In 2012 and 2013 I missed out on going to Iceland and Italy. I had booked a package deal with Guernsey Jen to Iceland for September 2012 and by a fluke of our return flight being cancelled and not returning on our chosen date did I have a chance to ditch the entire trip and not lose any money. I needed to cancel anyways however because I had to apply for another visa.
Then because it took so long to get said visa I missed Jen turning 30 in Cinque Terre in March 2013, a place I’ve been dreaming of going to ever since I knew it existed. Italy is one of my favorite countries so any time I can visit it is welcomed.
This year I already have two trips set pretty much set in stone and lots more potentially on the horizon. Mandy just posted about her upcoming travels so I decided to join in and share where I’m going in 2014.
February – Marrakesh, Morocco
One night while sat at the computer looking through sky scanner (a too common occurrence) I noticed that flights were pretty cheap to Marrakesh. By the time I got around to actually booking it, it the price had reduced by £11. I took it as a sign and will be heading there solo mid month. The colors sights and sounds of the souks are already calling my name. I’m excited to visit another African country and see the diversity in culture.
April – Normandy, France – Road Trip
A cold trip to Iceland morphed into a sunny break to Portugal and then ended up as a boozy and cheesy road trip to France. I’m very excited to visit small town France and eat yummy fresh well prepared and flavorful food. Also to see Mont St-Michel, anything else is a bonus. Also in my goal to get out of cities and explore smaller towns will be happening finally, Paris is grand but I’m happy to go beyond the city.
May – The Lake District, England – Road Trip
After going to Cornwall I thought I had found the prettiest place in the UK. While I still believe that to be true other destinations like Guernsey are tough competition.
Another area of outstanding beauty is the Lake District. From the pictures I’ve seen it looks almost magical there and evokes myths and tales of faeries and hobbits. I will be heading here with a few co-workers at the end of May and I hope it isn’t a complete wash out weather wise.
June – Toronto, Canada
Home time! Nearly two years have passed since I’ve been home and I try not to think about it in hopes I’ll turn around and all of a sudden it will be time to get on a flight outta here for three weeks. I look forward to driving on the correct side of the road, a hot summer, seeing friends and family, and most importantly meeting my niece for the first time who will a year and 4 months old by then.
I am also considering a side trip to the US during this time but that is very much up in the air until D and I actually book our flights which should be this month.
July – TBA, Scotland
My lovely mother is planning to come back for a visit at the end of June into July and I’ve already decided that we should go to Scotland. I’m looking forward to the train ride up there and hope that since it will be the middle of summer we might get a day or two of no rain.
July – Reykjavik, Iceland
One of my first true friends that I met in London (a fellow Canadian) will be heading back in July and has proposed a short jaunt to Iceland. I’m not sure that it will work out with my mom visiting the same month and us heading to Scotland but I am going to have a Tim Gunn moment and try to make it work.
Throughout the year I hope to catch a few festivals and celebrations that have still eluded me for the almost 6 years that I’ve been here. I hope to get to Chinese New Year celebrations, the Notting Hill Carnival, see the Ceremony of the Keys at Tower of London and see a few plays and shows. I might even venture to a football game although, that isn’t high on my to do list. I also plan to get in more than a few day trips or short weekends away to Oxford, Harrogate, Manchester, Liverpool, Stratford-Upon-Avon, and somewhere nice by the sea.
Of course I will be seeing more of Kent, it is basically my second home here. I have some holiday explorations to share shortly and other day trips I took last year. I want to go away again in Autumn as it is my favorite season and I’m thinking a solo trip to Amsterdam would be nice at that time but I will leave the latter half of the year to a bit of spontaneity and the reality of my bank balance.
This post is linked to one completed by Mandy who blogs at Emm in London, she recently shared her travel plans and aspirations here for the coming year. What about you? Anything in the works or any daydreams of travel?
