My year in travel – 2018

This year we have been to quite a few old favourites as well as exploring some new places. It really is a privilege to be able to travel and go on holiday and I’m always mindful of never taking it for granted. As I’ve blogged before, I do think travelling is good for your mental health as it really helps you to recharge and it allows my husband and I to spend quality time together.

Here’s all the wonderful destinations we visited (and revisited) in 2018.

Boston

We kicked of 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts – a city we’d never been to before. Boston is one of the oldest cities in the U.S and played a key role in the American Revolution.

It was absolutely freezing when we went and covered in snow. It was apparently the coldest weather they’d had in 100 years! It didn’t stop us going out to explore – we just had to wear loads of layers.

Boston is such a pretty city and isn’t too big, so we got to see most of the city in the few days that we were there. We even did a day trip to Cambridge to visit Harvard University. One of my highlights was visiting the public library. It was just so beautiful!

York

It’s become a bit of a tradition for my birthday to have a weekend away as one of my presents and this year my husband booked a weekend away in York. We had been before, about 10 years ago, so I was really excited to go back as I remember how pretty it was with all the Medieval buildings. The weekend we were due to go, in March, all the trains were cancelled because of Storm Emma so we had to reschedule for 2 weeks later.

We had such a lovely weekend, although I wished we’d had just one more day to do a bit more – one full day just wasn’t enough! Next time we’ll stay 3 nights.

Rome

We spent the Easter weekend in Rome, Italy. We absolutely love Rome and have visited a few times, however it had been a few years since our last visit. If you’ve never been to Rome, put it on your 2019 travel list because it is the most amazing city, steeped in history.

There is so much to see and do in Rome – you’d never get bored! And no matter how many times you visit, it always takes your breath away. Not to mention the food is delicious! This time we visited the Jewish Ghetto, where we’d not been before as well as shopping area Via del Corso.

Taormina

This was our third visit to Taormina in Sicily, although the first time we stayed in an AirBnb instead of a hotel. There’s something so nice about revisiting a place as you already know your way around and the beaches and restaurants that you like. Taormina is home to the stunning Isola Bella, which is a great place to swim (although it can get quite crowded).

If you do visit, I highly recommend lunch at Il Gabbiano, which overlooks Isola Bella. The view and the food is divine.

Ischia and the Amalfi Coast

2018 was definitely the year that we revisited lots of our favourite places. For our summer holidays we decided on Ischia, an island off Naples (and one of my favourite islands ever) and then the Amalfi Coast, where we based ourselves in beautiful Positano.

I just adore Ischia. It’s a pretty big island, meaning that there’s lots of different little towns to visit, such as Forio and Sant’Angelo. Ischia also has thermal baths and the stunning Castelo Aragonese.

After Ischia we spent four nights in Positano and visited Sorrento, Amalfi and Ravello – where we had the most fabulous meal at Villa Cimbrone. The Amalfi coast is just stunningly beautiful and a real must-see. It’s definitely a place we will keep returning to again and again.

Polignano a Mare

We discovered Polignano a Mare in Puglia, Italy, last year and loved it so much we just had to return for a long weekend. The beaches are just stunning and this year we discovered a couple of new swimming spots, like this one below. Look at the colour of that water!!

Mumbai

For our two week holiday we were meant to go on safari in South Africa but couldn’t go due to my passport (it’s a long story). Because we’d already paid the deposit for the safari we had to go somewhere where the travel agent operated in so we didn’t lose the money. We settled on the Seychelles but knew we didn’t want to go for 2 weeks so had to think of somewhere else we could combine it with and that place was Mumbai – as it’s less than a five hour flight.

I’m so glad we chose Mumbai because it was amazing! We absolutely loved it and would highly recommend it. It was the first time my husband had been to India and my second – although I went in 2005 – and we’d love to see more of India.

The Seychelles

We stayed at the stunning Four Seasons DesRoches, which is a private island in the Seychelles for 6 nights and then one night at the Four Seasons in Mahe. It’s one of the most relaxing holidays I’ve ever had as there was nothing to do but swim, eat, read and cycle!

Cycling was one of my favourites parts of the holiday as I never get to cycle in London (far too scary). The island was big enough in that it took over an hour to cycle round. It was great exercise! Plus it was fun to cycle to different beaches. We had an amazing time.

Chicago

We’re ending 2018 in Chicago! I am beyond excited as we’ve never been and so many people who have been to the Windy City talk about how fabulous it is. I also can’t wait to try a deep dish pizza. Check back in for a post on Chicago in the new year, For now, here’s a picture of the two guide books I bought to make sure we don’t miss out on anything!

I hope 2018 was a great travel year for you and that 2019 will be even better! What’s on your 2019 ‘must-see’ list?