2023 is out, here is 2024

2023 is out and this article is a look back at Sandalsand’s travels and articles. This year I reached several exciting destinations. Also, read up on my bucket list for the coming year(s).

Sandalsand publishes impressions on two websites: Global and Norge (Norway). There are also profiles on YouTube, Instagram and X (Twitter).

The world in 2023

Travelling abroad

2023 was the year that the world and I finally loosened up to more travels. In short, I made it to London in the first few months, then Athens and the Peloponnese during the Easter week. A new country was visited in May, offering very good impressions. Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, was a very pleasant surprise.

Like the previous years I continued my exploration of northern Norway, more precisely the Helgeland coast. This is a very picturesque coast line and immensely popular during the summer months. I just had to go there. Oslo was my fourth capital during the first half of the year.

I planned, booked and prepared for a long journey to Vietnam in the last half of the year, but had to cancel it. Instead I spent time and effort moving to a new permanent location at home, in Norway.

The Sandalsand Global website

Looking back on 2023, I published 13 new articles – more than the previous three years. I have another 36 articles waiting to be written and published.

On the other hand there are as many as 941 posts to be enjoyed, along with 31 pages (accessible through the menu items). In addition, several posts and pages have been upgraded and improved throughout the year.

The number of views of the site was lower than 2022, but better than in previous years. The score was about 12,000 hits. Still, this is way below the good old times.

Like before, it is clear that Sandalsand Global, which has text in English and the whole world as an arena, faces a sharp competition. It is obvious that with little new activity, Google sends fewer visitors to Sandalsand.

The articles with the most hits in 2023

• Paintings about travelling
• International backpacker routes
• Poems and quotes on trains
• The Jotunheimen hikes – Gjendesheim to Glitterheim
• The seabird colonies at Røst

Norway in 2023

Travels and experiences in Norway

2023 was not a bad year. I was finally able to tick off my life-long wish list of visiting almost every corner of Northern Norway. Or at least, in practical terms. I have in fact visited most parts of that region, but some smaller areas remains. The last region I went to, during a wonderful road trip this summer, was the coast of Helgeland. It is a fairy-tale.

That trip actually also finished my endeavour to drive all Norway’s 18 national scenic routes.

The Sandalsand Norge website

This website is used to convey experiences from my own country, in Norwegian. Readers of Sandalsand Norge received 72 new articles in 2023. This is slightly more than the previous year, and on par with my own ambitions. This means that an average of more than one article are published each week.

As always, I lag behind in describing this year’s travels, and I have some exciting themes up my sleeve that go beyond the pure travel descriptions. Altogether, I have a to-do-list of 44 articles.

At the turn of the year, the website consists of 917 published articles plus 47 permanent pages. The number of pictures are approx. 17,900. They are from 240 municipalities, i.e. 67% of all municipalities in the country. You readers clicked on the pages more than 130,000 times. That is less than the previous years.

The articles with the most hits in 2023

• Advent, adventssanger og adventsvers
• Tekster til julesangene – de kjente og kjære
• Steinhuset på Hadeland er Norges eldste
• Jærkysten
• Vannassen i Stavanger

Other social media

For Sandalfilm, my YouTube account, the number of views passed 944,000. The increase is very low. It is clearly related to a zero growth in the number of videos.

I uploaded 12 new photos on Sandalgram, which is my Instagram account. The number of followers is 437, slightly below the year before. On Sandaltweet (X, ex-Twitter) I irregularly share interesting articles. However, I do not engage in discussions or direct communication with other users. The number of X (ex-Twitter) followers at the turn of the year was 5,956, which is lower than the year before. I will probably delete this account in the near future.

When we look at 2023 in retrospect, my own activity on social media decreased even more. Sandalsand on all channels is read and seen to a lesser extent than in previous years. The exception in 2023, as before, was Sandalsand Norge. New activity spurs click rates.

Bucket list

For several years I have published my bucket list of places I want to travel. Find the previous years at the bottom. Here is the update for 2024 (and beyond):

Africa

• Morocco. All those amazing towns on the coast and in the mountains. (1-2 weeks)
• West Africa from Senegal to Nigeria. It would have been nice with a road trip through half a dozen countries, but quite difficult. (3-4 weeks plus).
• East Africa south of Sahara, with safari as part of the trip (2-3 weeks).
• Rwanda, the country with a terrible past is reinventing itself.

Americas

• Caribbean island hopping, in particular the southern part and the Antilles. Perhaps even on a cruise, one of my taboos. Visiting multiple islands is not easy to accomplish apart from with airplanes, and prices are not favourable (2-4 weeks).
• USA from New York to San Francisco. Flights between several places and perhaps a train journey across the plains just to sense the distances (2-4 weeks).
• Central America and more: So many wonderful locations, and I have to date missed them all. High on the list is Yucatan (Mexico), Costa Rica and Colombia.

Asia

• India is a long-time favourite (2-4 weeks) and I have just began to savour it. 
• Sri Lanka in the south is a rapidly rising star, recommended by many.
• Iran is opening up to foreign visitors, but is still very much off the beaten track for a number of causes. Iran is one of the oldest civilisations on Earth, holding on to their history with pride. Tourism is rapidly on the rise, so I’ll better get there soon. (1-2 weeks)
• Israel: Been here before, long time ago, but I spent too little time. Round trip in the country for a week, perhaps also a beach holiday with the family by the Mediterranean or Red Sea. (1 week)
• The Arabian Peninsula: I have been to Qatar and Dubai, but much of Arabia is unknown. I have booked a couple of weeks for the beginning of 2024 to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
• Vietnam. I have visited most of SE Asia, but not Vietnam yet. There is a lot to discover both in terms of nature and culturally significant places. (1-2 weeks) I actually booked this destination in 2023, but had to let go for private reasons.

Europe

• Georgia (country): Their food and wine is good, the Black Sea coast is fine for sun bathing and inland there are some nice cities and villages in the Caucasus. It would be wise to combine Georgia with neighbouring Armenia and perhaps even Azerbaijan. (1-2 weeks)
• Saint Petersburg: Extreme treasures and immense museums, as well as a fascinating history in every respect. Other European cities are also beckoning for weekend trips, particularly Ljubljana.
• Old Norse settlements in the West: Shetland, Orkney and Greenland. (1-2 weeks)

Oceania

• Pacific island hopping on a round the world ticket to make the journey cheaper (3-4 weeks).
• Australia and New Zealand: For some reason I have never really fancied Australia, on the other hand I really should go there. Perhaps next year.

Read more

2023 is out and 2024 is coming up for new challenges, and more adventures. Find all year-end reviews and bucket lists for the coming years on this page.