We are a hop skip and jump away from 2020, so it’s time to do a 2019 travel review of the best trips taken by us at Everywhere Bucket List!
I love to look back on fond travel memories and appreciate what experiences I’ve had along the way. Whilst we are always striving for more, and always looking to that next trip – it’s important to sit back and remember what we’ve already been lucky enough to do!
So with that said – lets take a trip down memory lane and check out our best trips taken in 2019. We hope it inspires you to continue your travels, and to always appreciate what you’ve done!
Bruges & Gent, Belgium
Back in January my parents were visiting from Australia so we went on a road trip down to Bruges and Gent from Amsterdam! It’s only 2.5 hours drive from Amsterdam to Bruges which makes it a really easy weekend trip to make! We spent one day in Bruges, then after breakfast on Sunday we drove 40 minutes to Gent and spent the afternoon wandering around this gorgeous little city before driving back to Amsterdam in time for dinner! 2019 travel really started off nicely.
Annual Leave Days Used: 2
Read: Blog posts on Bruges
Lapland (Finland & Sweden)
WOW – what a trip this was! Going to Lapland was a dream come true. We spent 5 days in Lapland, mostly in Sweden at a gorgeous lodge overlooking a frozen lake. During our days in Lapland we rode scooters through the wilderness, went dog-sledding, cross-country skiing, slept under glass roofs in northern lights watching huts, and of course we saw the northern lights! Check that one off the bucket list!
Annual Leave Days Used: 4
Read: How To Have The Best 5 Days In Lapland
Colmar, France & Basel, Switzerland
Our 2019 travel was just begun. In April we travelled to Colmar in the Alsace for a weekend. The main goal of the trip was to spend time with the family, as it was a weekend in remembrance of my husbands grandparents. However, whilst there we fit in a hike, wine tasting, a few amazing meals and an afternoon in Basel! It was my first time seeing Switzerland!
Annual Leave Days Used: 0
Read: One Day In Colmar
London, UK
One week before my wedding was my hen weekend in London! I spent Friday-Sunday in London with my best gals, my family and future family! Some of the activities we did include the B’s Bakery High Tea Double Decker London bus tour around London, dinner at Kenza an AMAZING Moroccan restaurant, and playing darts with unlimited prosecco and pizza! But apart from that, I was plain spoiled all weekend by my people and it felt unreal!
Annual Leave Days Used: 0
Read: Blog posts about London
Istanbul, Turkey
Part One of our Honeymoon was a 4 day trip to Istanbul (with my parents!). We had some time to kill in between our wedding and our honeymoon to Mexico, so we figured it would be best spent on a vacation! We spent our time seeing all of the major Istanbul highlights and eating A LOT! Istanbul was such a fantastic place and it was even better getting to explore it with my parents, whom I don’t get to see too often, them living in Australia.
Annual Leave Days Used: 4
Read: How To Spend 4 Days In Istanbul
Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
Part Two of our Honeymoon was two weeks in Mexico! First, we went for a week to Tulum, 2 hours south of Cancun. We then travelled to the middle of the Yucatan to visit UNESCO Heritage Listed Chichen Itza (which is also a world wonder!). From the middle, we went north to Isla Holbox for our last 4 days of relaxation! On Holbox we swam with whale sharks, too! All of this was accomplished for our 2019 travel within 6 months.
Annual Leave Days Used: 9
Read: How To Spend One Week In Tulum
What To Expect: Swimming With Whale Sharks in Mexico
Isla Holbox: The Must-Visit Island of Mexico
Veluwe, Netherlands
With a busy July and August, we decided last minute to take a weekend trip to the Veluwe, which is just 70 minutes drive from Amsterdam! The Veluwe National Park is known for having dear, wild boar and an amazing landscape, which we discovered bike riding through the park! Unfortunately no deer sightings, though! We also visited 2 museums within the park, had a picnic in the dunes and spent the night in an awesome cabin!
Annual Leave Days Used: 0
Texel, Netherlands
On the last weekend of August we took a quick one night adventure to Texel, an island off the coast of The Netherlands! It’s situated in the Wadden Sea and is a unique and rugged island! It is the biggest of four islands and so it is the most built up, however outside of its small towns, there is a lot of room for adventure! We stayed in a glamping tent with 4 other friends, with another 10 friends in the other 2 glaming tents. Whilst on the island we bicycled on a tandem bicycle around the coastline and went to a couple of beaches!
Annual Leave Days Used: 0
London, UK (Borderless Live)
This year I attended the first of its kind, Borderless Live Content Creators Conference! Located in the Tobacco Docks for its first year, the event was full of great speakers giving nuggets of information to help us other creators get better and grow! Within the site there were also many brands and tourism boards set up to connect with this group of bloggers/content creators which makes the event an even better event to attend! I had an absolute blast seeing friends and making new ones and am already looking forward to next years conference!
I also was about to see my brother from another mother for dinner and my high-school friend who lives in London for Sunday brunch! A solid 2 days in London!
Annual Leave Days Used: 0
Montenegro
2019 travel ramped up in September with two trips! The second was to Montenegro – a new country! The Netherlands doesn’t fly direct to either of Montenegro’s airports, so we flew from Rotterdam to Dubrovnik and rented a car to drive to Montenegro. Dubrovnik airport is located just 30 minutes drive from Montenegro’s border! We flew after work on Thursday and spent a long weekend in the balkans with our friends from New York!
Our 3 days in Montenegro were spent in Herceg Novi, relaxing on the waters of the Adriatic Sea, on the sandy beaches of Budva’s Hawaii Island, and exploring Kotor and Tivat! The best thing we did by far was a private boat tour to the Blue Cave which was really incredible – and boats are just fun!
Annual Leave Days Used: 0.5
Read: How To Spend 3 Days In Montenegro
Brussels, Belgium
When I was in London for Borderless Live, I met up with my brother-from-another-mother for dinner on Friday evening! During our dinner conversation, I found out that him and his girlfriend were heading to Brussels in November and so I invited myself and my husband along! It’s less than a 2 hour drive to Brussels, so we jumped in the car on Saturday morning and headed down to Belgium for some fun!
We spent Saturday afternoon having a wander and enjoying dinner and drinks in Brussels, and on Sunday we brunched, have one last wander around Brussels, and visited the Atomium on our drive back to Amsterdam!
Annual Leave Days Used: 0
South Africa
This year we’re been lucky enough to go on a family trip to South Africa for the Christmas and New Year period! This trip will close 2019 travel adventures perfectly! It is two weeks long and we are currently here absolutely loving it! We don’t leave until a few days into the New Year so expect to see live updates from what we are up to over on Instagram Stories!
I’ve never been to South Africa, and it is only my 2nd country on the African continent! Whilst we are in South Africa we are spending a few days in wine country, a few days on a game reserve, and a week based in Cape Town exploring the greater Cape Town area!
Annual Leave Days Used: 2
2019 Travel – 13 Trips in 12 Months
What a busy year!!! With a three-week honeymoon this year, I really can’t believe we were able to make so many trips happen! We have been to 3 continents this year – Europe, South America and Africa! We’ve also explored our own back yard quite a few times! For us, travel is exciting, but it doesn’t always have to mean leaving the country.
Staycations and Vacations within the country you live in are a great way to see more of where you live, and also get the valuable rest and relaxation you need! With 2019 travel done, it’s on to looking towards 2020 travel!
Annual Leave Used Total: 24 Days
What else happened this year?
We got married!
Yes, as mentioned above, we got married in May! We married at a fantastic venue within Amsterdam and had a truly magical day full of love, support, laughter and a whole lot of dancing! If you want to read more about our wedding, see the blog post linked below!
We got a niece!
On 7-8-19 my niece Kaat was born! She’s been a joyful addition to the family, whom are already head over heels in love with our nephew, born 30-11-2017. Now with a niece and a nephew we are so lucky to watch them grow and enjoy every moment we get to spend with them! For us, family comes first, and travel comes second.
Planning Your 2020 Travel?
2019 travel for us was one of the best years yet! With so many great destinations we can’t have wished for a better year of travel. In 2020 we see a bright future of awesome trips ahead – join us on social media through the year to follow along on our adventures.
Make sure you get the cheapest flights via Skyscanner!
Need accommodation? Get your place booked on Airbnb! Or more of a hotel person? Search Booking.com!
Let me know where you are heading next year! Or, where your 2019 travel adventures took you!
Feel free to share your adventure with me via social media – too!
And above all – have fun!
Don’t forget to Pin for later!
Australian expat, married to a Dutch guy, living in Amsterdam. Previously lived in London for 3 years, too! Lover of travel, coffee, brunch, beaches, fresh flowers, and family. Now a new mum, navigating life with a baby!
