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Jason and I travel a lot, so much so that we often forget where we have been in a given year (don’t worry, I am not expecting a pity party!!). To help overcome this issue and to share some of our annual highs (and lows), this is the second in our annual roundups. You can find our first here but prepare to find inspiration from our 2018 travel adventures. Maybe you can drop a few hints for Christmas and jet off to your favourite in 2019!
Discover What Happened To My Colossal Travel Bucket list In 2017
So, here is our 2018 travel summary with highlights.
Our 2018 Global travels
New Year 2017 – Milan
We spent New Year 2017 in Milan. I wasn’t enthralled by Milan on my first visit in 1996 and 2017 was no different. I find this city pretentious, not very tourist friendly and New Year’s Eve was a huge letdown. The only reason I will ever return to this city is to pick up a car to head to the mountains, which are truly incredible.
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February 2018 – Aosta Valley
In February, we headed back to Italy and the Aosta Valley where we spent the previous Christmas. We stayed at the fabulous The Grand Hotel Billia. This is a luxurious hotel attached to a casino and just a short drive from the ski slopes of Cervinia and Zermatt.
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We indulged in a wonderful weekend of skiing, cocktails and running in beautiful surroundings and gorgeous sunshine.
Read more:
How To Plan The Ultimate DIY Ski Holiday To Stunning Cervinia
April 2018 – South Africa
I finally got the opportunity to head to one of the countries on the top of my bucket list in April and it did not disappoint. In fact, it became my top country of all time. Yes, of all the 90 countries I have now visited, South Africa comes out comfortably on top. Beautiful scenery, amazing coffee, gorgeous wine, unique bars, and lots of adventure activities at exceptional value. This country has it all!
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You can view all our South Africa posts here but be warned, you will want to book flights immediately!
June 2018 – Bratislava
In June, I sidled off with my father for a long weekend in this little-known capital city. It packed a punch! With its quaint old town, glorious riverside walks and nearby countryside, I loved it! If you are planning a trip, check out this guide to public transport in Bratislava to ease your travelling in this compact gem.
Read more:
Eleven Things You Need To Know For A Bratislava Weekend Trip
It also has great connections to Vienna via cruises on the Danube and Budapest by train. You could easily spend a week exploring the three cities without hiring a car.
June 2018 – Brussels
In June, I headed back to Brussels with WowTrip. I once spent a year here as an au-pair and it was really fascinating to explore the city with people who had never visited before. The highlight was undoubtedly my beer tour in the city where I enjoyed a boozy night with a great bunch of people from around the globe.
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July 2018 – Lausanne, Switzerland
As World Cup fever plagued the UK, our plans to go to Athens had to be scrapped. There was a slight chance that England might get to the final and that would clash with our return flight. No way did I intend to be stuck on a plane if England got to the final of the World Cup for the first time in over 50 years. Sadly, it was not meant to be but we did enjoy a wonderful weekend in Lausanne instead.
We ran along the lake, visited fairytale castles and took a trip on the cutest wine tram ever. I realised I could live here quite easily!
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August 2018 – Cambridgeshire
In August, sadly my 92-year-old gran passed away and Jason had a little health scare. This put us in the mind of doing the things we want to tick off our bucket list. So we headed to a little cute caravan in Cambridgeshire and jumped out of a plane. Seriously awesome!
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August 2018 – China
It was definitely a challenge to travel around China and Beijing however this trip has left me with some incredible memories. In particular, the Great Wall far exceeded my expectations but Xian blew me away. The Terracotta Warriors were spectacular but I loved the city even more.
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October 2018 – Portugal
I finally managed to tick off one of my bucket list dreams to run the Lisbon half marathon. It did not quite go according to plan but Lisbon was stunning.
Not only that but we also managed to explore further afield and discovered some incredible gems near Alcobaca which brought tears to my eyes.
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November 2018 – Manchester
Time for a cheeky night in the neighbouring city of Manchester. Its Christmas market lies in the shadow of the city hall and we checked out a hotel chain I have had little exposure to. The Innside Melia Manchester is minutes from the Manchester City ground and was spectacular value at just £109 for the night including breakfast. It was even better because we had a free night voucher for Hotels.com.
From there, we visited the Washhouse Manchester. No, this isn’t a laundrette, although it does look like one. Instead, it is the most amazing cocktail bar I have EVER visited! We will be back.
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December 2018 – Prague
My last visit to Prague was in 1994 when a pint of beer cost just £0.50. Things have changed since then but Jason has yet to visit. We plan to see in the New Year in this amazing city and hopefully, it will be as wonderful as I recall.
More travel adventures
Yet another year has passed in the blink of an eye and we have seen many more incredible places around the globe. Writing this post reminds me that I am fortunate to travel as much as I do, but it also reminds me of all the other new places I need to discover.
What has been your travel high of 2018?
I would love to know your personal travel high for 2018. Maybe you will inspire me to visit somewhere new.
What a wonderful place to travel. Thank you for sharing your post Anne.
Wow! I hope I can travel and take my vacation together with my special someone soon. We planned to travel UK and for now we still looking and planning where exactly in UK. Anyway thank you for sharing your wonderful page and experience! Keep it up!
Where are you hoping to visit in the uk?
We started with a fabulous week with Ikos in Corfu, had an emotional time with old family friends and a reunion for my mum (after nearly 50 years!) in Canada, and finished with a chill out week of (mostly) winter sun in Lanzarote.
Iceland booked for January; Kos in June. Not sure what we’re doing in the second half of the year, yet, but might get to use a 2-4-1 somewhere nice… you never know!
Iceland in January should be lovely. You might even see the northern lights
Pretty hectic travel you had this year. Ours was hectic as well: In February Myanmar and Laos. In April/May – Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania. In September Nepal and Bhutan. In October/November -Mallorca, 10 cities in Spain and Andorra. Next Month we are off to Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.
My wife and I have a incurable disorder known as Tripophobia – The fear of not having any travel trips currently booked… To combat that we booked a Volga cruise in June, from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
Oh my goodness, you have definitely visited some amazing places this year. I absolutely loved Myanmar and Laos but recently fell in love with the countries you name in Eastern Europe and the balkans. Macedonia and Albania were both delightful surprises. Where did you go by the way?
I love the term tripohobia and am pretty sure I share it. We have already booked Canada, Ukraine, Nepal, and Croatia but I’m only just getting started! Thanks for sharing.
What am I missing? Why should we find inspiration in your travels? Not for nothing, but your travels in ’18 seem as pedestrian as they come.
Or maybe you are jealous? It’s the only reason I can find for you to take the time to read the post, and make the effort to write a comment (albeit totally rude). You can choose not to read the blog after all!
You are missing Wonderlust…
Smacks of bitterness…