One of the only things getting me through Covid is the future trips I want to take. So here’s my list of nearby(ish) places I want to visit when it’s all over!
Right now, one of the only things getting me through this weird situation is thinking about future trips I want to take. At least whilst I’m safe at home I can save money and start some sort of planning. I.e look at pretty location pictures and write this list) for all the places I want to go when this is over.
I think one thing that has struck me the most during this time is just how little I used to do beforehand. I always used to think I was a spontaneous person who liked going on lots of adventures. But looking back, there were so many opportunities for me to visit somewhere new which I never took advantage of. Even places just in London!
So here’s my list of short nearby(ish) trips I want to take when I can again. And you can bet I’ll be bookmarking this post to ensure I actually go!
LITTLE VENICE, LONDON
Little Venice is a quaint area of London which is still fairly unknown to anyone but local. It’s supposed to be a wonderful place to visit on a warm summer day, whether that’s by taking a waterbus or a slow stroll from Camden. The best part is that it’s absolutely free. So I have no idea why I never got around to visiting beforehand! I’m daydreaming about popping into pubs along the route for a cold pint, ogling at pretty canal boats and perhaps even ending up at ZSL London Zoo – another place that I have yet to visit. On the same London list, I’d also like to finally visit Highgate Cemetery. This is somewhere that I can visit any time of year without needing to wait for a warm day. Or perhaps in conjunction with an overnight stay with GuestReady.
CHEDDAR GORGE
Cheddar Gorge is a charming little town/gorge in Somerset. It has a few little tourist attractions related to the gorge but also some spectacular views. I went a couple of times when I was younger and loved it. My boyfriend and I drove through on the way home from a wedding last year, however it was late in the day so nothing was open. We just drove through in awe and loved how pretty the town looked. It’s a long way to drive just for a day but I’d love to return – perhaps we can coincide it with a trip to Cornwall.
CAMBRIDGE
Luckily I actually managed to visit Cambridge on a flying visit over New Year’s Eve. However, I’m going to keep this one on the list as I’d love to spend an entire day there when things aren’t closed for New Year’s Day. I’d also like to go punting!
BATH
Bath isn’t too far from here and it’s one of those places that can be done on the cheap. Of course there’s lots to do there like The Roman Baths, Thermae Bath Spa and Bath Abbey. But it’s also somewhere that’s just real pretty as well. This means that we could easily drive there and spend a day just exploring and not spending any money.
YORK
I have been to York a few times but have always wanted to return. York is one of the prettiest places I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting. Despite being such a historic place, you’d be surprised at how much there is to do there. There’s lots of independent shops and cute tourist attractions. As it goes, it’s quite far up north so I’d like to coincide this with a trip back up north with my boyfriend. I’d like to show him Sunderland, where I studied at university, and include a visit to Newcastle and Alnwick too. I’d also like to visit some places I always said I’d visit when studying there. For example, Chillingham Castle and The Forbidden Corner. I think a long weekend (or maybe taking four days) to do this all would be ideal.
TUTANKHAMUN: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh, London
Technically this is an exhibition (and one that is said to last only a few hours at that), but this is one of the first things I want to do when this is all over. That’s if it’s even still running by then, as it’s due to end this month. I was obsessed with Egypt growing up. I still harbour a crush on Rick O’Connell from The Mummy! So obviously I’ve wanted to go to this exhibition since it arrived. But because it was going on for so long, I kept putting it off. Some months we had too much to pay for in the house and others just too much on. This is a prime example of one thing I may never get to do because I stupidly kept putting it off (and tickets aren’t even that expensive!), so to say I’m gutted is an understatement.
It’s also the reason why I wrote this list – some things aren’t going to be around forever so it’s important we do these things while we still can (which isn’t right now obviously but you get my point). The only solace in the fact that this exhibition closes soon is that it moves on elsewhere before eventually returning to Egypt for good. I’m not sure where it’s going next but since I’ll be in need of a holiday, I’m hoping I can coincide a holiday with it’s next location.
EDINBURGH
I talk about visiting Edinburgh again all the time and I’m pretty sure it’s been on my ‘must visit’ blog posts for at least the last three years. There’s not really much else I can say about this other than this will probably be one of the first places I’ll visit when this is all over – simply as it’s been at the top of my list for so long!
THE COTSWOLDS
Funny story: I actually very nearly made it to the Cotswolds recently, just as this whole thing was kicking off. My boyfriend and I had a Crazy Bear hotel booking which was obviously pushed back, but considering we still had the two weekdays off work, we didn’t want to waste them and headed online to look for any suitable AirBnB’s. We found a really quirky isolated campervan just outside of the Cotswolds which we debated over for a couple of hours – we figured that as it was literally in the middle of nowhere and all we’d be doing in that area of the UK would be driving and walking – and the host promised us it was pretty quiet there – we thought we’d be fine. We booked it, then a mere hour later the lockdown was announced. Luckily we got our money back!
But it made me realise how this was yet another place I’d wanted to go for a long time but had never made the time for – despite the fact that it’s not that far (for some reason I thought it was about four hours away!) and could, essentially, be done in a day if we just visited a handful of places. It’s safe to say we’ll be re-booking this particular trip and AirBnB when everything calms down!
THE BEACH
Brighton, Southend, Blackpool…I don’t care where, I just want to go to the beach! I want to eat seaside chips, play all the old penny machines in the arcade, go on the rides along the seafront, walk along the pier or even just sit and watch the waves – I want it!
SEE MY FAMILY
And last, but certainly not least (and only ‘last’ on this list as technically it doesn’t count as travel), I can’t wait to see my family again. I’m especially looking forward to heading round to my Dad’s for a big roast dinner with all the family.
What is the first trip you want to take when this is all over? Are you finding it helpful to plan ahead/fantasise about future trips? Let me know!
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