Our 2019 travel plans: what’s booked & on the bucket list
The beginning of the year was super slow when it comes to travel, but very quickly things have warmed up! With 2019 well underway here’s some of the things we have already done and more jaunts I’ve been piecing together to fill out our 2019 travel plans. Keep popping back for more updates and reviews as Tin Box Traveller is going to be packed with travel inspiration in the year ahead.
So are we go! I’m very excited to share what’s penciled into the calendar and what we’d like to do in 2019. If you’d like to see me write about anything else not featured here or if you have any questions about the destinations we’ll be visiting please comment below or drop me an email.
First, thank you to Natalie from Plutonium Sox for the prompt to share our travel plans. You can read about what she’s got in store and her other 2019 goals in her post about making plans for 2019.
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The Tin Box 2019 travel plans so far
We’re in the very lucky position of being offered travel opportunities by lots of companies so I can review them here on the blog. I don’t accept them all because they either don’t fit into our calendar, would mean smashing our own budget, or they are not right for us as a family. However, a few gems have popped into my inbox and are now firm fixtures in our travel diary alongside other trips and experiences we hope to do ourselves.
Press trips
NB. These are unpaid press trips where accommodation, plus some expenses are being covered in exchange for blog coverage.
February – The Valley, Cornwall
First up in our 2019 travel plans was a trip to the 5* cottage resort The Valley in Cornwall. We are massive fans of Cornwall and believe it’s a brilliant UK family holiday destination. The resort sounds very family-friendly and we’re going to have the chance to revisit lots of our favourite Cornish sights as well as hopefully discovering some more.
Read our review of The Valley, Cornwall.
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April – Kiani Beach Resort, Crete
We hadn’t been on an all-inclusive holiday with the girls, so I couldn’t wait to see what they made of SeaCrete‘s Kiani Beach Resort in Crete. I had a feeling it would be hard to disappoint them as Kiani is a high flyer on TripAdvisor. We were invited for a week at Easter and also checked out the sister resort Kalvyes Beach Hotel. Crete was a new destination for us so we loved exploring too!
Here’s our full review of Kiani Beach Resort and what we got up to in the Chania region in West Crete.
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May – Lake Maggiore in Italy with Bookings For You
Last year I spent an indulgent few days in Tuscany with a fabulous group of blogging friends. We were hosted by Bookings For You and the family behind the incredible luxury Villa Le Capanne. The trip was such a hit that Jo who owns the luxury villa holiday company has invited us to come and stay again. As part of my solo 2019 travel plans I am heading to Lake Maggiore and the Golfo Gabella resort. The girls and I stayed on a great campsite in Lake Garda last summer so know what an incredibly beautiful part of Italy this is. The image at the top this post was taken during a boat trip around Lake Garda where every town is prettier than the next. It’s such a treat to return to the region.
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June 2019 – Puy du Fou, France
I’m really buzzing about this trip to France’s historical theme park. Last year, it was voted the No. 1 attraction in Europe and No. 3 attraction in the world in TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice 2018. This is another solo trip for me during which I’ll be meeting up with some more blogging friends who have also been asked to review Puy du Fou. You can find out more about the theme park in this post by my friend Sarah from Extraordinary Chaos who visited Puy du Fou last year.
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July/August 2019 – Tuscany in Italy with Al Fresco Holidays
It’s fantastic to be working with Al Fresco Holidays for a third year in a row. They have invited us back to Italy to experience a mobile home holiday at the 5* Norcenni Girasole Club campsite in Tuscany. This is an area I have visited a few times but only once with Mr TB in the kids when we saw Florence and Pisa in day as an excursion from our 2016 cruise. I’m really looking forward to more time to explore and I know the girls are going to love lots of time in the campsite pool. That’s not to mention the pizza and gelato! I might take some tips from this Tuscany itinerary by Euro Travel Coach and get in some wine tasting too. Selfishly, it’s also going to be great to introduce Mr TB to Al Fresco Holidays as he’s not been able to join us for either of our previous trips to The Vendée in France or Lake Garda in Italy.
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Other 2019 travel plans in the mix
February – The Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show 2019, Birmingham NEC
We’ve got another few jaunts in the mix early in the year including a trip up to the NEC in Birmingham where I’ve been booked to speak about our family travel tips. The event is the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show 2019 and I’m feeling a little nervous because it will be my first paid speaking gig. It happens over February half term so Mr Tin Box and the girls are coming to cheer me on. Wish me luck!
March – sit-UP travel blogger event, London
A few weeks later I’m headed to London for an event called sit-UP. It’s a mini-conference for travel bloggers, vloggers and social media influencers where we can meet with travel companies and find out all the latest things we should be doing to make our blog posts, social media and videos sing. It’s also a great excuse to meet up with some of my travel blogging besties!
Bucket list trips
As if the first eight months of the year aren’t busy enough there are a few trips I’d like to squeeze in this year:
A motorhome holiday
Since we gave up Tin Box last year there’s been a gaping hole in our holiday plans – we’ve not got any touring planned. Mr Tin Box is working on a camper van plan but we’re still not totally sure when is the best time to get one because he’s going to be working away a lot again this year. I don’t want it sat on the drive way going no where. So, in the meantime I’ll be chatting to a motorhome manufacturer about borrowing a some wheels to see how we get on. Watch this space!
The BIG USA road trip
I’ve already let this one slip, but it’s by no means any closer to being organised. We’ve always dreamed of doing a US road trip and there’s a slim chance we might be able to get out to the States towards the end of the year. Multiple planets have to align, so we’ll see. If you’d like to find out more I’ve written about my dream USA road trip.
Now, while I have plenty of other things on my bucket list I’m going to stop myself before I run out of days in the year. I’m sure more will be added to this list during the coming months because I can’t sit still for long, but this is enough to get me super excited for 2019.
What 2019 travel plans have you got in the mix? And have you got any questions or advice for me about our destinations?
Disclosure: some of the trips mentioned in this post about our 2019 travel plans are unpaid press trips. I’m under no obligation to write about them here before I go, but I wanted to share what’s coming up on the blog.
Why not pin this post about 2019 travel plans and bucket list ideas for later?
![[AD] We've been furiously putting together our 2019 travel plans. Here's some of the fun and travel inspiration you can expect on Tin Box Traveller this year. Maybe you'll find some inspiration for your travels this year?](https://tinboxtraveller.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2019-travel-plans-pin.jpg)
Oh I am very jealous – what a great selection – have fun.
Thanks Clare. I can’t quite believe how busy 2019 is already looking.
I love reading others plans and this is a good year. I hope you make it on your USA Road trip that will be epic.
Hope you enjoyed Norcenni Girasole – we were there a couple of summers ago (in the heatwave) and whilst we had planned lots of trips the heat was too much so we pretty much stayed at the site for the week and made use of the pools which were great.
We did manage a little trip to Pisa and the campsite organises travel to Florence which was hassle free.
Here’s to a great year
Thanks Clare! That’s great to know about the transport to Florence. We definitely want to take advantage of it being so close. We went when the girls were three and one yard old so it is going to be great to return now they are a bit older.
Ooh I love reading people’s travel plans and you’ve got some great ones lined up. Will be interested to read about Crete and can’t wait for Puy du Fou!
Wow that looks like an incredible year. Look forward to following your travels!
I’m proper excited about it – I’m sure you can tell – and I’m looking forward to sharing it all!