World domination plans 2018
I should probably explain the map (and maybe the article title!)
We're not some mustache-twirling villains from a superhero movie with an evil plot to control the Earth; it's much more mundane that that. There's lots to see and do around the globe and until Virgin Galactic gets off the ground, we're stuck on this little ball.
This map is in our study and this is usually where we book our holidays. A lot of the time it is just us in front of the computer, Agoda or Booking.com (or the like) on the screen as we switch tabs to check airfare with different airlines (we've shopped around for years, but recently recognised the loyality benefit of sticking with one company). More recently, with our busy day jobs, we've shared this room with a travel agent over the phone (Virgin Holidays and Dial a Flight being our faves!)
A lot of those gold pegs along the deep south are from our honeymoon.
The map is a great tool to glance up and remember the places we've enjoyed visits to (and maybe can't wait to go back to again - we're thinking of you, Venice) or those places we've always wanted to visit (soon, Havana, soon!)
We're quite organised. We have colour coding!
- Gold pegs are places we've visited together.
- Green pegs are places I (Antony) have visited without David.
- Blue pegs are places David has been to without me tagging along.
- Silver pegs are for places we want to visit together but haven't got around to it yet.
Obviously, we've visited more places in the UK than shown here! The UK just can't take that many pegs!
It's one of those nice things that takes away a bit of the post-holiday blues when you get to turn a silver peg to gold.
This year we got to do just that with Shanghai when I finally crossed off my final Disney theme park. We'll share more of our thoughts on Shanghai Disneyland (and our week in the gorgeous city) in the coming weeks, but you can read David's thoughts on Shanghai Disneyland already.
But what of our plans for the rest of 2018? We're quite known at our places of work for having new trips booked before our holiday washing has even dried properly and 2018 is no exception. We've plenty of blog content planned throughout the year.
June 2018
I'll be off to Barcelona with three of my best friends for four days of sightseeing, rooftop pools and catching-up (we've all been so busy in 2018 that we've not seen a lot of each other).
David will not be coming on this trip, but I think he's planning a similar getaway with his friends this year too.
(Pictured: Barcelona, 2016)
August 2018
David's birthday is late July and a trip away somewhere is always a really appreciated, and easy, gift to sort, if not always easy on the wallet.
He knows we're off somewhere, but doesn't know where yet. You'll know more, when he does, later this summer!
August 2018
A couple of weeks after the secret trip, we'll be off again. This time by sea.
David and I took our first cruise holiday in 2014 and, surprisingly even to us, we've been hooked ever since. Cruises are a great (and luxurious) way to see a lot and often do very little.
I'm a massive fan of pirates (fiction, video games, real life stories) and I'm so excited that this summer we'll be cruising the Carribbean with on the Celebrity Equinox taking in Miami, Puerto Rico, Sint Maarten and Saint Thomas.
(Pictured: Celebrity Constellation, 2016)
I'm sure there will be other trips in between; one of our best friends is running the Berlin Marathon in September and we'd love to help her celebrate with a bar crawl (after the big race, of course!)
Do you have your own travel planning traditions? A giant map wall too, perhaps? Or do you have any tips of places we definately shouldn't miss in the places we're visiting this year? Let us know in the comments.
