Tag: Brussels

Hello dear readers, how are things? How was your 2025!? Happy New Year!

Every year I put together a little roundup of my travels for the year and so here you are – the 2025 edition!

In 2024’s roundup I said that any travel plans this year were kind of visa-dependent and here we are a year later still waiting for the US to make a decision on my visa application.

However, as some of you will have seen we’re finally starting to see some movement on the visa front so I’m pretty optimistic it’ll happen soon. Until then I’ll be blogging away (intermittently) in little ol’ England.

Anyway, back to the annual travel round-up! The only definitive plans I had for 2025 were that I’d return to Washington at some point, obviously. Here’s what else I got up to!

Malta – March 2025
The hardest thing about being in the land of visa limbo is still wanting to do fun things like travel and simultaneously feeling guilty for spending any money that I could be saving for the move.

The weather in 2024 was truly miserable and come the New Year I was itching for some Winter sunshine and a bit of adventure. I had no real destination in mind but a few hopes – the biggest being somewhere with decent weather.

I did some research and planning, started whittling down my options which included a few different European countries and Northern Africa and after much deliberation I ended up booking a week-long trip to Malta!

Truthfully it wasn’t even really in my early consideration but I think I’m learning in my “old age” that I’m getting a little more picky. I was a little conscious of my budget so thought maybe I’d book something all-inclusive. I went in to the planning phase with a few boxes to tick and Malta didn’t really tick all of them but they certainly ticked the right boxes and it proved a wise decision.

Malta is lovely. It ended up exceeding my expectations actually. Malta’s probably a little lesser known around the world but has long been a popular destinations for Brits and it’s really easy to see why. I adored it and it’s another of those places I wouldn’t hesitate to return to.

The desire to go back is quite high actually, I’ll blog about it in more detail another time but I thoroughly recommend it. I had the loveliest week and was in no rush to return home at the end of the trip.

Washington State – April 2025
This is inevitable isn’t it? I’d last seen Haleigh at Thanksgiving (2024) and I would love for us to have had a Winter getaway together or to have spent our anniversary together (April 9th) but Haleigh was so busy with work in the first quarter that we didn’t get a chance until I flew over at Easter – curse work commitments!

Having waited an eternity to see each-other, I went over to the States for two weeks enjoying the usual Washington scenery and lovely company. By this point Haleigh was a little more settled in Washington so it was particularly nice to spend some proper time exploring the Tri Cities.

However..

Idaho, Utah and Nevada – April 2025
It has to be said, I’ve spent a lot of time in Washington over the last eight years. It’s always nice going back there, it’s always nice seeing family and friends but using so much of my annual leave for time in Washington is at the expense of seeing other parts of the world.

Additionally with Haleigh’s work schedule having been so hectic for months, we both thought it might be nice to get out of Washington for a period of time. We decided to drive on down to Utah and spend time with family in the Salt Lake City area.

I’d been to Utah briefly before but on that occasion we were in town for a wedding and only for a weekend so I hadn’t really had much chance to see it properly. Nevertheless, Utah made an impression on me and I was really hopeful it was as nice as I’d previously assumed it to be based on nothing of any real note.

Fortunately I wasn’t disappointed. I adore Salt Lake City. Haleigh’s cousins spent a good chunk of the trip convincing us to make Utah a permanent home and honestly, I don’t think it’d take much convincing on my end. I think it’s such an underrated city. Again I’ll blog about it in more detail but it was wonderful getting to actually see a bit of the city and local area this time. We also drove over to Park City one day which is the perfect blend of lovely and touristy.

We drove down to Utah and broke up the trip with a night in Twin Falls on the way down and a night in Boise on the way back up so had a small glimpse of Idaho too. We’d been to Twin Falls previously but it was our first time in Boise. We didn’t really do much other than use it as a base for the night but the little we saw was nice.

We also visited the Salt Flats down in Utah which is right on the Utah / Nevada border so we had the briefest of state line crossings and dipped in to Nevada just long enough for David to leave with a souvenir (a speeding ticket!)

San Sebastian & Bilbao – May 2025!
Oh man, how did this one happen!?

Long-time readers will remember I’d made the decision to go out and “live” in Washington for 3 months back in 2020 and truthfully that timeline wasn’t really as early as I’d liked. I was trying to be really mindful with my money to take such a trip and saving responsibly and then in 2019 my beloved Spurs pulled a European adventure out of nowhere and that planning went to pot.

I’ve always adored football and I’ve particularly fantasized about European football my entire life. It was a lifelong dream to watch Tottenham play and compete in Europe so my first European game in 2006 was incredible (lies – it was a drab 1-0 but you get the idea..). I then watched my first European away game in 2014 and that was another bucketlist worthy moment that will live with me forever.

Fortunately after a painful youth starved of European football, Tottenham became European regulars and I couldn’t get enough of it with hopes that maybe, just maybe we’d emulate my dad’s youth – watching Tottenham lift a European trophy in 1984!

Then the unthinkable happened. Forget your poxy UEFA Cup final in 1984, Spurs out of all improbability found themselves going on a Champions League adventure.

Dortmund, Amsterdam and a Champions League final in Madrid! Spurs in a fucking Champions League final – what is this strange reality!?

We lost.

My dad drove us to Madrid and irrespective of the result, the journey was one of those “once in a lifetime” stories that beggared belief. A father-son adventure to the continent for Spurs! I’m still bitter about how the game went and certainly how it started but it was an adventure for the ages and with my imminent departure to the US probably the last such adventure (HA!).

I’ve severely cut back on the football since 2019 and good ol’ Spurs have made that decision much easier by being hopeless for much of that period. That was particularly true last year with the most miserable domestic campaign of my life and yet, Spurs were on the march in Europe.

Against all logic, Spurs qualified for another European final. This time it was in the Europa League (former UEFA Cup) with the final hosted in Bilbao.

“Shall we..?”

This was not on the cards for 2025. I’m leaving the country. I’m trying to save money Spurs, please stop! Where were all these European finals in my 20’s when I was carefree with money and responsibility!?

but this was our time. Dad again suggested driving and why not!? It’s not even as long as the drive to Madrid – a doddle you might say, particularly as a non-driver!

Six years earlier we’d driven down to Madrid and stayed in Biarritz for a night to break up the drive. Bilbao was slightly closer and my dad asked if there was any such place this time around. We could potentially have gone back to Biarritz but honestly, one place immediately jumped out at me: San Sebastian!

San Sebastian has been on my radar for the longest time and I’d actually been to Bilbao exactly ten years earlier (which is funny, I’ll get onto that later..) and had hoped to visit San Sebastian on that trip but I got myself horribly lost and confused with the train system and eventually gave up on the idea of visiting.

With costs in Bilbao spiralling for this trip and with San Sebastian on route, this was an absolute no brainer as far as I was concerned. We didn’t quite stay in San Sebastian, more on the outskirts in some rural inland accommodation but it was much cheaper than Bilbao and meant I finally got to San Sebastian.

Our time there was limited and we spent a day of the trip in Bilbao obviously but the Basque country is gorgeous. I’d been to Bilbao before but San Sebastian is every bit as dreamy as I’d hoped it would be.

Then Bilbao. Spurs in Bilbao. A European final in Bilbao. A WINNING European final in Bilbao. Seventeen long fucking years for that moment in Bilbao, forty one long fucking years since Spurs last taste of glory in Europe and unlike Madrid I’d nabbed two tickets for the game.

Brennan Johnson, Micky Van De Ven, Ange Postecoglou, Glory Glory Tottenham Hotspur!

Again I’ll blog about this in much more detail at a later date (“you’ve already written a novel Jason..”) but it’s a trip that will take some beating.

Brussels – October 2025
Okay, so now for the funny story!

Last year myself and Haleigh visited the Algarve together and whilst it was Haleigh’s first time in Portugal, I’d been to Lisbon ten years earlier. I started drafting a blog-post about our trip and it was weighing heavily on my mind how comparatively they were such contrasting trips and how much had changed over a ten year period. So many things stood out to me and it left me feeling really reflective.

Fast forward to Bilbao. I’d been to Bilbao on a solo holiday in May 2015 and exactly ten years later I was going back to Bilbao but this time taking my dad with me (well, he drove but you get the point..).

Having now had two Father-Son road-trips to Spain I was really conscious tlhat I hadn’t had such a trip with just me and my mum and then in passing conversation my mum threw a “so where are we going then..?” at me.

I don’t even know that it was meant in all seriousness but I was immediately receptive to it – “hell yeah, where do you want to go?” and I think it took her by surprise. A day or two later it came up again and the reality kicked in that we could take a trip together.

This visa stuff has dragged on and on and I’m always a little conscious that at any moment I could get a decision so I didn’t want anything that’d be too expensive but why not have a first mum-son adventure of our own?

We pondered a few options. Do we even necessarily have to go abroad? Do we fly somewhere? My mum mentioned she’d never once taken the Eurostar and that opened up a few options too. We considered a few different options and then settled upon Brussels – a long weekend in October 2025.

It was only a little while later that it occurred to me that I’d been to Brussels exactly ten years earlier. I’d briefly passed through on other occasions but I’d last properly spent time in Brussels in October 2015. What the hell is this 10 year anniversary tour!?

Portugal, Bilbao, Brussels – three separate trips ten years apart and three separate trips taking a different family member with me. Is this actually my life now? Am I on a ten year loop for all of my trips? Roll on New York City 2026, right?

Brussels isn’t my favourite city by any means but it’s a nice enough place to explore for a weekend and my mum had never been to Brussels so I was excited to show her around a little too.

I still don’t think Brussels is the greatest city but one thing I will say is that it’s nicer than I remember and probably give it credit for. I don’t know if it’s cleaned up its act or I joked that maybe I just needed my mum there with me to hold my hand but Brussels felt less sketchy this time around. I developed a bigger appreciation for Brussels on this trip and of the few times I’ve visited the city, this trip was probably my favourite.

Good beer, good company, what more could you ask for!?

Washington State – November 2025
and then of course, Washington.

I’m going to manifest this being the last time I travel from England to Washington for Thanksgiving. Just let me be living there next November, please!?

Nevertheless it’s an annual tradition that I use up the remainder of my annual leave for a November trip to Washington to enjoy all of the Thanksgiving festivities. Sadly I only had a week to spare this year so it was a much shorter trip than I would have liked.

One of the things that first surprised me on this trip was how quiet the flight was. I’ve heard a lot of bluff and rumour of travelers boycotting the US but this was the first time I’ve personally witnessed that in effect. I flew out to Seattle on the quietest flight I have taken since April 2020, there were rows and rows of empty seats and Seattle’s international arrival hall was also a ghost town – in Thanksgiving week!

I’m sure domestic travel numbers were still insane but this is one of the busiest travel weeks of the year for the USA. I was in disbelief at how quiet it was, although appreciative of it because I had a row to myself and practically no queue on arrival in Seattle whilst the poor Americans had to queue in their separate “priority” line.

I won’t be too critical because I’ll get a telling off in the land of free speech but man, it’s almost as if adopting hostile policies that make travelers and foreigners unwelcome in your country has real consequences.

There was actually a touch of irony that having waited 13 months for any communication about my visa that in the days before this trip I got confirmation that my visa had been provisionally approved and would now be passed over to a different agency for further processing. It was great news but not news I wanted directly before flying in to the USA as it’d potentially cause me extra hassle at the border.

“Oh, you’ve had this approved and now you’re flying here to stay forever eh?”
“No! I’m just here for Thanksgiving.. I’m genuinely going home in a week!”
“Sure you are.. entry denied!”

It had been seven long months since I’d last seen Haleigh and I didn’t want any confusion about why I was visiting. I’d waited 13 bloody months, why couldn’t the visa folks have waited another week before updating our application!?

As it was, the arrival process was so smooth this time around. I was expecting a decent amount of scrutiny, moreso after seeing how few international travelers had actually come in on our flight but the guy at border control was so friendly this time around.

Anyway, I’d arrived! Back in Washington, reunited with Haleigh. It has been a tough ol’ year for Haleigh’s family with three different family members passing away so it was a strange time to be in Washington, particularly for a family holiday but nevertheless it was so good to be Stateside again.

Thanksgiving was different but still enjoyable with good company, good food, games and an endless number of football games (NFL and college) on the TV over the course of a few days.

Being in Washington knowing this will soon be home was good too. I couldn’t help but admire the mountain views again and feeling warm and fuzzy at the thought this would soon be an every day view. I don’t know how you’d ever tire of it.

The end to the trip was a bit of a mixed bag. I was due to fly out of Walla Walla on the Saturday but severe weather delays meant I would miss my connection in Seattle so I had the inconvenience / good fortune of an extra day in Washington. It wasn’t ideal but also not the end of the world, you know? Me and Haleigh made the best of having an extra night together and were able to enjoy dinner at a nice restaurant on Saturday evening but staying longer had consequences.

Alaska Airlines once again were super helpful, going above and beyond in their duty of care to passengers. Admittedly it was their flight that caused the problems but nonetheless, their customer service always impresses me.

British Airways in contrast can get in the bin. This is the second time I’ve genuinely needed the help of their customer service and they’ve been perfectly useless on both occasions. Missing their flight wasn’t their fault but also was no fault of my own because I had no way of getting to Seattle in time and they just don’t care.

Honestly, good customer service when everything goes perfectly is meaningless. I want to know your customer service is still good when things go awry. I sadly ended up lumbered with a very expensive fee to change my flight to the following day – not the end to the trip I’d hoped for.

Experiencing BA’s poor customer service once again leaves me with a really sour taste and news of Alaska Airlines launching a direct London-Seattle route in 2026 couldn’t come at a better time and gives me hope that that might be a better alternative for the future. I adore Alaska and ironically they’ve probably been the airline that have been the cause of most of my travel misfortunes.

Domestic adventures!
I’m pleasantly surprised at how much I managed to travel this year, it was a tricky year to make travel plans for and yet I still managed to visit some pretty cool places including a new country.

I also visited some truly stunning places. Some of the scenery in parts of Malta, Washington, Utah and San Sebastian in particular were dreamy.

Beyond my overseas adventures, I’ve still tried to make the best of this year. It has been hard looking too far ahead at any point but there have been various theatre outings, a few gigs here and there, a few football matches (in three different countries!), some beer outings as part of our book club – I read more this year than I ever have as an adult with a respectable 44 books read in 2025!

My sister and brother in law had a baby this past year so I became a first time uncle. I’ve continued volunteering, I’ve tried to remain optimistic whilst life goes on in England during these times of visa limbo.

The year wasn’t without its lows of course, there’ve definitely been challenging moments and heartbreaking moments along the way but all in all I came out of 2025 with grattitude. I’m always quite mindful that others will have had a much rougher year and that I’ve had it pretty good.

Plans for 2026
As for 2026, who bloody knows!?

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t getting itchy feet. I’ve found myself in the same position I was a year ago and wanting to book myself a Winter trip and finding it difficult to justify once again.

I came so close to booking myself a trip for February or March back in November and there’s a little part of me that wished I’d just booked it. I took a more cautious and sensisble approach and was rewarded with a very unexpected and expensive end to the year. It’s a little harder justifying a Winter break when it means dipping further in to my savings than I’d really like to.

In more positive news, I’m really hopeful I’ll be in Washington by the summer so that’s the big plan for 2026 and then we’ll see what adventures follow. I really want to visit all 50 states at some point and I’ve currently only been to 15 (and a few others I don’t count..). I think I’ll be looking for any excuse to visit some new states in the coming years.

I’d love to say I’ll visit other countries at some point but I’m not sure how likely it is this year. Maybe the temptation eating away at me will allow me to squeeze in one final trip before leaving England. Northern Africa and Asia are calling my name and it just feels that little bit easier from here. Central and South America adventures can wait until I’m settled Stateside I think.

Anyway, let me stop rambling for now. I hope you all have exciting 2026 plans and if you find yourself tempted to visit Washington State, come say hi because fingers crossed it won’t be too much longer before I call it home.

Stay tuned!

Jason