Our 2019 Travel Wish List

At the beginning of each year, we sit down together and start planning our travels for the next 12 months. It's become somewhat of a ritual for us - discussing our trips from the previous year, dreaming up vacations for the year to come, and deciding how exactly we'll make these adventures happen. 

The 2018 recap

​We covered a lot of ground in 2018. From a weekend getaway to Budapest, to a group running adventure in Ibiza, to two trips to jolly ‘ol England. There was a summer road trip to Strasbourg, France, south through Switzerland, Lake Como and Piedmont in Italy, and with a relaxing stop in Provence before our long drive home to Spain. A surprise birthday trip to Mallorca, family travels to Granada and Costa Blanca here in Spain, a two-night friendo vacay in Porto, Portugal, and back home to San Francisco for the holidays.

We made it to seven countries in all last year, getting to know our new continent on the eastern side of the Atlantic just a little bit better. But we missed out on a few 2018 goal destinations, including Galicia and Basque Country here in Spain, and Sardinia, Italy. (Guess you just can’t have it all…). All three have been added to either this year’s travel wish list or our long-term goals list, so alas, we’ll make it there in time.

2019: Sure things, hopefuls, & long-shots

We’ve barely made it to February and our 2019 travels are off to a roarin’ start. A week visiting friends and hanging on the beach in Maui at the beginning of January and two quick excursions to Italy (Lucca and Rome) over the past few weeks, and we already have the itch again. 

So, what’s next for 2019? Here are our sure things, hopefuls, and long shots for the rest of the year:

Mallorca (sure thing) - We’re barely off the runway in Valencia before the flight starts descending onto this incredible island. It’ll be a late June trip this year, before the July and August tourist throngs envelop the island.

San Sebastian or Sevilla (sure thing) - Fallas in Valencia is truly an amazing spectacle. It’s also amazingly loud. And long. This March, instead of submitting our  pup Mac to a week’s worth of torture, we’ll hit the road for San Sebastian (the front runner) or Sevilla for the first time since moving to Spain. 

Scotland (sure thing) - When your friends are expats and they get married, you get to go places for their wedding. So it’s Scotland in July for us. Kicking it at a castle and celebrating two wonderful people. Hopefully to be followed with some Northern Scotland exploration.

Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and… (hopeful) - Our travels through Southeast Asia in 2015 were some of the best months of our lives. We often dream about the fresh spring rolls, tasty pho and banh mi of Vietnam, and the khao soy, pad thai, and tom yum in Thailand. And not only is the food in this region unbeatable, the people and landscapes are incredible as well. This time around, we’re looking forward to exploring Laos and possibly another nearby destination too...

Canary Islands (hopeful) - Set off the coast of Morocco, smack in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, these volcanic islands are packed full of amazing beaches and beautiful scenery. We aren’t sure whether we’ll go to Gran Canaria, Tenerife, or Lanzarote, yet, but the possibility of an early Spring beach vacation may be just too tempting to pass up.

Amsterdam, Prague, Krakow (hopeful) - Megan hasn’t been to Amsterdam or Prague yet, so these two incredible European cities are high on our list. Poland has been tempting us both for years now, and we’ve heard Krakow’s historic architecture and food scene give it the leg up on Warsaw. A visit to one, if not two or three of these cities will definitely happen this year.

Greece (hopeful) - We want to go to Greece with plenty of time (at least a week, hopefully two) to explore the islands. We still need to figure out whether we’ll go to the Ionian Islands, Cyclades, or even further east, to Rhodes...

South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Rwanda (longshot) - An African safari is finally in the works. If we don’t make it back to Southeast Asia in 2019, we’ll head to Africa instead. With a visit to Cape Town a definite, we’re still looking into the myriad of southern African countries for a semi-independent safari, then hopefully swing east to Tanzania and the amazing beaches of Zanzibar, and again further northwest to resurgent Rwanda, gathering insight and making contacts along the way for future Cohica Africa safaris.

Sri Lanka (longshot) - Sri Lanka seems to be on every travel website’s “Best country’s to visit” or “Off the radar places to visit” lists, and we’re pretty sure it’s for good reason. Boasting an insane combination of natural beauty, wildlife, beaches, food and culture, it’s easily made it’s way onto our list as well. 

Estonia (longshot) - We think Estonia is a hidden gem in northern Europe, sharing much of the gorgeous landscapes of the Scandinavian countries just across the Baltic, yet with Eastern European prices. Full of old castles, hilltop fortresses, and with a coastline dotted with over 1500 islands, we’re definitely headed there soon.

New Zealand (longshot) - A campervan road trip around New Zealand will happen for us one day. Whether it’s this year, next, or the one after, we’re not sure. 

Sardinia (longshot) - We didn’t get to Italy’s second largest island last year, but hopefully this will be the year. If not, we will 100% be there next year. Why? Towering cliffs, beautiful beaches, and crystal clear Mediterranean sea.

With new travel experiences come new Cohica Designed Trips, and new contacts to make our Custom Designed Trips even more culturally-rich and locally-inspired. Here's to another amazing year of exploration! 

Looking back:

• 2017 Travel Wish List 
• 2018 Travel Wish List