This post is perhaps a little late in the day since I am writing it in June, but lets pretend it’s January. I recently realised that I’ve entered a new phase in my travelling life, and for possibly the first time ever, I knew what my travel plans for the year looked like quite early on. In the past, some combination of being an expat (and therefore spending a lot of time returning to the UK for holidays), the pandemic (when travel felt too chaotic and uncertain to plan), and finally a healthy dose of laziness, has always held me back from being this kind of person.

This year, we knew we would want to do something big and relaxing when I finally left my job to become a full time student (instead of trying to do both) in February, and we’d already been invited to Scotland in October, so we wanted some fun weekends to occupy us for the rest of the year, and everything fell into place quite easily.

Admittedly, this has been helped by a lot of these trips involving other, less lazy, people. I think this is something I’d like to carry on doing though, because it’s felt really nice to have these upcoming trips in the calendar. It’s also felt really nice to spend some time thinking about where to go in advance, rather than panicking at the last minute.

Jamaica in February

When I finished work in February, we really wanted to take a properly relaxing trip because we were frazzled. We had Virgin miles to spend, and decided the Caribbean would be a good place to feel the sun on our faces. From there, we booked an appointment at our local Virgin Holidays branch and let the travel agent make some suggestions. She did a great job, and we stayed at the Jewel Paradise Cove Beach Resort and Spa in Runaway Bay, which was just what we needed. I haven’t decided whether I’ll go over pre-blog trips here yet, but I might write a little recap of our lazy holiday at some point.

Saffron Walden in April

We travelled to Essex for my birthday treat and spent the night at The Cricketers in Clavering, because I had a hankering to stay in a pub. We decided to split our time between the pretty and historic market town of Saffron Walden and Audley End, a seventeenth century mansion run by English Heritage. This is another trip I might write a post about at some point.

Porto in May

We’d booked a weekend in Porto in May, taking advantage of one of the bank holidays around that time. Unfortunately, we had to cancel at the last minute as our cat was sick. He’s fine now, and this hasn’t put me off booking in advance because even our previous last-minute booking style isn’t that last minute, so we would have had to cancel anyway. Having seen our friends’ photos, I think Porto might make it into our 2024 travel plans.

Canterbury in June

We had tickets booked to see Phil Wang in Canterbury, Kent, and thought that since we’d never visited before, we’d stay over and make a weekend of it. I’d been inspired by my friend’s in-depth Porto itinerary and had a thorough plan for everything to see and do during this weekend, and we did quite a good job of following that plan! I’m in the process of writing a post about this one.

Brussels in July

We haven’t been back to our former home in Belgium since 2018, first because of train strikes, and then the pandemic. I’m especially excited as we’re travelling with a friend, so get to show her all our favourite spots. This is the friend of the in-depth itineraries, and our first attempt would have filled three weeks, so we’re slowly editing it down.

Ben got his camera when we lived in Brussels, and this is one of his first pictures. One of the great things for photographers about Brussels is the varied architecture, which means that you’re always finding an interesting new building to photograph. Check out the link below the photo for more of Ben’s work (I’m such a proud girlfriend).

Birmingham in August

We’re meeting my parents in Birmingham and I’m looking forward to visiting another English city I’ve never been to before. We’re basing ourselves close to Gas Street Basin, and we’re planning a boat tour (which is my favourite thing to do), a walking tour, and lots of eating, drinking and exploring.

Scotland in October

I’m already worried about the weather for this one, but we’re off to the Scottish Highlands on another trip with my parents. I’m hoping for lots of beautiful scenery and walks on this trip, but will be wrapping up warm!

Day Trips

Alongside these longer trips, I’m planning to get out and about and make use of my Art Pass and National Trust Membership over the summer holidays, and into the end of the year. I’ve had my NT membership for almost a year now, and it’s paid for itself, so I’m hoping to achieve the same with the Art Pass!

Are you a planner or a winger when it comes to travel plans?