January - Poland
Poland was the third Eastern European country I ever visited, and it was very different to the other two but very pretty. We visited both Kraków and Warsaw, taking a day trip to Auschwitz. I had read a lot of books and seen a lot of films about the Second World War and the Nazis and been affected greatly, but we thought it was important to visit Auschwitz. I was prepared for a very emotional day, however although it was shocking, I felt like the guide just presented us with a lot of facts as opposed to personal accounts and so, it didn't have as emotive to me as the books I'd read and films I'd watched. I'm aware that this was probably due to our guide, as other friends have been and found it extremely heartbreaking. Nonetheless, we learnt a lot about the mistreatment of the Poles and about the Nazi leaders' lives. Poland in January is freezing and imagining prisoners dressed in thin pyjamas whilst working outdoors in the middle of Winter put the callousness into perspective. Warsaw and Krakow were both lovely cities and the food was delicious, however we visited a few days after Pawel Adamowicz had passed away, so the atmosphere was slightly solemn.
March - Paris, France
Prior to this trip, Paris was the one city that I didn't like at all. I had been several times on school trips and with my family, and following my Year 9 French exchange there I associated the city with a lot of homelessness, con artists, and dirtiness. Since then, I had heard more and more people state their love of the city, and films always portrayed the Paris as being romantic and beautiful, so I decided to revisit with an open mind and see if the city could lose its unfavourable title in my mind. We took the EuroTunnel to Paris, and although I admit that the inner city is quite pretty, I still don't understand the appeal and think that other cities in France are much nicer. The locked buildings and omnipresent police presence due to the Gilets Jaunes movement was a bit unsettling, but we did manage to see the Mona Lisa - although this memory is very amusing now, I've never felt so underwhelmed and mugged off in my life.
March - Egypt & Jordan
These two countries were named as the favourite destinations of two friends, and with an Ancient Wonder of the World, and a Modern Wonder of a World, this trip was added to my Bucket List. Cairo was extremely busy and noisy but offered a lot of character, and contrasted greatly with the calm of the rural villages along the Nile. I tried pigeon here but I wouldn't recommend it.
Jordan was quite an experience; we had a boastful driver who gave us a tour of the country and was a bit irksome, but everyone else that we met, including the tour guides, were absolutely lovely. We learnt a lot about this little country, and the sights were so varied, from the Dead Sea to Petra to Amman. It was surreal to be in holy sites mentioned in the Bible, and even more so knowing that if we crossed over to the Israeli side (sometimes less than 5 metres away), we would be shot.
April - Wales
I had only been to the south of Wales but one of my flatmates told me that the north was beautiful, and since a few of us were in the north of England for a birthday, I decided to take a roadtrip with a friend via Wales on the way back home. The seaside towns were very cute and I'd recommend this region for a chilled road trip.
April - Lisbon, Portugal
It had been a while since my family had visited Lisbon, and with the need to renew our Portuguese passports, we decided to skip a visit to the Consulate in London, seizing the opportunity to visit the motherland. Although Lisbon is packed with tourists, the city is beautiful and the food is faultless. It goes without saying that Lisbon is well worth the visit, and this is one of the (very few) cities that I'd consider living in.
May - Istanbul, Turkey
I have never seen so much traffic, but I loved Istiklal street (off Taksim Square) and the bazaars. If you're looking for a very vibrant city with good food (especially the baklava), this is the place for you.
June - Capri, Italy
I can't remember where I got the idea (perhaps from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) but I had wanted to go on a boat in a cave for ages, however the opportunity hadn't arisen until Capri. Although this is a well-known tourist trap, just seeing the luminescent blue water in the dark cave was worth it for me (and the singing Italian men was definitely a bonus). This island was one of my favourite places in Italy, reminding me so much of Mamma Mia. The only downside was that I had forgotten my driving license and was desperate to ride a Vespa on this scenic island.
June - Corfu, Greece & Sarandë, Albania
In line with the Mamma Mia vibes, I decided to visit Greece with some friends to celebrate completing our degrees. We had met in First Year Freshers and had seen each other through the ups and downs of uni, and while this holiday was relaxing for the most part, there were definitely some memorable moments. We stayed near the old town, meaning that for a night out in Kavos, we had to take a bus at 9pm to return only at 6am the following morning. Although I was only 21 at the time, I have never felt so old clubbing; everyone seemed to be British 18 year olds, which was slightly annoying, but it happened to be a full moon so we went skinny dipping in the warm Mediterranean until daylight. Another highlight was being pulled on an inflatable UFO on the back of a boat, although my friends returned with minor injuries and did not find the experience so amusing. For a unique day trip, I'd recommend taking a hydrofoil to Sarandë, Albania!
June - Doha, Qatar & Cape Town, South Africa
This was one of my favourite trips in my life, despite being stranded in Doha alone for 24 hours. I attended LSE's International Relations Summer School in Cape Town and met lots of amazing people while having a great time - it was essentially Freshers 2.0 but with the best sunsets in the world; to read about my experience, click here.
July - Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana
Following my 2 week course, my parents decided to join me in Cape Town and then continue our travels on towards Victoria Falls and Chobe National Park. The falls were beautiful, and I debated bungee jumping from the bridge, but after looking over the edge decided against it immediately. My favourite part about this holiday was hands-down the safari. I love animals (from a distance) and Attenborough documentaries, and had wanted to go on a safari for years but was determined to avoid places like Aquila, which many friends had told me felt more like a zoo than a safari. Chobe did not disappoint, but we didn't see all of the Big 5 (specifically, we didn't catch a glimpse of a leopard), so I am eager to go on another safari, but I loved seeing the African elephants. In Zambia, we tried mopane worms which were interesting, and there were zebras and warthogs right outside our room which kept us amused. One thing to note is that the locals in all three of these countries were absolutely lovely and upbeat and constantly made us smile.
July - Russia
Russia is obviously a very unique country and everything about this trip was memorable. Firstly, the visa process was painstakingly long and required so much information, including the names (and dates!) of all the countries we'd visited to in the last 10 years. There was no way I could remember them all, so I just put any countries out of Europe that I had a stamp for in my passport until the all of boxes were filled. Then we had to go to the visa office, where they check the application and hold your passport. This created a massive (and unnecessary) inconvenience as it meant that I couldn't use my passport when I was going to Greece. I thought this wouldn't be an issue as we'd just renewed our Portuguese passports in April, but then my brother accidentally took mine to Cyprus with him and I had to rely on my Portuguese ID card. Obviously I was extremely lucky to have 3 forms of ID, but this unnecessary visa process made life a lot harder than was necessary.
We visited Moscow and St Petersburg, and although St Petersburg was very pretty, Moscow was more unique and had more character. I went with Becca, and we took an overnight train for the first time between the cities. It was a really cool trip, although the toilets were subpar and figuring out how to make the beds was definitely an experience. Despite being in major cities, most people didn't speak English, and even tourist attractions were advertised in Russian (presumably for other Russians or Kazakhs), which was different to the norm but not an issue at all; what really surprised me was people's reactions to me and Becca speaking between ourselves in English. Adults would stare and look shocked, cashiers would have no patience, and most people were slightly cold. However, as in every country, there were some locals who helped us tremendously, such as one lady who taught us how to use the metro system. Another thing I found surprising was Russia's metro stations - they were stunning and looked like something out of Harry Potter! The food was also very nice, and vodka was rife.
August - Galicia, Spain
One of my flatmates in third year is from Galicia, and so were decided to take a flat trip to visit her. As always with Spain, there was good weather, great food, and even better company. We went on a lot of road trips and I discovered my new favourite beer (Estrella Galicia). The only negative was that on our way back from Stansted to London we had a car crash on Tower Bridge, but luckily no-one was injured.
August - Vienna, Austria
I'd wanted to do a solo trip for a while but didn't know where I'd like to go. One of my dad's favourite cities is Vienna, and since I couldn't remember it very well, I thought this would be the perfect place to spend a few days before starting my Master's. Vienna was perfect; the city was pretty and clean, there were a lot of events going on, and it was easy to get around. On the last day, I rented a little Fiat 500, aiming to go to Prague, but the weather in Prague wasn't ideal and instead I visited Graz, as well as some mountains and lakes in Austria. This was a lovely little getaway and the sights were beautiful - one thing I'd recommend in Vienna is getting around by electric scooter as it's safe and convenient.
September - Edinburgh, UK
My brother moved to Edinburgh for work and I was the only one who hadn't visited him yet. This was the perfect excuse for a break and I took the 5-hour train up North. Despite the cold, Edinburgh is a very cosy city, with a lot to see and do. I'd particularly recommend Arthur's Seat and Victoria Street, but I'd love to go back during Edinburgh Fringe.
October - Florence & Venice, Italy
Once again, my mum was in Italy studying Italian, and since I hadn't been to Florence or Venice for a few years, I decided to visit her with one of my cousins and an aunt. Both cities were packed with tourists, but the food was delicious as always and it was a lovely break.
November - Madeira, Portugal
Usually I go to Madeira at least once of twice a year, and this was perhaps the longest amount of time that I hadn't visited. I went with my dad, which I always love as we always go on cool road trips and he fits in perfectly, making many people very lively and welcoming in his presence.
December - Australia & New Zealand
I had aimed to celebrate Christmas in Australia in 2018, however it was 3 against 1 (my family vs me) and so, Italy it was. My mum promised that we'g go in 2019, and when my brother couldn't take 3 weeks off work, we decided to spend Christmas separately for the first time. I went to Australia with my mum for 3 weeks, whilst my brother and dad went to Dubai for a few days. This was a very exciting trip and we packed in as much as possible, including Port Douglas, Sydney, Melbourne, Uluru, and Adelaide. My favourite places were Sydney, which I fell in love with, and Uluru, where I skydived (read about my experience here) and saw the Field of Light installation. This country is just incredible, with animals everywhere (we even managed to see a cassowary in the wild), and Melbourne even had free transport in the centre! People were lovely and there were many cool bars and restaurants, although the wildfires were rife and even in New Zealand the sky was orange at midday (which I'd never seen, bar a sandstorm in India).
Although New Zealand was technically in 2020, it was part of the same trip and I love Pacific Island cultures so was very excited to visit and learn more about the Maoris. We visited Hobbiton, which was very cute and novel, and managed to see the Haka, but I'd love to go back and visit more of the country.
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