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This is just a tongue-in-cheek post as I was thinking about my past travels the other day and realised I really have made my fair share of travel errors, particularly in my 20's!
I'm not saying I am an expert now I am 30+, but I'd like to think I have learnt from some of these mistakes and know a bit more about what I am doing now. Read on for my top five travel mistakes that I (hopefully) won't make again.
Travel Mistake #1: Not Reading Up on Companies
Back in 2013 I flew to Australia for a girlie trip with a couple of friends. I was on my own, not earning tonnes of money and keen to travel on a budget. Problem was that it was January and flights were really expensive to Sydney. I picked a route with China Southern as it was significantly cheaper than any other option.
The plane was really old, I really hated the food and it was an all-round uncomfortable 24 hour journey. I know many people felt the same around that time and had bad experiences with China Southern but I have recently heard better reviews. The word on the street is that they have improved! The moral of this one is to thoroughly check out any company before booking with them (airlines, hotels, tour operators, flight and holiday brokers) and also, don't go for the cheapest option every time! (I struggle with this as I just love saving money...)
Travel mistake #2: Not triple-checking booking
I didn't have a great weekend in Berlin in general as something just didn't click for me, but the worst part was that we couldn't get up to our booking at the top of the Reichstag Building because we apparently hadn't confirmed our passports. We'd sent the documents but hadn't received the email asking us to confirm, and they just wouldn't let us in at all even though we had a table booking.
The moral of the story here is to always double / triple check anything with documentation to be totally sure it is all sorted in advance of the trip.
Travel mistake #3: Getting drunk and not setting an alarm
I can't actually believe this one, but when I went to New York in 2009 with one of my best friends from school we had a night out the night before. Now for context, our flight was New Year's day and we were 23 so definitely didn't fancy missing our New Year night out despite having an early flight booking... However, neither of us remembered to set our alarm for the next day!
We were woken up by a phone call from the taxi company asking where we were as our airport taxi was downstairs. It turned out to be possibly my favourite holiday of my entire life, so it's a good job we managed to make that flight. It makes me shudder to think I did that now, as I am so sensible (maybe boring) when it comes to my plans the days leading up to a holiday.
Travel mistake #4: Missing a flight
I can't quite believe I am admitting this in writing, but the award for the most stupid moment of my life has to go to this one. I was in Bali on my own after attending a friend's wedding. I had decided to stay on solo in Sanur for one more night before a flight to Hong Kong the next day for a conference. I knew the time of my flight and went to bed with my alarm set all ready for the next morning.
The next day I woke up and thought I'd double-check the exact time of my flight just before I got ready. Turns out that the time I had in my head for the flight was completely incorrect, and check-in would have been closing around the time I had woken up. It was over an hour to get to the airport so there's no way I would make it before boarding closed.
I panicked and immediately rang the airline but nothing could be done and I had to pay for a whole new flight. I have only done this once and I will never get over this one as I can't believe how stupid I was! I don't think my mum reads my blog so let's use this as a test, I know she will mention it if she sees it as I have never told her...
Travel mistake #5: Not reading Trip Advisor Reviews
The first four 'mistakes' on this list are daft things I can generally laugh about now, but this one could have ended up a lot worse than it did. Whilst in Cambodia we wanted to visit a floating village and took a recommendation from the hotel reception on a good one to book. Our tuk tuk driver didn't speak much English and seemed to be trying to tell us not to go as we set off, but we were confused about what he was saying and went ahead with our day out. The hotel had arranged it for us, so of course it would be fine, wouldn't it?
Turns out it was a huge scam which you can read about here, and the experience really spoilt my opinion of Siem Reap and Cambodia unfortunately.
After the event we checked Trip Advisor and found absolutely loads of reviews explaining what an awful scam / cruel place it was, and we kicked ourselves for not reading reviews and just trusting our hotel receptionists. Now even if I get a recommendation, I would always read reviews as I never want to experience anything like that again.
I'd love to know, have you made any of these silly travel mistakes before or are there any others that make you cringe? Let me know in the comments so I can avoid making them and adding to this list!
Five travel mistakes not to make
This is just a tongue-in-cheek post as I was thinking about my past travels the other day and realised I really have made my fair share of travel errors, particularly in my 20's!
I'm not saying I am an expert now I am 30+, but I'd like to think I have learnt from some of these mistakes and know a bit more about what I am doing now. Read on for my top five travel mistakes that I (hopefully) won't make again.
Travel Mistake #1: Not Reading Up on Companies
Back in 2013 I flew to Australia for a girlie trip with a couple of friends. I was on my own, not earning tonnes of money and keen to travel on a budget. Problem was that it was January and flights were really expensive to Sydney. I picked a route with China Southern as it was significantly cheaper than any other option.
The plane was really old, I really hated the food and it was an all-round uncomfortable 24 hour journey. I know many people felt the same around that time and had bad experiences with China Southern but I have recently heard better reviews. The word on the street is that they have improved! The moral of this one is to thoroughly check out any company before booking with them (airlines, hotels, tour operators, flight and holiday brokers) and also, don't go for the cheapest option every time! (I struggle with this as I just love saving money...)
Travel mistake #2: Not triple-checking booking
I didn't have a great weekend in Berlin in general as something just didn't click for me, but the worst part was that we couldn't get up to our booking at the top of the Reichstag Building because we apparently hadn't confirmed our passports. We'd sent the documents but hadn't received the email asking us to confirm, and they just wouldn't let us in at all even though we had a table booking.
The moral of the story here is to always double / triple check anything with documentation to be totally sure it is all sorted in advance of the trip.
Travel mistake #3: Getting drunk and not setting an alarm
I can't actually believe this one, but when I went to New York in 2009 with one of my best friends from school we had a night out the night before. Now for context, our flight was New Year's day and we were 23 so definitely didn't fancy missing our New Year night out despite having an early flight booking... However, neither of us remembered to set our alarm for the next day!
We were woken up by a phone call from the taxi company asking where we were as our airport taxi was downstairs. It turned out to be possibly my favourite holiday of my entire life, so it's a good job we managed to make that flight. It makes me shudder to think I did that now, as I am so sensible (maybe boring) when it comes to my plans the days leading up to a holiday.
Travel mistake #4: Missing a flight
I can't quite believe I am admitting this in writing, but the award for the most stupid moment of my life has to go to this one. I was in Bali on my own after attending a friend's wedding. I had decided to stay on solo in Sanur for one more night before a flight to Hong Kong the next day for a conference. I knew the time of my flight and went to bed with my alarm set all ready for the next morning.
The next day I woke up and thought I'd double-check the exact time of my flight just before I got ready. Turns out that the time I had in my head for the flight was completely incorrect, and check-in would have been closing around the time I had woken up. It was over an hour to get to the airport so there's no way I would make it before boarding closed.
I panicked and immediately rang the airline but nothing could be done and I had to pay for a whole new flight. I have only done this once and I will never get over this one as I can't believe how stupid I was! I don't think my mum reads my blog so let's use this as a test, I know she will mention it if she sees it as I have never told her...
Travel mistake #5: Not reading Trip Advisor Reviews
The first four 'mistakes' on this list are daft things I can generally laugh about now, but this one could have ended up a lot worse than it did. Whilst in Cambodia we wanted to visit a floating village and took a recommendation from the hotel reception on a good one to book. Our tuk tuk driver didn't speak much English and seemed to be trying to tell us not to go as we set off, but we were confused about what he was saying and went ahead with our day out. The hotel had arranged it for us, so of course it would be fine, wouldn't it?
Turns out it was a huge scam which you can read about here, and the experience really spoilt my opinion of Siem Reap and Cambodia unfortunately.
After the event we checked Trip Advisor and found absolutely loads of reviews explaining what an awful scam / cruel place it was, and we kicked ourselves for not reading reviews and just trusting our hotel receptionists. Now even if I get a recommendation, I would always read reviews as I never want to experience anything like that again.
I'd love to know, have you made any of these silly travel mistakes before or are there any others that make you cringe? Let me know in the comments so I can avoid making them and adding to this list!
Back in June 2019, I visited Malta for the first time. I will be honest and say that my expectations weren't overly high because I had always thought of Malta as somewhere Brits visit on a budget. However last summer we were (and still are) very much 'Brits on a reasonable budget' so maybe that is why we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! There is way more to Malta than you would expect and I will write a separate post about some of the more cultural adventures we had on the island.
If you are looking at somewhere to visit for a budget break this summer I wanted to give you the lowdown on what to expect, and why I would definitely say Malta is worth a visit for a holiday from the UK. It isn't a place with fancy hotels, expensive shops and luxurious promenades, but it's so easy to visit from the UK and makes a great budget holiday or even just a long weekend break for a bit of sun.
Malta Holiday Review: Getting There and Getting Around
At the time of writing this post, 21 UK airports offer direct flights to Malta with low-cost carriers. For this reason I think Malta is a great choice for booking your own separate flight and accommodation. We flew from Venice as part of a twin-centre holiday, but flying back to Newcastle was very easy and convenient with Jet 2. Of course there are many package holidays available if that is more your thing, but to keep costs low I'd definitely suggest booking your own separate itinerary.
The buses in Malta are very cheap and easy to use. You pay for a two-hour ticket which is €1.50 in Winter, €2.50 in Summer and €3.50 at night (prices correct in Feb 2020). This makes it very affordable to get around the island and we managed to go to a beach which was quite far away from our hotel without spending a fortune on transport at all.
Malta Holiday Review: Where To Stay
We stayed just outside of Sliema and whilst our hotel, Palazzo Violetta, was beautiful with the nicest pool (pictured below) with hindsight I wouldn't stay in this exact location again as it was a good 15 minute walk to get to the places we wanted to go for food and drinks. The pool was absolutely beautiful though, just look at it! The hotel may appeal to you (as it did to me) for the beautiful buildings surrounding it, and nothing was wrong with our stay, but I would probably choose to stay somewhere more convenient in future.
I would recommend staying near the Sliema promenade particularly as some of the hotels have gorgeous beach clubs / bars which we only spotted on our last day! Definitely a reason to go back. St Julian's Bay is another good location if you are looking for more night life, and the nearby island of Gozo looks fantastic but sadly we didn't get to visit on our short trip.
There was a fair amount of construction going on when we visited, so whilst the photos have been taken from good angles and try not to include cranes in the shots, there were many cranes and other equipment visible when walking along the promenade. If this is a deal-breaker for you then I'd suggest checking out the Sliema / St Julian's Bay location tags on Instagram and vetting the most recently posted photos to see what the harbour looks like now.
Malta Holiday Review: Food
I was so pleasantly surprised by the food in Malta. Whilst there was definitely a British influence and we indulged in a full English breakie or two (sorry!) there was local cuisine to devour as well.
Our absolute favourite restaurant was called Ta' Kris and I would highly recommend a visit if you are in the area of Sliema. It was very inexpensive, with delicious wine and amazing food. I don't have good quality photos to share here as it was dark, but if you check out my Instagram story highlight for Malta you can see some of our amazing food. If you only take one thing away from this post then let it be a visit to this restaurant. Outstanding!
Malta Holiday Review: The Beaches
We didn't really know what to expect from Sliema but when we got there we knew straight away the beach wasn't somewhere we particularly wanted to relax. The great thing about Malta, however, is the variety of places to get to by bus and the number of different beaches available to spend the day at. We decided to go to Golden Bay, pictured below, and it was really nice.
It still had a bit of a British vibe and was packed with families, but it was really nice to spend a day sunbathing and it had beautiful views from the top. We just hopped on the bus and paid a couple of euros to get there and back. The stop is right at the top of the bay so it is very easy. If I had longer to explore Malta I'd definitely visit Gozo, or one of the other beaches from this excellent list of Maltese beaches which is where we got the idea to visit Golden Bay from.
Malta Holiday Review: History and Culture
History and culture are the aspects of Malta which really stood out for me. If (when) I go back, I would definitely stay in Valletta, the beautiful and historic capital city. It was very easy to get the boat over to this part of the island from the harbour in Sliema so I would recommend doing this if you are staying in that area.
In one day we managed to wander the golden streets of Valletta as well as taking a day-trip to Mdina which was the highlight of our holiday. Very much a place for Game of Thrones fans. I have never seen it but could still appreciate the fantastic filming locations.
I am going to write a full separate blog post about Valletta as I think it is a hugely underrated city break, so watch out for that coming soon.
If you are a culture vulture looking to do one day trip whilst you are in Malta then it has to be the Mdina. I had first seen photos of this surreal place on one of my favourite travel blogs, While I'm Young, and it was fantastic seeing it for real.
Verdict: Is Malta Worth a Visit?
Absolutely, hands-down yes. Malta is worth a visit and appeals to everyone! There is something to satisfy a huge range of ages and interests. If you are looking for an inexpensive, easy, guaranteed sunshine break from the UK then Malta is a winner. It is probably not the ideal place for a completely chilled beach break and I think I would personally go elsewhere for that.
However, the huge plus points of Maltese weather, friendly locals, great prices and varied things to do make it a real summer holiday winner for me. Have you been to Malta? Let me know in the comments!
Malta Holiday Review: Is it worth a visit?
Back in June 2019, I visited Malta for the first time. I will be honest and say that my expectations weren't overly high because I had always thought of Malta as somewhere Brits visit on a budget. However last summer we were (and still are) very much 'Brits on a reasonable budget' so maybe that is why we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! There is way more to Malta than you would expect and I will write a separate post about some of the more cultural adventures we had on the island.
If you are looking at somewhere to visit for a budget break this summer I wanted to give you the lowdown on what to expect, and why I would definitely say Malta is worth a visit for a holiday from the UK. It isn't a place with fancy hotels, expensive shops and luxurious promenades, but it's so easy to visit from the UK and makes a great budget holiday or even just a long weekend break for a bit of sun.
Malta Holiday Review: Getting There and Getting Around
At the time of writing this post, 21 UK airports offer direct flights to Malta with low-cost carriers. For this reason I think Malta is a great choice for booking your own separate flight and accommodation. We flew from Venice as part of a twin-centre holiday, but flying back to Newcastle was very easy and convenient with Jet 2. Of course there are many package holidays available if that is more your thing, but to keep costs low I'd definitely suggest booking your own separate itinerary.
The buses in Malta are very cheap and easy to use. You pay for a two-hour ticket which is €1.50 in Winter, €2.50 in Summer and €3.50 at night (prices correct in Feb 2020). This makes it very affordable to get around the island and we managed to go to a beach which was quite far away from our hotel without spending a fortune on transport at all.
Malta Holiday Review: Where To Stay
We stayed just outside of Sliema and whilst our hotel, Palazzo Violetta, was beautiful with the nicest pool (pictured below) with hindsight I wouldn't stay in this exact location again as it was a good 15 minute walk to get to the places we wanted to go for food and drinks. The pool was absolutely beautiful though, just look at it! The hotel may appeal to you (as it did to me) for the beautiful buildings surrounding it, and nothing was wrong with our stay, but I would probably choose to stay somewhere more convenient in future.
I would recommend staying near the Sliema promenade particularly as some of the hotels have gorgeous beach clubs / bars which we only spotted on our last day! Definitely a reason to go back. St Julian's Bay is another good location if you are looking for more night life, and the nearby island of Gozo looks fantastic but sadly we didn't get to visit on our short trip.
There was a fair amount of construction going on when we visited, so whilst the photos have been taken from good angles and try not to include cranes in the shots, there were many cranes and other equipment visible when walking along the promenade. If this is a deal-breaker for you then I'd suggest checking out the Sliema / St Julian's Bay location tags on Instagram and vetting the most recently posted photos to see what the harbour looks like now.
Malta Holiday Review: Food
I was so pleasantly surprised by the food in Malta. Whilst there was definitely a British influence and we indulged in a full English breakie or two (sorry!) there was local cuisine to devour as well.
Our absolute favourite restaurant was called Ta' Kris and I would highly recommend a visit if you are in the area of Sliema. It was very inexpensive, with delicious wine and amazing food. I don't have good quality photos to share here as it was dark, but if you check out my Instagram story highlight for Malta you can see some of our amazing food. If you only take one thing away from this post then let it be a visit to this restaurant. Outstanding!
Malta Holiday Review: The Beaches
We didn't really know what to expect from Sliema but when we got there we knew straight away the beach wasn't somewhere we particularly wanted to relax. The great thing about Malta, however, is the variety of places to get to by bus and the number of different beaches available to spend the day at. We decided to go to Golden Bay, pictured below, and it was really nice.
It still had a bit of a British vibe and was packed with families, but it was really nice to spend a day sunbathing and it had beautiful views from the top. We just hopped on the bus and paid a couple of euros to get there and back. The stop is right at the top of the bay so it is very easy. If I had longer to explore Malta I'd definitely visit Gozo, or one of the other beaches from this excellent list of Maltese beaches which is where we got the idea to visit Golden Bay from.
Malta Holiday Review: History and Culture
History and culture are the aspects of Malta which really stood out for me. If (when) I go back, I would definitely stay in Valletta, the beautiful and historic capital city. It was very easy to get the boat over to this part of the island from the harbour in Sliema so I would recommend doing this if you are staying in that area.
In one day we managed to wander the golden streets of Valletta as well as taking a day-trip to Mdina which was the highlight of our holiday. Very much a place for Game of Thrones fans. I have never seen it but could still appreciate the fantastic filming locations.
I am going to write a full separate blog post about Valletta as I think it is a hugely underrated city break, so watch out for that coming soon.
If you are a culture vulture looking to do one day trip whilst you are in Malta then it has to be the Mdina. I had first seen photos of this surreal place on one of my favourite travel blogs, While I'm Young, and it was fantastic seeing it for real.
Verdict: Is Malta Worth a Visit?
Absolutely, hands-down yes. Malta is worth a visit and appeals to everyone! There is something to satisfy a huge range of ages and interests. If you are looking for an inexpensive, easy, guaranteed sunshine break from the UK then Malta is a winner. It is probably not the ideal place for a completely chilled beach break and I think I would personally go elsewhere for that.
However, the huge plus points of Maltese weather, friendly locals, great prices and varied things to do make it a real summer holiday winner for me. Have you been to Malta? Let me know in the comments!
As a travel blogger I always feel the pressure to visit new cities and take you all along with me. However, there are so many cities I would love to re-visit, either because I have unfinished business with them, or actually because I didn't fall in love the first time round. I don't feel that a short visit to a city is ever enough to form a permanent opinion so I would never tire of re-visiting the same places. Some of the cities I didn't form a bond with are really popular, so I would love to go back and give a second (or third) chance to the places that didn't float my boat.
Without further ado, here are the cities I would love to re-visit and why they each made the list.
The cities I'd love to re-visit: because I didn't see enough
In 2018 when I spent most of my year in Asia, I was lucky enough to 'tick off'' around 15 new cities, but sometimes I didn't have very long to explore. When I have visited places from my home in the UK, it has often been for a short weekend break which doesn't leave enough time to get deep into the heart and soul of a new place. The following cities sparked my interest but I felt that I couldn't do justice to them in a couple of days, so would absolutely love to go back.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
One of my favourite places I have ever visited was Kuala Lumpur in 2018 and I think it is a very underrated Asian city. We only scratched the surface of the nightlife in a weekend, and I could just stare at the gorgeous Petronas twin towers for ages. We didn't try enough street food, and the Batu steps pictured below have been painted with a rainbow of colour now, so there is so much to go back for. If you want to read about our short break in this epic city, check out my guide to 48 hours in Kuala Lumpur.
Dublin, Ireland
My one brief visit to Dublin in 2014 was a work trip for two days. It was mainly spent at a conference and although we did a city treasure hunt and visited the Guinness Factory, I still felt like there was way more to see. Given that it's such an easy, quick flight from Newcastle I'd love to re-visit the city. I think it would be make a fab girls' weekend away so if any of my gals are reading this, let's go!
Venice, Italy
If you caught my last post you will know how much I loved spending 24 hours in Venice in June 2019 but I left wanting more. 24 hours is enough time to see the city for sure but I enjoyed it so much that I would really love to spend a little longer there and check out the colourful island of Burano. Sometimes you just want a trip full of good food, drink and not much else. If I am ever lucky enough to get back to Venice this is exactly how I would plan out my trip!
Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon was another one of my absolute favourite cities and one of the highlights of 2017 travel. We stayed in the most beautiful Air B'n'B. If you are looking at visiting Lisbon then feel free to send me a message on Instagram so I can share the details with you! Part of the reason I loved the city so much was down to the hospitality of our host, giving us local recommendations and making us extremely welcome.
I went to my first and only music festival abroad in Lisbon, NOS Alive, which was epic. One of the best parts of this trip was our day trip to Sintra, a UNESCO Heritage site which is too beautiful to try and do justice to in a few words. The first photo in this post was taken in Sintra and the whole place is as pretty as it looks. If you're looking for a chilled, summer weekend break in Europe then Lisbon would always be one of my top recommendations. This was the view from our Air B'n'B of dreams!
The cities I'd love to re-visit because I adored them
There are so many cities which could make this list as I tend to fall in love with most places I visit. It's rare that I dislike a city and usually within 10 minutes I can be found saying 'I love this place, let's live here some day!' These are my fave cities that I want to see more of as they are just that good.
New York, USA
New York is hands-down my favourite city I've been to and it was actually my first holiday outside of Europe. My visit was in 2009 and I feel like so much will have changed since then. I constantly look at flights and try to get a good deal, so I hope 2020 is the year I finally bite the bullet and either visit this year or book for next year. If you haven't been before then I would recommend it 100%, more than any other destination I have been to!
Tokyo, Japan
We had four nights in Tokyo in total during our 2018 Asian adventures which I thought was going to be plenty of time. Now that I have been once I can't emphasise enough how much there is to see. From the robot restaurant to cat hats and vegan sushi, there were so many reasons to fall in love with this crazy, neon city. I wrote a post with the 10 weird and wonderful reasons you should visit Tokyo, and I really must write some more blog posts about this epic place. Definitely a city to re-visit again and again, as I just can't imagine ever getting bored of it.
Copenhagen, Denmark
I will go on about Copenhagen to anyone who will listen as it completely blew me away. I didn't really know what to expect when we visited for a long weekend in 2019, but I fell in love with every aspect of this hygge place! I had read a few books about Copenhagen and hygge before we went which got me in a really excited mood for it, so maybe that helped. The food was perfect, the sights were amazing and it had a lovely atmosphere. Please check out my guide to visiting Copenhagen on a budget and promise me you will add this fantastic place to your European bucket list!
I would actually live in Copenhagen and wouldn't rule it out as an option if we ever decide to go back to expat life in future. My only wish (well two, actually) is that it was a little bit more affordable and that there were regular direct flights from Newcastle.
The cities I'd love to re-visit because I wasn't a fan
When I've written critically about places I have visited before people have jumped to their defence (quite rightly if it's somewhere you truly love!) I can't say that I have hated anywhere I visited as that wouldn't be fair. If you read my post about whether Croatia is worth a visit you will know I wasn't too sold on the country, but I know that many people love it so maybe I should go back one day. However, it doesn't make this list as I am not in a rush to go back. These are the cities I have visited once and for whatever reason they didn't click with me, but I would absolutely love to go back and be proven wrong!
Berlin, Germany
I didn't enjoy Berlin much. I feel like I'm in a total minority here. We visited in April 2017 and the weather was a total wash-out, so I do wonder if that had a big part to play in my experience. We stayed in a bad area (my fault) and got offered drugs when we walked out for dinner. It just wasn't for me, but I know it's loved by many so I would like to go back in summer and give it another try.
When looking at photos I found this one with blue skies, so the whole weekend can't have been a wash-out. Goes to show how things can stay fixated in your memory and maybe I didn't give the city a fair chance!
Paris, France
Yes, I know. How could anyone not love Paris? This is the question I have always asked myself as I have visited Paris three times and never really 'got it'. I was a child and then 20 years old though, so highly uncultured and probably not old enough to enjoy the romantic streets of the city.
I surprised my boyfriend with a Paris trip for Christmas as he loves the city, and I can't wait to go back with him in February 2020. Watch this space to see if I fall in love, and if I don't, I hope he loves it again! I have a feeling we will explore more of France soon so watch this space.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
I visited this city on my first ever trip abroad with work. Glamorous, right? Erm no, not at all. I was so terrified as I left the airport and saw the bullet-proof glass and when I got to my hotel I didn't go out and explore. I was in a gorgeous hotel right in Ipanema Beach and I didn't go out! When I look back I realise how ridiculous that was but I was only 22 and not used to going away alone.
Luckily after a few days of being sad in my room, I got a note under my door from colleagues who were also out there. A group of middle-aged blokes took me under their wing and my trip completely turned around! We explored Sugar Loaf mountain and Christ the Redeemer together and it was great. Now that I am more used to going abroad and seeing different cultures, I would love the chance to go back to Rio and see everything this colourful city has to offer.
Writing this post has got me feeling ready to book some trips, and I can't wait to re-visit some of these epic cities. I feel that modern travel culture encourages us to see more and more places, counting countries and adding to numbers more than going back to places we love. Partially Instagram's fault (I acknowledge that I am part of the problem!) and also how much experiences are valued over material possessions now. I'd love to know in the comments if there are any cities you would love to re-visit and why!
The cities I'd love to re-visit
As a travel blogger I always feel the pressure to visit new cities and take you all along with me. However, there are so many cities I would love to re-visit, either because I have unfinished business with them, or actually because I didn't fall in love the first time round. I don't feel that a short visit to a city is ever enough to form a permanent opinion so I would never tire of re-visiting the same places. Some of the cities I didn't form a bond with are really popular, so I would love to go back and give a second (or third) chance to the places that didn't float my boat.
Without further ado, here are the cities I would love to re-visit and why they each made the list.
The cities I'd love to re-visit: because I didn't see enough
In 2018 when I spent most of my year in Asia, I was lucky enough to 'tick off'' around 15 new cities, but sometimes I didn't have very long to explore. When I have visited places from my home in the UK, it has often been for a short weekend break which doesn't leave enough time to get deep into the heart and soul of a new place. The following cities sparked my interest but I felt that I couldn't do justice to them in a couple of days, so would absolutely love to go back.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
One of my favourite places I have ever visited was Kuala Lumpur in 2018 and I think it is a very underrated Asian city. We only scratched the surface of the nightlife in a weekend, and I could just stare at the gorgeous Petronas twin towers for ages. We didn't try enough street food, and the Batu steps pictured below have been painted with a rainbow of colour now, so there is so much to go back for. If you want to read about our short break in this epic city, check out my guide to 48 hours in Kuala Lumpur.
Dublin, Ireland
My one brief visit to Dublin in 2014 was a work trip for two days. It was mainly spent at a conference and although we did a city treasure hunt and visited the Guinness Factory, I still felt like there was way more to see. Given that it's such an easy, quick flight from Newcastle I'd love to re-visit the city. I think it would be make a fab girls' weekend away so if any of my gals are reading this, let's go!
Venice, Italy
If you caught my last post you will know how much I loved spending 24 hours in Venice in June 2019 but I left wanting more. 24 hours is enough time to see the city for sure but I enjoyed it so much that I would really love to spend a little longer there and check out the colourful island of Burano. Sometimes you just want a trip full of good food, drink and not much else. If I am ever lucky enough to get back to Venice this is exactly how I would plan out my trip!
Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon was another one of my absolute favourite cities and one of the highlights of 2017 travel. We stayed in the most beautiful Air B'n'B. If you are looking at visiting Lisbon then feel free to send me a message on Instagram so I can share the details with you! Part of the reason I loved the city so much was down to the hospitality of our host, giving us local recommendations and making us extremely welcome.
I went to my first and only music festival abroad in Lisbon, NOS Alive, which was epic. One of the best parts of this trip was our day trip to Sintra, a UNESCO Heritage site which is too beautiful to try and do justice to in a few words. The first photo in this post was taken in Sintra and the whole place is as pretty as it looks. If you're looking for a chilled, summer weekend break in Europe then Lisbon would always be one of my top recommendations. This was the view from our Air B'n'B of dreams!
The cities I'd love to re-visit because I adored them
There are so many cities which could make this list as I tend to fall in love with most places I visit. It's rare that I dislike a city and usually within 10 minutes I can be found saying 'I love this place, let's live here some day!' These are my fave cities that I want to see more of as they are just that good.
New York, USA
New York is hands-down my favourite city I've been to and it was actually my first holiday outside of Europe. My visit was in 2009 and I feel like so much will have changed since then. I constantly look at flights and try to get a good deal, so I hope 2020 is the year I finally bite the bullet and either visit this year or book for next year. If you haven't been before then I would recommend it 100%, more than any other destination I have been to!
Tokyo, Japan
We had four nights in Tokyo in total during our 2018 Asian adventures which I thought was going to be plenty of time. Now that I have been once I can't emphasise enough how much there is to see. From the robot restaurant to cat hats and vegan sushi, there were so many reasons to fall in love with this crazy, neon city. I wrote a post with the 10 weird and wonderful reasons you should visit Tokyo, and I really must write some more blog posts about this epic place. Definitely a city to re-visit again and again, as I just can't imagine ever getting bored of it.
Copenhagen, Denmark
I will go on about Copenhagen to anyone who will listen as it completely blew me away. I didn't really know what to expect when we visited for a long weekend in 2019, but I fell in love with every aspect of this hygge place! I had read a few books about Copenhagen and hygge before we went which got me in a really excited mood for it, so maybe that helped. The food was perfect, the sights were amazing and it had a lovely atmosphere. Please check out my guide to visiting Copenhagen on a budget and promise me you will add this fantastic place to your European bucket list!
I would actually live in Copenhagen and wouldn't rule it out as an option if we ever decide to go back to expat life in future. My only wish (well two, actually) is that it was a little bit more affordable and that there were regular direct flights from Newcastle.
The cities I'd love to re-visit because I wasn't a fan
When I've written critically about places I have visited before people have jumped to their defence (quite rightly if it's somewhere you truly love!) I can't say that I have hated anywhere I visited as that wouldn't be fair. If you read my post about whether Croatia is worth a visit you will know I wasn't too sold on the country, but I know that many people love it so maybe I should go back one day. However, it doesn't make this list as I am not in a rush to go back. These are the cities I have visited once and for whatever reason they didn't click with me, but I would absolutely love to go back and be proven wrong!
Berlin, Germany
I didn't enjoy Berlin much. I feel like I'm in a total minority here. We visited in April 2017 and the weather was a total wash-out, so I do wonder if that had a big part to play in my experience. We stayed in a bad area (my fault) and got offered drugs when we walked out for dinner. It just wasn't for me, but I know it's loved by many so I would like to go back in summer and give it another try.
When looking at photos I found this one with blue skies, so the whole weekend can't have been a wash-out. Goes to show how things can stay fixated in your memory and maybe I didn't give the city a fair chance!
Paris, France
Yes, I know. How could anyone not love Paris? This is the question I have always asked myself as I have visited Paris three times and never really 'got it'. I was a child and then 20 years old though, so highly uncultured and probably not old enough to enjoy the romantic streets of the city.
I surprised my boyfriend with a Paris trip for Christmas as he loves the city, and I can't wait to go back with him in February 2020. Watch this space to see if I fall in love, and if I don't, I hope he loves it again! I have a feeling we will explore more of France soon so watch this space.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
I visited this city on my first ever trip abroad with work. Glamorous, right? Erm no, not at all. I was so terrified as I left the airport and saw the bullet-proof glass and when I got to my hotel I didn't go out and explore. I was in a gorgeous hotel right in Ipanema Beach and I didn't go out! When I look back I realise how ridiculous that was but I was only 22 and not used to going away alone.
Luckily after a few days of being sad in my room, I got a note under my door from colleagues who were also out there. A group of middle-aged blokes took me under their wing and my trip completely turned around! We explored Sugar Loaf mountain and Christ the Redeemer together and it was great. Now that I am more used to going abroad and seeing different cultures, I would love the chance to go back to Rio and see everything this colourful city has to offer.
Writing this post has got me feeling ready to book some trips, and I can't wait to re-visit some of these epic cities. I feel that modern travel culture encourages us to see more and more places, counting countries and adding to numbers more than going back to places we love. Partially Instagram's fault (I acknowledge that I am part of the problem!) and also how much experiences are valued over material possessions now. I'd love to know in the comments if there are any cities you would love to re-visit and why!
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