My 2018 Travel Wishlist

I love thinking about my future travels. I find myself constantly making lists, looking at flights on Skyscanner, seeing how much an Airbnb would cost in different locations, and then finally wondering when I should visit.

I’m excited about 2018. I have a lot of plans to not only explore more of Mexico City, but to see even more of Mexico as well as dabble in a bit more international travel than I did last year. While I haven’t solidly booked anything, these are a few of the places on my hit-list for the year that I know I’m going to visit and a few more places that I’m crossing my fingers for but am not sure they’ll happen.

Chiapas

Chiapas is number one on my list and almost a dead-cert. I just need to book the flights. And the accommodation. And figure out how I’m going to get around once I get there. But I’m certain I’m going (seriously, this is how I plan all of my trips, please tell me I’m not the only one?).

This is one of the few places that is firmly in the diary for this year. Luke and I have been wanting to visit Chiapas since we arrived in Mexico over a year and a half ago and we’re finally going to make it happen over the Easter holidays. The loose plan is to land in Tuxtla Gutierrez, then explore the area around there, head to San Cristobal de las Casas, and then somehow also see Palenque, the stunning ruins on the other side of the state. It’s about five hours from San Cristobal, so we might just pop over for two days and then head back to the other main attractions.

I also really want to go to Sumidero Canyon and take a boat trip through it. That’s quite near Tuxtla Gutierrez, so I think just over a week for this exploration is pretty solid.

Puerto Escondido

Before we head back to Mexico City from our Easter vacation, we’re going to try to make it to this Oaxacan beach town. It’s been high on my priority list for a while and I’ve never been to a Pacific Coast beach here in Mexico, so it’s time to change that. This trip will probably only be a few days and will consist mostly of me sitting on the beach and eating ceviche.

Cartegena & Coastal Colombia

This trip is sort of in the works with a few gal pals and I couldn’t be more excited. I don’t think I’ve EVER been on a girl’s holiday. I’m almost 30 for crying out loud! It’s time I get together with my friends and lay on the beach! The main plan is to head to Cartegena before heading to the country’s Caribbean coast. We’re hoping to head there during early spring so we can escape to the beach and eat more ceviche (I like ceviche, okay?). There may also be a journey by boat to Panama from here time and money depending. Once we get dates sorted that work for everyone, the planning can begin!

Barcelona

I haven’t explored Europe since 2015, so I’m dying to get back and visit new-to-me countries (and a few that I’ve been to before, too). Barcelona is pretty high on my priority list. I’ve never been to Spain and I would love to explore Catalonia, eat food around Barcelona, visit the beaches, eat tons of seafood, and drink cava. Oh, there’s lots of beautiful architecture and nice museums there, too.

This trip will most likely take place during July, but the whole itinerary is kind of up in the air. Some of the other European destinations may win out over Barcelona. If we have time, I’d love to head south and explore other parts of the country, too. Might be interesting (or terrifying) to practice my average Spanish in Spain as well.

Berlin

I have been wanting to go to Berin since I first studied abroad in Europe in 2010. It’s been eight years since I was in Germany and that was only to Munich. Both Luke and I have Berlin high on our priority list for this summer so that we can eat currywurst, explore the history, and drink some German beer. I also haven’t spoken German since 2010, so that should be interesting!

There are also so many trips you can do from Berlin that I’m intrigued by, so I’m hoping that we can spend at least two weeks in the area if we do end up in Berlin.

Italy/France

Italy and France have also been thrown into the mix this summer mainly because of the food. While I’ve been to both countries before, it’s been a while and I have barely scratched the surface of either one. I’ve only ever been to Paris, so I think it’s time to see more of France and eat like Julia Childs did. Italy is always on my radar and I’d really love to see some of the islands or explore Napoli, the home of the pizza. These are all time permitting, but I’d love to add one of them to my summer itinerary.

Copper Canyon

This incredible canyon in northern Mexico has eluded me for months. I really wanted to go there during our Easter break, but as with many popular tourist destinations, everything was already totally booked out when I checked last month. So the trip has been sidelined again. I know I want at least five days to take the train, stop off at different stops, and really enjoy a few adventures around the canyon, so it’s going to be a toss-up whether we can find those days all in a row to fly up to Chihuahua and explore the canyon before it gets too cold (it’s freezing up there during the winter months!).

Hawaii

There are whispers of a warm Christmas and New Year amongst my parents and I am totally pushing for it. I have never been to Hawaii and the more I read about it, the more I want to go there. I think spending the holidays there would not only be nice and warm, but really relaxing and full of adventure. I’ve got my eye on Maui so that we can explore the island easily with a rental car, swim in waterfalls, and eat lots of delicious tropical fruit that isn’t in season in Mexico in December. This would be an amazing way to end the year.

Thoughts on Travel in 2018

It may not seem like a ton of traveling compared to other travel bloggers, but this is the perfect amount of traveling for me. I love spending at least solid week in a city, more if possible. While the idea of packing my summer full of different cities and countries seems like a blast, I know I would end the summer feeling exhausted and like it all sort of blended together.

I also love my own bed. I love not living out of a suitcase (or a backpack). I love Mexico City and the food and my lifestyle and routine here. I also love my work and often that requires me to be inside on my computer for at least two days a week. While I experimented with working while traveling in 2017, I much prefer separating work and travel so that I can feel like I have true downtime and so that I can really enjoy the places I’m traveling to.

This amount of travel is the perfect balance for me. I can spend plenty of time working in Mexico City while still exploring new-to-me places and then I can get away every six weeks or so to spend time with loved ones, eat amazing food, explore new countries and cities and beaches, and completely shut off (I mean, except for Instagram, I’m not a heathen).