Scarlett
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It’s the strangest thing; I can’t even remember where the idea first came from. It was likely a combination of things.
As with all good ideas it came with a pretty simple, even if completely pointless, setup. There are 52 weeks in a year. There are 26 letters in the alphabet. That’s a nice even 2:1 ratio, so two weeks per letter.
I’d been listening to some various travel podcasts while exercising and the concept of slow travel had come up a few times across them. As I’m working full time, I figured that maybe I’d give the slow travel thing a go after I retired in about five years and maybe that got me started thinking specifically about what to do. Maybe that could be the time to do some slower travelling?
Another factor, and I think I’ve rambled about it on AFF previously, is that I have this fanciful notion of trying to play golf in every country in the world that has a golf course. Now you have to accept that everyone’s definition of what is a country and what is not, will be different. On my list, there are 196 ‘countries’ with golf courses and about 30 or so that don’t have one. I use the single quote marks deliberately, as I know that some of the places I have on my list are not technically countries. This is probably a discussion for another thread, but consider a couple of examples: Is Aruba a country; Is Bonaire a country; Is Greenland a country; Is Hong Kong a country; Is the Bailiwick of Guernsey a country; Are the Cayman Islands a country; Are the Marshall Islands a country; Is Martinique a country? Is Wales a country? Etc etc etc. Something I generally consider is if it has its own currency and its own visa rules, but anyway, it’s my list so I get to choose. I’ve visited and played golf in 85 countries so far, so I do need a big push sometime to get much closer to my goal.
Maybe that year after I retire can be my big push? (given the amount of planning required, retirement +1 might be a planning year only…)
Somehow the ideas gradually all sort of mixed together and I started working on a plan of spending an entire year travelling to countries using the 26 letters of the alphabet, but also trying to do it slowly so that I spent two weeks in each place. I also wanted those countries to be new ones for me, so that I could progress my golfing ambitions. Over the last couple of years, as I’ve considered it more and my own mortality has first started hazily appearing in the far back of my mind, I’ve made some changes to increase the pace a little and add in some side trips, rather than sticking to the two weeks in one nation.
Anyway, enough of that, this might become an epic trip report in a few years time. It might never happen. But if it does, my plan is that this will be the basis of the trip, likely flying between most of the countries:
Argentina – start in the ‘Lakes District’ hiring a car and driving around San Martin de los Andes and San Carlos de Bariloche. I’d love to try to get down to Ushuaia as well, to the most southerly golf course in the world. But I also figure that based on where I would head next, I’d depart Argentina from Iguazu.
Brazil – A simple cross the border and then starting at Iguaçu Falls and next heading to Rio. In between I definitely want to cross the bridge from Foz do Iguaçu and spend a couple of nights in Paraguay. (Parana Country Club is there you see!)
Colombia – starting in Medellin and heading down into coffee country. Heading out of Colombia, I’d plan to travel via Panama.
Dominica – maybe catch a cricket match in Portsmouth. There’s no golf in Dominica, so I will definitely be taking side trips to both Martinique and Guadeloupe.
Ecuador – start in Quito and then head out to the Galapagos Islands.
French Guiana – Cayenne or Kourou as a base but definitely with a side trip to, or onwards travel via Suriname. The limited regional flights into and out of this part of the world might necessitate a few days in Trinidad & Tobago!
Guyana – More cricket in Georgetown hopefully and then move onto Grenada or maybe St Vincent & the Grenadines.
Honduras – Hmm, could be a little sketchy, so my plan is to head for Isla Roatán and also hopefully get across to Belize.
Israel – I haven’t quite settled on this one, as it could also be Iraq or Iran. Maybe all three! Would necessitate a US visa being acquired beforehand.
Jersey – It’s a country and that’s that. I’ll also take the ferry across and stay on Guernsey.
Kazakhstan – if I start in Almaty I can then head across the border to nearby Bishkek and see some of Kyrgyzstan as well.
Lebanon – like my choices for the letter I, I’m also considering Libya here. Beirut or Tripoli? With a possible side trip to Syria, or Algeria?
Mauritius – with of course a side trip over to Reunion. Once in Reunion, it would make sense to try to travel to my next lettered country via another French overseas department: Mayotte.
Namibia – start in Windhoek and then head over to the Atlantic coast. Then head north into Angola and visit Luanda.
Oman – yes I’ve already visited Muscat previously, but when there’s only one country which starts with an O, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. To avoid the full period in a very hot Oman, I may go via Malawi to get here, so some time in Lilongwe or Blantyre first.
Pakistan – start in Karachi for a period and then try to find a side trip to somewhere that will be less bakingly hot at the time of year I’d expect to be there (late Jul/early Aug). The Caucasus region is the front runner.
Qatar – another choice of one country only. Fortunately, I’ve not been to Doha yet. Like Pakistan, I’d be quickly seeking to head somewhere else where average daytime temperatures weren’t expected to be 41degC.
Rwanda – start in Kigali and then likely head next door to Kampala, Uganda. I will consider how to weave gorilla trekking into the plan.
Serbia – start in Belgrade, then nearby options such as Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, or Kosovo would be available.
Tunisia – Carthage and Hammamet are the two places I want to see whilst in Tunisia.
Ukraine – I really want this to be an option, and to do a tiny part in helping their economic recovery. Instead (and with a certain irony) suspect I will be heading to the USA to the southern Gulf States region.
Virgin Islands – and likely the USVI, such as St Croix, as the British ones don’t have a golf course. I’ll also be keeping a close eye on what’s happening in Venezuela between now and then.
Wales – let me get it off my chest that I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited Wales twice already and I DON’T consider it to be a country, but when you see the compromises coming next, it’s a small price to pay to head back there! Side trip to Gibraltar will be planned.
X… MeXico – got a better idea? I’ll be heading to Cabo, and maybe visiting some more of those southern US Gulf States I’ve not yet been to.
Y… KenYa – more compromises. The thought of being kidnapped, or set on fire, during a visit to Yemen, especially when it doesn’t have a golf course anyway, means I can live with this compromise. Start in Mombasa and a side trip to Tanzania and the Kilimanjaro area is likely.
Zimbabwe – as this would likely be leading into Xmas, I’d plan to stay at Victoria Falls and then head into Zambia. If I haven’t already visited Botswana by then, the town of Kasane is close to the Vic Falls region.
The spreadsheet of base countries, side trips, indicative dates, likely weather, airport codes, visa requirements and locations of golf courses is already taking shape! Anyone know next week's lotto numbers; I might need some help?
As with all good ideas it came with a pretty simple, even if completely pointless, setup. There are 52 weeks in a year. There are 26 letters in the alphabet. That’s a nice even 2:1 ratio, so two weeks per letter.
I’d been listening to some various travel podcasts while exercising and the concept of slow travel had come up a few times across them. As I’m working full time, I figured that maybe I’d give the slow travel thing a go after I retired in about five years and maybe that got me started thinking specifically about what to do. Maybe that could be the time to do some slower travelling?
Another factor, and I think I’ve rambled about it on AFF previously, is that I have this fanciful notion of trying to play golf in every country in the world that has a golf course. Now you have to accept that everyone’s definition of what is a country and what is not, will be different. On my list, there are 196 ‘countries’ with golf courses and about 30 or so that don’t have one. I use the single quote marks deliberately, as I know that some of the places I have on my list are not technically countries. This is probably a discussion for another thread, but consider a couple of examples: Is Aruba a country; Is Bonaire a country; Is Greenland a country; Is Hong Kong a country; Is the Bailiwick of Guernsey a country; Are the Cayman Islands a country; Are the Marshall Islands a country; Is Martinique a country? Is Wales a country? Etc etc etc. Something I generally consider is if it has its own currency and its own visa rules, but anyway, it’s my list so I get to choose. I’ve visited and played golf in 85 countries so far, so I do need a big push sometime to get much closer to my goal.
Maybe that year after I retire can be my big push? (given the amount of planning required, retirement +1 might be a planning year only…)
Somehow the ideas gradually all sort of mixed together and I started working on a plan of spending an entire year travelling to countries using the 26 letters of the alphabet, but also trying to do it slowly so that I spent two weeks in each place. I also wanted those countries to be new ones for me, so that I could progress my golfing ambitions. Over the last couple of years, as I’ve considered it more and my own mortality has first started hazily appearing in the far back of my mind, I’ve made some changes to increase the pace a little and add in some side trips, rather than sticking to the two weeks in one nation.
Anyway, enough of that, this might become an epic trip report in a few years time. It might never happen. But if it does, my plan is that this will be the basis of the trip, likely flying between most of the countries:
Argentina – start in the ‘Lakes District’ hiring a car and driving around San Martin de los Andes and San Carlos de Bariloche. I’d love to try to get down to Ushuaia as well, to the most southerly golf course in the world. But I also figure that based on where I would head next, I’d depart Argentina from Iguazu.
Brazil – A simple cross the border and then starting at Iguaçu Falls and next heading to Rio. In between I definitely want to cross the bridge from Foz do Iguaçu and spend a couple of nights in Paraguay. (Parana Country Club is there you see!)
Colombia – starting in Medellin and heading down into coffee country. Heading out of Colombia, I’d plan to travel via Panama.
Dominica – maybe catch a cricket match in Portsmouth. There’s no golf in Dominica, so I will definitely be taking side trips to both Martinique and Guadeloupe.
Ecuador – start in Quito and then head out to the Galapagos Islands.
French Guiana – Cayenne or Kourou as a base but definitely with a side trip to, or onwards travel via Suriname. The limited regional flights into and out of this part of the world might necessitate a few days in Trinidad & Tobago!
Guyana – More cricket in Georgetown hopefully and then move onto Grenada or maybe St Vincent & the Grenadines.
Honduras – Hmm, could be a little sketchy, so my plan is to head for Isla Roatán and also hopefully get across to Belize.
Israel – I haven’t quite settled on this one, as it could also be Iraq or Iran. Maybe all three! Would necessitate a US visa being acquired beforehand.
Jersey – It’s a country and that’s that. I’ll also take the ferry across and stay on Guernsey.
Kazakhstan – if I start in Almaty I can then head across the border to nearby Bishkek and see some of Kyrgyzstan as well.
Lebanon – like my choices for the letter I, I’m also considering Libya here. Beirut or Tripoli? With a possible side trip to Syria, or Algeria?
Mauritius – with of course a side trip over to Reunion. Once in Reunion, it would make sense to try to travel to my next lettered country via another French overseas department: Mayotte.
Namibia – start in Windhoek and then head over to the Atlantic coast. Then head north into Angola and visit Luanda.
Oman – yes I’ve already visited Muscat previously, but when there’s only one country which starts with an O, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. To avoid the full period in a very hot Oman, I may go via Malawi to get here, so some time in Lilongwe or Blantyre first.
Pakistan – start in Karachi for a period and then try to find a side trip to somewhere that will be less bakingly hot at the time of year I’d expect to be there (late Jul/early Aug). The Caucasus region is the front runner.
Qatar – another choice of one country only. Fortunately, I’ve not been to Doha yet. Like Pakistan, I’d be quickly seeking to head somewhere else where average daytime temperatures weren’t expected to be 41degC.
Rwanda – start in Kigali and then likely head next door to Kampala, Uganda. I will consider how to weave gorilla trekking into the plan.
Serbia – start in Belgrade, then nearby options such as Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, or Kosovo would be available.
Tunisia – Carthage and Hammamet are the two places I want to see whilst in Tunisia.
Ukraine – I really want this to be an option, and to do a tiny part in helping their economic recovery. Instead (and with a certain irony) suspect I will be heading to the USA to the southern Gulf States region.
Virgin Islands – and likely the USVI, such as St Croix, as the British ones don’t have a golf course. I’ll also be keeping a close eye on what’s happening in Venezuela between now and then.
Wales – let me get it off my chest that I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited Wales twice already and I DON’T consider it to be a country, but when you see the compromises coming next, it’s a small price to pay to head back there! Side trip to Gibraltar will be planned.
X… MeXico – got a better idea? I’ll be heading to Cabo, and maybe visiting some more of those southern US Gulf States I’ve not yet been to.
Y… KenYa – more compromises. The thought of being kidnapped, or set on fire, during a visit to Yemen, especially when it doesn’t have a golf course anyway, means I can live with this compromise. Start in Mombasa and a side trip to Tanzania and the Kilimanjaro area is likely.
Zimbabwe – as this would likely be leading into Xmas, I’d plan to stay at Victoria Falls and then head into Zambia. If I haven’t already visited Botswana by then, the town of Kasane is close to the Vic Falls region.
The spreadsheet of base countries, side trips, indicative dates, likely weather, airport codes, visa requirements and locations of golf courses is already taking shape! Anyone know next week's lotto numbers; I might need some help?
