Trippin’ Turpins Travel Highlights 2020

What can I say about 2020? It has undoubtedly been a year of ups and downs for most people, I am sure. For us, 2020 has been 366 days of love, excitement and fun, as well as frustration, fear and bafflement. We have, surprisingly, still managed to do quite a lot of travelling during this time. Having said that, much of our travel was restricted. For example, when sailing through Indonesia, we were not allowed to go ashore at most islands, and at many of the islands, we were told not to anchor but to leave. Furthermore, during our road trip from Darwin to Adelaide, many attractions were closed… but on a positive note, we certainly avoided the crowds.

Highlights for 2020 included swimming with a dugong in Indonesia, snorkelling some gorgeous coral reefs, camping and cooking over a campfire and spending time with family and friends.

Malaysia

We began 2020 in Kota Kinabalu, where Dwayne ended up in the hospital – read about that here. Later, as we sailed from Thailand to Australia, we visited Langkawi, PT Dickson and Malacca.

Philippines

As we sailed to Subic from Kota Kinabalu (Borneo), we stopped at several islands along the way, including Palawan. The highlight was stopping at El Nido and catching up with many of our sailor friends.

Indonesia

Sailing through the Indonesian Archipelago during the COVID-19 pandemic was most certainly different from our previous visits to Indo. It was not at all what we expected. Furthermore, some experiences were undeniably scary. However, several of our 2020 ‘best times’ are from our visit to Indonesia. For example, we had an up-close encounter with a dugong and saw large pods of whale sharks and pilot whales. We can’t wait to visit Indonesia again.

Our story – Gunshots, storms and quarantine!

Our story as told by the Daily Mail!

Australia

After battling a storm that disabled SY Nomad, we arrived in Darwin. Following a two week quarantine, we prepared for a camping/road trip through the centre of Australia. Highlights included visiting places we hadn’t been to before, such as Alice Springs, seeing family and friends, celebrating my mum’s 70th birthday with her, sailing with Jedd, and catching big fish.

2020 Australia Travel Articles – Yorke Peninsula / Walker Flat / Mannum / Burra Creek Gorge / Warren Gorge / Coober Pedy / Alice Springs / Darwin to Alice Springs / Darwin Street Art /  Florence Falls / Arltunga

2021

It is not unusual that I don’t know what we will be doing in 2021. Those of you that follow us know that our travel plans often change from day to day. However, during this time of COVID, our schedule is pretty much non-existent. We are currently in Southport on the Gold Coast in Australia, and we are unsure of our next step (we are still on SY Nomad trying to get her to Sydney). Another COVID outbreak in New South Wales has now made it impossible for us to complete the delivery and then fly back to Adelaide. Therefore, the first part of 2021 is uncertain. Second on the agenda in 2021, is getting back to Thailand to get our boat. SV Thorfinn is sitting in Phuket, and we desperately want to get back to her. Naturally, once we are back onboard Thorfinn, our plans will be forged using the information we have at hand, considering such things as the COVID pandemic, vaccine availability and global travel warnings.

No matter how 2021 plays out, I know we are both hoping for travel, adventure and more incredible experiences. We wish you all a Happy New Year and may your 2021 bring you happiness, health and a world of travel.

How did 2020 compare to 2019? Read about 2019 here!