As the end of the year is coming closer, it is time to look back on 2016. I’d like to take you though a recap of my 2016 year of travel with this epic 2016 “end of the year” travel roundup. Ok, I’ll be honest with you, basically this is an excuse to show some lovely images and share some stuff I didn’t have time to write yet. But if I can’t do that at the end of the year, when can you? I’ll show you where I’ve been and highlight the best stories I published on the blog. Are you ready for this travel year recap?
January
I started my 2016 year of travel with a bang by going abroad on the 2nd of January. Now were talking! It was my first time couch surfing as a couple and we discovered Historic Ypres in Belgium together. I learned so much about World War 1 but also about medieval life in Ieper.
I also took a journey by train! Who doesn’t like train rides? For a work thing (not blogging related) I went to a trade show in Cologne and I decided to make a weekend out of it. After New Years’ Eve 2015 in Cologne, I was really curious what it would be like to travel as a Solo Female Traveller to Cologne Station. Guess what? I had a great time!
February
We don’t really have winter here anymore. Hardly any snow or extreme colds, just dark days and cold wet season. But the winter can be long, so what better way to do than to Escape Winter to Alicante Spain!? Never imagined I’d go to Alicante, but turned out: it was really fun! What is not to love about sun in February, eating tapas and exploring a castle overlooking the beach?
What has been your most surprising destination in 2016?
March
For the Easter weekend we went to Barcelona for a long weekend. It was my 2nd time in the city and we explored around town. I revisited Park Guell because this must be one of my favourite parks ever. We also took a day trip from Barcelona to Montserrat and hiked in the mountains there.
We had a lot of tapas in Barcelona, but also ate something new: Tacos! Great Mexican food discovery in Barcelona.
April
In April I didn’t travel abroad but I want to include it in this travel roundup anyways. I was busy preparing for my trip to South America, work and my 33 and 1/3 birthday party! After 15 years, I finally celebrated my birthday again. It was nice to decorate the house and treat myself (and others.. duh!) to some delicious red velvet cake!
May
The month of May was THE month for me! Finally, after 10 months of preparation (or should I say 2 years?) it was time for my flight to Lima. 4,5 weeks of uninterrupted solo travel through Peru, Chile and Bolivia. I still haven’t gotten around to writing everything I wanted to write, but here is a list of epic adventures I did publish:
- Hiking Colca Canyon
- Travel by bus from Peru to Chile
- Stargazing in Atacama Desert Chile
- Valle de la Luna Chile
- Female Travel Guide to Salar de Uyuni Bolivia
- La Paz Cable Cart
- Lake Titicaca from Bolivia and Peru
- Cultural Bus Ride from Puno to Cusco Peru
- Chocolate Museum in Cusco Peru
- Buy Tickets for Machu Picchu
- Sandboarding in Huacachina Peru
- The naked truth about Paracas Peru
- Top 2 Things to do in Paracas Peru
June
At the start of June, I was still in Peru but for a big part of the month I was back at work. I published some great posts if I may say so myself, for example my First Timer’s Housesitting Guide. I also started my Chronic Illness Chronicles where other bloggers with a Chronic Illness tell their story.
July
After all that travel it was time to work again. Work, unpack bags, sort through millions of pictures and work on the blog. I don’t usually travel a lot in high summer because I find places too crowded and too expensive. Do you travel in summer?
August
Now, I did make an exception for August though. I love to give travel as a gift, so I took my dad for a whirlwind weekend to Liverpool. We explored Liverpool Museum and had a great time. The sun was out, loads of history, good pub food. Perfect!
September
Time to start travelling again! As if I didn’t travel enough! I went for a long weekend to Nice France and had a great time exploring the city and surrounding. Here I went on my first Food Tour in Nice and I must say: that tasted good! I also went on a day trip with the Train des Merveilles and explored a few medieval villages.
For my boyfriend’s birthday, we decided to head to Ghent, Belgium for the day, as we both had never been there. What a surprise! I still need to write about our visit to the castle but it was an excellent way to celebrate his birthday!
October
Nice was so much fun, I decided to go back in October with my mom. We climbed the Castle Hill of Nice and went on another day trip on the Train des Pignes to Medieval Entrevaux. The Côte d’Azur is a lovely place to escape to. Mild weather, lovely architecture and food and so much to explore. I might go back again sometime.
November
Is this travel year nearly finished yet? No it isn’t. After my trip to South America, my road trip through Andalusia Spain was another highlight of the year. 10 days of exploring Andalusian cities on my own. I did another Food Tour in Malaga which was amazing. I discovered the best views of Ronda. My Food Tour of Seville and the Bike Tour of Seville were a great way to get to know the city.
After Seville I drove to Córdoba where I visited the Mezquita and dipped my toe in the world of Andalusian Hammams. In Granada I explored the Alhambra and had fun walking (and eating my way!) around town.
December
Any travels in December? Nope. I think I might actually had enough. Time to decorate the house, snuggle up and give my inner couch potato some attention. I have to admit, my health is playing up at the moment, so the only travel I do in December is back and forth to the hospital for all kinds of tests. Maybe I might go on a day trip abroad after Christmas.
Any good ideas and suggestions where to go?
A year of travel- my 2016 travel roundup
If I write this down, it seems like a long list of places I travelled to. And it is! That is why I call this my epic 2016 travel roundup! I am not sure if I ever travelled this often! As we all like lists, here is a summary of my 2016 year of travels.
I think it shows that you can do a lot on short weekend trips and also explore locally. One of the brilliant advantages of travel in Europe (and low cost airlines!). What did your year of travel looked like? Any tips for 2017?
Hi there, I log on to your blog daily. Your writing style
is witty, keep it up!
Thank you Bill. Glad you like it.
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You did have an epic year. Probably my most surprising destination of 2016 was the Lake District in England. It was just so pretty and charming and really exceeded my expectations.
That is a full year! I may be going to a trade show in Cologne this year too. Nowadays a ton of my travel is for work… but I love to fit in a little sightseeing when I can.
You seemed to have had an exciting 2016! I am I. Latin America right now and loved seeing your Salar pics. Bolivia is such a different country, isn’t it?
Look forward to your 2017 travels!