WHERE SHOULD YOU TRAVEL TO?

Travelling is a big part of my personality and I will be exploring our beautiful planet for the rest of my life (I hope to anyway). I've been to many countries in Asia, a lot more than I have in Europe. All these trips happened when I was younger so I wasn't able to appreciate the cultures and sceneries as much as I would now, however, I remember them like I was there yesterday. Asia is a BIG ASS continent so next year I am hoping to travel around to a lot more countries whilst I am living abroad in China.
There have been a few major highlights through my life...Sadly, a lot of these places have changed for the worst because of tourism, environmental issues and some other nasty factors. I was very lucky to visit these places before they started developing further. Sadly, they will never look the same as to when I was there, but they are still stunning places.
This year has definitely been my lucky year as I have been fortunate enough to stay in some of the most breath-taking places, and they will of course be mentioned in the list below.

PHUKET, THAILAND

A beautifully quiet, yet incredibly popular destination. The crystal clear water and white coloured sand makes this place look unreal. Sadly, a lot of the land and cultured buildings were destroyed after the tsunami in 2004. However, the town has been rebuilt and renovated, and although it will never look the same, it is still a place you should NOT miss off of you bucket list!
Phuket was a perfect holiday destination for us at the time we went because it was child-friendly, lots of families and children the same age as us (we always made friends with another family) and it was always quiet at the times we went there; Christmas spent on the beach was not one to forget. 

BALI 

Bali in general is becoming more and more known for travelling to for backpackers and gap year students. 

Nusa Dua was where we would always holiday to, located in South Bali. There would be a big group of us, about 5 or 6 families, and it would be so much fun as we would make the most of the holidays; do all the waterspouts available and stay at the nicest resorts. 

Kuta and Seminyak are the destinations known for backpackers to travel to as they have many hostels around and the areas are reasonably cheap, especially compared to Nusa Dua! Kuta is famous for its very good surfing beaches; time to get those surf boards out and get surfing! As well as Phuket, Bali should definitely be on your travel bucket list, I couldn't recommend it enough, I will be going back myself very soon! 

These next three places I have been lucky enough to visit this year and, without a doubt, have been the highlights of this year. 

JIUZHAI GOU, SICHUAN PROVINCE, CHINA

Jiuzhai Gou is a hidden yet lively town situated in the valley of the mountains just outside of Chengdu, China, in the Sichuan Province. Based in this town, which explains it's popular status, is the Jiuzhai Gou National Park, shown above. This park is filled with outstanding nature, scenic mountainous views and eye-catching lakes. I have never been to a place in China before with such beautiful surroundings. It took a painful 10 hour bus journey to get there from Chengdu but I would do it all over again to see those magnificent views.

The place we stayed in was a homestay which was a bit pricey but the family was so welcoming and the house was just something else. If I get a chance to re-visit this beautiful town, I would definitely stay at the same house.

Go over to my blog post about my Easter trip in China to read more about the wonderful places I was lucky enough to visit.

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, USA

Probably the highlight of my year was being able to stay in the valley of Yosemite National Park, accommodation was called Curry Village, right in the heart of the park. The Half Dome was our view as we were walking to breakfast each morning; it was an unforgettable moment. I was hesitating whether to share my photographs on social media because they just don't do it justice.
Yosemite National Park is certainly one to visit. Breath-taking views all around, sparkling lakes, and challenging yet stunning hikes. They offer so much through the National Park: day and night tours, water sports, and group hikes, to name a few. Some advice, if you are thinking of going and wanting a tour...BOOK IN ADVANCE!! We were let down after realising all the tours were booked for the whole week.

BIG SUR, CALIFORNIA, USA

I had never actually heard much about this place until this year. My friend was hoping to go during our America trip and it mentioned it to me so I did some research and it looked lovely, one of the most adored segments to pass by on California's Highway 1. We were lucky enough to make friends with an Austrian girl, Julia, who offered to drive us down there from Monterey (where we were staying at the time, also very beautiful). Read more about our Big Sur trip here.

After our trip I was thinking how underrated Big Sur is, in my opinion. Perfect for hiking, camping and embracing those coastline views; what more could you want?! If you ever find yourself road tripping through California, take the scenic route down Highway 1 where you will pass by Big Sur as well as popular towns such as Carmel and San Simeon.

 

 Are you following me on Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin' | Pinterest ?

A GUIDE TO YOUR PERFECT TRAVEL EXPERIENCE

Ever thought how difficult it is to plan your travels? I've been through the whole experience and I thought I'd give you a few little tips to get you started to planning your ideal trip!
There are many factors to think about, some which don't really come to mind and some which are quite obvious...these are my main points to think about before the trip:

1. NARROW YOUR CHOICE DOWN 
Select one continent to begin with. It helps to print out a map of that continent with all the countries labelled on it; this is so you know where these countries are and what's right on their borders (just incase you want to travel to more than one country).

2. PLAN OUT YOUR TRIP BEFOREHAND
Unless you are booking a single flight out and just seeing where the journey takes you, then it is very wise to plan out your trip...make a rough itinerary so you know where you will be and when you'll be there (trust me, it helps you out so much). Both my trips this year (one to China, and one to America), I made itineraries for them so I knew where I would be at what point. Even though I had all the information on my phone and laptop, they aren't always accessible so it's better to have a hard copy with you; an extra little bit of paper isn't going to hurt is it?

 3. BOOKING YOUR TRIP
Advertised over every kind of social media these days are all these companies who offer massive travelling tours. There are millions to choose from and it can be a bit frightening at first. One factor that I always look at is reviews of the company. I also ask all my family and friends to which tours they have gone with or heard about. If you hear bad things about that company, then why book with them? Some companies can be a rip off and not be 100% to their words, therefore your trip will not be the best it could be. On the other hand, they can be extra cheap and there be a catch somewhere in the middle, which you normally don't find out about until you've booked it and too late to back out of, ends up being a nightmare. Sometimes it is a lot easier to book everything yourself. It can work out more expensive but you also can make it your own trip; you have the freedom to do whatever on each day. Another positive is you can book day tours out there to the popular attractions so you make sure you're not missing out.

4. BE REALISTIC WITH A BUDGET
Sadly, we all know that you need to have a reasonable budget for travelling these days. I speak from experience when I say IT DOES NOT COME CHEAP! Obviously your budget depends on where you decide to travel to and how long for. Some of you may be millionaires so it's not too hard to whack out a few thousand pounds for the trip. However, for me, I have to budget for most of my trips. To be really honest, I'm not the best at budgeting but I am working on it and I did quite well for my months trip in America. It's something which I am slowly working on but is very hard if you want to see every attraction out there and make the most out of your trip (what I tend to do).

5. TRY TO PACK AS LIGHTLY AS POSSIBLE
If you are backpacking and travelling to many countries in one go, with short stop offs each time, then I suggest you pack as little as possible. Again, this depends on how long you are going for, but hostels and B&Bs do have washing facilities so it's not the end of the world if you run out of t-shirts or pants. I've always managed to pack the perfect amount, sometimes a bit too much, but not so much that my bag is painful to carry. Even if your backpack is heavy, you only really carry it when changing destinations...

6. GO WITH SOMEONE WHO IS JUST ADVENTUROUS AS YOU
Travelling with someone else or a group of people can be a lot of fun. However, once you find out they don't enjoy half the things you do, you will find yourself compromising which then puts you on a downer for a bit. You need to go with someone who enjoys the same leisure activities as you do so you get the most out of your trip as you can.

7. ...OR TRAVEL SOLO
The thought of travelling alone can be daunting but a lot of people just assume it will be boring and stay away from the idea. I think it is one of those things where you cannot judge it until you experience it yourself. I know a few people who have travelled alone for numerous months and have said it was the best time of their life. It helps if you are an outgoing, adventurous person as you meet loads of people at your hostels, who are also travelling solo, and go on crazy, fun tours. I would love to travel solo and am currently thinking about travelling to Australia and New Zealand alone and maybe meeting friends out there.
Travelling solo can do a lot of good for yourself; it can allow you to get to know yourself a bit more. Without sounding too cheesy, it can be helpful to understand what sort of person you are, what your likes and dislikes are and how adventurous you are.
YOU MEET PEOPLE OUT THERE ANYWAY
You will always find others along the journey so you'll have company the majority of the time, that's if you want the company. That's another good factor about travelling alone; if you want some quiet time then you can just go out and wonder around by yourself or just chill at the hostel for the night...quite relaxing!
Every trip I've been on has been with other people but we've met people out there in hostels and joined them on their adventures for a few days. It's nice to hang around a fresh personality

NOW YOU CAN START BOOKING YOUR IDEAL TRIP! 

 

 Are you following me on Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin' | Pinterest ?