2016 has been filled with some of the most exciting travel adventures I could have dreamt possible. We have been lucky enough to travel abroad four times this year, which for two people who only get 20 days annual leave a year, is pretty good going. Having been in the travel industry (before moving on to pastures new) for eight years, travelling and heading on holiday has always been a top priority for me. It seems selfish to some to go away that many times a year but I want to explore the world bit by bit because I am madly, deeply in love with learning about the world whilst getting a break from every day life. Everyone has their vices, right? Mine just happens to be travel!
Our first trip was back in March. We travelled to Madeira for a week long break, just what the doctor had ordered. It had felt so long since our trip to Mexico in September 2015 that my wanderlust had well and truly peaked at this point. The lush island made for one of our top holidays we’ve ever had. Great food, amazing views and friendly locals contributed to being somewhere we both desperately would love to go back to. The main highlight being the traditional “steak on a stone” meal(s) we had whilst we were there. I promise you, I’ve never tasted a steak like it. From every corner of the island you feel almost on top of the world. You can read various posts on my blog with more in-depth information here, here & here. I’m so happy to see on social more people have travelled here during 2016 and that it’s attracting all ages now.
May bank holiday saw us heading to Oslo, Norway. You can watch my vlog here (my first ever travel vlog!) I instantly fell in love with this place when we arrived. Bought as a Christmas present for Mr C, we arrived late at night but the place just felt so safe which was a massive plus for a city break. It was hip, vibrant and terribly cool that I felt a little bit out of place. But, in true Bee nature we got stuck in and explored as much as we possibly could. From a boat trip around Oslo’s fjord to exploring Grunnerlokka (such a cool place) the rain didn’t dampen our spirits, it just gave us chance to drink more coffee, which the Norwegians love! The flights were cheap and the accommodation was too, however, don’t expect to be on a budget when you are there. Try and plan beforehand the things you want to see and do, along with places you want to eat to get an idea of what spends you will need. I did this by reading blogs by Emma and Sophie. I even put together a little handy guide on my return as I knew how much it helped me reading posts like this.
Nice is beyond beautiful. July was our trip with University Rooms to test drive their accommodation in this gorgeous city. Mixing beach front holiday with city centre charm, it ticked two big boxes for us. Relaxation along with a bit of culture. Don’t get me wrong, we mainly ate & drank most days and nights as we met friends over there and had we had more time we would have ventured along the coast a little bit more. Three nights never felt quite enough in this amazing city. We went on a brisk boat trip which was great but we got a little sunburnt, I drank aperol spritz till I ended up looking like one and mussel frites to I could no more. It was such a relaxing trip, made even better by heading to La Rotonde one of the Michelin star restaurants in one of the top hotels in Nice. I made my second travel vlog, which you can watch here, which gave me an appetite to document these little trips even more. We definitely want to go back here to explore more of the Cote D’Azur.
The Dominican Republic was our last & final holiday of the year and my god, was it beautiful? We travelled on a Thomson Holiday through icelolly.com – we flew on the Dreamliner again, which as it states in the name, is an absolute dream to fly on. Sadly, I was ill for a huge proportion of the holiday so we had to sit back, relax and do pretty much sweet FA whilst we were there, but at least we had these gorgeous Caribbean views to look at. I even wrote a post about why it is okay to do absolutely nothing on holiday here! I ploughed through 3 books whilst we there and Mr C even indulged in a spot of reading too. Whilst it would have been amazing to have got out on a trip or two we were quite content with just lazing on the beach for the most part. I created a short vlog here which I watch to chill me out because the blue sky and sea’s are just what I need to keep me going through the winter. If you travel long haul this year, just remember to pack your essentials!
So, that’s it for a year of travelling in 2016. It’s been a blast and I hope to continue our journey next year. We already have plans for January, February and March which include travelling around the UK and to Rome! Where’s the best place you’ve been this year? What destination should we add to our 2017 travel plans?
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