Summer is here, and with it comes the season of vacations and travel for many people. I have already vicariously followed along on many of the foreign and road trips that pop up in my Instagram feed and, while I wish I was there too, it is so fun to see the photos. With so many beautiful pictures of new adventures and far off places, my wanderlust kicks in big time and I get the urge to travel, travel, travel! Unfortunately, limitations by vacation days, money and an already busy summer schedule cut down on the amount and scope of travels. Around this time last year I spent a weekend with friends in DC then was so lucky to be able to jet off with family and friends to England and Scotland (you can see more of those travels here, here and here). While we don’t have a trip abroad in the agenda this year, there are so many places I would love to go, both abroad and in the US.
I follow a few blogs that are great at taking gorgeous photos and detailing their itinerary and the great places they went for food, lodging, etc. Below I have rounded up a portion of the destinations that are in my wanderlust list, that I hope to get to someday. I have been very fortunate to have already had the opportunity to travel to some places that would be on many bucket lists either with my family or through my study abroad travels, which don’t appear on this list (in case you were wondering why France, Italy, Amsterdam, etc aren’t here). I am always gathering inspiration for new places to travel and adding places to my list, so this is by no means comprehensive, but we’ve got to start somewhere!
Amber Fillerup and her family recently took a trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland (with two babies!). I had never seen this kind of landscape, so when she and her husband posted a photo of Giant’s Causeway, on the coast of Northern Ireland, I was enthralled.
On the same month-long trip, their family visited Moscow. This photo looks like it could be on a life-sized Candyland board.
My sister is studying abroad in Scandinavia soon, and while she won’t be in Norway, I would love to see the beautiful fjords someday. My mom went on the Norway in a Nutshell tour when she accompanied my dad on a business trip years and years ago, and the photos are so amazing.
The white and blue Greek islands seem to be more popular than ever right now, and with views like this you can see why.
Julia and Thomas from Gal Meets Glam are two of my favorite sources for travel inspiration, tips, and photos. They always take the most stunning photos and are always traveling somewhere new. It was difficult to decide which photo to use, but this view of Big Sur is one of the many gorgeous one’s in their guide to the area.
In close proximity to Big Sur, Napa Valley is another stop on the California road trip I would love to take. Julia and Thomas live in San Francisco and have great guides to nearby Napa that I hope will be useful for my planning someday.
On one of their recent trips, they spent time in the English countryside. We visited London and Scotland last year and while the main cities were great, we really loved our trip through the Highlands and out to Cambridge too. I would love to make it back sometime to see more of the Cotswolds and the English countryside.
With totally different scenery, Peru is one of the places in South America that I have heard great great things about. Apparently the altitude and the ride up to Machu Picchu are rough, but the views once you are there are beautiful. The photo below Machu Picchu is Cusco, Peru from Love Taza on another trip with littles. For how close in proximity they are it is amazing how totally different the two look!
One trip that has been high on my list recently is Iceland. With flights at more reasonable prices than mainland Europe and incredible, unique landscapes, I want to plan a trip more and more each time I see photos.
On my study abroad travels I saw many western European countries, but I haven’t ventured to many in eastern Europe. I went to Prague with low expectations and it exceeded every expectation by leaps and bounds! I loved Prague and it made me want to explore other countries in the area. The orange roofs in Croatia remind me of the Prague views, and the bright blue Adriatic Sea creates a stunning contrast. This post provides a great guide to the best way to tour Croatia, by land or by sea.
Now for my two most recent and most intense travel obsessions: the US Southwest, and Ireland (see below). I would love to road trip through Arizona, Colorado and Utah and see the amazing national parks and monuments and the other worldly landscapes that look like they are straight off the surface of Mars. There are so many gorgeous places to see right in our own country!
And last, but definitely not least, Ireland! I mentioned Northern Ireland at the beginning, and would love to visit both portions. I have been on a huge Ireland kick lately – listening to Irish music, looking up the best places to see the amazing ruins, cliffs and lush green landscapes. Four or five people who I follow on Instagram all went to Ireland within the last month, and seeing all of their green photos pop up made me want to book a trip right now!
Sometimes when I get bored I look up travel inspiration and make itineraries, as if I was planning my own trip to the destinations. I’m hoping these will come in handy someday when my travel dreams come true ;) As I mentioned and as you can see above, I have recently been loving inspiration for road trips through the Southwest US and national parks, road trips around Ireland and Northern Ireland, scenery from the Greek islands and incredible views of Iceland. My sister is studying abroad in a few weeks (!!!) and I have been doing a little research on the places she will be visiting in Europe too. While I visited many countries on my own study abroad semester, there are still so many places to see! I’m trying to break out of the usual eastern Europe mold and gain inspiration from western Europe, India, Asia, and South and Central America, to broaden my horizons as well as the great places right here in the US! There are just so many gorgeous places and new cultures to be explored! I’d love to hear your favorite places to visit, or your bucket list travel spots!
Always been my dream to go to Greece!
It looks so beautiful!
Hope you can accomplish all these dreams one day. In the meantime how about adding Virgini a Beach to your list (easier to achieve in just a weekend). We would be overjoyed to have you. Love reading your blog. Don’t know how you do it all!