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A Trip Down Memory Lane - My 2017 Travel Recap


Hello my little Christmas elves! I hope you have all been stuffing your pretty faces with turkey & trimmings over the festive season (unless you're veggie/vegan of course). Well, I have been thoroughly enjoying the Christmas period and apologise for not posting sooner but not to worry - the post has arrived, and this post, a very special post, sums up my 2017 (in terms of travel). The good, the not so good and the hopeful will all be revealed below...


Enjoy!! xox

 

OK, let's kick this off with my best travel moments of the year...


My Top 6 Travel Highlights of 2017


My Favourite Trip

Dubai. Dubai. Dubai. Although it was a short (but very sweet) trip, my sister managed to pack so much in to those few days to keep us happy and entertained. I have never been more exhausted whilst on 'holiday' but also wouldn't change a second of it! I wrote a great three-part blog post about my travels in Dubai here, here and here, and also filmed a quick YouTube video - check them out if you haven't already!


Favourite Travel Memory

With out a doubt, the best travel memory this year for me was our trip to Portugal. When I was younger, my family would often rent out a holiday villa in Algarve - however, this was a LONG time ago and that villa has since become unavailable :( But this year, for my mum's 60th birthday, we decided to get the family together again one more time to fly back to Portugal. The only difference being that those who were 'kids' when we went years ago now have their own kids and so on, so we ended up with 31 people! Luckily, I was able to locate an almost perfect villa which was a short walk from shops & restaurants as well as the beach and was bang in the middle of two lively strips in Old and New Town, Albufeira. It really was amazing to have (some) of the family together again under one roof, singing, laughing, dancing, sharing and cooking together. Amazing memories that will last a life time - thanks to Columbia Villas.


Favourite Hotel/Accommodation

Again, it's gotta be Quinta Por Do Sol, our holiday villa in Portugal. That place was just fantastic. Any villa which is newly built, with a pool, games room, garage, electric gates, enough bedrooms and living space to accommodate more than 35 people is a clear winner, no?




Learning Something New

So this year, for mine and Rashad's 6th year anniversary (I know, I feel so old), we tried our hands (or palettes) and tasting delicious cheeses and wines. We learned quite a lot about the taste and texture of wine, how to tell if this wine is a little older and which cheese best complimented specific wines. It's a shame my head was too fuzzy to remember everything by the end of the session but I'm proud of the things I did learn! Haha!


Favourite Activity/Tour

So for this one I was torn! I really really enjoyed my first try at segway earlier this year. Thankfully, we were blessed with warm weather and dry grass as my brother actually ended up flying over the handle bars on to the floor >.< Not to worry, he was fine, but it was hilarious. Besides this, we learned that segway was not as easy as it looked on TV and actually did take a little skill to control, particularly when controlling the speed, but it was a great day out!


The other thing I really enjoyed this year was my trip to the Harry Potter World Tour in Watford. My gosh, if you are a Potter fan and haven't been yet, I suggest you get your little booties over there - it's awesome!!!! I'm talking original props, (some) original sets, guided tours, interactive props (such as trying your hand at wand waving or broomstick riding) - just awesome.


 

As they say, with every triump, are a trail of failed attempts (in my case anyway!!). I'll fill you in on a few times I felt particularly travel-challenged this year...


Most Challenging Moments of 2017


Rejection..!

So loads of people think that it's really easy to secure a free or discounted trip/hotel when it comes to blogging but sadly, loads of people would be WRONG. It's not easy getting accommodation, at all. I won't bore you with the details but let's just say that pretty much every travel blogger has faced their fair share of rejection when it comes to pitching to a hotel, airline or other travel providers. The only thing you can do is pick your self up, learn from it and carry on pushing!


Taking Fewer Trips Than I Planned..

This one is pretty self-explanatory. I didn't get to travel to half as many places that I had hoped this year but don't you worry darlings, things are already in place for next year so you should have plenty of posts to catch up on!

Try subscribing to keep up to date with all my latest shenanigans!


Go Ape Tree Top Challenge..

Although this was a great triumph for me, I was shaking in my size 7.5 boots about potentially falling off of one of the high ropes and visualised dropping to my death on one of the big jumps! It didn't help that we tried out this activity with a lot of other people who were scared of heights, some of which were screaming, shaking and crying! But I held it together (just about) so I'm pretty proud of myself!

Pssst.. if this section makes no sense to you, you probably didn't read my post about the tree top challenge!! Don't worry, I forgive you, and you can read it here! ;)


 

Now, a few people have asked what 2018 holds in store for JazzyinWonderlust.com and in attempt to not give too much away, I shan't ruin it by telling you all the details but I can list a few places which I have my eye on for next year. I guess you will just have to watch this space as all will be revealed in due course!


Hopeful Travel Plans for 2018!

- Italy

- Amsterdam

- Greece

- UK Glamping


That's all you're getting!!!

 

Until 2018 my loves, stay safe, keep travelling and watch this space!!!! Happy New Year!

xox

(P.S. Literally do watch this space, i'll be uploading a 2017 Throw Back video shortly!!!)






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