As the year comes to a close, I thought this was a perfect time to recap the travel bucketlist 2019. At the beginning of the year, I shared a rather ambitious travel and staycation bucketlist of all the places I want to either revisit or explore. I had this idea that it would be nice to revisit some of the destinations we loved back in 2018 but alas that was very ambitious. I am a great believer in setting goals and adjusting them when necessary.
At the beginning of 2019, I made two decisions; I would reduce my international travels and increase the local escapes. These are decisions that I wanted to keep but alas I unintentionally increased my international trips and somehow reduced local trips. With that being said, I am still excited to recap and see how I did on our travel bucketlist 2019, regardless of the outcome, I am glad I set goals.
Travel Bucketlist 2019 – How did I do
As a solo traveller and a fulltime employee, there is nothing I love more than showing fellow travellers that it is possible to travel more than once a year with a full-time job. Though I shared travel bucketlist 2019 as a way to keep myself accounted, I think it also serves another purpose, which is to inspire others. If you work full-time and want to travel more then this bucketlist maybe a perfect way to start.
Before I started solo travel, I thought I needed more annual leave to have the chance to travel the world but alas this was wrong. In the UK, we have 8 bank holidays plus I get 25 days of vacation from work, I utilise these days plus weekends to maximise travel time. Even though travelling on bank holidays can be expensive, I use those days for local adventures, it allows me to see more of my own country. knowing this, let’s recap the travel bucketlist 2019.
Local Trips
- Devon – thanks to a collaboration with Langstone Cliff Hotel, we managed to explore South Devon.
- Edinburgh – when CoURT Pods wanted to collaborate, I couldn’t accept fast enough.
- Warwickshire – thanks to the membership with National Trust, I went on a day and absolutely loved it.
- Cardiff, Portmeirion, Cork, Shannon, Shetland, Yorkshire, Derby, Cheshire and Dorset – I did not manage to visit these local destinations.
International Trips
- Helsinki, Finland – thanks to a girls trip to Los Angeles, I squeezed in a day trip to Helsinki.
- Phuket, Thailand – I am glad to have gone to Thailand, we were able to explore so many places including Phuket.
- Lagos, Nigeria – thanks to a friends wedding, I finally made it to Nigeria and now I can not wait to visit again.
- Lisbon (Portugal), Antwerp (Belgium) and Krakow (Poland) – I did not manage to visit these places
Unplanned International Trips
- Morocco (Essaouira & Marrakesh) – to escape the cold, I spent a week in Morocco and had the best time ever.
- Italy (Turin, Milan, Verona & Lake Garda) – I am a sucker for a good city break and I did a few of these in Italy, which was a fun experience.
- Spain (Madrid, Toledo & Segovia) – I have always wanted to visit Madrid and finally, I had the chance thanks to affordable BA flights.
- Sweden (Stockholm) – One of my favourite cities and it was nice to return for another visit.
- Japan (Tokyo) – I have gone through Tokyo many times but never for a visit and I was finally glad to have a chance thanks to a girls reunion.
- Switzerland (Geneva) – the swiss alps alone are enough for me to want to visit but this city truly drew me in.
- British Isles (Jersey) – I wanted a local keep birthday so I booked a few days away to Jersey and absolutely loved it.
- Germany (Dusseldorf & Bremen) – Germany is a country close to my heart so every year I try and visit at least one city.
- Czechia (Prague) – Since 2016, I have made it my mission to visit Prague at least once a year and I absolutely loved this year’s visit.
I am so glad that I was able to visit so many places in 2019 but in 2020 I want to focus more on places that are on my bucketlist whilst adding in a few spontaneous trips as I go.
Rachael says
Oh wow, you managed to squeeze in so many unscheduled trips! You’ve done really well travel wise, even if not all the destinations were on your list.
Natalie Ellis says
What a fantastic year you had and I’d love to travel as often as you! So many beautiful places here and I’ve added those too my bucket list! Such a gorgeous blog, thank you for sharing this article with us!
Laura says
Finland is one of the few places on my bucket list, I am hoping to go for my 40th birthday in a couple of years time.
Kara Guppy says
I would love to travel as often as you, sounds like you have had the most amazing year
Boo Roo and Tigger Too says
You had a fantastic travel filled year. I love that you managed to squeeze in some unexpected trips – these are often the best ones as you try to make the most of the opportunity.
Miranda says
Thank you, the unexpected trips are definitely the best, I did not even know where I was going with it but I loved it.
Nicola says
Wow you really packed alot into last year! Reading that you used a national trust membership has reminded me that we have thought about getting a scottish national trust membership so I am going to look into that for this year!
Miranda says
Thank you, definitely look into that Scottish NT as it’s worth the money, I visit with ours almost every weekend when I am not away.
What Mum Loves says
Wow, this is such an impressive list! When I saw your local and international lists, I thought- that is amazing! And then I scrolled down and saw all the unexpected international travels. Wow. Incredible. May 2020 bring you even more happiness and beautiful experiences 🙂
Miranda says
Awww thank you so much lovely, I am truly blessed to be able to travel as much as I do, wishing you the same for 2020.
Cassie Mayers says
Wow, its great you had so many unplanned trips, sometimes they end up being the best, I visited quite a few local places I had never been this year. I was great to see more of areas which were only a few hours away from me.
Miranda says
Thank you, I loved the unplanned trips but the local ones were some of the best as I was able to see something from my own backyard.
Melanie says
Travel bucket lists are good, as long as people don’t focus too much on ticking off destinations and actually enjoy the travel experience.
Miranda says
Absolutely, sometimes we get carried away and forget to enjoy the experiences and not just a ticking exercise. I make a point of enjoying every destination and storing it to memory.
Jenni says
Wow, that’s an impressive list! We had two international trips to Germany to visit family, and one trip to Yokohama/Tokyo while my husband was stationed there for work. Japan was just amazing, as always.
Miranda says
Thank you and yes Japan is absolutely amazing, we visited Tokyo and Mount Fuji and it was the best experience ever.
Rebecca Smith says
Wow, you really did visit so many places! It’s a shame you didn’t complete your travel bucket list but you did get to explore some fab destinations!
Mudpie Fridays says
What a fantastic year you went to so many places that are on my bucket list. Although I think this year we will probably be more UK based as we have a lot of other stuff going on too. Can’t wait to see where you go this year.
Lyndsey O'Halloran says
I loved Helsinki when I visited. Expensive though!
laura dove says
Sounds like you had an amazing and visited some amazing places! We had a great year of travel and Im so excited for the same this year!
lucyclarke123 says
That’s awesome that you visited all those places! Makes my travel stories pale into insignificance! Italy is my absolute fave and would live to be able to afford to go this year. Happy 2020!
motherhoodtherealdeal says
Wow look at all those unintentional trips! You’ve had an amazing year of travel. Where will 2020 take you I wonder?
Annette, 3 Little Buttons says
Oh wow! You’ve really squeezed in so much. I’m impressed. The school holidays really squish us for when we can go away – as do the prices in the school holidays unfortunately.
Newcastle FamilyLife says
wow you visited so many places! I would love to visit Thailand and Italy xx