2017 Travel Goals

​Ahhh, the New Year. A time to reflect on all that was the previous year and compensate with resolutions for the year ahead.

We’re firm believers in living big - making bold moves, no matter how risky they feel in order to create the life we want to live. So, we’re wrapping up 2016 with nothing but love! After all, we got to spend time with both of our families in California and Colorado, drove the entire West Coast from LA to Vancouver, moved to Spain and have started to learn Spanish, evolved our website to a real, money-making (not much, but still) business, got married in a Tuscan villa, and spent the holidays in Germany and Belgium. No complaints here. ​

But like everyone else out there, we’re looking forward to 2017. Namely, all the places we want to visit in the year ahead. Let’s see how many we can check off in the next 12 months:

1. Malta
As one of the world’s smallest countries, the island archipelago of Malta is sandwiched between southern Italy and northern Africa. It’s rich with history, nearly always sunny and warm, and home to beautiful beaches. Plus, the entire country has committed to an Eco Certification system to “ensure the environmental, socioeconomic, and cultural sustainability of hotels,” which we think is pretty cool. Oh, and they filmed Game of Thrones there, to be complete nerds about it.

2. Italy (yes, again)
We can’t stop. And why should we? With flights from Spain under 2 hours and 25 euros, there’s no reason why we wouldn’t go back to Italy in 2017. After all, it’s where we got married, mini-mooned, and have some seriously amazing memories. That, and we all know it’s worth the trip for the gelato alone. 

3. The Canary Islands
Spain offers frequent and low cost tickets to Islas Canarias, aka the Canary Islands. Located 100 miles off the coast of Morocco, “the Canaries” are among the outermost regions of the European Union. With summertime temperatures all year round, long beaches, and Spanish pricing it may be the perfect winter getaway. Now if we could only decide which island to visit first...

4. The U.S!
We haven’t been back to the states since we moved last May, and we could seriously use some time with friends and family. Hoping to potentially include an East coast tour, swinging by Boston, New York, and North Carolina (at a minimum) before heading west to see our families. Anyone with a vacant guestroom, holla!

5. Portugal and the Azores
It’s honestly somewhat shocking that we’ve been living in Spain but haven’t yet made it to Portugal. Especially considering we’ve heard nothing but amazing things. To commemorate our first year of marriage, we would love to strap on our backpacks and hike (at least some of) the Camino Portugués, a 520-kilometer stretch from Lisbon to Santiago De Compostela in Spain. 

Oh, and the Azores. What might possibly be one of our dream travel destinations. Often considered the Hawaiian Islands of the Atlantic, the Azores are characterized by dramatic landscapes, fishing villages, green pastures and  blue hydrangeas. Everything we’ve heard and read about this destination is damn near perfect. Paradise.

6. Romania
We think Romania is up-and-coming. From the Black Sea, to the medieval cities to the castles and the Carpathian Mountains, it seems to be varied, beautiful and historically interesting. And who doesn’t want to explore Transylvania? We might just make the trip and check it out.

7. Hungary
We tried to incorporate Budapest into our 2015 World Tour, but alas, it didn’t fit into the itinerary. The city comes highly recommended from trusted traveling friends and we’re dying to take a dip in the city’s thermal baths. 

Did we miss anywhere? What are your travel goals for 2017? (we can help you plan and book!)