I can’t do a worst travel moments post without doing a best travel moments post! So maybe we had a few rough patches while traveling Europe in 2015, but the good times definitely outweighed the bad.
1. Seeing the Northern Lights and the Blue Lagoon in Iceland
This has been on my bucket list forever and I never thought I’d ever get the chance to do either of them. I can't believe I spent New Years Even 2015 in the Blue Lagoon in a bathing suit in Iceland! Click To Tweet And then we actually got to see the Northern Lights, the Aurora Borealis, the beautiful colors of the sky! Now I’m hooked – I have to see them again!
2. Hanging out with the Game of Thrones cast and crew in Osuna
The Spanish guards believed we were part of the GoT crew because of our native English tongues and let us into a private birthday party for Emilia Clarke, no questions asked. We partied with David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Nathalie Emmanuel, and many others in a casual, normal environment. It was more than I could ever have dreamed of!
3. Riding a camel in Africa
I never thought I’d get the chance to visit Africa. When Ryanair came out with 20€ flights to Marrakesh, I couldn’t resist the chance to cross another continent off my bucket list. I immediately had to find a way to ride a camel (like a typical tourist). I don’t care if it was the most touristy thing I did in all of my travels, riding a camel in Africa was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. I miss my camel, Madonna, and hope she’s doing well!
4. Kayaking the Adriatic
Visiting beautiful Croatia was going to top my “best travel moments” by itself, but then I asked myself, “Why?” Sure, it’s where King’s Landing was filmed on Game of Thrones. The mountains that fall into the ocean make a beautiful backdrop for pictures. The pedestrian-only old city was incredible to walk through. And all the nearby islands made island-hopping an easy day trip. But the best way to see the country is by water with a kayak guide. We got to really get out into the Adriatic, circle the island of Lokrum, go to a private beach, and get a totally different perspective of the country. Kayaking the Adriatic Sea makes the list.
5. Skiing the Sierra Nevadas
I don’t ski. When I tried, I fell off the mountain. But James does ski, and this was his one request that we do while in Europe. I’m never one to turn down something awesome, and going to the Sierra Nevadas for a weekend was definitely awesome! The cute little ski town had restaurants, cafes, and bars that were warm enough to sit outside and enjoy the atmosphere. The ski lift gave me a bird’s eye view while James was skiing. And meeting up with friends and fellow auxiliares Kim-Ling and Guy of travel-ling.com made this trip that much better. Sure, people ski all the time. But how many of you reading this have gone to another continent to ski?
6. Following Robert Langdon’s footsteps through Italy
For those of you who don’t know, Robert Langdon is the hero of Dan Brown’s novels Angels & Demons, Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol, and Inferno. Angels & Demons takes place in Rome and Vatican City and Inferno takes place in Florence and Venice. During Spring Break, James and I flew to Italy and followed Robert Langdon’s path through Venice, Florence, and Rome.
It super cool to follow exactly where Robert Langdon went. Visiting Italy, eating amazing pasta and pizza, going to the biggest mall in Milan, taking a gondola ride in Venice, taking pictures holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa, seeing the Cinque Terre, and seeing the Colosseum were great experiences too!
7. Seeing the town that inspired Pinocchio
Rothenburg wasn’t on my bucket list or travel list. Then, I came across an article talking about how the small, well-preserved medieval town of Rothenburg inspired Walt Disney to base the town in Pinocchio off of it. When I saw pictures of the village, I had to see it. Even though it was a three-hour drive from where we were flying into after a night of no sleep, I added it to the list (and didn’t tell James quite how far it was so he would willingly come along).
We may have slept through the sunny first day and missed the Night’s Watchman tour, but we woke up early to walk the walls, climb the bell tower, and see everything the incredible old town had to offer. I’m so glad we made it to Rothenburg and I recommend it to everyone. It’s definitely on my “best travel moments” list and I hope to go back one day!
8. Visiting friends abroad
Going on vacation isn't the same as living somewhere. Click To Tweet Living in Spain was a completely different experience than any 9-day tour package you can buy on Groupon. We shopped at local markets, went to work every day, ate at small local restaurants, bought firewood to stay warm, and drove to small nearby towns that we normally wouldn’t see otherwise.
When I travel, I prefer to live like a local than vacation like a tourist. So it was really cool when we went to Dublin to visit one of my friends who’s studying at Trinity College and stayed at her apartment, met her friends, and went to her favorite local restaurants. Or when we hung out with a friend in London on business. It was also cool when we met up with a girl who lived in Amsterdam that James met from his trips to Aruba. Or even when we stayed in Airbnbs in Rome, Croatia, and Granada and got local perspectives from homeowners.
Visiting friends abroad or getting local tips and advice to be able to visit like a local made my whole view on traveling change, and I’ll never be comfortable being a tourist again.
9. Making new friends
One of my favorite things to do is meet new people and learn their stories. Click To Tweet I love knowing how people came to be where they are, and where they hope to go. It continues to shape my own future and give me ideas for where I want to go. Meeting people from all over the world with different customs and cultures enriches our own lives and opens our eyes to how differences can be amazing.
I’m so happy to be able to keep in touch with new American friends, new Australian friends, new Spanish friends, and new French friends, and to have met new friends from every place we visited. Thank you to each and every one of you for teaching me something new! I’m a better person now because of you.
What were some of your best travel moments? Share below in the comments!
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P.S. You might also love 9 Worst Travel Moments of 2015 or 6 Best Mistakes to Make While Traveling