Last night Matt and I were brainstorming what big trip we wanted to take in 2017, which had us reminiscing about the favorite places we have traveled to. I decided it would be fun to share with you all my top 5 favorite international destinations I’ve been to, along with the 5 international destinations that are on the top of my bucket list! As always, if you have any questions about visiting these destinations shoot me an email or leave a comment below! For those of you that are less of an international traveler, I’ll plan on doing a similar post for my favorite domestic destinations as well!
Top 5 Favorite International Destinations
- Bora Bora
Matt and I went here for our honeymoon and it is truly such a magical place. Although Matt is not a big fan of traveling back to the same places, I really want to come back here for a big milestone anniversary. Over the last year, so many of you have reached out with questions about visiting this place, and I love answering reminiscing about this trip when answering your questions. You can find my blog post about this trip here.
<Matt diving off the bugalow we stayed in>
2. Croatia
I spent a week in Croatia this summer and it really exceeded all expectations. I cannot say enough great things about the people, the culture, the food, and the local wines! I’m always surprised that Croatia has remained somewhat of a hidden gem given all that it has to offer. A lot of times when I mention I was in Croatia, I get a puzzled look – why Croatia? I then inevitably go into a ten minute rant as to why spending a week island hoping along the Dalmatian coast makes for the perfect summer getaway. I devoted four blog posts to covering the different destinations we visited in Croatia, which you can find here, here, here, and here.
- Kauai
I went into Hawaii assuming Maui would be my favorite island, but came out absolute loving Kauai. There are so many things to do on this island that make for a diversified trip – we went hiking to a waterfall, zip-lined, took a helicopter ride around the island, and so much more. You truly feel like you are on the set of Jurassic Park (probably because you are!) and this island in particular does such a fantastic job at retaining the traditional Hawaiian culture. For a full review of my time in Hawaii, check out this post.
- Rio de Janeiro
Sitting on the top of the famous Sugarloaf Mountain, you can a snapshot of what a beautiful city Rio is. From the beaches (which are insane – so many people selling items, playing soccer, catching waves – in other words, people watching at its finest) to the fun tourist attractions (such as visiting Christ the Redeemer or dancing to salsa some in the Lapa neighborhood), this is a city you could easily spend a week in.
- Barcelona
Beach, sun, paella, unique parks and culture, there are so many favorite things that come to mind when I think about the few days I spent in Barcelona. On this trip, we visited Paris, London, and Barcelona, and this was probably my favorite of the three. Don’t get me wrong, Paris and London are insanely beautiful, but I was just drawn to this fun and vibrant city.
Top 5 International Destinations on my Bucket List
- Thailand
We almost went right after Christmas and then Matt’s work got a little too crazy and we had to push this off. But this one is on the very top of my must-see list!
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- Greece
Maybe it’s seeing pictures of the gorgeous Santorini coast when scrolling through my instagram each day, but I really want to go check out the Greek islands for myself!
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- Seychelles
If this was the destination of choice for Kate Middleton and Prince William’s honeymoon it must be amazing!
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- South Africa
Matt and I have been seriously been thinking about a trip here. We want to go somewhere warm, and so many destinations are currently off limits for us due to the Zika risk. Fortunately, Africa is (apparently) Zika free!
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- Ireland
Ever since seeing P.S. I Love You, I’ve been dying to go and see the rolling hills of Ireland got myself!
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