All in all I covered over 34,000 miles, and seven countries. Please enjoy this 2014 travel summary!

This post was originally published in 2014. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content. 

January: Panama, USA

After saying goodbye to a hellish year in 2013, I greeted 2014 near Panama City, where I was house-sitting. I stayed on through mid-January continuing to discover this country of contrast (See also: Panama: A Wild West), before flying to Hollywood Florida to visit a long-time friend.

For a couple of weeks we had a great time catching up, however I was craving some personal space, so I left to indulge in some alone time in Gulfport Florida.

February: USA

The first week or so of February I explored the very pretty town of Gulfport before hopping over to Santa Rosa Beach (Florida) to stay the rest of the month with another long-time friend.

Santa Rosa Beach is one of the most consistent places I’ve visited in all of my full-time travels (having visited the last three years running), and although the weather was cold, the company of my friends was warm and fun.

March: USA, Canada, Peru

A series of very serendipitous events led me from Florida to Peru in March. But in order to get there, I flew up to Toronto for a few days, not only to say a quick hello to my family and friends, but also to catch a mystery shopping flight to Peru, which saved me 50% on the cost of airfare.

April: Peru

April saw me settling into my digs in Peru and discovering the magic of the Sacred Valley. I started off with a five day trek through the Andes ending up in Machu Picchu.

I also got to know the little town of Pisac where I was living, and explored some of the prevalent spiritual opportunities which included receiving the rites of the Munay Ki.

May: Peru

My exploration of Peru continued through May with more Andean treks including the high Andean lakes of Kinsa Cocha, the ancient agricultural lab (or alien landing pad?) of Moray, and the incredible salt mines of Maras.

I also got a strange email from a reader who wanted to move in with me, and I started to learn about plant medicines in Peru such as San Pedro and Ayahuasca.

June: Peru, Canada

After doing one last three-day trek through the mountains to Lares Hot Springs, and making a quick stop in Lima to overdose on ceviche, I left Peru to enjoy summer in the northern hemisphere. Having been on a permanent mission to avoid winter for the last eight years, I’m accustomed to hopping hemispheres according to season (or sticking close to the equator).

July: Canada, USA

For July and part of August, I based my operations in Toronto while visiting family and friends.

I made a quick trip to the Florida Keys where I discovered the magic of Key West and met all kinds of people who visited the Keys and never left.

On my return to Canada, I spent a couple of weeks with my Mum in the cottage country area of Muskoka; a very special place for me with a lifetime of memories.

August: Canada, Spain, Gibraltar, Italy

In August I decided to “pop” over to Europe (via Istanbul) to visit some friends on the south coast of Spain. Having been to Spain many times, I was least impressed with the Costa del Sol, but I nevertheless appreciated spending time with my friends and exploring new places, including Gibraltar.

I capped off my European adventures with a visit to another friend in Pesaro Italy, where I was treated to amazing local hospitality and culture, and home-cooked food so good that I will never look at Italian food (outside of Italy) the same way again. (See also: Living Like a Local in Italy)

September: Peru

After spending my end-of-August birthday with my family and friends in Canada, I returned to a place that resonated me as a new home: Peru (See also: I’m Going Back to Peru: Here’s Why). After a hectic summer travel itinerary, I spent most of September relaxing and settling back into my Peruvian digs. I did get out of the house a few times though(!), including a trip to the Barratio market in Cusco.

October: Peru

I branched out a little more in October, attending a Peruvian wedding, and also making an attempted climb up mount Pachatusan, which ended very differently – but possibly more rewardingly – than I could possibly have imagined.

October also marked the end of a very long battle with lawyers and insurance companies in the aftermath of a near-fatal accident I suffered in Grenada in February 2013. I lost the battle, but in so doing I won my life back. (See also: Cutting Your Losses: Why I’m Losing, in Order to Win)

November: Peru

In November I continued to do work with the various plant medicines of Peru, I did a beautiful walk from Cusco to the ancient ruins of Huchuy Qosqo, and I kept working hard on becoming fluent in Spanish.

I also started planning a two-month trip to escape the rainy season in Peru (January through March), and although my intention was to visit Australia and New Zealand with a frequent flyer mile ticket, I ended up spending $1700 on absolutely nothing – not even flights. But I got over that pretty quickly, when I realized there were even better travel opportunities around the next corner – which you’ll learn about soon.

December: Peru

I laid relatively low in December, partly because my purse was stolen in Cusco, leaving me without any money (other than what I could borrow from friends, which I limited to necessities only). Although I learned a lot from the incident, it wasn’t nearly as painful as I thought it might be, and in fact, I saw more blessings than curses come of it.

December marks eight years since I sold everything I owned in Canada and started my full-time travel adventures, and I spent some time reflecting on this amazing journey that has allowed me to live and travel through over 50 countries. If you’d have asked me 10 years ago where I would be now, my wildest imagination wouldn’t have placed me in the Sacred Valley of Peru with the repertoire of experiences (good, bad, and otherwise) that I now have.

And life continues to change and evolve; with a home base in Peru (at least for now), I’m changing the way I travel and how I work. I have some local focuses here in Peru that are taking more of my time in an incredibly satisfying way; things that I will write about more soon enough, when I find the right words.

Happy Holiday Season, and here’s to an amazing year in 2015!

Other Annual Travel Summaries

2013: 12 Countries and 29,000 miles

2012: 8 Countries and 20,000 miles (video here)

2011: 13 Countries and 73,000 kms

2010: 9 Countries (unknown miles/kms)

My First Four Years of Full-Time Travel (2007-2010)

This post 7 Countries and 34,000 Miles: 2014 Travel Summary appeared first on The Professional Hobo. Please click through to read it in full!

Passing through customs was as simple as merely slowing my pace while flashing my passport.

To get into the country (by foot or car), you have to walk through the main airport and across their massive runway.

You can circumnavigate this entire country on foot in a day.

It’s not an island, but it almost is. And like so many island nations, there is more to it than meets the eye.

Oh yes, and to be correct, this place isn’t a country – it’s a British Territory. (Just like Hawaii is another US State, Puerto Rico is a territory, and Corsica is really just France. Ask the residents, and I suspect they’ll tell you just how unique they are).

Welcome to Gibraltar.

This article was originally published in 2014, and has since been updated for accuracy of links and formatting.

While staying in the south of Spain, I could see the rock of Gibraltar and the hills of Morocco from my terrace. So, being less than an hour from the border, it was worth a day trip to The Rock to see what it’s all about.

Gibraltar is…interesting. Here’s what I saw, and learned:

Gibraltar is Packed.

Not only was Gibraltar packed with tourists when I visited, but it’s also consistently packed with residents/citizens, who number about 30,000 in this teensy weensy country (territory) – known as one of the most densely packed territories in the world. Thus, most of the population is squished into apartment buildings in varying states of disrepair.

I’m told these apartments aren’t cheap either, so some people (including a friend who I chatted with) live instead in Spain and walk across to Gibraltar to work. She did this in the age of the Spanish paseta, so earning money in Gibraltarian currency (tied to the British Pound), and spending it in paseta-land was a very favourable currency play for her and many others. Even now with the Euro, it’s a favourable exchange for people living in Spain and working in Gibraltar.

Gibraltar’s Currency isn’t British, but it is.

Gibraltar is a “British Overseas Territory”, so although you can use British Pounds currency in Gibraltar, you’ll also find that they have their own currency – the Gibraltar Pound. But don’t get stuck with their currency and think that you can spend it (or even exchange it at some banks) in Britain; Gibraltarian pounds aren’t even recognized by some major British banks.

Gibraltarians Have Their Own Culture and People

“Gibraltarians don’t like to be Spanish, and they don’t like to be British. Their language is a seamless mix of both English and Spanish,” said my friend who used to live there. In fact, this mish-mash of languages is the unique Gibraltarian vernacular, called llanito.

Officially, Gibraltar’s language is English which is taught in schools, but you can immediately see the struggle to maintain their own unique identity – as I’ve seen culturally and linguistically in so many islands I’ve visited, including Corsica, Hawaii, and even New Zealand. (I know, I know – Gibraltar isn’t an island. But it really feels like one).

Gibraltar has a Long and Storied Past

Given Gibraltar’s 1.2 kilometre border shared with Spain, a short swim to Morocco, and under the watchful eye of the Brits as a stronghold, you can tell that Gibraltar has seen its share of cultural, economic, and political drama over hundreds of years.

Gibraltar is a Giant Tax-Free Store

“There’s a lot of history, there’s a lot of culture. But really, Gibraltar is just a massive tax-free shopping centre,” said my host in Spain and tour guide for the day. Indeed the crush of people trolling street after street of perfumeries, liquor and tobacco shops, and electronics stores was downright claustrophobic. It even smelled like an airport duty-free store, with odours of perfume and new leather wafting into the streets.

There’s More than Meets the Eye in Gibraltar

I only spent one day in Gibraltar. I suspect there’s more to this country (territory) than what meets the eye. My friend who lived there spoke fondly of her time in Gibraltar, and of the friendly people (once you get to know them).

Heck, I didn’t even have enough time to stand in line for 3 hours to catch the cable car to the top of the Rock. But that’s part of the problem in itself; it’s just too packed with people (tourists and residents alike) for my liking.

So is Gibraltar a place I’m enthused to return to, perhaps to live there for a while and “crack the code” of the people and culture? To be honest – no. I love island-like nations and the quirky cultural differences that define them, but I don’t think I can manage living somewhere so packed, so shopping-centric, and with a currency as strong as the Pound.

Have you visited Gibraltar? What did you think?

This post Gibraltar: Life on the Rock appeared first on The Professional Hobo. Please click through to read it in full!