Hola amigos! As I sit here on this windy and rainy Tuesday, I am day dreaming about sipping on a strawberry mojito in Bali but alas I might have to wait a few months (or years) for that to happen. For anyone who knows me, or if you don't, I love making lists (and travelling). I even have a 'travel listography' that asks you everything from oceans you've swam in to the most memorable people you've met on your travels. Like a lot of people, I have this desire to travel but forget that I hopefully have another 60 years on earth to do so and don't have to rush to see the world now. However, we all know life can throw a lot of surprises your way that may get in the way of that, so I have embarked on a challenge to visit 30 countries before my 30th birthday.
The Journey So Far
1. Spain 🇪🇸
So for those of you who don't know I live in Gibraltar which borders the South of Spain, which means I pretty much visit this country on a weekly basis. Now that I've finished uni and back in Gibraltar indefinitely I'd like to explore more of the country - particularly Seville so I can pretend I'm in Game of Thrones.
Read my Barcelona guide here.
Read my Barcelona guide here.
2. France 🇫🇷
I first went to France (Paris) when I was 5 years old and then again when I was 9 to spend my birthday in Disneyland. I'd like to visit again as an adult and maybe skip on the theme parks, mainly to eat and practice my French.
3. United Kingdom 🇬🇧
3a. England - Ok so I basically lived in Bournemouth/London for 4 years so this kind of became home, but before that I did venture to Brighton, Bath, Sheffield and Manchester to name a few. I'm still yet to visit Newcastle and Liverpool!
Read my Bournemouth guide here.
Read my Bournemouth guide here.
3b. Scotland - I was originally going to study in Edinburgh, but decided I'd probably be a block of ice by second semester, so opted for the slightly warmer South of England. My first night out in the UK was spent in Glasgow and it definitely didn't disappoint.
3c. Wales - I actually 'lived' in Swansea for a month whilst I was having corrective jaw surgery, I didn't get to see Cardiff at this point because frankly my face looked like a balloon and I didn't want to be seen in public/student central. However I paid another visit here to see my friend/cousin who both studied there, and now my sister and cousin are there too so I'll probably be back.
4. Germany 🇩🇪
I visited Berlin last year and after a sunny few days in Amsterdam the cold hit as hard, there's nothing worse than doing a walking tour when it's raining and you can't feel your fingers, but the club we went to was 5 rooms and was POPPING.
Read my Berlin guide here.
Read my Berlin guide here.
5. The Netherlands 🇳🇱
I tried to visit Amsterdam 3 times before finally going last year, and it was as if I had stepped into a postcard. We had a lot of cheese samples, tried bitterballen and I almost got hit by a tram whilst on a bike ride.
Read my Amsterdam guide here.
Read my Amsterdam guide here.
6. Portugal 🇵🇹
We can be in Portugal within a 3 hour drive so I've seen a few areas here, my first trip was just after MM had gone missing so 13 year old me was a bit creeped out. I quite enjoyed Lisbon and the Algarve is always nice for some summer relaxation.
Read my Lisbon guide here.
Read my Lisbon guide here.
7. Italy 🇮🇹
I definitely need to go back here as my experience wasn't the best. We stopped in Rome on our cruise and it was beyond hot, beyond busy and my pizza wasn't the best. However I do love Italian food so I need to give it another shot, maybe in Milan.
Funnily enough, Milan was my next Italian stop. I spent a weekend here reuniting with my friend Sarah-Jane who I hadn't seen in 3 years to see 5 Seconds of Summer, and of course have a night out partying until 5am.
Read my Milan travel guide here.
Funnily enough, Milan was my next Italian stop. I spent a weekend here reuniting with my friend Sarah-Jane who I hadn't seen in 3 years to see 5 Seconds of Summer, and of course have a night out partying until 5am.
Read my Milan travel guide here.
8. Hungary ðŸ‡ðŸ‡º
Budapest is probably one of the most beautiful cities I've visited - it's got culture, history, great food (Goulash) and if you fancy it you can get your 10,000 steps done in a morning in 'Buda'.
Read my Budapest guide here.
Read my Budapest guide here.
9. Denmark 🇩🇰
This is probably the shortest and most packed trip I've ever done as we were here for literally 48 hours as I couldn't take any more days off work. I came back 1kg heavier and with chilblains (and a book about Hygge), but was worth it.
Read my Copenhagen guide here.
Read my Copenhagen guide here.
10. Sweden 🇸🇪
This was a memorable trip for many reasons. Firstly it was my first time seeing snow, secondly it was a fam trip so it was complimentary, and we got to see the best of everything. That meant Abba museum, dinner on ice and I even got to experience the Northern Lights.
Read my Stockholm/Lulea guide here.
Read my Stockholm/Lulea guide here.
11. USA 🇺🇸
Read about my study abroad semester here.
Read my New York guide here.
Read my Miami guide here.
12. India 🇮🇳
Read my guide to accommodation in Kerala here.
Read my Kerala travel guide here.
13. Morocco 🇲🇦
I can't believe it took me so long to visit since it's just a 45 minute ferry ride away, but I finally did in September. The beef Tagine was the most delicious thing I've ever tasted.
Read my Tangiers travel guide here.
Read my Tangiers travel guide here.
14. Czech Republic 🇨🇿
I'd seen many pictures of Prague and as soon as we reached the city centre it was exactly like i'd imagined. I tried pork knuckle because it seemed to be a delicacy, and I really wish I hadn't.
Read my Prague travel guide here.
15. Poland 🇵🇱
Out of our mini Eurotrip Krakow was probably my favourite. It was a lot prettier than expected, it felt like we were in a fairytale. The food was cheap and delicious, and of course the place is full of fascinating history.
Read my Krakow travel guide here.
16. Norway 🇳🇴
I wish we would have had time to venture out of Oslo as that's probably where we would have found the nicer Fjords and picturesque views. We did have some great waffles here.
Read my Oslo travel guide here.
17. Malta 🇲🇹
This was probably one of the funniest trips I've had in a long time, and funnily enough the 3 people I travelled with didn't even know each other that well. Goes to show mixing your company sometimes leads to great memories. Malta had a great mix of everything - history, beaches and nightlife.
Read my Malta travel guide here.
I was luckily enough to be chosen as a participant for #ExperienceBucharest so I found out only two weeks earlier that I was going. I got to reunite with my Kerala roommate Diana, dance on a mary-go-round eating candyfloss, and relax in the thermal spa with a cocktail in hand.
Read my Bucharest travel guide here.
I was so excited for this trip as it was probably going to be one biggest culture differences in terms of the countries I've visited. I loved all their matcha snacks, singing karaoke in our own private booth at Karaoke Kan, seeing Mount Fuji and Harajuku street were probably my highlights. Sad we missed out on cherry blossom season though!
Read my Tokyo travel guide here.
Read my Kyoto travel guide here.
The Philippines was a dream, and after spending a week freezing in Japan, the 30 degree weather was perfect. I definately did things out of my comfort zone here and it was amazing - swimming with whale sharks, canyoneering and jumping off high waterfalls. As a foodie, I probably ate the best here on my Asia trip and loved that you could get a three course meal for like, £12. In terms of Manila, I would have only stayed 1 or 2 nights instead of 3.
Read my Philippines guide here.
After watching Crazy Rich Asians, I was even more buzzing to go here and go to some of the film locations. Gardens By the Bay was breathtaking, and of course we had to make time for a trip to Universal Studios. The Transformers ride was insane!!
Read my Singapore guide here.
I've officially been in Australia for 5 months and so much has happened since! I've still got another 5 months to go, and I can't wait to explore more of this country. I've been making my way through my oz bucketlist - holding a koala, seeing kangaroos, surfing, Noosa, Surfer's Paradise, drinking goon. I still have to tick off the Sydney Opera House!
Read my guide to eating in Melbourne here.
Read my guide to visiting Surfers Paradise here.
Read my guide to eating in Brisbane here.
18. Slovakia 🇸🇰
When my mum asked what I wanted for my birthday, I went on Skyscanner and searched 'Everywhere' and flights to Bratislava popped up for £80 return so that was that. As you can imagine, we spent most of our trip making Eurotrip jokes.
19. Austria 🇦🇹
We literally had less than 24 hours in Vienna, and that my friends, was not enough. We literally got to Museum quarter, had a 360 look and then had to run back to make our walking tour in time. I must return!
20. Romania 🇷🇴
I was luckily enough to be chosen as a participant for #ExperienceBucharest so I found out only two weeks earlier that I was going. I got to reunite with my Kerala roommate Diana, dance on a mary-go-round eating candyfloss, and relax in the thermal spa with a cocktail in hand.
Read my Bucharest travel guide here.
21. Belgium 🇧🇪
I'm proud at how much my mum and myself accomplished in a weekend here - a day in Brussels and a day in Bruges. We somehow still managed to see all the points of interest, ate 3 waffles and sampled chocolate in almost every shop.
22. Japan 🇯🇵
I was so excited for this trip as it was probably going to be one biggest culture differences in terms of the countries I've visited. I loved all their matcha snacks, singing karaoke in our own private booth at Karaoke Kan, seeing Mount Fuji and Harajuku street were probably my highlights. Sad we missed out on cherry blossom season though!
Read my Tokyo travel guide here.
Read my Kyoto travel guide here.
23. Philippines 🇵ðŸ‡
The Philippines was a dream, and after spending a week freezing in Japan, the 30 degree weather was perfect. I definately did things out of my comfort zone here and it was amazing - swimming with whale sharks, canyoneering and jumping off high waterfalls. As a foodie, I probably ate the best here on my Asia trip and loved that you could get a three course meal for like, £12. In terms of Manila, I would have only stayed 1 or 2 nights instead of 3.
Read my Philippines guide here.
24. Singapore 🇸🇬
After watching Crazy Rich Asians, I was even more buzzing to go here and go to some of the film locations. Gardens By the Bay was breathtaking, and of course we had to make time for a trip to Universal Studios. The Transformers ride was insane!!
Read my Singapore guide here.
25. Australia 🇦🇺
I've officially been in Australia for 5 months and so much has happened since! I've still got another 5 months to go, and I can't wait to explore more of this country. I've been making my way through my oz bucketlist - holding a koala, seeing kangaroos, surfing, Noosa, Surfer's Paradise, drinking goon. I still have to tick off the Sydney Opera House!
Read my guide to eating in Melbourne here.
Read my guide to visiting Surfers Paradise here.
Read my guide to eating in Brisbane here.
26. Fiji 🇫🇯
I never thought I'd get to visit Fiji until my future honeymoon, but luckily living in Australia meant that it was a short (and relatively inexpensive) flight away! The people there were so welcoming and there were just happy vibes everywhere. The highlight for me was probably visiting a Fijian village and spending time eating and dancing with the locals.
27. New Zealand 🇳🇿
New Zealand was a great contrast to Australia. If you're more into mountain treks, greenery and all the formations you learn about in GCSE Geography, head to NZ. Wellington was probably my favourite city, but I loved all the adventure that Taupo and Rotorua had to offer. I'd love to go back and explore the South Island someday!
28. Indonesia 🇮🇩
I can't believe it took me this long to visit Bali! I did originally want to explore some more of Indonesia but I didn't have many more days to work with. It was what I expected, humid and full of tourists but nevertheless I had a great time. The local food was great as was all the instagram worthy cafes, it's definitely somewhere I'd like to visit again with my partner as there were a lot of activities and experiences aimed at couples here!
29. Malaysia 🇲🇾
I actually spent 3 days here on my own and not only was it slightly daunting, but as I was in the airport leaving Bali with my friends the news about Covid19 broke out, so obviously I thought that I was going to get to Malaysia and die alone because there was 1 case in the whole country. I still had a good time and just used GoJek (Asia's Uber) to get around everywhere instead of stressing about public transport.
The Wish List
Ok so this is hard because I practically want to go everywhere (where the likelihood of me being eaten alive or murdered are relatively low) but I've managed to narrow it down to where I'd like to and can probably visit in the next couple of years.
Europe
Iceland
Russia
Finland
Slovenia
Asia
Thailand
Cambodia
Sri Lanka
China
Africa
South Africa
North America
New Orleans, USA
Nashville, USA
Canada
South America
Peru
Argentina
Brazil
Ecuador
Colombia
Asia
Thailand
Cambodia
Sri Lanka
China
Africa
South Africa
North America
New Orleans, USA
Nashville, USA
Canada
South America
Peru
Argentina
Brazil
Ecuador
Colombia
I know travel isn't about who's been to more countries, but as I said I love lists, and having this post means I have a reminder of each place I've visited, the experience I had and the memories that were made #cringe. What's on the top of your travel bucket list?
Side note, if any of you fancy adding a postcard to my wall I love receiving them with a little message about your trip!
Side note, if any of you fancy adding a postcard to my wall I love receiving them with a little message about your trip!
G
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