My 2017 Travel Wish List

Writing a travel wish list is turning into a regular occurrence for this blog, even if generally the posts to this blog are sporadic!

In 2015 I wrote this one. And in 2016, this one which was constantly edited through the year until I finally gave up as we added more trips. 2016 was a big year of travel for us as I detailed in this epic post (I needed a lie down after writing this…).

Just as 2016 turned into the year of travel which was unexpected at the start of the year, who knows where 2017 will take us. We have two weekend breaks booked so far for this year but after that…..I don’t know!

January – the bracing winter break
Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city has been on my travel wish list for a while and finally we’re making the trip later this month! I think the Swedish fika was made for me, just my kind of activity. If I can tear myself away from enjoying a coffee and (gluten free) cinnamon bun in a cosy cafe, I’m looking forward to exploring Gothenburg’s historic area, Haga. I’ll try and sneak in a visit to the Stora Saluhallen to check out what gluten free finds they have. There seem to be plenty of activities for the kids with Museum of Gothenburg – housing Sweden’s only exhibited Viking ship, along with an interactive children’s museum – and Martiman maritime museum as ideas on the list, time and weather permitting. (image credit)

February – the we-need-some-warmer-weather-and-sunshine winter break
Valencia, Spain. Another city on my travel wish list some time, I’m looking forward to checking out the futuristic building’s at the city’s Centre for Art and Sciences. The kids will also enjoy exploring the park which has been built on the riverbed of a diverted river and which winds its way through the centre of Valencia. My initial research indicates plenty of gluten free options such as CeliacRuz. I doubt I’ll go hungry! (image credit)

Have you been to Gothenburg or Valencia? Could you recommend any gluten free places to eat? Or any kid friendly activities? If so, please do leave a comment below.

The weekend break – the new destination
Pula, Croatia. A new destination on the British Airways route map is Pula in Croatia. I’m keen to visit this city with its well preserved Roman amphitheatre. I’m also intrigued by the ‘Lighting Giants’ where cranes within a working shipyard in this port city are illuminated at night. (image credit)

The weekend break – the early summer get away
Porto, Portugal. It’s been on the list for a while and hopefully this is the year we’ll visit. (image credit)

The Summer Holiday
Tricky one. For the last 2 years we’ve had great holidays driving down to the Dordogne and hiring a villa. But I’d like to go somewhere different this year. I find driving holidays really easy (but then I don’t actually drive!) as you can chuck everything in the car and there’s no need to worry about airports, hire cars and the quality of rental company children’s car seats at your destination. The kids have – so far – been great on long car journeys and when we’ve stopped en route it’s given us the opportunity to see other destinations as part of the trip. So, perhaps hiring a villa in Italy with stops in Switzerland or south eastern France could be a possibility.

On the other hand, road tripping around Vancouver and the Pacific North West are still high on my travel wish list.

But top of Mr D’s travel wish list is a trip to Greenland, transiting one way via Iceland and the other via Canada. (image credit)

The Autumn Half Term
Cape Town, South Africa. Mr D needs some persuading on this one but I’ve never been to South Africa and a trip to Cape Town would be do-able for a week as the small time difference means no jet lag to contend with. (image credit)

The weekend break – the it’s-nearly-winter warmer
Seville, Spain. Although I’ve been a few times before to Seville, it’s been a long time. I’d like to revisit for some November sunshine as London becomes a wet, dark and dismal place. Seville always seems to be warm even when the rest of Europe is shivering from the cold. (image credit)

The work trip
Paris again, this time for a week is on the cards. I will try to refrain from charging around Paris like a crazy person in search of the increasing number of gluten free finds the city has on offer. However, no trip to Paris would be complete without a stop at Helmut Newcake.

Where would you recommend I travel to with 3 year old twins in 2017? Any suggestions gratefully received!