Recent travel destinations & thoughts

For me, there is nothing better than spending a few weeks abroad away from the mundanities of life. Whether I'm off on a city break, ski or beach holiday, I love traveling and getting away from it all. 

So far this year I went skiing in Austria and stayed in a great resort just outside Innsbruck. That was in January and it was the perfect way of getting over the January blues. I was quite late on the whole skiing thing and definitely think you're better off learning to ski as a child because they pick it up so easily compared to when you're an adult learner. I had so much fun with my sister, especially in the evenings at the après-ski bars!

Breath-taking views

Kranjska Gora ski resort, perfect for beginners

  My first ski trip was to Slovenia, which was the perfect resort for first-time skiers. The runs were all relatively easy and not too high.  However, the transfer is hell! We flew from Glasgow to Salzburg where we then had to get a mini-bus transfer all the way to Slovenia which took 4 hours. We did see lovely Austrian countryside and mountainous landscape which was an added bonus to a long and boring trip. Not many people have been to Slovenia and I have to say I was very surprised by the beauty of the country and the friendly locals. I would really recommend choosing Slovenia if you are a first-time skier because the runs are very beginner friendly and not too daunting.

This June I visited Amsterdam with a few friends! It is such a beautiful and interesting city with a very different culture! I loved the city's architecture and the friendly feel I experienced. We stayed in an amazing concierge-apartment in the city centre called Yays Oostenburgergracht. We went to all the typical Amsterdam sites, Anne Frank house, Vondelpark, the Red Light District and the very, very surreal Sex Museum - which was a definite eye-opener! I thought the locals were very friendly and noticed that English was widely spoken which was a plus. However, I do think Amsterdam is an expensive city so do be sure to have plenty of spending money before you go.

In terms of beach holidays, I love nothing more than to lie by the pool in the gorgeous sunshine with a good book in hand. In the last two years, I have visited Salou in Catalonia, where I also spent a day in Barcelona, and more recently Ibiza last June. I spent two weeks in Salou and thought the holiday was very cost-effective! It is not too expensive to dine every night and everyday commodities are very cheap and reasonable. We stayed just outside of Salou in Cap Salou which has really pretty cove beaches. The only disappointment was the weather - it was in the mid-20s but did seem to have a slight chill in the air.

 In June 2015 I went to Ibiza with two uni friends, Alyson and Eden and was hands-down the best beach holiday! Everything about Ibiza I loved - we stayed in quite a chilled out hotel on San Antonio Bay and as much as Ibiza is associated with crazy nightlife, we actually had a really chill time. We sunbathed every day in the scorching heat and visited sunset bars at night. The cocktails were amazing and I just loved the whole party vibe of the island. We stayed half board and I would recommend you that board as eating out can be really expensive. 

And last but far from least, is my favourite city - Paris. To me, Paris is timeless and always exciting. I've visited three times in the last ten years and it hasn't gotten boring yet. I visited Paris for the first time in 2008 for a school trip and it was as magical as I expected. I don't know what it is about the city but there is something about it which I can't explain - be it the restaurants, coffee shops, wine, boutiques and amazing tourist attractions. I just love the chilled out attitude and culture the French have. Since the first time I visited, I always thought how amazing it would be to spend time living there.

So there you have it, those are a few of the travel destinations I have visited! I hope to go to Montenegro next summer and of course will be living in France in the next few months. Writing this blog post has really made me want to jet away somewhere nice!

Niamh x