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My 2018 travels may have been my best year yet for travel, and that is saying something! I visited 13 countries, some of them twice and 5 new countries. I took 25 flights, enjoyed staycations and had so many weekend trips to London.

2018, you have been epic.

My 2018 travels.

January

I started the year in possibly the best way ever. I saw in 2018 in a speakeasy in New York City. My favourite city in the world. I literally couldn’t think of a better way to start the year.

I spent my first day of January walking the Highline, exploring the Whitney, wandering around my favourite park, Central Park. Then finishing the day with a basketball game and Korean food at half past 11. Now, please tell me if you can think of a better day? Because I’m pretty sure I can’t. The next day I had my favourite food, Momofuku char sui buns before heading home.

I think I knew it was going to be a good year, how can it not be, with this start?

Find out more about my New York trip here.

February

At the beginning of the month I headed to the Cotswolds to stay with my best friend for the weekend. Back in March (the year before) she had bought me afternoon tea for my birthday. We had tried to go the previous December, but due to copious amounts of snow the entire Cotswolds ground to a halt. So we rescheduled for February.  a fabulous weekend of visiting Oxford and beautiful country walks.

Also in February I went on my annual ski trip with my family. This year we headed to Peisey-Vallandry, part of the Les Arcs ski area.  I love skiing and go every year. It’s a week of whizzing down slopes, long lunches on the mountains, snow, ski, sun and copious amounts of wine and van chaud.

March

At the end of March I headed off for my big trip of the year. Two weeks overlanding across East Africa! I had booked this trip, because it has always been a bucketlist goal to see the Mountain Gorillas in Uganda.

On 29th March I flew into Kenya. I had a day in Nairobi before heading out with the group overland. We overnighted at Eldoret before heading to the Ugandan border.

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Find out more about spending a day in Nairobi by clicking HERE

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April

On the 1st April, I crossed the border into my second new country of the year – Uganda. I spent the best part of 10 days overlanding, camping each night and watching the scenery whizz past. I stood on the equator, saw Chimps in Kalinzu forest, went horse riding in Jinja and, of course, hiked to see the mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable forest. It was one of those trips that is forever ingrained into my memory.

Have a look at the experience of gorilla trekking in this post: Gorilla Trekking in Uganda.

While staying in Uganda I decided to take a day trip into Rwanda. We visited some of the genocide sights, which was incredibly humbling and deeply sad. As we drove through the Rwandan countryside, I was struck by how green and beautiful it was. Indeed Kigali, the countries capital, is known as the cleanest city in Africa.

May

Come May, I took a trip to my second home of Menorca with my best friend and her family. It is always the perfect little getaway. With lots of lying by the pool, wine, beaches and yummy tapas. Exactly the break I always need and crave at some point in the year.

To find out more about what to do in Menorca, have a look HERE.

June

The first few months of the year were incredibly busy, as you can see. So I spent June lying low, working and trying to save money. By the end of the month I was incredibly bored and quite literally climbing the walls.

July

July started off with a trip to Amsterdam for a friends 30th. I loved being back and it really re-ignited my love for the city. It was beautifully sunny as we wandered around. Visiting Museums, having brunches and taking the sights. Perfect weekend break away.

Every year my family hires a cottage on the beautiful coast of North Norfolk, which happens to be the county I live in! I love this week. And this year we were so lucky because the weather was so sunny – I think it was a first in all the 11 years we have done this! Think pubs, beaches, walks and mornings out on the water.

For the perfect staycation take a look here. 

August

I had to go to Scotland for work in the middle of August. I had only been to Edinburgh before and so was absolutely loving driving around the beautiful Scottish countryside. What a commute! Luckily I had a few hours to myself and managed to make it to the beautiful town of St Andrews. Boy did I fall in love!

Read about St Andrews here.

I flew straight from Scotland to Menorca, to visit for the second time in 2018. This time I stayed with my family, and it was more of the same. Exactly what I needed after a hectic 12 days working.

September

Again it was another fairly chilled month. I didn’t make it abroad in September, but had many weekends in London. Catch up with friends, birthday parties and a lovely meet up of fellow bloggers.

October

The beginning of October saw me ticket off something from my bucketlist. I have always wanted to see Lake Bled in Slovenia, and so decided to book a solo weekend to Ljubljana. It was the most fantastic weekend. I was so proud of myself for doing it solo. I stayed in the amazing Hostel Celica, totally fell in love with Ljubljana and I saw the beautiful Lake Bled. On top of this, I visited some other not to miss destinations accessible on a day trip from Ljubljana.

Have a look at my day trip here.

In a very last minute move I was asked to go to Amsterdam for work, never a problem. Because it was so last minute I wasn’t able to take any time out to see much of the beautiful city. But I did have one morning where I went to get myself a cake pop from Polaberry. Which, incidentally, turned out to my most popular instagram post of 2018.

November

Two very last minute and spontaneous trips in November.

Firstly, I had to go to Brussels for work. This was to be my 40th country, so I couldn’t just fly in and out without seeing anything! I took a day off work while I was out there, and spent 24 hours exploring the city. It wasn’t my favourite destination of 2018 by a long stretch. But I am so pleased I did it, and I am so proud to have reached 40 countries!

Have a look at my 24 hour guide to Brussels here.

I then went off to Berlin with my uni friends for a long weekend. Berlin had never been too high on my list, although I am not sure why. But I was so pleasantly surprised, and had a fantastic weekend exploring. I think it is the perfect weekend break away.

Don’t miss these things in Berlin. 

December

December meant festive 2018 travels! I visited my first ever Christmas market. As such a lover of Christmas and all things festive, I don’t know why I hadn’t been to one before.

It was a whirlwind of buying trinkets, drinking Glühwein, admiring all the twinkly lights and exploring the markets. I fell in love. Find out more here!

I had another last minute work trip the week before Christmas, to Munich. Unfortunately it was 24 hours of meetings, so the only bit of Munich I saw was 10 minutes in a Christmas market.

Finally, with 2 days left of 2019 I fly off to Iceland for my third time. And I cannot wait to see to in the new year with my best friend in Iceland.

2018 travels in summary

New York

France

Kenya

Uganda

Rwanda

Menorca

Amsterdam

North Norfolk

Scotland

Menorca

Slovenia

Amsterdam

Brussels

Berlin

Vienna

Munich

Iceland

It’s fair to say, 2018 has been a pretty epic year!

Roll on 2019!