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As with similar posts in 2015, 2016, and 2017 I like to try to find time at the conclusion of each year to look back and where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to for the past 365, a round-up of sorts but also an expression of appreciation for this life that I lead and which continues to make all these travels and adventures possible, and a look forward to the coming year’s plans and aspirations. A post shared by Stephen Lioy (@slioy) on As you may recall, New Year’s Eve 2017 found me in Moscow’s Red Square (well, or just adjacent in Hunter’s Row, but close enough) after a night at the Bolshoi, straining to catch the tops of the fireworks past the next row of buildings on Red Square. A post shared by Stephen Lioy (@slioy) on Look, any month that starts with the World Nomad Games, it’s hard to talk about much else. A post shared by Stephen Lioy (@slioy) on A pretty quick trip through Jordan, this time around, though I did at least finally make some time to really wander around Amman at the beginning of the thing.

And the center of it all is San Luis Potosi, a close friend and his family, and the significance of personal connections and the impression they leave while traveling. Picnicking with the extended family, being embarrassed by Oscar’s entire extended family’s soccer skills (far more impressive than my own rusty attempts, in memory), going out with local friends to San Luis Potosi’s bars and clubs ( The personal connections who leave impressions that last long after the viewpoints and the meals have all faded far into memory (indeed, I would meet up with Oscar in Budapest several years later to pick up the thread of a friendship that spans years and continents and several distinct versions of each of our selves). In truth, the entirety of my experience of Mexico is founded on moments like these, traveling with Oscar and Gerry and Jenny and Ines across the country in a succession of small but important moments that still stand out years later.

May started with a quick visit to Astana (in Kazakhstan), continued with a mini-trip through Issyk-Kol to do a little photo shoot on the lake (see above) and then take the GPS and data for a few hikes for that trail mapping project, and then ended up with another fast visit to the US for my little sister’s high school graduation. Ask GoMad Nomad: What to do on a layover in Athens, Greece; GoMad Nomad, 22 June 2017 Get off the beaten track in Kyrgyzstan; Lonely Planet, 29 June 2017 I’ve been to Greece a few times before, of course, but it had been long enough and I’ve spent so little time in Europe this year that it felt almost like a mini-vacation to go back. This Kyrgyzstan city is using local culture to welcome travellers; Lonely Planet News, 7 Nov 2017 New tours connect travellers with local culture at the gateway to Kyrgyzstan’s mountains; Lonely Planet News, 29 Nov 2017 December, mostly, was about home – Louisiana.

I’m finally back to Kyrgyzstan after two months on the ground in Texas, but just before I hopped back on a flight to head this way I found time to record another interview with Radio FM4 in Austria. This one’s about Eritrea, which I visited back in November to research for Lonely Planet’s revamped Africa content, and the place really is one strange beast. Hopefully my answers at least gave some insight into the country, but I’ll leave it to you to be the judge. I’d love to hear others’ thoughts about travel in authoritarian countries, and whether that implicit legitimization of the government has a negative effect.