It’s hard to believe that 2010 is coming to a close – yet what a year it’s been for travel. In 2010, I inadvertently circled the globe. While not your typical RTW trip, my year was a fantastic mix of backpacking, working, and of course blogging. I met like-minded 20-somethings, experienced new things, was challenged, and continued to live an unconventional, yet satisfying life. Hopefully in 2010, Backpackingmatt.com has provided you with some inspiration, some advice, and plenty of tips for your own experiences backpacking around the world.
Here are 10 Fascinating Places I Traveled to in 2010:
1) Raglan, New Zealand
New Zealand quickly became one of my favorite countries and was the country where I spent most of 2010. Backpacking in New Zealand is easy, relatively cheap, and everything you’d expect it to be. Look forward to more New Zealand specific information in 2011. The first destination I traveled to in New Zealand was Raglan. Found about two hours south of Auckland, Raglan has the feel of a surf town of the 1970s. It’s also one of the best spots in New Zealand to watch the sunset. Check it out at Manu Bay – home of the world’s longest left hand break.
2) Bangkok, Thailand
I’m not typically a fan of big, chaotic cities (blame it on my Iowa upbringing), yet I fell in love with Bangkok. Ironically, it was the chaos that won me over. I enjoyed wandering the streets, soaking up the foreignness, and treating myself to Thailand’s unbeatable street food. With a nightlife scene that is unsurpassed by most places in the world, cheap prices – from accommodation, to food, to transportation, and awe-inspiring temples, I imagine you’d fall in love with Bangkok if you visit in 2011 too.
3) Sydney, Australia
Australia‘s largest city is situated directly on the stunning Sydney Harbor, has world-class restaurants, quaint cafes, historic pubs, and plenty of sunshine. What more can you ask for? Beaches? Deal. There are heaps that are only a short ferry ride away. I unfortunately only budgeted for two short days in Sydney, and expect it will be one of the first places I visit when I head back to the Southern Hemisphere. Sydney is sexy, sophisticated, and terribly addictive. If you’re spending a day there, check out these Sydney Travel Tips.
4) Koh Lanta Island, Thailand
Koh Lanta is an absolute island paradise that presents an excellent combination of chilled-out beaches, local culture, and plenty of nightlife options if you seek them out. Found in the Andaman Sea, Koh Lanta is an easy two-hour ferry ride away from Krabi in the south of Thailand. Compared to the neighboring Koh Phi Phi Island, Koh Lanta offers a bit more space to explore, get away from the crowds, and get a taste for untouched Thailand paradise.
5) Bay of Islands, New Zealand
The Bay of Islands in New Zealand’s Northland is a spectacular area with year-round warm temperatures, white-sand beaches, emerald blue waters, and you guessed it – hundreds of small islands in an inlet off the South Pacific Ocean. It’s an absolute must on your backpacking trip to New Zealand; there is an excellent nightlife scene, friendly local Kiwis (and Kiwi birds nearby!), heaps of backpackers passing through, and plenty of ways to get out and experience the beautiful Bay. I recommend dolphin watching in the Bay of Islands as the ideal way to see the area and also meet the Bay’s resident Bottlenose Dolphins.
6) Bali, Indonesia
Exploring Bali on a motorbike stands out as one of my greatest memories from Southeast Asia. It was a fantastic way to see Bali’s diverse island scenery, meet local Balinese, and was significantly more budget friendly than using the island public transportation. Bali is an intensely spiritual island with hospitable locals, vivid green ride paddies, nearly untouched beaches where you can get $10 / hour massages, and some of the world’s best surfing. Visit Bali now as tourism is quickly beginning to take over much of the island.
7) Queenstown, New Zealand
I often say that Queenstown might be one of the most spectacular places for a town anywhere in the world. If you’ve traveled to Queenstown on New Zealand‘s South Island, chances are you’d agree. Set on the brilliant blue waters of Lake Wakatipu with shocking views of The Remarkables mountain range, Queenstown is a resort community that offers up everything for the adventure sports junkie or outdoor enthusiast. Try bungy jumping, skydiving, jetboating, or paragliding all on your visit to the Adventure Sports Capital of the World. If you’d prefer to stay grounded, check out some of the world-class hikes or Great Rides in the Southern Lakes area.
8 ) Chicago, USA
The Windy City is not only one of the favorite places I visited in 2010, but it’s one of my favorite cities in America. I love Chicago’s downtown scene, the old neighborhoods surrounding Wrigleyville, the waterfront, the Shed Aquarium, and come Christmas — the Christkindlmarket.
9) Kaikoura, New Zealand
Another epic South Island New Zealand town, Kaikoura is tucked between the Seaward Kaikoura Mountain Range and the Pacific Ocean. Kaikoura – kai, meaning food and koura, meaning crayfish – was once only a small crayfishing (lobster) town. Today it’s a mecca for anyone interested in seeing the whales that run up and down the East Coast of New Zealand. Whale Watch Kaikoura runs excellent half day tours where you’re almost guaranteed to see whales. It’s a fascinating experience being so close to such massive creatures.
10) Franz Josef, New Zealand
My home in New Zealand for almost three months was Franz Josef on the wild West Coast of the South Island. Franz Josef is home to the world’s fastest moving glacier – the Franz Josef Glacier. Visiting Franz Josef is a must on any trip to New Zealand – just don’t try to spend three months; you might go crazy. Check out this travel video for tips on visiting this epic area of New Zealand. Thanks for your support throughout 2010 – here’s to seeing more of the world in 2011. What about you? List some of your favorite travel destinations from 2010 in the comments section below.
Backpacking Matt 
Great photos! I also love Koh Lanta– it’s so relaxing and beautiful. I spent Christmas and New Years there in 2008 🙂
@Leslie Thanks! Lanta would be the first place I returned to the next time I was in Thailand .. well, I guess I’d probably stop off and visit mates in Railay first!
Franz Josef was a highlight for me too, I took the helihike option and loved it.
@Ayngelina I bet the helihike was fantastic. You can’t really appreciate the glacier unless you actually go for a hike on it.
Awesome round-up, Matt! You definitely had some great travel experiences this past year. You already know I love New Zealand, but all the other places look amazing, too! Here’s to an even better 2011.
@Amanda Thanks! Perhaps our paths will cross in 2011!
Not a bad year! I went to Chicago for the first time in 2010 and absolutely loved it–although it was little chilly for me! We visited in February, and the cold weather meant a lot of the touristy things, like the architecture boat tour, were closed down. Certainly looking forward to a return trip–and absolutely can’t wait to see Sydney (and maybe some of those NZ destinations) in 2011!
@Christine Chicago is best visited during the summer – winter is tough, especially with the wind! Good luck in Auzzie, perhaps we’ll meet up in the Southern Hemisphere!
Great travels! 2010 seems like a great year – all the best for 2010!
It looks like you had a fun year! Can’t wait for the New Zealand posts in 2011
Awesome post, love the dolphin pic and the Sydney entry, b/c I got to meet you then. Happy New Year, mate.
@Lauren The dolphin watching trip was fantastic – we had hoped to swim with them, unfortunately that didn’t happen as there were baby dolphins with the pod. Loved Sydney, can’t wait to get back and have another beer with you and the rest of the Auz crew!
Seems like 2010 had been a good travel year for you! I’d say that my favorite travel destination in 2010 is Yosemite National Park… it will always be a special place for me both for the scenery and the climbing culture there.
@Jill I would love to get back to Yosemite – I haven’t been there since I was young!
As I write this I am in New Zealand so definitely can relate to this post and we would probably share a few favourite places for this year. I am gutted I didn’t have enough time to visit the Bay of Islands though – its amazing how much there is to see in NZ considering its such a small country.
@Kenan Kia Ora! Enjoy New Zealand – as you said, there is so much to offer in such a small area.
Do you have a day-dream destination in mind for 2011?
@Josh & @Erin 2011 is still up in the air, but I’m hoping to get back to New Zealand and Southeast Asia. Would like to try to make it to Costa Rica sometime in 2011 too.
I think my favorite place is still Greece. Anywhere is Greece. I have been to over 25 countries and that place is still just magical.
Sounds like a great year. What are you plans for 2011?
Our favourites in 2010 were Bolivia and Argentina. We did an amazing road trip around Salta and then the salt flats tour is just incredible.
2010 was an awesome year. My top 3 places were
1. El Nido, Palawan, Philippines
2. Bali, Indonesia
3. Boracay, Philippines
@Allen Sounds like a good year, thanks for the comment!
Thanks for the inspiring list of trips! My major trip this year was to Germany and our hiking was mostly day trips with a day pack. But this year we’re planning a few days (and nights) of hiking in Yosemite which I’m really excited about — should be some amazing scenery, which is what most of your trips seem to have as well!
@Sarah I haven’t been to Yosemite for years, but would love to get back .. there are so many places in the US that don’t get enough talk in the blog world!
Ah, seems everyone’s done some exploring of Asia/New Zealand/Australia but me! Can’t wait to take in these incredible sights soon myself but thanks for giving me something to look forward to in the meantime!
@Mandi Asia, New Zealand, and Australia are well worn on the backpacker trail .. but for great reasons!
I see you spent a lot of time in New Zealand huh?! lol
@Matt I love New Zealand, I can’t wait to go back!
This is a great list! I’m trying to plan a trip to Bangkok in the next year. I have to admit, your posts about SE Asia are inspiring me! Happy New Year!
@Lauren Glad you’ve enjoyed my SE Asia posts … good luck planning your trip, feel free to send any questions my way!
oh, I want to go to all of those places, preferably at once and right now!
This year I too visited so many fantastic places.. perhaps Amsterdam was the greatest of all.
@Ira I love Amsterdam, it’s one of my favorite European cities!
Good lord that is quite the year! Maybe we can bump into your while we go on our Central/South American trip in 2011.
@Erica That’d be great! I’ll let you know as I develop any plans.
Matt – It’s now been a year since I’ve been back to Chicago, and I am actually touched you included it!
Thought about you and Brian quite a bit while in Galway and Dingle, and the penninsula is where I spent Christmas with my family. Nothing was open, savethe beehives that the owner opened especially for us, but it was quite special to have nothing else to worry about on Christmas than being with your family.
Best to you in 2011 – stop by Spain?
@Cat I brought in the New Year in Chicago, really want to spend more time there – preferably when it’s a bit warmer! Looking forward a couple years, it’d be a great US base. Your Irish Christmas sounds fantastic … I can imagine the smell of peat smoke in Dingle! Safe travels to you in 2011 – I would love to swing by Spain, here’s hoping ..
Although I already assumed as much from your posts, it seems that you had an absolutely amazing 2010!
My favorite destinations from 2010 are places that I never thought I would have interest in seeing when I came to Europe: mostly Central European cities like Prague, Munich and Vienna.
We made a goal in the freezing cold NYE night last night to spend NYE 2011 in the southern hemisphere so maybe we’ll see you there!! 🙂
@Annie A warmer NYE in 2011 sounds like a brilliant idea! I loved Prague & Munich, though I’ve yet to see Vienna.
I love that you went to New Zealand and Thailand– these two countries are dear to my heart ever since I saw two movies: The Lord of the Rings & “The King & I.” Movies often spur my desire to travel. Looking forward to reading your posts in 2011.
Charu
Such a great travel year you’ve had! Glad to see Chicago on your list. Great choice! Although I’ve lived in the San Francisco area for many years now, I still love my hometown, Chicago, and visit often.
Ragland… surfing!!!
@Michael Raglan is where I learned to surf, Bali is where I found out I wasn’t very good!
What an inspiration post Matt. Wondering if you would travel down to india this year. I hope to make it to thailand or indonesia in 2011 and would love to pick on you for advise.
@Mayank Thanks for the compliment – not certain I’ll make it to India, but hoping to get back to SE Asia somewhere! I plan on posting more Thailand tips in the coming weeks.
It seems like you had an amazing year of traveling! I’d love to visit the places you saw someday too. My 2010 was wonderful. I went to Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, and Turkey. I’d highly recommend all of them to you. Have a happy new year!!
@Michael F Thanks for the New Years wishes – I absolutely love Turkey, can’t wait to return!
For 2010, I’d have to say that my favorites were the city of Aleppo, Syria and all of Iraqi Kurdistan. Never thought I’d visit either and they proved to be two of my favorite destinations from my 11 years of traveling.
And this post reconfirms the need for me to visit Chicago one day soon. I’ve almost visited that city on several occasions but plans always fell through!
@Earl Loved your Kurdistan posts – that would be an incredible experience. Chicago is great, just make sure you visit in the Spring, Summer, or Fall!
Wow you really love New Zealand! I better make my way over there soon. Great year in review, looks like you’ve been busy. The number nine shot of the whale tale is a treasure. Sea animals shots are so hard to come by. Keep the goods coming and happy new year!
@Scott New Zealand is amazing, really hoping to get back there! Glad you enjoyed the photos; the credit on the Sperm Whale tale shot goes to my ex, shot with a Panasonic Lumix with 15x zoom. Even Whale Watch Kaikoura commented on the photo in an email, they’re tough to come by! Happy New Year to you as well.
Interesting that you put Raglan 1st on your list. Loved by surfies but not a major on the New Zealand tourist route.All the other New Zealand destinations are very popular for good reason….good to hear of your experiences travelling in our lovely country.
@Gail That’s why I loved Raglan – very un-touristy!
Great idea for a post and spot on about Koh Samui. I’m sitting on the beach here right now and it’s SO much better than Koh Phi Phi. Here’s to a 2011 full of new fascinating discoveries!
@Stephanie Safe travels as you continue your RTW trip – glad you enjoyed the post.
Indeed, I too fell in love with Bangkok when I went there in 2008 and again in 2010. I loved it just as much the second time as the first – your post really brought back the memories! Keep up the great work!
@Val It’s a strangely addictive isn’t it? Glad the post brought back some memories!
One of the most amazing places I have visited so far is Salar de Uyuni and the nearby lagunas (Altiplano) in Bolivia. Those places are mind blowing.
Queenstown is a beautiful place, would love to go there in winter time and do some skiing!
@Sofia See you at The Remarks come June then eh?
We love almost the whole parts of New Zealand that we visited, but the #1 spot got to be the Milford Sound for us.
In Australia, I had my best moment with wild animal in the Granite Gorge, Mareeba (1-2 hours from Cairns), Queensland. The rock wallabies there are super cute, and they were even climbing on me! (Okay, they are not super wild, they are used to with human visitors come to the sanctuary to give them food.)
@Dina The rock wallabies sound amazing – so much of Australia I want to see. 2011 is the year!
Africa has got to be on the list of one of the most fascinating places! I would particularly recommend East Africa- the Masai culture in Tanzania is my top experience in 2010 and highly recommended in 2011 who have not had a chance to experience this yet.
Happy Travelling
GapYear Guru
I was lucky enough to grow up in the Bay of Islands.