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28 Trips in 12 Months! My 2017 round-up

Happy New Year Guys! I hope you all had the most amazing week or two off work indulging in gluttonous food and enjoying your loved one’s company, I know I did 😀 We spent 5 days on a boat trip here in The Philippines without any signal or electricity and taking those precious days off was absolutely everything to me! 


Last year really was a crazy one for me with 28 trips abroad in just 12 months and 23 countries visited. It’s been an absolute whirlwind and I’ve loved every moment. My travels have allowed me to explore and experience some truly amazing cultures and my photo album of magnificent scenery is endless! The best bit? I’ve been able to enjoy these adventures with people who I truly love and enjoy the company of. Whether it’s been new faces or my friends and family I’ve had the most amazing company on my travels this year. To recap, I welcomed in 2017 in Australia and then continued to hop around the world from there on out…….here’s the full list in order of my visits 🙂

1. Australia, where I travelled from the Cairns all the way down to Sydney road trippin’ with Mr C. Here we saw the amazing Great Barrier Reef from above and below, I fell in deeper in love with the Australian Fashion houses, sailed the whitsunday islands, discovered that Auzzies make THE best coffees and Mems had a near death experience of being stung by a box jelly fish! (Read More…..)

2. Rome was my next trip with Inge Mae, here we woke up to the hustle and bustle of pantheon square, froze our noses off eating ice cream in Vatican City and spent the evening indulging in all our Italian favourites! (Read More…..)

3. Mauritius was my next escape also with Inge and it was here that I lived out my life long dream of swimming with wild dolphins as well as being witness to some of my favourite sunsets of all time, all the while learning how to use my beloved DJI drone, we named him Dave 😉 (Read More…..)

4. Malaysia was my next stop with Mama C. Having inherited my adventure gene from her, Malaysia was her request for our annual mother daughter trip. Here I discovered the untouched beauty of the beaches, came face to face with rehabilitated orang-utans and had a breakfast of dreams! (Read More…..)

5. Thailand was next on the list, after a short stay at home and this time my ultimate adventure buddy Aimee came with. We swam through the crystal clear seas with mermaid fins for flippers, giggled our way through storms and fitted in as many foot massages as we possibly could within one day! I also introduced her to the madness of Bangkok! (Read More…..)

6. Sweden was my next adventure. this time with my gorgeous sister. She got married last year and before the reality of adult life kicked in Samantha had always dreamed of having a wedding in the snow with huskies as her chariot. Having opted for a beach wedding instead I surprised her with a trip to Swedish Lapland as her wedding present. Here we froze in fear watching a glimpse of the Northern lights, mushed our way across frozen lakes with our pack and became kids again sleighing through the local hills. (Read More…..)

7. My next escape was to Barbados with another one of my besties, Emma. Here we hung out with the locals drinking bottled beer, discovered hidden beaches and enjoyed the adult luxury of an all inclusive bar! (Read More…..)

8. Palm Island was the second part of my trip to The Caribbean with Emma. The resort that is it’s very own island was the Maldives of that side of the world. We swam in the bluest waters with turtles and stingrays (with Emma bravely facing her snorkelling fears!), rode bikes round the lush scenery and enjoyed our bed being just a few footsteps away from the white sandy beach.  (Read More…..)

9. After exploring in the Caribbean I headed off to the Greek island of Crete. It was a few days spent in luxury at Daios Cove before the heat of the summer kicked in, travelling with some amazing journalists, one of whom is now a close friend. We sailed out to Spinalonga island on a private yacht and I once again, fell in love with the bright blues of the Agean Sea. (Read More…..)

10. Madrid was my next escape, to celebrate one of my best friend’s hen dos! We had amazing weather and spent the days sipping Sangria and the evenings dancing our way onto vodka 😉 We took some paddle boats out on the lake with ice creams and it was such a sentimental few days for me, seeing how happy my friend was surrounded by her best friends and family!

11. Shortly after I headed back to Crete for the trip of the year, my sister’s wedding! She chose such an amazing beachside venue for her big day and we stayed in the very same hotel that they said their vows at. Nothing really prepares you for a loved one’s wedding day and my sister is the most precious girl in the whole world to me so if I’m honest it was all a bit of a whimsical blur but I know that we all had the BEST day and I’m so over the moon she found her prince! (Read More…..)

12. My sister was married just a few days before my 30th Birthday so we headed straight from Crete to celebrate in Tanzania’s Serengeti. Travelling as often as I do, people ask me where my favourite hotels and destinations are all the time and this year my existing favourites were pipped to the post by The Four Seasons’s Serengeti. The most memorable travel experience of 2017 was without a doubt waking up to wild elephants drinking from the watering hole just metres from my hotel room. It was probably my favourite blog post to write and without a doubt the best birthday ever!!! (Read More…..)

13. Whilst in Tanzania on Safari we took a beachy detour to the white isle of Zanzibar and it was bliss! I didn’t know too much about the island before our visit but I was blown away by how beautiful it is. The beaches are pristine and the water is such an enviable blue. We stayed at White Sand Luxury Villas and I am already desperate to return! (Read More…..)

14. After Safari I headed to Portugal with my friend Olivia Cox for a little healthy R&R. It was such a lovely long weekend of fitness and fun, we went to the gym twice daily and jogged up into the sunny mountains to watch the sunsets. (Read More…..)

15. I then headed to the states for the first time in 2017, to Miami baby! I was in the US as part of a group press trip so I met some great like-minded international girlies.  We had the best time getting to know each other and snapping away pictures, we had a such fab itinerary curtesy of the tourism board. I ate some of the best food of the year in Miami and it was such a great little trip to the sunshine. I’d love to go back to Miami this year, I’m already craving all the yummy veggie food! (Read More…..)

16. After a few days at home I headed straight back out to the states to celebrate my 30th birthday once again 😉 This time to VEGAS. It was my 7th time in the city with my ultimate vegas queen bestie, Aimee and the week spent at pool parties was just as epic as ever! We also took a short road-trip to The Horseshoe bend in Arizona and although we both nearly dies of heat exhaustion, it was one of my favourite days on 2017. (Read More…..)

17. From the US I then headed to Canada, surprising my amazing friend Julie who had recently become mummy to the cutest baby girl in the world. We spent 10 days living a typical Canadian life and I loved every, single, moment. We took boats up the river to find secluded sandbanks, camped by open fires on hidden beaches and drank cider like it was water 😉 We also ventured to niagara which was such an amazing experience and we saw the mighty falls in every which was possible. (Read More…..)

18. Tahiti was our next lavish adventure. Whilst I had a big birthday this year Mems also hit a milestone age, 40. So to celebrate his big day we flew out to the paradise islands of Tahiti. It was actually my dream destination but I managed to wangle the trip as his birthday present to himself 😉 Here we witnessed an adult humpback whale entirely breach out of the sea and it was the single best highlight of my year. We also indulged in one of the most amazing hotel rooms at Conrad Bora Bora, we had a water villa with a sunset viewing hammock and plunge pool, we didn’t leave the room for dinner once! (Read More…..)

19. We stopped off in LA for a day on the way back from Tahiti and just spent the hours wandering along venice beach and having some amazing meals. It wouldn’t have been right for me to spend a whole year without fitting in a trip to Cali! (Read More…..)

20. My next trip away was to Sardinia. This trip was such a pleasant surprise for me, I travelled once again with a group of travel journalists to review a hotel and it just so happened to boast the best beach in Italy. The location was stunning and I was in so much shock that somewhere so beautiful was just a few hours away from home.  (Read More…..)

21. I then headed to Costa Rica for my favourite ‘press trip’ of the year. Naturally the trips I most enjoy are the ones I’ve booked and paid for myself with Mems or friends but I am also so fortunate to travel often as part of an inclusive press trip with fellow bloggers or journalists. They are always fun and I learn something new from every escape but Costa Rica was by far my favourite this year. The country exceeded all my expectations, I’ve never felt closer to nature and been more in awe of just how wonderful and precious our world is. I would recommend Costa Rica to anyone looking for their next escape, in fact one of my besties is heading there for their honeymoon on my recommendation. (Read More…..)

22. Qatar was my next adventure and the the short trip was probably one of the most extravagant of my hosted escapes. The city blew me away and our itinerary was incredible. From breakfast on a helipad to dune bashing in the desert we had such a ball, we were also treated to a completely coincidental show from the Red Arrows which was another one of my ultimate highlights of 2017. If ever I fly via Doha again I’ll be stopping off for sure!  (Read More…..)

23. After the middle-east I flew to Zakynthos. I headed out to the small greek island to shoot a campaign and although I had expected the island to be beautiful, from the moment we arrived I was completely shell shocked. The famous Navagio Shipwreck Beach is one of the most stunning scenes I’ve ever witnessed in Europe. Some of my favourite pictures of the year were snapped here 🙂 (Read More…..)

24. Mr C and I then headed to Saint Lucia, which was a really awesome week away. I had always wanted to travel to Saint Lucia to see those iconic two pitons from the sea and explore the rainforest lands with waterfalls. It was great to work with Mems on a campaign too, it was actually our first official duo job so we felt pretty proud of ourselves. (Read More…..)

25. I then went on a short trip to Lanzarote where I indulged in more cheese and honey than my arteries would care to re-think about! I was so shocked with just how warm the island was, in just four hours from London where it was in the minus celsius count we arrived to a sunbath-able 20 plus degrees! I had always heard the tales of the canary islands sunshine during our winter but I never quite believed just how hot it could be! (Read More…..)

26. A re-visit to my number one hotel was next on my travel agenda. The Conrad Maldives. I have travelled to this ‘hotel of dreams’ 3 times now and every single visit touches my heart in a different way. This particular trip we saw the best weather possible and it was my first trip travelling with my mega talented cousin Angela who filmed the most amazing few videos for me and I was named the Guest Director of Inspiration of the hotel which was probably one of my favourite career moments of the year. (Read More…..)

27. After the Maldives I headed out to Orlando Florida. This last minute trip away was such a fun few days and I met some mega girl bosses who I have already planned to travel again with! We spent our mornings shopping, our afternoons enjoying the famous theme parks and our evenings drinking wine and singing disney songs, it was a pretty epic few days 😉 (Read More…..)

28. My final trip of the year and where I am now currently typing from was to The Philippines and whilst I am still discovering the beauty of these islands I have already fallen in love!! To be continued……….

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2 Comments

  1. Caroline Hind
    January 7, 2018 / 11:07 am

    So enjoyed watching you on all your travels. Enjoyed every second. Looking forward to where you will take me in 2018 xxx

  2. AIMEE
    January 27, 2018 / 2:14 am

    Wow how inspiring!

    Glad to have spent two of those epic trips with you 🙂 even if we did nearly die of heat exhaustion! 😉

    Roll on 2018 x

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