2025 was a busy travel year for us, shaped by both work and private trips. Work took us to Egypt, Japan, Switzerland, and Uzbekistan, while private travel brought us to Rwanda, North Macedonia, and the UK. This post looks back at the key moments and travel highlights of both.
***This travel highlights 2025 blog post contains affiliate links of our guidebooks. If you buy through these links, we will earn a small commission at no extra costs to you. ***
Some Travel Statistics for 2025
Time on the road: We spent 204 nights away from our base in Berlin, 7 of them in transport on planes, busses and one night on the ferry.
Countries visited: In 2025, our travels took us to 12 countries (apart from Germany where we live): Egypt, Rwanda, Japan, China, France, North Macedonia, Switzerland, Italy, Uzbekistan, Turkey, the UK, and Belgium. Rwanda and North Macedonia were first-time visits. Along the way, we also crossed Austria – stopping for coffee and cake in Imst – and the Netherlands, where we had breakfast in Rotterdam.
Nights spent in a tent: We spent 22 nights outdoors in 2025, most of them during research for the new edition of our Wallis/ Switzerland guidebook. We also camped in Egypt’s White Desert and cut costs by camping in several national parks in Rwanda.
UNESCO Sites visited: Apart from revisiting UNESCO sites in Japan and Egypt for work, we explored several new sites, too, in 2025.
In Rwanda, we spent much of our time in several National Parks, including the Nyungwe National Park encompassing a very large mountain forest. We also visited the genocide memorial sites at Nyamata and Murambi – more sobering than anything else, but essential reminders of history.
In France, we enjoyed a family outing in the Champagne region, sampling plenty of champagnes during tastings and meals. And with the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Reims has another UNESCO site.
In North Macedonia, we explored Lake Ohrid, the most touristy spot of our trip there.
We also returned to the St. Gallen Monastery in Switzerland, which we had last seen over 20 years ago. The exhibition had been completely revamped, offering a fresh and different experience. And we could appreciate everything on a new level, enriched by decades of added knowledge.
Flights: Unfortunately, our flight count went up again this year. Natascha flew 15 legs and Isa 14. Rising airfares often make direct routes – with a smaller CO₂ footprint – unaffordable, and while we travel overland within Europe whenever possible, our work trips still add up in flight legs.
Publications
This year, we had numerous publications. Two of these were brand-new editions of our own guidebooks. Both in our favourite areas of Japan and the Alps, respectively, but totally new books based on up-to-date research:
- Entdeckungsreise Japan: Mit der Bahn, mit dem Rad oder zu Fuß unterwegs in Metropolen und auf dem Land. Dumont. 1. Auflage, 2025.
- Bern und Berner Oberland. Trescher-Verlag. 1. Auflage, 2025.
In addition, there were some reworked and newly researched follow-up editions of books we had previously published, and new books in which we contributed a few chapters:
- Kyoto, mit Nara, Osaka und Koya-san. Trescher Verlag, 2. Auflage, 2025.
- Trescher-Reiseführer Japan. Mit Christine Liew. 6. Auflage, 2025.
- Legendäre Wanderungen in den Alpen. Lonely Planet. 1. Auflage, 2025 (6 chapters).
- MARCO POLO Trendguide Wohin geht die Reise 2025. Marco Polo. 1. Auflage, 2025 (2 chapters).
- Legendäre Radtouren in Deutschland: 40 fantastische Routen zwischen Alpen und Meer. Lonely Planet. 2. Auflage, 2025 (3 chapters)
To see more publications by us visit our publication site
January/February – Egypt
In January we set out for a guidebook research in Egypt, covering much of the country and its tourist sites. Touching down in Hurghada, we quickly moved on to the Nile Valley. In Luxor we strolled along the newly reopened Sphinx Avenue and spent several days on the West Bank. It was so much fun to explore some of the lesser-known tombs, such as those of Menna and of Pashedu! We also enjoyed a bird watching trip in Aswan and finally made it into the Western Desert for a 5-day trip! Our Cairo highlights of 2025 included the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum and a tour with “Walk like an Egyptian” in the so-called City of the Dead.
February – Rwanda
Ending our Egypt trip in Cairo made it easy to take a short flight to Rwanda where we stayed for 3 weeks. From the capital city of Kigali we made several loops into various parts of the country – returning once to Kigali to vote at the embassy in a German general election.
Rwanda proved to be an incredibly diverse destination, blending nature and history, memorials and cuisine. The fantastic national parks were a clear highlight, including a brief but unforgettable encounter with a group of mountain gorillas. But we also visited several memorials for the Rwandan genocide of 1993. And we admired wooden sculptures and explored local customs like warrior dances and traditional fishing techniques.
As an upcoming speciality coffee country, Ruanda offered visits to coffee plantations and plenty of excellent coffee! To our surprise, vegetarian food in Rwanda was also quite good and diversified.
March/April – Japan
In 2025 we went back to Japan for tour guiding work, travelling up and down the country with German tourist groups. (Click here to have a look at our spring tours 2026). After the group tours, we stayed on to travel on our own and did some research for a new guidebook. In particular, we tested several cycling trips, such as the Shimanami Kaido from Honshu to Shikoku and a route along the Yamanote Line in Tokyo.
On our way back to Germany, we had a full day’s layover at Beijing Airport and took the opportunity to head into the city! It was just enough time to visit the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium and the 798 Art Zone, Beijing’s contemporary art district in Dashanzi. We had visited Dashanzi on our overland travel 20 years ago – of course everything had changed. And back then we thought everything had become so modern since our last visit….
May – France
May brought a short family trip to France, staying a few days in Reims and exploring the local wineries and champagne houses. Alongside guided tours in some famous champagne cellars, we enjoyed some tasting, learned about the history and production of champagne, and, of course, brought a few bottles home.
May to July – Germany
With some deadlines looming, we spent June 2025 as well as parts of May and July in Berlin, working on our publications. Summer is a good time to be in Berlin, after all. Of course, we also met with friends and visited exhibitions or did architectural tours. A highlight of that time was a geocaching trip with our geocaching friends that took us to some lost places in Brandenburg.
July – North Macedonia
In early July, we took a break from work for a short trip to North Macedonia. This small Balkan country was perfect for some time off. We conducted a circular route from Skopje towards Lake Ohrid and back, taking in several National Parks along the way for some beautiful day hikes. We also enjoyed delicious vegetarian food and the warm hospitality of friendly locals. Overall, North Macedonia was a positive and delightful surprise, largely untouched by overtourism. Read here about our thoughts about travelling in North Macedonia.
August – Switzerland/ Italy
In late July we headed south again for some book research. After some loops through Bavaria, the Engadin, and a night at Lake Como in Northern Italy, we spent all of August in Valais updating our Trescher Guidebook “Wallis”. Highlights included the Eggishorn Via Ferrata near the Aletsch glacier and a hike above Saas Fee that Isa had done once in her childhood – this time much less snow!
Want to know about the best viewpoints on the Aletsch glacier? We have you covered!
On the way back to Germany, we stopped in the picturesque town of Gruyere. Of course, we couldn’t resist summer cheese fondue, but we also visited the famous H.R. Giger Museum and the adjacent Giger Bar. The museum showcases the surreal and darkly imaginative work of the Swiss artist, best known for his designs in Alien. The Giger Bar brings his unique vision to life, and you can have some green Giger Beer sitting in an Alien-style skeleton chair.
September – Germany
We only had a brief slot in Germany with some time to rewrite the Valais book before we headed out to the next research trip. Nevertheless, we found time for some local explorations. On our way to visiting a friend in Mainz we also stepped off the train in Bonn and in Brühl for the Max Ernst Museum.
September/October – Uzbekistan
From mid-September 2025, we set off to Uzbekistan for our regular guidebook update (we are already going into the 5th edition). While we visited again all the major tourist hotspots, this year we also managed to fit in a few off-the-beaten-path excursions. One highlight was a day hike to the Teshik Tash Cave, where researchers found the burial of a Neanderthal child in 1938 – a spectacular discovery at the time.
On our way back, we did a stop in Istanbul and took the chance to revisit this beautiful city for two days. We loved the vibrant atmosphere of Kadıköy and visited the touristy yet captivating Yerebatan Cistern, soaking in the city’s unique blend of history and energy.
But October brought some sad news too. A life-long very close friend died after a longer illness.
November – London
In November, after a busy stretch of writing, we took a break with a week in London. Isa had studied in London in the 1990s but hasn’t been back since graduating, and it was a real pleasure to return. We spent our days visiting museums and galleries at our own pace – and yes, it did rain occasionally. That’s okay, what would you expect? We even met a cousin of Isa she had recently found out about (who had been living in London all along).
A highlight was reconnecting with a friend from school days who now lives in Oxford. Despite the cold, we enjoyed strolling between the colleges and even had the special experience of lunching at the high table in one of them.
December – Germany
Finally, it was time to actually write the update of the next edition of the Uzbekistan guidebook with all the new developments and changes we had observed. This kept us in Berlin for an unusually long stretch. Only for Christmas did we take a short break to visit family in Cologne. And to have the second cheese fondue of the year!
Outlook for 2026
We are very thankful for the wonderful trips in 2025. Next year, we’ll spend several months in Japan combining tour guiding, private travel, and guidebook research. We’re also planning multiple trips to France and other French-speaking countries. Since our French isn’t great yet, 2026 will be our year of learning the language!
As for the summer, we are considering returning to Africa – probably somewhere in West Africa – but nothing is set in stone. With China’s new visa policies and affordable flights to Japan via Chinese airlines, we also hope to include a longer stopover to explore new parts of China.
The blog is a way to share our trips and adventures, but of course, nothing replaces personal conversations. We’re excited to experience a new year – the Year of the Fire Horse – with all of you!
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