John and Sheila's Travels 50 Years of Travelling in Obscure Parts of the World An alphabetic list of the countries we have visited All of these have a country code defined by ISO (the International Standards Organisation) unless otherwise noted. The first column is a cumulative count of the number of countries. In the U.N. column, X = no UN seat. X1 is fully independent, either observer seat or waiting for admission, X2 is awaiting independence, X3 is colonies with no immediate claim for independence. No. U.N. Country Date of visits Link to the travel pages with pictures and writeup (click the arrow) 1 1 Albania 1975 May-June 2007 March Enver Hoxha's communist paradise - Albania in 1975     Our drive around the Balkan countries     Algeria 1976 Apr A look at Colonel Gaddafi's Libya, and travels in Algeria     Andorra 1986 Mar-Apr A drive around Iberia via Andorra and more     X3 Anguilla 2009 Nov A selection of nine Caribbean islands     Antigua 1990 Aug 2009 Nov Canada and nine Caribbean islands     A selection of nine Caribbean islands     Argentina 2002 Oct 2003 Oct 2015 Oct-Nov All of the above A South American bus ride from Santiago to Buenos Aires     A South American bus ride from Lima to Buenos Aires     Our third big South American bus ride     Our Grand Tour of South America     Armenia 2013 Sept From the Black Sea to the Caspian     X3 Aruba 2016 Oct-Nov Not a normal Caribbean holiday - the ABC islands and more     Australia 1991 July-Aug 2010 Oct-Nov 2023 May Round the world clockwise, visiting Australia and more     A selection of seven South Pacific islands with stopovers     A visit to Borneo and some Pacific islands     Austria 1985 Aug Behind the Iron Curtain; a drive round Eastern Europe     Azerbaijan 2013 Sept 2014 Oct From the Black Sea to the Caspian     Central Asia - across the Caspian and along the Silk Road     Bahamas 2018 Jan-Feb Colombia and some Caribbean islands     Bahrain 1980 to 1981 We travelled to Middle Eastern countries, by dhow!     Bangladesh 1996 Oct 2016 Feb-Mar From the Roof of the World to the Bay of Bengal     India's north-east states     Barbados 1990 July Canada and nine Caribbean islands     Belarus 2005 Oct Our big Trans-Siberian train ride     Belgium 2005 Oct 2010 Nov Our big Trans-Siberian train ride     Some weekends away including Ghent and Luxembourg     Belize 2001 Nov A long bus ride through Central America     X2 Bermuda 2001 March Some drives round the eastern USA, with stopovers     Bhutan 2006 Nov A journey from Bhutan to Bombay, Part 1     Bolivia 2015 Oct-Nov Our third big South American bus ride     X3 Bonaire, Saba and St Eustatius 2009 Nov 2016 Oct-Nov A selection of nine Caribbean islands     Not a normal Caribbean holiday - the ABC islands     Bosnia 2007 March Our drive around the Balkan countries     Botswana 1980 Oct 2023 Dec A tour of East Africa     A visit to Madagascar, with a safari in Botswana     25 Brazil 2002 Oct A South American bus ride from Santiago to Buenos Aires     Brunei 2010 Oct-Nov 2024 Nov Seven South Pacific islands with a stopover in Brunei     Travels in Borneo and Sumatra     Bulgaria 1981 Aug-Sept Our long drive home from Riyadh to London     Burkina Faso 1998 Nov Our overland journey to Timbuktu; from Dakar to Ouagadougou     25 Burma (Myanmar) 1982 Apr 2019 Oct-Nov A visit to Burma     Overland across Burma, from India to Thailand     Burundi 1989 July-Aug A circular tour of East Africa     Cambodia 1999 Nov 2017 Oct-Nov Overland from Hong Kong to Bangkok     From Thailand to Timor and some Ankor-era temples     Canada 1990 July-Aug 2009 Aug Canada and nine Caribbean islands     Canada and a ferry to St Pierre     Cape Verde 2009 March Some weekends away including Cape Verde islands     X3 Cayman islands 2019 Feb-Mar Our last two Caribbean countries     Chile 2002 Oct 2003 Oct A South American bus ride from Santiago to Buenos Aires     A South American bus ride from Lima to Buenos Aires     China 1980 Feb 1999 Oct 2004 Sept-Oct 2005 Oct All of the above A tour of the Far East     Overland from Hong Kong to Bangkok     Our overland journey from Beijing to Bangkok     Our big Trans-Siberian train ride from London to Shanghai     Our Grand Tour of China - all our journeys     Colombia 2015 Oct-Nov 2018 Jan-Feb Our third big South American bus ride     Colombia and some Caribbean islands     Comoro Islands 2023 Nov A visit to Madagascar, with stopovers in the Comoro Islands     X3 Cook Islands 1995 Apr-May New Zealand and seven South Pacific islands     Costa Rica 2001 Nov A long bus ride through Central America     Croatia 2007 March Our drive around the Balkan countries     Cuba 2001 Nov A short visit to Cuba     X3 Curacao 2016 Oct-Nov Not a normal Caribbean holiday - the ABC islands     Cyprus 1973 May Cyprus before partition - Famagusta and the whole island     Czekia (Czech Republic) and former Czechoslovakia 1985 Aug 2007 June Behind the Iron Curtain; a drive round Eastern Europe     Our drive to Odessa on the Black Sea     Denmark 2004 March Scandinavia overland (and sea)     Dominica 1990 Aug Canada and nine Caribbean islands     Dominican Republic 2016 Oct-Nov Not a normal Caribbean holiday - Hispaniola island     Ecuador 2015 Oct-Nov Our third big South American bus ride     50 Egypt 1984 Mar-Apr A tour round Egypt     El Salvador 2001 Nov A long bus ride through Central America     Estonia 2006 May-June Some drives around Eastern Europe including the Baltic States     Ethiopia 1979 Jan A visit to Kenya with a stopover in Addis Ababa     X2 Faroe Islands 2022 Aug A short visit to the Faroe Islands     Fiji 1995 Apr-May 2010 Oct-Nov 2023 May New Zealand and seven South Pacific islands     A selection of seven South Pacific islands     A visit to Borneo and some Pacific islands     Finland 1979 Aug Scandinavia overland (and sea)     France 1974 1981 Aug-Sept We lived in Milan, and explored the surrounding countries     Our long drive home from Riyadh to London     X3 French Guiane 2016 Oct-Nov Not a normal Caribbean holiday - the Guyanas     50 Georgia 2013 Sept 2014 Oct From the Black Sea to the Caspian     Central Asia and along the Silk Road     X Germany, East (now defunct) 1985 Aug Behind the Iron Curtain; a drive round Eastern Europe     Germany (West and unified) 1985 Aug 2004 March 2007 March 2007 June Behind the Iron Curtain; a drive round Eastern Europe     Scandinavia overland (and sea) By car and train     Our drive around the Balkan countries     Our drive to Odessa and back through the Romantischerstrasse     X3 Gibraltar 1986 Mar-Apr 2022 Sept-Oct A drive around Iberia     Across Morocco from Gibraltar to Western Sahara     Greece 1971 March 1984 Mar-Apr 2007 March Rhodes, in our Collection of Mediterranean Islands     A tour of Egypt, with stopovers in Crete and Corfu     Our drive around the Balkan countries     Grenada 1990 July Canada and nine Caribbean islands     X3 Guadeloupe 1990 Aug Canada and nine Caribbean islands     X3 Guam (USA) 2012 March Micronesia: some North Pacific islands     Guatemala 2001 Nov A long bus ride through Central America     X3 Guernsey (ISO code GGY) 1970 Aug Visits to the Channel Islands     Guyana 2016 Oct-Nov Not a normal Caribbean holiday - the Guyanas     Haiti 2016 Oct-Nov Not a normal Caribbean holiday - Hispaniola island     Honduras 2001 Nov A long bus ride through Central America     X3 Hong Kong 1980 Feb 1999 Oct A tour of the Far East     Overland from Hong Kong to Bangkok     Hungary 1985 Aug Behind the Iron Curtain; a drive round Eastern Europe     Iceland 1991 Sept Visits to the USA, with a stopover in Reykjavik     75 India 1996 Oct 2006 Nov 2008 Feb 2009 Jan-Feb 2010 Feb-Mar 2011 March 2011 Sept 2013 Feb 2014 March 2016 Feb-Mar 2017 Feb 2018 Nov 2019 Oct-Nov 2023 Feb All of the above and finally ... From the Roof of the World to the Bay of Bengal     Bhutan to Bombay: part 1       part 2     South India: part 1, Tamil Nadu       part 2, Kerala     From Mumbai to Islamabad through Rajasthan and Punjab     Temples in Maharashtra and Palaces in Rajasthan     Wine tasting and other favourites, Mumbai to Delhi     Travels in the mountains, from Kashmir to Rishikesh     North India, Nepal and the Andaman Islands     Temples and Bathing ghats - Mumbai to Kolkata     India's north-east states     Return to India - some favourites in south India     South India in the monsoon, and the Lakshadweep islands     Overland across Burma and a trip to a Tibetan monastery     From coast to coast - Bombay to Pondicherry     Our Grand Tour of India - a map of all our journeys     A page for our Favourites of India     Indonesia 1987 April 2017 Oct-Nov 2023 May 2024 Nov-Dec A journey from Jakarta to Bali     From Thailand to Timor - some Indonesian islands     A visit to Borneo and a walk across the equator     Travels in Borneo, Sumatra and Bali     Ireland 1994 to 1997 Drives around Ireland, covering most of the country     X3 Isle of Man (ISO code IMN) 1969 April Visits to the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands     Israel 1978 (no pictures online)     Italy 1974 1981 Aug-Sept 2007 March 2010 May We lived in Milan, and explored north Italy     Our long drive home from Riyadh to London     Our drive around the Balkan countries     Some weekends away, including Sardinia     Jamaica 2019 Feb-Mar Our last two Caribbean countries     Japan 1991 July Round the world clockwise, visiting Japan, etc     X3 Jersey (ISO code JEY) 1970 Aug Visits to the Channel Islands     Jordan 1981 Aug-Sept Our long drive home from Riyadh to London     Kazakhstan 2014 Oct Central Asia - along the Silk Road     Kenya 1979 Jan 1989 July-Aug A visit to Kenya     A circular tour of East Africa     Kiribati 2010 Oct-Nov A selection of seven South Pacific islands     Korea, South 2012 March North Pacific islands and a stopover in Korea     X1 Kosovo (no ISO country code) 2008 Oct Some weekends away: Kosovo after independence     Kuwait 1981 and 1996 We travelled from Saudi to Middle Eastern countries     Kyrgyzstan 2014 Oct Central Asia - along the Silk Road     Laos 1991 Aug 2000 Nov 2004 Sept-Oct 2017 Oct-Nov Round the world clockwise     Our return to Vietnam via Laos     Our overland journey from Beijing to Bangkok     From Thailand to Timor then some Ankor-era temples     75 Latvia 2006 May-June Drives around Eastern Europe including the Baltic States     Lebanon 1997 Nov A stopover in Damascus and a taxi to Beirut     Libya 1976 Apr A look at Colonel Gaddafi's Libya     Liechtenstein 1974 We lived in Milan and explored surrounding countries     Lithuania 2006 May-June Some drives around Eastern Europe including the Baltic States     Luxembourg 2012 Dec Some weekends away, including Luxembourg     X3 Macao (Portuguese) 1980 Feb A tour of the Far East     100 Macedonia, North 2007 March Our drive around the Balkan countries     Madagascar 2023 Nov A visit to wildlife reserves in Madagascar     Malawi 1980 Oct A tour of East Africa     Malaysia 1980 Feb 2023 May 2024 Oct-Dec A tour of the Far East, including the train to Singapore     A visit to Borneo, with orangutans     Travels in Borneo, Malaysia and Sumatra     Maldives 1992 Aug-Sept Sri Lanka and a visit to the Maldives     Mali 1998 Nov Our overland journey to Timbuktu     Malta 1972 Nov In our Collection of Mediterranean Islands     X3 Mariana Islands 2012 March Micronesia: some North Pacific islands (Saipan)     X3 Martinique 1990 Aug Canada and nine Caribbean islands     Mauritius 1980 Oct East Africa and some Indian Ocean islands     X3 Mayotte (France) 2023 Nov A visit to Madagascar, with stopovers in the Comoros     Mexico 2001 Nov A long bus ride through Central America     Micronesia Federated States 2012 March Micronesia: some North Pacific islands (Yap)     Moldova 2007 June Our drive to Odessa via Chisinau     Monaco 1974 We lived in Milan and explored the surrounding countries     Mongolia 2005 Oct Our big Trans-Siberian train ride to Shanghai     Montenegro 2007 March Our drive around the Balkan countries     X3 Montserrat 2009 Nov A selection of nine Caribbean islands     Morocco 2022 Sept-Oct Across Morocco by boat, train and bus     Nauru 2010 Oct A selection of seven South Pacific islands     Nepal 1996 Oct 2012 Oct 2013 Feb Our journey down the Himalayas from Lhasa to Dhaka     A trek up to the medieval walled city of Lo Manthang     Across north India and through Nepal     Netherlands 2004 March Scandinavia overland (and sea)     X2 New Caledonia 2010 Oct-Nov A selection of seven South Pacific islands     New Zealand 1995 Apr-May 2023 May New Zealand and seven South Pacific islands     Some Pacific islands and a stop in New Zealand     100 Nicaragua 2001 Nov A long bus ride through Central America     125 Norway 1979 Aug Scandinavia overland, by car and train to Oslo     Oman 1986 March We travelled from Saudi to Middle Eastern countries     Pakistan 2009 Feb From Mumbai to Islamabad, part 3, Pakistan     Palau 2012 March Micronesia: some North Pacific islands     Panama 2001 Nov A long bus ride through Central America     Papua New Guinea 2023 May A visit to Borneo and some Pacific islands     Paraguay 2002 Oct A South American bus ride from Santiago to Buenos Aires     Peru 2003 Oct 2015 Oct-Nov A South American bus ride from Lima to Buenos Aires     Our third big South American bus ride     Philippines 1980 Feb A tour of the Far East     Poland 1985 Aug 2006 May-June 2007 June Behind the Iron Curtain; a drive round Eastern Europe     Some drives around Eastern Europe     Our drive to Odessa on the Black Sea via Poland     X2 Polynesia, French 1995 May Seven South Pacific islands including Tahiti and Moorea     Portugal 1986 Mar-Apr A big drive around Iberia     X3 Puerto Rico 2018 Jan-Feb Colombia and some Caribbean islands     Qatar 1980 July We travelled from Saudi to Middle Eastern countries     X3 Reunion (French) 1980 Oct East Africa and some Indian Ocean islands     Romania 1985 Aug Behind the Iron Curtain; a drive round Eastern Europe     Russia and former Soviet Union 1982 Apr 2005 Oct A visit to Burma with stopover in Moscow and Leningrad     Our big Trans-Siberian train ride     Rwanda 1989 July-Aug A circular tour of East Africa     St Kitts and Nevis 2009 Nov A selection of nine Caribbean islands     St Lucia 1990 July-Aug Canada and nine Caribbean islands     X3 St Martin (French) 2009 Nov A selection of nine Caribbean islands     X3 St Pierre et Miquelon 2009 Aug Canada and a ferry to St Pierre (French)     St Vincent 1990 July Canada and nine Caribbean islands     X3 Samoa, American 1995 May New Zealand and seven South Pacific islands     Samoa, Western 1995 May New Zealand and seven South Pacific islands     150 San Marino 1974 We lived in Milan, and explored north Italy     Saudi Arabia 1979 to 1981 1979 to 1981 1981 Aug-Sept We lived in Riyadh for two years and explored the city     We drove all around Saudi Arabia from coast to coast     Our long drive home from Riyadh to London     Senegal 1998 Nov Our overland journey to Timbuktu     Serbia and former Yugoslavia 1981 Aug-Sept 1985 Aug 2007 March Our long drive home from Riyadh to London     Behind the Iron Curtain; a drive round Eastern Europe     Our drive around the Balkan countries     Seychelles 1980 Oct East Africa and some Indian Ocean islands     125 Singapore 1980 Feb A tour of the Far East, including the train to Singapore     X3 Sint Maarten (Dutch) 2009 Nov A selection of nine Caribbean islands     Slovakia 2006 May-June Some drives around Eastern Europe     Slovenia 2007 March Our drive around the Balkan countries     Solomon Islands 2010 Oct-Nov 2023 May A selection of seven South Pacific islands     A visit to Borneo and some Pacific islands     South Africa 1980 Oct 2023 Nov A tour of East Africa     A visit to Madagascar, with stopover in Cape Town     Spain 1986 Mar-Apr 2022 Sept-Oct 2023 Sept-Oct A big drive around Iberia     Across Morocco from Gibraltar to Western Sahara     Mallorca and Menorca in our Collection of Mediterranean Islands     Sri Lanka 1992 Aug-Sept A tour round Sri Lanka     Sudan 1981 March We travelled from Saudi to Middle Eastern countries     Suriname 2016 Oct-Nov Not a normal Caribbean holiday - the Guyanas     Sweden 1979 Aug Scandinavia overland - by car and train to Stockhom     Switzerland 1974 1981 Aug-Sept 2007 March We lived in Milan, and explored the surrounding countries     Our long drive home from Riyadh to London     Our drive around the Balkan countries     Syria 1981 Aug-Sept 1997 Nov Our long drive home from Riyadh to London     A stopover in Damascus and a taxi to Beirut     X1 Taiwan 1980 Nov A very quick trip round the world anticlockwise     Tajikistan 2014 Oct Central Asia - along the Silk Road     Tanzania 1989 July-Aug East Africa, with a boat on Lake Tanganyika and visit to Zanzibar     Thailand 1980 Feb 1982 Apr 1987 Mar-Apr 1991 Aug 1999 Nov 2000 Nov 2004 Sept-Oct 2017 Oct-Nov 2019 Oct-Nov All of the above A tour of the Far East     A visit to Burma, with stopover in Bangkok     A visit to Indonesia, with stopover in Bangkok     Round the world clockwise, visiting Thailand     Overland from Hong Kong to Bangkok     Our return to Vietnam     Our overland journey from Beijing to Bangkok     From Thailand to Timor     Overland across Burma, from India to Thailand     Our Grand Tour of south-east Asia, a map of all our journeys     X2 Tibet (no ISO country code) 1996 Oct Our journey from the Roof of the World to the Bay of Bengal     Timor-Leste 2017 Oct-Nov From Thailand to East Timor - some Indonesian islands     Tonga 1995 Apr-May New Zealand and seven South Pacific islands     175 X2 Transnistria (no ISO country code) 2007 June Our drive to Odessa on the Black Sea via Tirasopol     Trinidad 1990 July Canada and nine Caribbean islands     Tunisia 1976 Apr A look at Libya, and travels in Tunisia     Turkey 1981 Aug-Sept 2013 Sept Our long drive home from Riyadh to London     From the Black Sea to the Caspian     Turkmenistan 2014 Oct Across the Caspian Sea and along the Silk Road     X3 Turks and Caicos 2018 Jan-Feb Colombia and some Caribbean islands     Tuvalu 2023 May A visit to some lesser-known Pacific islands     Uganda 1989 July-Aug East Africa - through Uganda ten years after Idi Amin left     Ukraine 2006 May-June 2007 June Some drives around Eastern Europe including Lviv, Ukraine     Our drive to Odessa on the Black Sea     United Arab Emirates 1980 to 1981 We travelled from Saudi to Middle Eastern countries     150 United Kingdom 1994 to 1997 Several drives around Ireland, including Northern Ireland     And most of the other journeys started and ended in the UK of course! Uruguay 2002 Oct A South American bus ride from Santiago to Buenos Aires     USA 1980 Nov 1990 Aug 1993 to 1996 2001, 2002 2019 Feb-Mar 2020 March A very quick trip round the world anticlockwise     Canada, USA and nine Caribbean islands     Some drives around the western USA     Some drives round the eastern USA     A big drive round the American south, Miami to New Orleans     A big drive up the USA's east coast from Miami to New York     Uzbekistan 2014 Oct Along the Silk Road, and to the Aral Sea     Vanuatu 2010 Oct-Nov A selection of seven South Pacific islands     X1 Vatican City 1974 We lived in Milan, and explored north Italy     Venezuela 2003 Oct 2016 Oct-Nov A South American bus ride from Lima to Buenos Aires     Not a normal Caribbean holiday     Vietnam 1999 Oct-Nov 2000 Nov Overland from Hong Kong to Bangkok     Our return to Vietnam     X3 Virgin Islands, British 2009 Nov A selection of nine Caribbean islands     X3 Virgin Islands, USA 2009 Nov A selection of nine Caribbean islands     X3 Wallis and Futuna (French) 2010 Oct-Nov A selection of seven South Pacific islands     X2 Western Sahara 2022 Oct Across Morocco, from Gibraltar to Western Sahara     Yemen 1997 Nov A drive around the Yemen; motoring with Mohammed     Zambia 2023 Dec A visit to in Madagascar, with stopover at Victoria Falls     199 159 Zimbabwe 1980 Oct 2023 Dec A tour of East Africa     A visit to Madagascar, with stopover at Victoria Falls     You can email us at squier@btinternet.com Back to top of page To return to the chronological list of our journeys, just click the map.