This year has been a big travel year for me. I’ve travelled to more than 30 towns and cities across Europe and America, ate a ton of great food, climbed 15 towers and visited a lot of Christmas markets. Below I share 50 photos of my travels throughout the year, arranged from January to December. I hope you enjoy them!
My 2018 travel adventures kicked off in the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen. This is the furtherest North that I’ve ever been.My timing here was perfect. I happen to walk by the royal stables just as the horses entered the arena.This was my first time in Washington DC. What I liked most about the city: all the historical monuments, the White House and wide-open spaces. It’s the opposite of NYC.This was my second trip in New York City. This time around I went to the Top of the Rock.View of Manhattan from the water. I highly recommend doing a cruise when you travel to New York, or take the Staten Island ferry which is completely free of charge.I’m not a fan of Paris, but I adore Montmartre.My favourite thing to do in Colmar is just to walk around and take photographs. I’m happy to say that Colmar is a town that is even more beautiful in real life than on photos. It a lot of ways, Strasbourg is similar to Colmar, only bigger. Just look at the architecture.There’s definitely a huge benefit if you travel during off-peak seasons. Strasbourg and Colmar were practically deserted in February, which is a great time to take photos.At the end of winter, we had a huge snowfall in Amsterdam.Frozen Amsterdam canals covered in snow.Zurich is magical! I don’t know what else to say except that I had one of the best weekends of my life here.It’s difficult to describe how impressive the gardens at Keukenhof are. We’re talking hundreds of thousands of flowers in bloom.The white houses of Lindos. This was my first trip to Greece.It’s difficult to beat this panoramic view from the ancient Acropolis on the hill just above Lindos.Beach babe…I wish. I look dreadful in almost all my beach photos. This one isn’t too shabby though…Watching the sunset in Amsterdam during summer.The annual Gouda Cheese Market is something to experience. People dressed up in period clothing wearing clogs and tossing cheese wheels onto the back of a wagon. What more could you want? Free cheese! You’ve got it.Can you guess my favourite building in Florence? If you said the duomo then you’re absolutely right! In fact, it’s one of my favourite churches in the world.What you see as you climb Giotto’s Campanile.Watching the sunset over the Ponte Vecchio.The harbour of Riomaggiore.Probably the most iconic view of the Cinque Terre. Everybody flocks to Manarola to see it.Corniglia suprised me in a good way. I think it’s the most underrated village in the Cinque Terre because it isn’t next to the Ligurian sea.I’ve been to the Cinque Terre three time now and Vernazza is still my favourite village. Why? Because it’s gorgeous!Monterosso al Mare has the best beaches of all the Cinque Terre towns.The Leaning Tower of Pisa. I highly recommend climbing the tower if you have the time.The Milan Cathedral was a bittersweet experience for me. I loved the church but I hate the hawkers that hassle you in the square.I have a thing for Gothic architecture, specifically churches. Who doesn’t love creepy gargoyles protruding from the side of a building?The colourful main market square of Ostrava. I was in the city to attend a travel conference.Ostrava has a long industrial heritage. It was fascinating to see the old mines and plants. The other side of Ostrava. I visited my first cat cafe in the city and I loved every second of it. Feline love is the best!To me, Český Krumlov was unreal, like it was ripped from the pages of a fairy tale. As medieval villages go, you’ll have to search very far to find a prettier one… St. Vitus Church in Český Krumlov.Prague is one of the prettiest and cheapest capitals in Europe. This is a view of the city from Castle Hill.Prague as seen from the Old Town Tower.The main market square of Bruges as seen from the Belfry. Don’t you think the guild houses look like lego blocks from up high?Next to Oia, Pyrgos is my favourite village on Santorini. I loved the traditional cave homes and as far as tourists go, only a few visit this village making it less crowded than the rest of the island.The hiking trail from the Prophet Elias Monastery to Ancient Thira. I came across nobody else on the trail and it was great to be alone in nature, taking in the beauty of the island.The famous blue domes of Oia. Even during the off-peak season, this part of town is crazy busy. The trick is to come here early before all the crowds roll in to watch the sunset.This iconic view of Oia is everything!I was surprised to find that only a few people watch the sunset in Oia on the steps down to Almoudi Bay. I capitalised on the lack of humans by taking a lot of selfies here. Also, I love my legs in this photo.In my opinion, the best view of Verona is from Castel San Pietr. I love the pastel colours of the city, it’s a very romantic destination indeed. St. Nicholas’ Church in Hamburg was nearly completely destroyed during World War II. Instead of rebuilding the church, the tower and some of the walls were preserved and today it serves as a memorial against war. This year I discovered that I have a thing for church doors…Well, doors that look like the one above! So much detail goes into it and years and years of labour. You can find this door on the Bremen Cathedral.If you’ve read my recent articles, you’ll know that I love Ferris Wheels. If there’s one at a Christmas market, I’m going to ride it. This is a beautiful view of Ghent at sunset.My favourite thing about Cologne is the Cathedral. It’s massive and one of the tallest churches in the world. You can get one of the best views of the Cathedral when you cross the Rhine River.One of the prettiest parts of Nuremberg. Do you agree?The very last city I travelled to this year was Berlin. I loved Berlin eleven years ago when I first visited and I still love it.
My travel stats for 2018
Some interesting stats for the year.
Countries visited: 9
New countries visited: 2 (Greece and Denmark)
Flights taken: 12
Train rides: 14 (excluding daily travel)
Bus rides: 22 (excluding daily travel)
Number of hours spent on busses: approximately 123 (Oof that’s hard!)
Number of towers climbed: 15
What will 2019 bring?
Honestly, I have no idea. I have no set travel plans for next year, except to visit my family in Australia and a cruise from Copenhagen to Norway. I want to visit Italy again because I love the country, and I’d love to check out rare wildlife somewhere (preferably Asia or South America) and get back to nature. But not knowing is also the cool part, isn’t it? Embracing the unknown. I hope your 2019 is filled with adventure and love!
I’m a travel fanatic, nature lover, geek, metalhead, and writer. My promise to you: transparency, depth, and passion. Keep it real and stay weird everybody!
