Where I Have Been
I have visited 33(-ish) countries.
I say “ish” because visits vary in quality. Occasionally, I get deep into a country and a population, and other times I’m sequestered in some manufactured reality (an all-inclusive resort, for instance), I’m there very briefly (I spent about a dozen hours in Paris), or both (I spent about two hours in an all-inclusive in Haiti).
Just know that I realize that all visits are not equal. I don’t mean to imply I’m intimately familiar with all of the countries below, just that I have technically spent some amount of time in them.
Andorra
I had a professional event in Barcelona, Spain. I stayed over a couple of days and drove up to Andorra for the afternoon. It was about three hours through some pretty countryside. I spent a few hours there, had a nice lunch, then went back to Barcelona.
Australia
I’ve been to Sydney three times, all for conference events. On my first trip, I did manage to squeeze in a tour of the Opera House. I also went to Melbourne the last time I visited.
Austria
I teach in a university program in Graz, and visited twice to meet my students. I spent another afternoon and evening site-seeing in Vienna during the Christmas season.
Bahamas
Annie and I honeymooned at Atlantis, on Paradise Island. We only left the resort to do a dolphin excursion.
Belgium
I was in The Netherlands for work, so visited Brussels on the weekend to see The Atomium. I also spent some time in the City Center.
Bulgaria
I spent an afternoon in Sofia, meeting with a business partner. We ate a traditional Bulgarian meal, and visited the oldest church in Eastern Europe.
Canada
When I was a teenager, I went to Expo ‘86 in Vancouver. I had a client in Toronto, and visited there at least a dozen times during their project. I’ve spoken at or attended conferences in Vancouver (twice), Montreal, and Prince Edward Island. In 2023, Annie and I met a friend from Ottawa in Quebec City for the Winter Festival.
Croatia
I attended a conference in Opatija, which was on the Adriatic Coast. After it was over, I drove a friend over to Pula.
Denmark
I’ve been to Copenhagen 4-5 times (to the point where I have a favorite hotel), and Odense – in “the Midwest of Denmark” – three times. All for various conferences and events.
Dominican Republic
My company took all employees and their companions (36 people, in total) to the Excellence Punta Cana for five days. In 2022, I took a youth missions trip to the outskirts of Santiago to build houses.
Finland
I attended a conference in Helsinki. I went for a run through the city, and up and down the waterfront. I spent an evening chaperoning some very drunk conference attendees around some bars. I went back a second time for another conference.
Fiji
On the way back from a New Zealand visit when I was a teenager, my family stopped here and we spent three days at The Regent resort (which has apparently seen better days).
France
I got stuck overnight in Paris once when Air France went on strike (which, I learned, happens a lot). I went all the way into the city and just so I could go for a morning run under the Effiel Tower before having to go right back to the airport.
Germany
I’ve been to Berlin three times and Frankfurt once, for various conferences and events. Also, I had a open day on a weekend so I went to Stuttgart to visit The Porsche Museum. I’ve been laidover in Frankfurt for a couple of overnights.
Haiti
I spent about two hours at Labadee, which is a beach resort created by Royal Caribbean to service their ships. So, I did set foot on land that was technically “Haiti,” but at no time did I interact with the population or culture.
Hungary
I spoke at an event in Budapest and spent about 24 hours in the city. My host took me site-seeing for a couple of hours.
Italy
I had a six-hour layover in Rome on the way to Croatia, so I went into the city and saw the Colosseum and the Spanish Steps. I then flew into Trieste to drive to Opatija. I didn’t see much there, but I did stay the night on the way back.
Ireland
I had a six-hour layover on the way back from London, so I took a cab into South Dublin and got a Guinness at a pub, then went back to the airport. I had a couple great conversations with cabbies about Irish sports and politics.
Jamaica
This one might be a stretch, but the cruise ship I was on docked at Falmouth for a day. I didn’t actually get off the boat, but I spent time on deck looking out over the countryside, and we were technically attached to a dock which was territorial Jamaica.
Mexico
I went to Tiajuana once as a child. I have vague memories of a store with paintings of naked women on the walls and some Mexican Jumping Beans, which fascinated me (more than the women because I was, like, eight). Also, I did spent one hour onshore in Cozumel – just long enough to have dinner at a Magaritaville and use the bathroom.
The Netherlands
I spent a day in Amsterdam and a day in Utrecht for business. I also took the train to Brussels, so I saw quite a bit of the countryside.
New Zealand
I was born in Auckland and lived in Napier as a child. I immigrated to the United States when I was almost six-years-old. I’ve been back three times to visit.
Norway
I attended a conference in Oslo, and boarded a cruise ship there for another conference onboard, headed to Copenhagen.
Portugal
I spoke at a conference in Lisbon. I spent a day site-seeing around the castle, palace, and waterfront. I was previously unaware of the skill of Portuguese bakers.
Singapore
I spoke at a conference in Singapore. I got to site-see a bit around central Singapore, and got lost in a Singaporean national park where I was chased by a monkey.
Slovakia
I spoke at an event at a company in Bratislava. I was in and out of the city in about a four-hour span, and saw virtually none of it. However, my host drove me about an hour to his hometown of Nove Zamky so we could talk before dropping me at the train station, so I saw a lot of the countryside (which looks exactly like South Dakota, for the record).
Slovenia
I drove through Slovenia to get from Trieste, Italy to Opatija, Croatia.
Spain
I had a conference event in Terassa, just outside Barcelona. I spent a couple extra days there, visited the Joan Miro museum and drove up to Andorra.
Sweden
I’ve been to Stockholm at least four times, including an amazing Saturday in the Old Town. Also, my very first trip to Europe was to Malmo, just across the Baltic from Copenhagen. I’ve also taken a high-speed train across the interior of Sweden, and spent some time at a country estate about an hour outside Stockholm.
Switzerland
I visited a software company in Basel, and took a side trip up to Grindelwald, to see The Alps.
Turks and Caicos
Annie and I took the family to Beaches resort for a week to celebrate our son’s high school graduation.
United Kingdom
I’ve been to London four times, for various conferences and meeting. I also attended an event at a hotel in Windsor where the Rocky Horror Picture Show was filmed. I’ve spent quite a bit of time site-seeing around London. On one trip, I took a train to the seaside town of Bournemouth to visit my cousin.
United States
I live here. I’ve visited 30+ of the 50 states, but and I’ve lived in four: Norh Carolina, as an infant wild my Dad was in seminary; California, for eight years in my teens; South Dakota, since I was 14; and Iowa, for one semester while I was in college.
Vietnam
I spent a few days in Hanoi, visiting a company there. I spent quite bit of time in the tourist areas, and another day in the business district.
