I think by this point we're all aware that I like to travel. Last year I spent my breaks from university in London, Rome, Berlin, Venice, Bali, Perth, Florence, Amsterdam, and Ireland, and still managed to end up feeling restless again by graduation. The thing is, after graduation comes real life, and while a lot of my plans for real life involve traveling, they also involve moving. And the things that I need to do in order to set myself up for that don't leave me with many free resources. Basically, at the moment I have the choice between going on a mid-year trip like normal or saving up to move, and I feel like as much as Current Maddi wants to gtfo, Future Maddi would be even more frustrated if she were back to square one in August. Plus if I move to England I can go to Italy whenever I want. Which will be always. I might as well just move to Italy.
Innyway, in an attempt to compensate I've been perusing various Must See In 2015 lists, and while I found the New York Times a bit USA-heavy and The Lonely Planet a touch too quirkily specific (Argentinian whale watching submarine, anyone?) they did inspire me to create my own.
Here is my current destination hit list.
Helsinki, Finland
Photo from here
The one main area that I am obsessed with - thanks in large part to a handful of bloggers - and that I have yet to visit are the Nordic countries. Wanna hit it up real good. It all just looks so clean and pretty and pleasant. Finland in particular just looks like a jolly old time, which is an opinion I have developed based almost entirely on the blog Mariannan which I have been stalking religiously since my mid-teens. What. She always seems to have really nice salads. And knitwear. I'm very interested in the knitwear.
Stockholm, Sweden
Photo from here
I say Stockholm because it's the only city in Sweden I'm consciously aware of other than Malmo, and I only know Malmo because that's where they had Eurovision that one time. I just want to go to Sweden because - aside from the aforementioned Scandinavian Preoccupation - I enjoy their bloggers, their ethics and their decor. I was also a fan of several Swedish pop acts in my formative years so I feel like I'm already a couple of steps ahead with the culture. I will go to their homeware stores. I will buy a lot of magazines. I will go to the ABBA Museum, and also maybe some clubs. I feel like I would enjoy clubbing in Sweden. I don't know if I'm getting this vibe from Kenza or my apparent predisposition to their particular brand of popular music, but we're gonna roll with it.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Photo from here
This summer some of my friends went to Denmark while I was in Berlin and they seemed to find it quite agreeable. I also feel like I need it to complete my Scandinavian Trifecta. Plus, if all else fails I could definitely feed off the Hans Christian Andersen vibe for at least a day or so. However, while I feel like I would happily deal with cold weather in Helsinki or Stockholm I do believe I would need to 'Mark it up during the summer months. I foresee frolicking through gardens.
Alberta, Canada
All photos by Ben Brown
This one is inspired entirely by what I've seen on youtube this year, so well played, Canadian tourism board. Well played indeed. I would dress up hella cute and take so many instagram photos it's not even funny. Especially selfies. That much snow is going to create fantastic lighting. I would need a lot of resources for this trip though because I like to appreciate nature but I am not okay with being stuck in it. Readily available transportation and adequately comfortable hotels would be necessary. This one isn't at the top of my list - probably see it a few years down the track, as opposed to most of the rest of these which will be happening ASAP - but it is very nice to look at.
Edinburgh, Scotland
Almost every time I see a photo on tumblr and stop scrolling to be like woah where is that it ends up being Edinburgh. I'm a big fan of the architecture, plus it's got the whole Scottish Highlands vibe going on (ya gurl loves a rainy hillside) while still being attached to civilisation. Furthermore, it is where SunbeamsJess goes to uni, and if you were following me at all during the month of December you will know that I want her to be my best friend.
Prague, Czech Republic
Photo by dinomccann
This probably wouldn't even be on my radar if it weren't for the fact that when I scampered off to meet my boys in Italy the rest of my friends went over to Prague and came back with glowing reviews. Other than that I know very little about it, but that castle thing in the picture looks badass and I've seen about a thousand picturesque alleys and sidestreets on tumblr. I don't love a picturesque sidestreet quite as much as a rainy hillside, but they're up there.
Vienna, Austria
Original photo here
I've been to Austria before but I was very small so it doesn't really count, and there is something about Vienna that calls to me on an ego-centric spiritual level. Like I feel connected to it, but in a way that's like "yes, come to Vienna and judge people." You know what I mean? Probably not because you're a normal person. But I get vibes about every place, like Scandinavia is for wandering with purpose, eating salads and refining one's taste. Edinburgh is for self-discovery and soul-searching. Prague is for god knows what but I have a very distinct idea of what my playlist for the trip will be like, as well as the instagram photos. And Vienna is for self-satisfaction and classical music. I will not fight it. And I will also take a day trip to the Sound of Music tour.
Cape Town, South Africa
Photo: bykiki.se
This one is a bit of a wildcard. When I watch Ben Brown's daily vlogs I don't want to go to South Africa. It just seems like Perth but with a much higher risk of getting stabbed, and that's not really what I'm after. ENTER THE SCANDINAVIAN BLOGGERS. Yup. We're starting to see a pattern here aren't we. The Cape Town that the Scandinavian Bloggers show me is like a less-tired younger sister of the South of France meets The Maldives, and I am most certainly down for that. Plus the actual real life people that I know in South Africa go to wineries and have pools and take lots of photos of the beach, and those are all things with which I am more than comfortable. However this is similar to the Canadian one in that it will require considerable funding so that I can get hella nice accommodation maybe at a resort of some description where I am not in danger of getting shanked.
Santorini, Greece
The fact that I've never been to Greece baffles me, and I plan to rectify this at my earliest convenience.
Sardinia
Sardinia is probably the only region of Italy (I know it's autonomous but it still geographically counts) that I haven't been to yet and I think that's purely because you can't get there on TrenItalia. Regardless, it is so, so pretty. One of my friends' sisters went there a few summers ago and it took me til I was maybe three photos into her album to put it on my list.
Finally, I wouldn't be listening to my destination-repeating soul if I didn't include some places I've already been.
Bali, Indonesia
Photo by The Londoner
One of my best friends has a house there so it's really just a matter of coordinating schedules and finding money for flights, but oh dang it's so pretty. It's such a good place to go when you just want to get away and clear your head, and I'm pretty much up for that 24/7. They also have amazing french fries.
Budapest, Hungary
Photo from here
My family is Hungarian on my mum's side so I'm a citizen by descent and it's been over a decade since I last graced the motherland with my presence, so I would say a visit is long overdue. Plus last time I was a sassy nine year old and did not have nearly the appropriate level of appreciation for the architecture, culture or instagram opportunities. In my mind it's high time we popped on over for Bone Structure: The Origin Story.
All of Italy
Photo from here
I can pretty much guarantee you'll be getting a full post on my undying love for Italy so we don't even need to go into this now.
New York, USA
Photo from here
I've done quite a lot of New Yorking in my lifetime, and after I spent my gap year there I was pretty much done for the foreseeable future. I had tired of the city in a way not even my love of musical theatre could outweigh, and that has lasted in so much as I definitely do not see myself ever wanting to live there again, but I think I am overdue for a visit. I do love it there, I just prefer it in small doses. Plus my dad lives in Connecticut now, two of my best friends have moved over as well and they have cheetos and pizza pockets, so watch this space.
Switzerland
Photo by The Londoner
I haven't been to Switzerland since I was eight, and even then I'm pretty sure I only went to Zurich. I want to get all up in Bern and Geneva and the Alps. If all else fails, my uncle has a house on Lago Maggiore in Italy, so I can just impulse-strut my way over the mountains and start exploring. Or I could strut my way up the mountain to the ski lodge, get a hot beverage and watch all the alpine baes glide by. Maybe both. Who knows. The world is ripe with possibility.
