Last January I had my year of travel mostly planned. I stuck to some plans but ended up doing much more than anticipated. While I have a few trips booked already I have to be much more flexible this year. With having to renew my visa later in the year it means that I can’t plan too much yet, but if last year taught me anything it was that the spontaneous trips can be some of the best. Below is where I managed to explore in 2014.
February – Marrakesh, Morocco
I had a much needed sunny break early in the year when I took a solo trip to the chaotic and exotic red city. The weather was a perfect 28-30 C and I fell in love with the food, architecture and souks. I was warned of the attention I would garner as a solo female but I didn’t let it deter me from going. The highlight of the trip was spending valentine’s day exploring the High Atlas mountains.
Chinese New Year
Ringing in Chinese New Year has eluded me for years. It’s either been too chilly and rainy but I was determined to attend last year rain or shine. Luckily the day was dry but the downside was that half of London decided to join in the festivities as well. It was lovely seeing China town all decked out with lanterns and dragons but it and Trafalgar Square were so packed with revellers that I didn’t really enjoy myself.
March – Stonehenge & Bath, England
Spontaneity reigned in March when a friend from Canada took a last minute trip to London. I love hosting and taking friends and family around the city. While Berlin has my heart, London is the best city for tourists. I also always try to make sure that my guests get a taste of what it’s like outside of London so we ventured west out of the city to Stonehenge and Bath. Since it was last minute decision it was made more economic sense to take a coach tour, which I recommend with caution.
April – Normandy, France
So have I told you how much I love cheese? Even though I am lactose intolerant I can’t stay away. My trip to Normandy was a lot of things but many of those things involved eating cheese. I’ve yet to blog about it but it was fantastic and I was happy trade in flying to a new destination for road tripping.
May – Hastings, England
I’ve been to countless seaside towns in England and I’m happy to count Hastings as one of the better ones. I definitely recommend it for a short break as you won’t need more than two days to explore all it has to offer. We explored castle ruins, rode a mini train and even found street art. The surprise highlight for me was our visit to the Aquarium.
June – Toronto, Canada
I returned to Canada for the first time in two years. This visit was one of quality rather than quantity as I had nearly three weeks there. I finally met my adorable niece and caught up with friends and family. Since leaving my brother and sister in law had another baby and now I have a nephew to meet when next go back!
We explored a little less on this trip and returned to some old favourites. This is the entrance to Kariya park in my home city Mississauga. Mississauga is sister city with Kariya, Japan and the park was opened in 1992 to commemorate this relationship.
July – The Cotswolds, England
The Cotswolds embodies the idealized England some pictured before moving here. Cute quaint villages where life is slow and people are friendly. It was reunion time in July as my friend Seij returned to London for the first time since he left in 2009. I had considered going to Iceland with him but it wasn’t meant to be. So instead we explored a new area for us both and had a fantastic time making our way through many of the north villages in the Cotswolds. It was incredibly easy to do and you can see where we made it to here.
August – County Claire, Ireland
Ireland wasn’t on my list until a wedding invite came in February. The wedding was going to take place on my birthday though so to ensure I had some celebration time D and I went to Ireland a few days earlier to explore. It was easy to see why people fall in love with Ireland and it happened to us almost immediately.
September – Devon, England
It was apparently the year of the weddings as this month we attended another only a few weeks later. As you can see the surroundings were stunning. The only down side to this trip was that we didn’t actually see much of the town where we stayed. We chose a cute little B&B on a farm for our short stay and with sheep as our closest neighbors we had the most restful sleep ever.
October – Guernsey, Channel Islands
I took a last minute trip to Guernsey to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving. It was partly a reunion as well as the 4 of us went to Normandy on the road trip I mentioned earlier. We didn’t venture too far from the converted barn where my friend lives though opting to relax rather than explore. I first visited Guernsey in 2013 with D and wrote about it here, here and here.
Road Trip – Kent
Recently there has been another round of expat exodus. I was happy when a friend I knew from Uni moved to London with his girlfriend two years ago. Then not so happy when they told me they were leaving to go back to NZ last year. Over coffee we mused about possibly doing a road trip and then decided to stop musing and plan one. We chose Kent because it was close and even though I had previously been to a few of the destinations it was fun to revisit. I’m always a sucker for chalk cliffs so easily my highlight was finding Botany Bay.
So there we have it. A decent list I’m happy with, and this doesn’t even include the new places I’ve explored around London or tours taken. With the potential of being grounded in the UK again due to the visa renewal it’s a good thing that I’ve got material banked and will have many most posts to come. Did you stick to your travel plans last year?