Achieving goals: visiting 30 counties before 30

Remember back in November when I decided that I wanted to travel to 30 countries by the age of 30?

Well… 214 days before my 30th birthday, I achieved my goal!

The purpose of my challenge wasn’t to tick countries off a list. It was to challenge myself into thinking outside the box when trying to decide on our next travel destination. The challenge has pushed me to visit places I never thought I would, and given me life changing experiences along the way.

This challenge is the reason why we visited Malta in April, instead of visiting Spain or France. It is also the reason we spent ten days road tripping with our friends through four countries in the Balkans, instead of joining a sail boat that would have visited only one country.

So, which country was number 30?

1. Australia
2. Indonesia
3. England (UK)
4. The Netherlands
5. France
6. Andorra
7. Spain
8. Italy
9. Vatican City **
10. United States
11. Canada
12. Thailand
13. Brunei
14. New Zealand
15. Iceland
16. Switzerland
17. Egypt 
18. Scotland (UK)
19. Poland
20. Germany
21. Sweden
22. Hungary
23. Turkey
24. Belgium
25. Norway
26. Liechtenstein
27. Austria
28. Malta
29. Croatia
30. Bosnia and Herzegovina (photo below)
31. Montenegro
32. Albania

The year isn’t over yet. I have just over 200 days to my 30th birthday in April 2016 and many more countries to see before then – stay tuned!