Happy New Year from Stories My Suitcase Could Tell! After an adventure-filled 2014, I’m now looking ahead and plotting potential suitcase stories for 2015. They’re goals rather than resolutions: activities I’d love to experience and places I’m intrigued to explore.
The Take 12 Trips Challenge has been making the rounds on social media and travel blogs for a while now, and tackling it is my first travel-related goal of the year. Clare Farrell started the challenge on her blog, Need Another Holiday, in 2013, and the premise was simple:
“To #take12trips, you only have to commit to doing something once a month,” explained Clare in her initial post. “Maybe you’ll overnight in your own city centre or go to a museum you always walk past, but never into. Maybe you’ll drive into the country and spend a weekend at a cute little B&B.”
“Maybe you’ll have a day out to the seaside and take a walk on the beach before scoffing some fish and chips on a battered old bench. Maybe you’ll just go for dinner in the middle of the week to a new place.”
“Do anything – trip big, or trip tiny. It’s entirely up to you and the things you like to do (as well as what’s in your pocket, of course). So push your pennies, but most importantly push yourself. Get out. Get stuck in.”
Since then, the challenge has taken on a life of its own. I followed Lucy Dodsworth from On The Luce as she tackled the challenge last year, and thought Monica Stott’s (aka The Travel Hack) tips for travelling more, which included #Take12Trips, were spot on.
Source: Pinterest
The attitude of the challenge is one that ties in neatly with my next travel goal, which is to discover more of America. As regular readers of Stories My Suitcase Could Tell will know, I’m a big proponent of ‘local travel’; I embraced it with enthusiasm while at a home in the Outer Hebrides, and it’s an outlook I plan to apply to my newly adopted home on America’s East Coast.
It’s unlikely I’ll run out of options, given this is a country that consists of 50 states, 58 national parks, and countless major cities, each completely different from the next. Boston is already in my calendar for March, when I’ll travel north to attend my first ever blogging conference, the Women In Travel Summit.
I’ll be heading back to the Outer Hebrides of course, and I’ve already got a list of old haunts to return to and new spots to try. After sailing to St Kilda with Sea Harris last year, I’d love to join the team again, this time on the east side of the archipelago with a boat trip to the Shiants. A long-overdue return trip to the tiny island of Scalpay is also on the cards, as is a hike into the Harris hills – National Geographic recently highlighted their mountain walks as one of their ‘best fall trips.’
And then there are my dreams of seeing new countries, the list of which seems to grow longer by the day. First on the wishlist for 2015 is Canada. With Montreal less than a six hour drive from New York City, and Toronto not much further, it would be negligent of me not to make the journey to my new next-door neighbour.
The Caribbean is also tantalisingly close now, as is Central America; the prospect of sunshine, culture, and delicious food might be too good to miss. I fell in love with East Africa last year, and I’m desperate to return, while Jordan and Cuba are still high on my wanderlust wishlist.
While having a trip planned helps with the itchy feet syndrome, I like to leave some things to chance. After all, when I made my travel resolutions last year, I could never have envisaged winning a two-week trip to Kenya, or returning to London for the Cosmo Blog Awards.
America, Canada, Scotland, the Caribbean, the Middle East: these destinations may make up my travel plans and dreams for 2015, but who knows where the wind might blow over the coming 12 months? As always, stay tuned to find out where I’ll be taking my suitcase next!
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What are your New Year’s Resolutions? Where would you most like to visit in 2015?
Just new to your blog. I’m a Scalpach living in Australia, thanks for the mention 🙂
Hi Katie! Pleased to hear you found the blog 🙂 Us islanders get everywhere! I meant to get down to Scalpay before I moved to the U.S. last month, since I’ve not visited in a while, but things got so hectic that I didn’t get the chance, so it’s definitely in my plans for when I’m home in the summer!
The 12 trips goal is a great idea; I might have to incorporate it into my plans for 2015. I’d love to go back to the Outer Hebrides this year. I visited Stornoway for the first time last year, but it was just for the day as part of the crew of the ship Draken Harald Hårfagre so I never got to explore beyond the town.
Isn’t it a great idea? It’s a good way of encouraging yourself to experience somewhere knew, even if it’s close by. And I would definitely recommend a return to the Outer Hebrides 🙂 !
So lovely to read this! Thanks so much for sharing #take12trips and it’s fab to have you get involved – I’m also glad the challenge has helped me find your blog. Love it!
Thanks Clare! I loved your idea – so inspiring! I’m a little behind on my challenge, but I think I’ll have to take 2 trips in February to make up for January 😉
HI Katie, I am thoroughly enjoying reading your blog. As blogging goes I am a complete amateur. I have thought about ‘putting pen to paper’ for a long time but times have changed, then no sooner do I enter into this world and there you are an ultra professional award winning blogger from my own neck of the woods! Mighty!! Congratulations. I am sorry I have not caught up before now – but here I am. It has also been really refreshing to read about an Islander who has ‘dreams’. I know we all do but it took me a long time till I admitted mine. I am glad times have changed.
I have no doubt you will forge away and enjoy making your own experiences in America and Canada and beyond but if I can help at all by setting you up with a tour of the Grand Old Opry in Nashville or the like, as I have good musician friends in a lot of the States, then drop me a note. One of the things I love most about the traveling I have done is an ‘in road’ a direct route to a new city from a local, it’s invaluable. I have experienced the best restaurants that might look like the worst and the warmest of welcomes. I love taking off on my own, exploring, I am often a loner on tour as I need a little ‘me’ time but I love meeting folk with local knowledge too. I find North America fascinating, I have no doubt you will too (generally I find all places fascinating…) but if you fancy meeting a few lovely interesting folk with ‘in roads’ then feel free to drop me a line. In the mean time I will continue reading with interest and if you fancy putting Ireland on your wish list at any point then that’s, as they say, a ‘no brainer’.. Alyth 😉 x
Big thanks for the idea of #Take12Trips! I’m definitely going to take this challenge this year! Good luck fpr your travel plans!
Thanks Tetyana, and good luck for your #take12trips challenge too!
I had no idea (sorry) you’d won the Cosmo award. Fantastic!!!!
Canada, yes. My country! I hope you’ll let me give you lots of tips for Montreal and Toronto, both of which I get back to often and know well, having lived in both.
We have two friends who just moved to Istanbul (which I saw for 3 days in 1983 and never since) and I’ve already decided we’ll fly into Berlin (never been) and go on from there. I hate long flights so that would help. As for other trips, we’ll have to see; my husband is leaving his job and now seeking another, so until we have a good steady income in the family again we may have to be more frugal than we prefer.
I’d really like to get to rural England (maybe rent a cottage or a house and use it as a base from which to explore) but also want to visit far-flung spots like Japan and Argentina.
Thanks Caitlin! I was quite shocked to win, to say the least.
I would love your advice on what to do and see in Canada 🙂 Montreal looks beautiful, and I’ve heard good things about it, as well as Toronto. I think I’ll be waiting until the weather gets a bit warmer before making these trips though!
Istanbul would be fantastic! I’ve been to Turkey four times and loved it (it was the first place outside the UK that my parents took my brother and I on holiday to), but we never made it to Istanbul. It’s been 10 years since I visited Berlin, but I remember finding it fascinating – so much history, but so modern at the same time.
I’ll look forward to reading (and hearing!) about your travels this year 🙂
I love the idea of a trip every month, even if it’s just somewhere local! Living in NYC, there’s still so many places I haven’t been that are on my to-do list, so I look forward to enjoying many of those this year!:-)
Isn’t it a great idea? As a newcomer to NYC, I have plenty to explore. I love the mantra of your site, and the idea of getting out there and ‘using’ everything your city has to offer – very inspiring!
Just discovered your blog. I can see why you won the cosmo award. If you happen to find yourself in East Africa say hello!!
That’s so kind of you to say, Adiela! Happy to hear you’re enjoying the suitcase stories 🙂 I was in Kenya for the first time last year and absolutely loved it – I’m desperate to go back!