World Travels

Guides: MoscowSPBLondon
Last updated: Sep 1, 2023

Over the course of my life I have lived in Russia (1988-94), the UK (1994-2006), the US (2006-2016), and repatriated to Russia (2016-2022). I became a “digital nomad” in 2022. The map above shows most of the places I have been to.

I maintain irregularly updated guides on the following travel topics and regions:

My travel reports are catalogued in the table below. Relevant blog tags to follow here are AK’s Travels and my ongoing national comparisons series. As a proponent of Open Borders/No Borders and the replacement of nation-states by network states, I treat them on a level playing field here; to the extent I have a favorite “country”, it is Zuzalu.

I often announce new places I’ll be visiting on Twitter. Goals for 2023-24 include Turkey, Germany (Berlin), India, Thailand (if Zuzalu), Taiwan.

The biggest/most important cities are highlighted to the appropriate extent (not a rating of quality, though overall, I strongly privilege big cities), while places where I lived (spent >3 months) are underlined.
⭐ Major city or capital
🏞️ National park or natural wonder
🏔️ Hiking/mountains
🏖️ Beach
🚠 Skiing
🗿 Wonder of the World – outside cities, otherwise consult AK’s Travels map
R🌐Country⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀YearnotesShort Review:
🇦🇹Austria82023
🇧🇪Belgium62003/2018
🇨🇿Czechia62023
🇫🇮Finland62022
🇫🇷France7often
🇩🇪Germany72003
🇭🇺Hungary52023
🇮🇪Ireland62001/2006
🇲🇪Montenegro42023
🇳🇱Netherlands72022
🇵🇱Poland62019
🇵🇹Portugal72018
🇷🇴Romania42018
🇷🇺Russia81988-1994, 2016+Russia ★★★★★
🇷🇸Serbia72023
🇸🇰Slovakia52023
🇬🇧United Kingdom71994-2006/8United Kingdom ★★★★
• England ★★★★ / 1996-2006/8
• Northern Ireland ★★★
• Scotland ★★★ / 1994-1996
• Wales ★★★
🇺🇸United States82006/8-2016United States ★★★★
• California ★★★★★ / 2006/8-2016
• Cascadia ★★★
• Midwest ★★★★
• Mountain ★★★★★
• Northeast ★★★
🌐Zuzalu102023
R🌐🌆CITY/PLACE⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀YEARnotesShort Review:
⠀CITIEStheseriesmain
🇩🇪Aachen72003
🇬🇧Aberdeen41994-1996
🇵🇹Albufeira72018
🇫🇷Amiens52023
🇳🇱Amsterdam82022good
🇧🇪Antwerp62003
🇫🇷Arcachon7~1998
🇬🇧Bath7
🇬🇧Battle62022
🇬🇧Belfast4~2001
🇷🇸Belgrade72023good
🇺🇸Berkeley92008-2014Beautiful city with high concentration of human capital.
• Institutions: UC Berkeley
• Communities: MIRI HQ; CSSC
• Restaurants: Chez Panisse (set menu, designed by Alice Waters); Great China; Gypsy's Court; House of Curries; Turkish Kitchen.
🇬🇧Blackburn4often
🇬🇧Blackpool5often
🇬🇧Bolton4often
🇷🇺Borovsk72019
🇺🇸Boston72013good
🇷🇴Brașov42018
🇸🇰Bratislava52023good
🇬🇧Brighton62019
🇧🇪Brugge62003
🇧🇪Bruxelles42018best
🇷🇺Bryansk52018
🇷🇴Bucharest52018good
🇭🇺Budapest62023good
🇲🇪Budva62023
🇫🇷Calais42023
🇬🇧Cambridge8~2005
🇬🇧Canterbury82018
🇮🇪Cashel5~2001Visit for Rock of Cashel.
🇬🇧Chatham72023
🇬🇧Chester72004
🇺🇸Chicago72013best
🇬🇧Conwy62007Visit for Conwy Castle.
🇬🇧Deal62022
🇷🇺Dolgoprudny62021
🇬🇧Dover62023
🇮🇪Dublin6~2001, 2006good
🇬🇧Dundee4
🇬🇧Durham5~2007
🇬🇧Edinburgh7~1995good
🇵🇹Estoril62018
🇵🇹Faro52018
🇬🇧Guildford62017
🇷🇺Gus-Khrustalny52004
🇩🇪Heidelberg82003
🇫🇮Helsinki62022good
🇬🇧Inverness6
🇷🇺Ivanovo32004
🇬🇧Kendal4often
🇷🇺Klin52004
🇩🇪Köln52003
🇷🇺Kolomna72017, often
🇷🇺Kostroma32004
🇲🇪Kotor62023
🇵🇱Kraków72019
🇵🇹Lagos52018
🇬🇧Lancaster6often
🇺🇸Las Vegas82013good
🇬🇧Leeds5
🇵🇹Lisboa82018good
🇬🇧Liverpool5often
🇬🇧London8Guide | 2016 / oftenbest GUIDE / 2016, 2018, 2019
• Restaurants: The Golden Chippy; The Olde Bank of England.
🇺🇸Los Altos62006/8
🇺🇸Los Angeles72013best
🇬🇧Lytham St Annes4often
🇬🇧Manchester4often, 2023
🇺🇸Monterey8often
🇺🇸Morro Bay7often
🇷🇺Moscow9Guide | 1988-1991, 1993-1994, 2016+best GUIDE
🇺🇸Mountain View8often
🇷🇺Murmansk52021
🇺🇸New York72013best
🇷🇺Nizhny Novgorod62020
🇬🇧Nottingham52023
🇷🇸Novi Sad62023
🇺🇸Oakland6often
🇷🇺Obninsk62019
🇵🇱Ostrołęka62019
🇬🇧Oxford82016, 2018
• The Eagle and Child. Bodleian.
🇷🇺Ozery4often
🇺🇸Palo Alto7often
🇫🇷Paris7~1998, 2003, 2005, 2023best
🇬🇧Penzance6Most famous for St Michael's Mount.
🇷🇺Pereslavl-Zalessky52004
🇺🇸Pittsburgh42013
🇷🇴Ploiești32018
🇲🇪Podgorica22023good
🇵🇹Portimão72018
🇺🇸Portland62014good
🇬🇧Portsmouth62016
🇨🇿Prague72023good
🇬🇧Preston31996-2006/8
🇲🇪Radovići22023
🇷🇴Râșnov32018
🇬🇧Reading62023
🇫🇷Reims82023
🇺🇸Reno4often
🇺🇸Richmond1
🇬🇧Rochester72023
🇳🇱Rotterdam42022
🇷🇺Rybinsk62004
🇺🇸Sacramento32014
🇵🇹Sagres72018
🇷🇺Saint-Petersburg8Guide | oftenbest GUIDE  / 2004, 2017, 2019, 2022
🇬🇧Salisbury72022Visit for Stonehenge, Old Sarum, and admire the 123 m spires of Salisbury Cathedral.
🇺🇸San Diego72013
🇺🇸San Francisco8oftenbest
• Restaurants: Samovar (chain); Sheba Piano Lounge
🇺🇸San Jose7often
🇺🇸San Leandro620014-2016
🇺🇸Santa Barbara82006/8, 2013
🇺🇸Seattle72014good
🇬🇧Sellafield4
🇷🇺Sergiev Posad72019, 2020
🇬🇧Sheffield5
🇵🇹Sines42018
🇵🇹Sintra82018
🇺🇸Solvang72006
🇷🇸Sremska Mitrovica52023
🇬🇧St. Albans82019
🇷🇺Suzdal72004
🇺🇸Tahoe7often
🇳🇱The Hague72022
🇲🇪Tivat32023
🇬🇧Torquay6
🇷🇺Torzhok62019
🇷🇺Tver62019
🇷🇺Uglich52004
🇷🇺Veliky Novgorod72018
• ZAVOD Bar
🇦🇹Vienna92023good
🇷🇺Vladimir52004
🇷🇺Volokolamsk51991-1993 / 2017, 2019, often
🇵🇱Warszawa72019good
🇺🇸Washington D.C.62013best
🇩🇪Worms62003
🇷🇺Yaroslavl72004
🇬🇧York6
ٴ⠀ PLACES OF INTERESTtheseriesmain
🇬🇧ٴ🏔️ Grampian Mountains7~1995, ~1996
🇬🇧ٴ🏔️ Lake District6often
🇬🇧ٴ🏔️ Snowdonia7often
🇷🇴ٴ🏔️ Transylvania92018
🇫🇷ٴ🏖️ Arcachon Bay81998
🇵🇹ٴ🏖️ The Algarve82018
🇬🇧ٴ🏞️ Giant's Causeway5~2001
🇬🇧ٴ🏞️ Isle of Skye6~1996
🇬🇧ٴ🏞️ Isles of Scilly5
🇬🇧ٴ🏞️ Land's End5
🇺🇸ٴ🏞️ Napa Valley9often
🇷🇺ٴ🏞️ Teriberka72021
🇺🇸ٴ🗿 Fort Ross72015
🇮🇪ٴ🗿 Newgrange8~2001
🇬🇧ٴ🗿 Stonehenge82022
🇺🇸ٴ🚠 Big Sky (MT)82012
🇺🇸ٴ🚠 Jackson Hole (WY)92011
🇺🇸ٴ🚠 Lake Tahoe7oftenLake Tahoe is a major ski resort area.
Alpine Meadows ★★★★★
Homewood ★★★★
Kirkwood ★★★★
Northstar ★★★★
Olympic Valley ★★★★
🇺🇸ٴ🚠 Park City (UT)82010
🇫🇷ٴ🚠 Val d’Isère82007
🇺🇸ٴ🚠 Winter Park (CO)8~2013