Travel Round-up 2025

At the beginning of 2025, there was only one place that I knew I wanted to visit: the Philippines. Other than that, I had nothing booked and wasn't set on any ideas. That said, as I write this travel round-up, it seems that I managed to organise a lot more trips than I'd anticipated and I've had some of my fondest travels in 2025.

January

I didn't have any trips planned for January as I wanted to have a relaxing month after the hecticness that is December. Unbeknownst to me, this would be my only month without any travels...

February - Livigno, Italy

My brother and I decided to spend ten days in Italy, specifically skiing in Livigno and then visiting Bologna. The two of us had never done a siblings trip and realised we were unlikely to ever do another with just the two of us, so went on a road trip, covering four countries (France, Switzerland, Italy, and Belgium), with stops in Nancy, Basel, Livigno, Parma, Bologna, Lago Maggiore, Wissembourg, and Dinant! It was a lot of fun and despite it seeming very busy in hindsight, a lot of it was spontaneous so didn't feel rushed at all. We saw so many beautiful places and I look back on the trip very fondly!

March - Exmoor National Park, UK

For Mother's Day, my mum decided to rent a house in Exmoor National Park over the weekend. Whilst the surrounding area was gorgeous and we had a lovely meal in a local pub, the house itself was quite eerie and unsettling (mainly due to its decor and the fact that it was two houses in one).

April - South Petherton, UK & the Philippines

I spent the first weekend of April in Somerset celebrating a uni friend's 30th birthday! It was my first barbecue of the year and consisted of delicious food, good company, and lots of fun.

I then spent 12 days in the Philippines with my go-to travel buddy, visiting Moalboal, Bohol, and Cebu City. I crossed off two bucket list items, namely canyoning and sleeping in a pod, and had so many fun experiences. The locals were so incredibly warm and welcoming, and the sights we saw were astounding, from Moalboal's sea turtles, to Bohol's chocolate hills, to the turquoise waters of Kawasan Falls. It was also my 99th country, and the top destination on my travel list, and it definitely lived up to the hype!

May - Corsica, France, Weymouth, UK and Cornwall, UK

My mum's birthday often coincides with the early May bank holiday, so we often go away for it, and this year the destination of choice was Corsica. None of us had visited previously and despite the on and off weather, it was actually very lovely and I enjoyed spending quality time with my family.

In mid-May, my boyfriend ran the Jurassic Coast ultramarathon (58km) and since one of my closest pals is from Weymouth but I'd never been, I decided to go and support him over the weekend. It was great to see his training pay off, and also to sit on the beach with gelato in hand, see Durdle Door, and even visit the café where my friend worked as a teenager by the beach!

Last but not least, I spent the late May bank holiday in Cornwall with my flatmate at the time, my brother, and my brother's partner. We visited some very cute restaurants, went on a couple of coastal walks, and played a lot of board games, which was very wholesome. Although it was a long drive for just a weekend, it was a lot of fun.

June - Mykonos, Greece

In June, I went on my first ever hen do, and whilst I was slightly apprehensive about hen dos and stags abroad, I was very pleasantly surprised and ended up having a wonderful time! The outbound flight was one of the oddest flights I've ever experienced, however our time in Mykonos was incredible: the group was absolutely lovely, the food was delicious, and the vibes were immaculate. We did everything from exploring the town, to sipping aperols in the hot tub, to going on a big night out, and it ended up being a highlight of the year.

July - Ospedaletti, Italy & Yorkshire, UK

My boyfriend's family live across several countries, including on both sides of the border with France and Italy, so we went out to visit them over a long weekend in July. We had the most amazing time and managed to fit so much into just four days, whilst still feeling relaxed. We visited Èze, had an incredible dinner in Menton, swam in Rocchetta Nervina, sipped cocktails in San Remo, went to the beach in Ospedaletti and enjoyed a barbecue and homemade limoncello thereafter! The entire experience was chef's kiss, and it was such a welcoming and lovely way to meet the family. We also managed to catch up with a friend from my Master's and her boyfriend in Nice, which was ideal.

My boyfriend and I then spent a weekend touring Yorkshire, which included rowing a boat in Knaresborough, enjoying an afternoon tea at Betty's in Harrogate, and driving through the Dales. It was a fun roadtrip and we managed to explore quite a bit of Yorkshire, which is one of my favourite regions the UK!

August - Brussels, Belgium, Devon, UK and Wales, UK

My mother treated me to a day trip to Brussels in August. We took the Eurostar directly from London, arriving early in order to do a city sightseeing tour before our chocolate-making class in the afternoon. The class was my highlight of the trip, although it was interesting to learn about the different areas within the city and spot the cartoon statues across the city.

One of my close uni pals moved to Devon last year, and after spending the weekend there last November, I was keen to visit her again over the summer. My boyfriend and I headed over and we had a very wholesome weekend enjoying fish and chips in Brixham and playing in the arcade in Paignton. I love the life they've set up for themselves over there and it was great to have a proper catch up with them by the coast.

Finally, my boyfriend and I spent a long weekend in Wales over the August bank holiday. We'd initally planned to see Hafren Forest, but ended up also visiting Snowdonia, swimming at the beach, spotting the milky way and shooting stars whilst stargazing, and going on various walks and hikes nearby. We spent our evenings chilling in the hot tub or playing board games and had a wonderful break in the countryside.

September - Mallorca, Spain

I had never been to the Balearic Islands before, so when my boyfriend suggested Mallorca for our big trip this year, I was very keen. I couldn't wait for a week of guaranteed sun, swimming, and delicious food. It was my boyfriend's first time in Spain and I was excited to brush up on my Spanish and enjoy the tapas. Even though it rained on a couple of the days, it was a highlight of my year as we saw so many beautiful sights and had a lot of new experiences together. I loved the traditional cooking class we took in a windmill, skinny dipping in the sea at night, finding a completely secluded cove all to ourselves, hiking along the GR221, and roadtripping along the gorgeous mountains on the MA-10.

October - Thessaloniki, Greece

One of my best friends (and former flatmate) moved to Serres in Greece for work, and a few of us banded together to visit her over a long weekend, although we settled on meeting in Thessaloniki as she wasn't convinced that there was much to do in Serres. It was lovely to do a girls trip, especially as this was the group that I visited Rome, Zagreb, and Camber with, so it was lovely to spend some quality time with everyone.

November - Whitstable, UK & Vilamoura, Portugal

For my boyfriend's 30th birthday, I treated him to a long weekend in Whitstable. We rented a cute little Airbnb and spent the weekend relaxing by the beach, eating oysters (which I discovered I actually enjoy!) and even eating breakfast al fresco since it was surprisingly warm enough! It was a very chilled weekend and it was lovely to be able to celebrate him.

In September, my parents moved to a small town in the south of Portugal called Vilamoura. Since I hadn't used my remote working allowance at work and was yet to visit them, I decided to spend two weeks working remotely from their house in Portugal over my dad's birthday. I loved being able to run on the beach or boardwalk in the mornings, walk the dog with a gorgeous sunset view, and pick fresh fruit from the fruit trees in the garden to enjoy as an afternoon snack. I spent one weekend in Lisbon with my boyfriend, and my dad's birthday in the spa town of Monchique, and whilst work was stressful, the lifestyle over there allowed me to reset and recuperate.

December - Bath, UK & Bardonecchia, Italy

Some uni friends and I decided to spend a day in Bath visiting the Christmas markets, as we used to do when we were studying in Bristol. Despite the crowds, it was lovely to catch up with the girls and exchange presents together.

Finally, over the Christmas period, I went skiing with my family in the Italian Alps, specifically in the small town of Bardonecchia. My boyfriend joined on my birthday and I felt so incredibly loved and very grateful to be able to be skiing with my loved ones over the festive period. We also made a quick detour on the way home via Belgium to visit one of my brother's favourite restaurants, however this was an unexpected add-on to the trip.

As I look back on travels in 2025, I feel very grateful to be able to have so many incredible experiences and explore such beautiful locations. I've made a conscious effort to spend more time in Europe and only took one long-haul flight this year, which I'd like to carry into 2026 in order to reduce my carbon footprint somewhat. If you'd like to read more about my travels in previous years, please click on 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, or 2017.