2016 Travel Destinations

Alright so it’s that time of year again where everyone starts posting their upcoming travels for the year. I only just got back from a two week European Christmas and I’m already itching to go away again. There are so many countries I have listed for my 2016 travel destinations that I’m not sure how I’m going to pick out of them.

The company I work for does things a little differently when it comes to vacation days. Our calendar runs from May 1 – April 30th of the following year. While this can make things rather tricky when it comes to coinciding vacation days with Ben (his run Jan 1 – Dec 31), I’m going to try to take 10 days between May 1 – Dec 31 and have the remaining 5 to take between Jan 1 and April 30 2017.

So far we’ve had a pretty good start to 2016 with trips to Belgium and Netherlands so I’ll of course add those into the list because, after all we were there to start the trip!

Without further adieu here’s my 2016 bucket list:

Netherlands: Amsterdam 

Amsterdam was a beautiful city during the day, and in the non-crowded areas. I probably wouldn’t spend New Years Eve there again however it was just a bit too crazy and overcrowded for me. It’s one of those cities I just had to visit and now that I have, I’ve seen pretty much everything I’ve wanted to see. It’s easy to see the sites in two days.

Ghent, Belgium

I’ve already written a post about how I spend One Day in Ghent so I won’t go into too much detail here now but I absolutely loved this quaint little city. The Christmas markets were still open and while it was cold, having a hot soup, mulled wine or hot chocolate in hand did wonders to warm you up!

Ypres, Belgium

Ypres is seriously underrated. For anyone who loves even a little bit of history this place is outstanding. As one of the main battlegrounds for World War One there are cemeteries in so many places around the main city and inside of it as well.

Bruges, Belgium

Bruges is another vastly underrated city. In fact I think it’s one of my favourite cities I’ve ever been to. It almost seems frozen in time, the buildings and streets are so old and quaint. Even when the city was busy there was a soft quietness that can only be found when people are too intrigued with the world around them. I would go back here in a heartbeat.

Chicago, USA

This is the one trip we have booked for the rest of the year. Over the long weekend in February (which coincidentally falls on Valentine’s Day) Ben and I will be travelling to the windy city. It might seem like an odd destination to go to in the middle of the winter but I’ve heard most of the things to do there are inside, and plus we found a great deal for the long weekend – leaving late on the Friday and getting back later on the Monday!

London, England

I’ve now been to England three times. It’s funny, if you had have told me a couple of years ago that I would be going to back to a country twice (I’m not a fan of repeats – too many other countries to discover), I would have said you were crazy. Yet I’ve now been three times. Each time I fall a little bit more in love with England. I’m still working on trying to get Ben to move back, someday he’ll break I know it!

Lisbon, Portugal

We have a tentative trip planned to go back to England for a few days and then to a new destination. We decided Portugal would be just as good of a place as any! It’s likely this trip will happen either in May or June. I’m gearing for May because I don’t really like to travel during peak season but it all depends on the couple we are travelling with. I’ve heard amazing things about Portugal. We would likely be spending 5-6 days there and travel the south.

Iceland

This country is second on my bucket list (Peru being number one) and if we get the chance to knock this off this year I would be so happy! Right now our plan is to visit over the Thanksgiving long weekend so we get to use that extra day in there. From what I’ve read you can pretty much do the entire country in 7 days as well – I definitely love a good road trip!

Costa Rica 

Costa Rica is also another destination that’s been on my list for quite a while. It’s gaining in popularity now and I want to try and get down there before it becomes too Westernized. What’s not to love about a place that combines yoga, surfing and ziplining in one destination?

Panama

If we plan on making the trek to Costa Rica, why wouldn’t we tack on another country in there to help me achieve my 30 before 30 goal? It only seems natural. Plus the beaches of Panama look incredible. This would be the perfect destination for the winter months – may bringing me into 2017!

Sarasota, Florida

I have family in Florida and still haven’t been back in more years than I can count. I’m not too sure why, I think it’s just the desire to use vacation days to explore new countries. I would really like to take a day or two and head down there to visit my Aunt – it is Florida after all with lots and lots of beaches. Hopefully I’ll be able to find a great flight deal and head down!

If you’ve been to any of these destinations I would love to hear your advice and thoughts 🙂