Springtime in London is just darling. Sunshine, stunning wysteria, and that perfect temperature weather where all you need is a light jacket. Sure, there are rainy/colder/windy days, but so far I’m impressed by London’s springtime game.
This month, I took advantage of two bank holiday weekends (read: days off work) to visit Sweden, exploring Stockholm and Gothenburg, as well as Italy, wandering Venice and Milan.
In between trips, I ventured to Rye in East Sussex for a day- loved seeing this cute seaside town. Would definitely recommend a trip if you’re visiting London and have a half day/day you’re able to get away. Rye is quintessential England, it feels like stepping back in time- I loved it.
In May, I’m staying in London for the first part of the month, and then jetting off to Asia for 11 days to explore Hong Kong and Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto). I’m so excited, I’ve never been to Asia! I’m in the midst of trip planning, so if you’ve got any recos, send them my way 🙂
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: Weekend in Orlando and Disney World for the Princess Half Marathon
- March: A brief return to Austin and couple of days in Marfa, Texas, day trip to Oxford, and weekend in Paris
- April: Weekend trips to Stockholm/Gothenburg, and Milan/Venice (praise hands for bank holidays)
- May: 11 days in Asia, visiting Hong Kong & Japan, and possibly a day trip somewhere in the UK (Windsor, Cambridge)
- June: Weekend in Barcelona, and possibly a day trip somewhere in the UK (Brighton)
- July: Vancouver and Seattle for a bachelorette party / bridal shower
- August: TBD, potentially Dublin for a race weekend, and considering spending the bank holiday at the end of the month in Greece
- September: Likely a weekend getaway or day-trip somewhere in the UK in the first half of the month, and Mexico City and Seattle for weddings
- October: TBD, potentially weekend trips for races in Lisbon and Amsterdam
- November: TBD, likely a weekend trip somewhere reachable with a short flight, or a weekend in the English countryside
- December: Weekend trip to Germany to visit a Christmas market, and 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?
I was out in Hong Kong and Japan last summer, and would love to return to both countries! I’d recommend taking a day in Hong Kong to explore one of the outlying islands – either Tai O on Lantau (can be combined with a trip to the Big Buddah, though I didn’t visit that), or a trip to Lamma for the seafood. As for Japan, Daiichi-Asahi was the best place we ate at in Kyoto – it’s a ramen place, relatively near Kyoto’s main station. The queue was pretty long, so worth getting there early. Nara is a nice day trip from Kyoto, and I’ve heard good things about Himeji, though we didn’t make it there. If you want to avoid the crowds at Kyoto’s main attractions (Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama etc.) it’s worth going as early as you can in the day – past nine/ nine-thirty, the hordes of tour groups arrive, and then it’s not quite so tranquil!