Y’all! I can’t believe I’m writing this post, and it’s already February! Maybe it’s because I uprooted my life and moved to a new country, but January feels like it flew by.
I hope you guys are as excited for this upcoming year as I am- I’ve set some pretty big goals for myself, both for YaleWanders and personally. I’m starting to plan out my year, and now that I’m in Europe, so many destinations I’ve been dreaming of are an easier reality (read: closer and much, much more affordable flights/trains).
This month, I found myself in Scotland for an impromptu weekend in Edinburgh. At some point during my time in the UK, I want to do a road trip throughout Scotland- visiting whisky distilleries and exploring the highlands. Even though my first visit to Scotland was only a few days, and I stayed in Edinburgh the entire time, sometimes all you need is a weekend to fall in love.
Edinburgh is a gorgeous city, full of history and charm. With cobbled streets, medieval stone buildings, pubs tucked below street level on every other corner, and some seriously good cocktail bars, you’re pretty much guaranteed a good time.
My travel plans for the year aren’t fully planned, but here’s what I’m thinking so far for #Take12Trips:
- January: Moved to London (!!!), weekend trip to Edinburgh, Scotland
- February: Day-trip to Oxford, weekend in Orlando and Disney World for the Princess Half Marathon
- March: A brief return to Austin and couple of days in Marfa, Texas, and weekend in Paris, possibly a day trip somewhere in the UK (Bath, Cambridge)
- April: Weekend trips to Stockholm/Gothenburg, and Milan/Venice (praise hands for bank holidays)
- May: Weekend trip to Amsterdam to see the tulips, and a week in Asia, visiting Hong Kong & Tokyo
- June: Weekend in Barcelona, possibly a day trip somewhere in the UK (Bath, Cambridge, Brighton)
- July: Cartagena, Colombia to officiate a wedding and Seattle for a bachelorette party / bridal shower
- August: TBD, thinking a weekend in Oslo, Prague, Santorini/Athens or Zurich/Geneva, and considering spending the bank holiday at the end of the month in the Faroe Islands, gallivanting around Greece, or on a return to southern Italy
- September: Vancouver and Seattle for a wedding
- October: TBD, potentially weekend trips for a race in Lisbon, and planning on running a marathon in Dublin at the end of the month
- November: TBD, likely a weekend trip somewhere reachable with a short flight
- December: Weekend trip to Germany to visit a Christmas market, return to the States for a wedding in Philadelphia, then likely a quick jaunt to Mexico City for a bachelorette before heading to Orlando to celebrate the holidays with my family in the sunshine
WHAT IS #TAKE12TRIPS?
#Take12Trips in 2017 is a continuation of the only resolution I made in 2016- a promise to commit to doing something once a month. Anything counts- it can be dinner at a new place, visiting a new museum or spending the weekend at a cute B&B in the country. It doesn’t need to be an epic trip to a foreign country, just the chance to discover something new.
How about you? Are you planning any trips this year that you’re excited about?
Thanks for the recos! <3
The timing you've suggested for Amsterdam is perfect- was thinking mid-late May 🙂 🙂
& Yes! The Cotswolds are on my list of places to go- not sure if it'll happen this spring/summer or the next one, but I've heard wonderful things. Also, good to know about Bristol- thank you, thank you!
Looking forward to seeing how your #Take12Trips resolution pans out this year! If you want to see the tulips in Amsterdam, I’d recommend late April/ early May – too late in May and they’ll be past their best. If quaint towns are your thing, you should check out the Cotswolds at some point – it’s a gorgeous area of the UK, in the south-west not far from Oxford. Bristol is also a pretty cool city if you’re into street art 🙂