Ahmad-thanks for the comment, inshallah you get to got to many countries :)

Layla said...

anon-Went there with my mom 2009 I planned it all on my own, not many ready made tours go there.

Layla said...

dB-I would really love to visit Romania some day you have a beautiful country rich in history!
I will definitely write about my favorite locations, thanks for the comment!

Layla said...

Mudassir-I'm not really omitting it, just not on my top places right now. I really loved Sri Lanka which I imagine is a little bit similar in some aspects, but of course not the same..
India is such a huge country and there's so much to see, it would take many weeks just to go around the country :)

Layla said...

Noor-Let's arrange in the next few weeks, will have to figure out the transportation issue :)

moto-Japan said...

question come to mind is how to afford the money. Either, you have plenty of money enable you to do all this OR you know how to find cheap offers. Given your incredible experience in travailing can you share with your readers some trick how to travel with less money.

Layla said...

moto-Japan-thanks for commenting and the good suggestion.
Some of the countries I visited when I was younger with my parents, some of these I went to while studying nursing as placements for my practical training (South -Africa and Swaziland)..
I have to say working in Saudi-Arabia is one of the things that ha enabled travel to so many places.For one, life here is cheap and you can save more from your pay(plus no taxes) second, the annual leave is amazing (54 days)and thirdly, the location is ideal to visit many places around here with minimum costs by taking local transport and cheap airlines..
Sometimes I do so that I fly to one city and then travel from there with buses and trains to surrounding countries..and stay in cheap hostels and backpackers accommodation. With kids it would not be my first choice anymore, but as a single woman this is what I did many times..

Anonymous said...

Laylah,

Do come and visit Malaysia. Plenty to see and lots to do. Am more than happy to give any travel advice should you opt to visit the country.

Sireh

Anonymous said...

Oh please do visit Indonesia. It is a beautiful country.
There's a new "just opened" destination called "Raja Ampat".
I think you'll like it there.

Sylvia F. said...

It's an impressive list :) Where exactly in Poland you've stayed?

Layla said...

Hi Sireh I've been to Malaysia and enjoyed it very much! Would love to visit the Borneo side some day, Kota Kinabalu and Sipadan Islands for diving..

Layla said...

Indonesia is on my top list to visit in the near future,lots of cheap flights from SA!

Layla said...

Sylvia Warsaw and Krakow!

baby muslimah said...

I am like you! If I do not have a trip planned I feel like there is nothing to look forward to! I have been to 11 countries which I thought was alot until I read your list lol! Next on my list is somewhere in the middle east, anywhere really. Just to see something differnt the North America or Europe which is where I have done all my travels. My favourite place was Spain! I have learned all I need is an ocean and a beach for my vacation to be complete! Safe travels on all the adventures you have in your future!

Anonymous said...

It is called ColOmbia* not ColUmbia ;) I am from Colombia and a frequent reader of your blog! I can't believe that you came here. Wich cities did you visited? and how was your experience here? I hope you get to see all the pretty things and have a positive experience. - Camila.

Andi of My Beautiful Adventures said...

59 countries is incredible!!!!