With 2019 drawing to a close (already – can you believe it!?) it’s time to focus on 2020 travel plans and goals for Everywhere Bucket List!
I always love to look ahead, and I certainly love planning travel too – just check my travel planning page if you’d love my help! With that, I have goals for 2020 – and with goals comes the ability to achieve them! Wish us luck for the year ahead – I hope you too achieve your goals, whether they be travel related or not!
So, here are our 2020 travel plans and goals:
Cape Town – January
Currently in: Cape Town until January 4th, so this trip counts for 2020 travel! I can’t wait to tell you all what we got up to in Cape Town and share my tips for all of the fantastic things to do/see/eat here!
But in short, we’ve spent time sightseeing Cape Town, time in Stellenbosch and Franschoek wine regions, Christmas on a game reserve, and a week in a truly epic holiday house overlooking the Atlantic ocean!
Vacation Day Used: 1.5
Budapest – March
Budapest seems to keep slipping through my fingers! So, we are hoping to make Budapest happen early in 2020! Budapest looks like an amazing city to visit with loads to do over 4 days! Stay tuned to our 2020 travel to find out if we make it there, finally.
Vacation Day Used: 2
Qatar – April
In 2019 the goal was to make it to Qatar to visit family, however with the amount of days annual leave we took for our honeymoon and the northern lights trip, we failed to get there! So, before many other trips are taken in 2020, we are heading to warm and sunny Doha to visit family and see what their life is like in Qatar! We will use Easter as our time to travel to Doha, giving us 4 full days there.
Vacation Day Used: 2
Ireland w/ Friends – May
Our friends we travelled to Montenegro with (whom live in New York) are heading to a wedding in Ireland. So we are crashing the party and visiting Ireland for a few days to hang out with our friends and sight-see a little! Should be a great trip!
Vacation Day Used: 1
Greek Islands – May
We are still planning the logistics, but we are going to spend 12 days in Greece! So, if you have any tips on which islands, please comment below! But we think possibly, Crete for a week, Santorini for 2 days and Paros for 3 days. But maybe this completely changes! Either way, we’ll be in Greece for just shy of 2 weeks and I think I’m looking forward to this trip the MOST this year! Woohoo for 2020 travel!
Vacation Day Used: 4.5
Wadden Island/Zeeland – July/Aug
During the summer, hot spots in Europe get over-crowded! So, we like to spend the 2 months of high season in The Netherlands, instead! With so many great places here in The Netherlands it’s not a chore to stay! We hope our 2020 travel sees us heading to both Texel island again (or Terschelling) as well as Zeeland for its wonderful beaches, which we did a couple of years ago!
Vacation Day Used: 0
A Sun Trip – September
With a slow summer for travel, as we have some plans that will keep us close to Amsterdam in June, July and August. However, we know that the Netherlands is not known for its great weather! Even in summer it doesn’t always shine so bright! Therefore we are hoping to take a week’s trip in September to catch some last summer sunshine somewhere south! We are thinking Nice, France, the coast of Italy, perhaps Spain. Basically, wherever we can get to on a budget will be our choice! 2020 travel will be shaping up nicely if we can make this trip happen!
Vacation Day Used: 4.5
London – October
One of my best friends that lives in Australia is having a baby in 2020! And lucky for me, her, her husband and their baby will be visiting family in England and London during October! So we will be heading to London for a weekend to hang out with our pals, meet their lovely baby, and maybe hit a few of our favourite London spots!
Vacation Day Used: 1
Australia – December/January
2019 Christmas was meant to be spent in Australia with my parents. However, things changed and we were taken to Cape Town by my husbands parents for a family reunion! An amazing holiday (which we are currently on!!), so we pushed Australia to 2020! We are already gagging to go! See you in 11.5 months, Australia!
Vacation Day Used: 8
11 Trips in 12 Months!
Vacation days used for the year – 18.5! So – I’ve got 1.5 days left of my 20 annual leave days to use!
Other goals for my expat life:
Get my Dutch drivers license
Now that we have a new car, it’s time for my to get my Dutch driver’s license! I never switched licenses before but now I am finding out it is not so easy to just switch. I have lived in The Netherlands for too long, so I may need to take lessons and sit the exams before I can drive. This may mean months of time and a lot of money before I can drive in The Netherlands. However, it’s a goal for both myself and my partner!
Pass my Dutch language course
In September I started a Dutch language course which lasts until mid-April. This has meant that a bunch of my free-time for the blog is taken up with studying! However, it’s all worthwhile as I am hoping in mid-April I can speak Dutch properly and no longer feel left out when Dutch people speak Dutch to each-other!
My understanding has improved a lot since beginning the class, and now I’m feeling a lot more confident with my own Dutch language skills. As as expat having married into a Dutch family, it is super important to me that I integrate and also speak enough Dutch to participate in Dutch conversations as well! In the future I hope to have a family with my Dutch husband and our children will speak Dutch (and English). So I want to be able to speak Dutch for them!
What are YOUR goals for 2020?!
Tell me in the comments!
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!
4 thoughts on “2020 Travel Plans and Goals”
Great bucket list!! We loved the little island of Milos in Greece! Low key but lots of fun beaches to explore. We also loved Crete. Spent 6 days there last year and going back for 5 more this year! Santorini was also fantastic!! We rented a dune buggy there and had a blast!
Ooooh! You had me at Dune Buggy!! I think we are leaning more for Crete and Santorini this year! It all depends on those pesky flight prices, but I’m so keen to go to Crete that I almost would pay anything just to go! 🙂 Enjoy your trip there later this year!
Any tips on what part of the island to look for accommodation? Did you prefer one end to the other?
In 2020 I wanna go on the biggest adventure life has to offer – babiesss!
OMG ME TOO 🙂