Reflecting on 2018| Highlights & Popular Posts

It is weird to sit here and talk about Reflecting on 2018 as if 2018 wasn’t a couple days ago. I am not sure about you but personally, 2018 was a year of reaching new heights and challenging my own fears. It was a year of growth, of acceptable and like every other year, a year full of lessons. Reflecting on 2018 is something that I need to do to learn what worked, what didn’t and to strategise for 2019.

The start of a new year is a lot like Spring season, both are a fresh start, a time to reflect and plan for the future. I am still in disbelief that we are already in 2019, just like that, 2018 is now the past. And like with every past, it is important to look back on it and maybe learn something. As much as I would love to share a play by play of 2018, I thought it would be more prudent to share highlights of 2018.

Reflecting on 2018: Highlights

Just thinking about how 2018 went makes me giddy and thankful and happy. It was another great year of travel and this time I was able to take my parents along. I managed to buy a new car with 2018 plates and did it all by myself which was epic. Another highlight was I collaborated with lots more accommodation types than ever before.

• Worked with tourism boards

Toulouse|Prague|Salzburg|Bremen: End of 2017 I made a decision to reach out to tourism boards and glad I did. At the beginning of 2018, I worked with Prague Tourism then Toulouse Tourism. Both provided accommodation and arranged various tours across their respective cities. Then near the end of the year, I collaborated with Salzburg Tourism and Bremen Tourism, who both organised tours and provided me with a city card.

• Bought a Brand New Car

Buying a new car was not part of the 2018 plan but somehow I had an incredible opportunity and my finances had aligned. Before I new it, I had bought a made to order car and was delivered a few months later. It is huge and every single time people ask me why, I say, its for the future.

• Reviewed various accommodation types

2018 started out with a bang for me, when I reached out to Toulouse Tourism, I had no expectations. Thankfully, they agreed to turn my planned visit into a press trip. I was then put up at the Hotel Albert 1er hotel which is absolutely gorgeous. Prague Tourism was also kind enough to get me in touch with a hostel chain and I stayed at Czech Inn.

Throughout the year, I stayed in various accommodation types, the East London Hotel, Glamping Pod in Suffolk and bunker house in North Wales. I am grateful that all these accomodation types where complimentary and we enjoyed our stay.

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• Travel to more countries than ever

Over the last couple of years, I have travelled to more than 15 countries per year and 2018 was no exception. I travelled to most European countries and a few Asian countries too. Though for 2019 I am planning less trips abroad, I am excited for the few that I do have planned. Of the 15 countries I visited in 2018, the most memorable are Portugal, Poland, Germany and Austria.

• Took my parents abroad

2018 was the first time in my life that I took my parents abroad and paid for everything. I have been travelling solo for almost 4 years now and never once thought my parents might want to come. As they were celebrating 30 years of marriage, I decided to take them abroad with me to France

Reflecting on 2018 is making me nostalgic as so many wonderful things happened. Outside of the many blogging opportunities and buying a new car, taking my parents abroad is the most memorable. Seeing them fall in love with travel same way I did, made me extremely proud and happy.

Popular Travel Posts in 2018

I made a mention in the 2019 Goals that I would be shifting the focus of the blog to hone in on Travel and Food. Both food and travel are my favourite past time and am excited to be focusing on those topics more in 2019. As I am Reflecting on 2018, I thought it would make sense to focus on the popular travel posts.

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Though, not all popular travel posts listed below were written in 2018, most are from years before. I am still amazed the Brno weekend getaway is the most pinned, viewed and popular year in and out. It was not a city that I had great plans for but it worked out to be pretty impressive. Below I have listed the most popular travel posts in 2018.

• Brno, Czech Republic – weekend getaway. I first visited Brno, the second largest city in Czechia in 2016 on my 2nd solo getaway of that year. Since then, this post bring traffic to my site and is shared constantly on Pinterest.
• Qatar, Five things to do. The visit to Doha, Qatar was a long layover on my way to Bali, Indonesia for my 30th Birthday. Having a friend in the region truly helps and we were able to explore much more than planned.
• Toulouse, 48 Hours in the city. We are still talking about our visit to Toulouse last year with my parents. It is such a beautiful destination, Toulouse is also called the pink city and its history is fascinating.
• Cyprus, first timer guide. I had wanted to visit Cyprus for many years and in 2016 I finally made the trip. It was an experience to remember and I am excited to be planning a return in the future.
• Marseille, France. The south of France is such a gorgeous region and one that everyone should visit at least once. In April the weather was excellent for a ride on a boat to the islands.
• Luxembourg in Winter. I always remember most places but the people I met and the things we did. Meeting like-minded people who love to travel makes travelling that much more appealing. Though as a whole Luxembourg is small, it is such a quaint little country and has lots to offer.

Reflecting on 2018 definitely makes me want to share more than just highlights of the year. I want share a play by play of each month sharing each win, each achievement and any learnable failures. I am glad to have shared Reflecting on 2018 as it truly helps to focus on 2019.