Back in the January travel linkup I posted all about my travel plans for the year and where I wanted to go! Some were dreams and some more doable. Well, the unexpected has happened, and rather than doing the doable ones, I’m actually doing the dream one…
I’m very lucky with my holiday days, despite working full time for a media agency in London, I get 35 holiday days a year including bank holidays which is a lot more than most people. This year however, I had a few extra as I rolled some over from last year. I started the year with a long weekend trip to the Slovakian High Tatry Mountains, where I went to the top of a mountain and learnt to ski for the very first time.
Then just a week later I flew to Australia for 2.5 weeks for my annual visit to see my friends and stay with Aunty Wyn & Uncle Gray and my family.
Originally I was supposed to go to Russia for the May bank holiday, we had the hotels booked; Ritz-Carlton in Moscow and Four Seasons in St Petersburg, I was unbelievably excited, but then the rest of it fell through (it takes a while to get visas and I didn’t have enough time to send my visa off as I was in Australia). So that got cancelled. One day I will get there!
So I’ve had a couple of months with no travel, and I have serious wanderlust. I’m off to Paris with Air France in August, where I’ll be staying at a sister hotel of Fraser Suites Perth, which I stayed at for my first night back in Aus, so I have high hopes as the Perth one was incredible! Then I might potentially have a much bigger trip with them in October if it all gets signed off (fingers crossed!).
I’m then off to Cornwall with the family in September, and two weeks later is the big one…I’m flying to St Vincent and the Grenadines. Yes. The dream trip I told you all about in January is actually happening. This incredible opportunity is very kindly being given to me by the amazing team at the Palm Island Resort. I fly to Barbados from London with Virgin Holidays, where I’m meeting my best friend from Australia, and then we fly to Union Island, before getting a boat to the private island of Palm Island.
Our plan is to spend the week relaxing, reading books, drinking cocktails, and exploring the islands. There are some excursions we’re planning on taking; one to swim with the sea turtles in the Tobago Cays, and another to the main island of St Vincent where Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed. It’s been a dream of mine to swim with sea turtles since I was about 8 years old – my favourite dinner lady at school did it and told us all about it! I told Rach I might cry when we finally get to do it, so she assured me she’ll be there to photograph me ‘ugly crying’, she’s such a good friend.
Words can’t even describe how excited or grateful I am; Rach and I only get to see each other once a year these days due to work (when I was at Uni I used to go back twice a year for 4-5 weeks at a time), so to see her twice this year is such a treat! She also loves the blog and basically being a general camera whore, so I’m super excited to be able to take thousands of photos and videos with her and not worry about her being camera shy!
So, what about the other places I wanted to visit?
Ukraine/Chernobyl won’t be happening for obvious reasons (why can’t everyone just get along and be nice to each other?), also, you’d expect it to be cheap given the current ‘war’ situation, but the hotels are really expensive! Estonia isn’t happening because the flight times are super awkward and I’d have to spend an extra day there which I don’t have the holiday time for. Russia, see above. New York I’m going to save for next year and incorporate it into a much bigger US roadtrip. Iceland I’m potentially doing early next year with my brother. Morocco I’m potentially doing this year for a weekend with the girls. Croatia/Montenegro/Bosnia – *sigh* who knows, I’m not sure I’ll ever get there at this rate. There are just too many places to visit and not enough time!
So, so far this year I have 20 holiday days booked in/used up. I have 8 left to use (I need to take a few over Christmas obviously!), so at the moment the very loose plan is to do a long weekend in Morocco and use one for that, a long weekend in Croatia and use two for that, and then use five for the bigger trip with Air France.
What are your travel plans for the year?
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Catherine Lux is a veteran travel blogger by night and the Head of Content Marketing at Amazon by day. Originally from Surrey, she spent four years living in Australia (2007-2009, and 2016-2018), and now lives in London. An ex-party girl sometimes prone to relapses, she loves nothing more than sharing her fine dining and luxury travel experiences with her loyal readers.
I'm so excited for you and you're trip to St Vincent, what an exciting opportunity, I can't wait to read all about it!!
Lots of love,
Angie
SilverSpoon London
Same, I'm so excited!! I can't wait to read all about your St Lucia trip as well!
C x
Sound like you have some amazing plans. I'm currently typing this comment from Ibiza where I'm on my first solo holiday and having an amazing time. I was in Dubai a month ago and as for the rest of the year I'm still trying to work out where to go next.
Victoria x
FlorenceandMary.com
Oooh, hope you're having an amazing time out there!
C x
Fab plans! Your trip to Palm Island next year sounds grand and I hope you get to see some of their gorgeous sealife 🙂
Mehreen A | wrapyourlipsaroundthis.com
It's this year! I go in just 3 months!! So excited!
C x
Absolutely amazing plans – I can't wait to hear more about them!
I can't wait to share them all!
C x
I love planning trips! We're off to Tresco (of course!) in July and a festival in August – in the UK but always feels like it's a holiday! Then we've booked a gorgeous hotel on a peninsula in Cofu for October, just when it gets wintery here, cannot wait!!
Enjoy your holidaaaays!!
Rosie xx
Same, planning is almost as fun as the travelling! Ah so jealous about Tresco, I'm hoping to go back over next year!
C x
Amazing plans, Luxy! Can't wait to read your vacation posts!
I get 30/year (plus bank hols) but it doesn't seem enough! You're lucky to have 5 more (and then some)!
Honey x The Girl Next Shore
Thanks Honey! I can't wait!!
C x
I'm so happy for you that you're going on such an AMAZING trip with your best friend! I went to a very short, overnight trip with my best friend to Brussels earlier this year and it was so much fun travelling with her. We've always dreamed of taking a girls' holiday in the Caribbean – and you're actually doing it, which is incredible! x
Thank you Jamie! I'm SO excited!!
C x
All of your trips sound like so much fun! I am so jealous! I think you'll really like New York whenever you go (it's probably in my top 5 places in the states). My friend went to Croatia and it looks so beautiful so hopefully you'll be able to go!
🙂
xx
Kenzie
Behindhazeleyes06.blogspot.com
Ah I hope I can go one day, it really does look incredible!
C x
I went to Iceland with my hubby in March and we caught a glimpse of tne Northern Lights ☺ the scenery was amazing! think Game of Thrones and more.
Eeek so jealous!!!
C x
Your St Vincent & Grenadines trip sounds amazing, how fantastic to swim with sea turtles. I've helped baby turtles into the sea in Tanzania and it was incredible. Hope you have an amazing time
Suze | LuxuryColumnist
It's been a dream for so long, I can't believe it's finally gonna happen! Ahh amazing, what an incredible experience!!
C x
Sounds like your last half of 2015 will be ahh-mazing! I'm not doing anything special this summer like last year, but then again that wasn't even planned either. I'm hoping something big (but good!) comes along soon so I feel better about myself and where life is going because right now I'm in an rut and it hasn't been pretty. 🙁
I can't wait to hear about your trips! ♥
Hopefully! Fingers crossed!
Really hope you get that something big soon!! Keep smiling, you'll get there!
C x
Aaaaaah I'm so excited that you're going to St V and The Grenadines! I'd be a tad jealous, but you fly the Caribbean flag for me this year and I'll fly the Russian flag for you (team work, eh?!). And next year…CUBA ROUND TWO! x
Jasiminne / Posh, Broke, & Bored – Luxury lifestyle blog
Hahaaa YES, teamwork is the best! 😉
C x
An absolutely amazing list here – you must be buzzing Catherine! I think it's compulsory for everyone to make a list of all the places they want to go to every year, alongside their usual resolutions – it definitely pushes you into doing more! Such a shame about Chernobyl / Ukraine as that would have been so interesting but your other trips will more than make up for it. St Vincent & The Grenadines is the dream!!
I'm off for a tour of Italy on honeymoon and then heading to the Maldives (hopefully) for my birthday. It's a good year for travel!
Polly xx
Follow Your Sunshine
Totally agree with you!! It's so motivating to write it all down – makes you want to go and grab it even more!
I'm so excited to read all of your travel posts!!
C x
Sounds blissful! I've just had three mini breaks in Europe so doubt I can afford to do much more travelling this year sadly x
Eek yes, I'm so jealous you went to Prague!! Ah, hopefully you can find a good deal or something, but three Europe breaks definitely isn't bad!
C x
I had to read this three times because I wanted to be sure on some of your points. I agree on almost everything here, and I am impressed with how well you wrote this blog.