COUNTRY LIST | WHERE I'VE BEEN, WHERE I'M GOING AND WHERE I WANT TO GO.

Wednesday 31 January 2018

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.

post cards


The Journey So Far



1. Spain ðŸ‡ªðŸ‡¸


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. 

2. France ðŸ‡«ðŸ‡·


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 ðŸ‡¬ðŸ‡§


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. 

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 ðŸ‡©ðŸ‡ª


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.

5. The Netherlands  ðŸ‡³ðŸ‡± 


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.

6. Portugal ðŸ‡µðŸ‡¹


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

7. Italy ðŸ‡®ðŸ‡¹


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

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. 

9. Denmark ðŸ‡©ðŸ‡°


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. 

10. Sweden ðŸ‡¸ðŸ‡ª


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.

11. USA ðŸ‡ºðŸ‡¸


I spent 5 months living in Florida (cries I want to go back) and had the time of my life. If it wasn't so hard to find employment there I'd probably go back. I managed to see New York and Miami whilst I was out there too, although I'd love to visit New Orleans in the future.

Read about my study abroad semester here
Read my New York guide here
Read my Miami guide here

12. India ðŸ‡®ðŸ‡³


It's almost been a year since I was selected for Kerala Blog Express and it definitely was a trip of a lifetime. This was my first time travelling to the Asian continent and the hospitality, experience and just everything was incredible.

Read my guide to accommodation in Kerala here.
Read my Kerala travel guide here.

13. Morocco ðŸ‡²ðŸ‡¦


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. 

14. Czech Republic ðŸ‡¨ðŸ‡¿


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 ðŸ‡µðŸ‡±


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 ðŸ‡³ðŸ‡´


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 ðŸ‡²ðŸ‡¹

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. 

18. Slovakia ðŸ‡¸ðŸ‡°


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 ðŸ‡¦ðŸ‡¹


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 ðŸ‡·ðŸ‡´


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 ðŸ‡§ðŸ‡ª


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 ðŸ‡¯ðŸ‡µ


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‡µðŸ‡­


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 ðŸ‡«ðŸ‡¯ 

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 ðŸ‡³ðŸ‡¿

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 ðŸ‡®ðŸ‡©

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 ðŸ‡²ðŸ‡¾

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. 


30. Vietnam 


Couldn't have pictured a better trip to have before Covid kicked in! We ate loads of good food, we partied on an island, we stayed in hostels, we stayed in resorts, I threw up on 3 times on a day trip because I was hungover, we cried at the War Remnants Museum, we sang karaoke in Da Nang, and gained about 50 new Instagram followers with all the people we met. Whether you're looking for mountain treks, paradise beaches or adventure - Vietnam has it. 

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
  • Bulgaria
  • Croatia
  • Cyprus
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • Greece
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Monaco
  • Russia
  • Slovenia
  • Switzerland
  • Turkey
  • Ukraine

Asia
  • Cambodia
  • China
  • Laos 
  • Sri Lanka
  • South Korea
  • Thailand


Africa

  • South Africa
  • Tanzania


North America

  • Los Angeles, CA (USA)
  • Las Vegas, NV (USA)
  • New Orleans, LA (USA)
  • Nashville, TN (USA)
  • Austin, TX (USA)
  • Canada
  • Aruba
  • Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Cuba
  • Dominican Republic 
  • Haiti
  • Jamaica
  • Puerto Rico

Central America

  • Costa Rica
  • Mexico

South America

  • Argentina
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Ecuador
  • Peru
  • Uruguay 


Oceania
  • French Polynesia 







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! 

G







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