Coucou, Robin here, ça fait longtemps !

Let’s just say I have one or two adventures to catch you up on… From working a corporate job at a bilingual communications agency in Paris to solo backpacking around Europe and Asia, the last couple of years have been eventful to say the least!

And now… I’ve hit a huge travel milestone by visiting my 50th country! While country-counting isn’t everything, and I would love to revisit almost all these destinations, it’s still always exciting to scratch a new place off my map.

So, how do I even attempt to put all this into words? Well, thankfully, I’ve been doing this all along, just a bit more privately, in my journal. There’s no better way to catch you up than to share some of these thoughts and feels from the last year!

August 5, 2024: Good morning, Vietnam! Finally! After three flights and who-knows-how-many total hours of travel, I made it to Hanoi! First impression was absolute chaos, but the more I explore, the more normal it starts to feel… I’ve been dreaming up this trip around Asia for literally years now, and after all the working, all the saving, and all the traveling, here I am!

December 17, 2024: I’ll be thinking about everything I saw, did, and experienced on this trip to India forever. It challenged me and pushed me out of my comfort zone. It showed me the beauty of a place and culture I had been pushed away from. It allowed me to be there for someone who has been there for me and experience an event that felt like something out of a movie.

January 11, 2025: Chill, cozy, loving, caring, comfortable. Homey. This year more than ever before, I also heard myself referring to my life in Paris as “home”. But nothing can replace Roanoke.

February 21, 2025: Honestly, I’m incredibly grateful for the changes with my job this year and how it has switched completely. My levels of productivity and enjoyment fluctuate, but I do genuinely have a sense of fulfillment that I didn’t get before.

April 4, 2025: I’m taking this weekend to explore a region I’ve never been to before and don’t know much about: Basque Country! I’ll be hitting Biarritz, San Sebastian, Logroño, and Zaragoza. Just a quick taste in each place, but I’m on day one and already looking forward to coming back!

April 24, 2025: Friendly, beautiful, vibrant Cape Town, thank you for another adventure. Wine tastings, penguins, and a whole lot of wind, as well as incredibly open, chatty locals. I loved taking in the culture, but it also raised questions for me about what ethical, sustainable tourism looks like and what I want to prioritize while traveling moving forward.

May 7, 2025: Favorite time of the year + place? May in France. Picnics, jours fériés, and everyone at work taking several vacations.

July 12, 2025: Back to Paris after Amsterdam and Marseille, and soon, on to Brussels! Traveling every weekend has been a bit crazy, but honestly, it’s just what I needed to remind me that life is so much more than just the day-to-day of work and chores.

What’s next for the blog? I’d love to take you through some of my recent travels… We’re talking Thailand, Albania, India, Bahrain, Serbia, the Netherlands, and so much more! And, of course, sharing my love for Paris never gets old. Leave a comment if you have any ideas for which destinations I should write about next!