Top 5 2017 Travel Recommendations

As it’s the start of a new year we usually put together a wanderlust wish list for the year. However this has changed slightly this year due to the birth of our first child. Although it won’t stop us travelling, we will slightly modify our usual adventures to incorporate something closer to home.

As such we decided to put together a top five recommended list for 2017.

5 – Guatemala – Anyone who has been following A Wandering memory for a while will know that this small Central American country completely blew us away when we visited. Granted we were just passing through on a discovery of Central America tour, but our adventures in the lost city of Tikal, the beautiful island of Flores and mesmerizing town of Antigua were like something out of a movie.

4 – Indonesia – We realise this is a long way off for many of us in the Western hemisphere, but if you are thinking about a trip to Thailand or the South East Asian countries, do not overlook the Indonesian element. Housing such territories such as Bali, Borneo and Jakarta Indonesia offers a whole host of exciting experiences for even the less inclined traveler. Made up of over 9,000 islands, and 800 of them inhabited you couldn’t be blamed for getting overwhelmed with the choice. Indonesia has beautiful seas, pristine beaches and a laid back lifestyle with a stunning diverse culture – what’s not to like? That’s without mentioning the wildlife, including Komodo Dragons, Orangutans and a host of eclectic marine life

3 – South Africa – Southern Africa is its entirety is absolutely incredible however for the less adventurous among us, South Africa is by far the easiest option. Its offering of dramatic landscapes, an eclectic history, stunning beaches, world-class vineyards and of course we cannot forget the iconic Safari’s, is among the biggest draws in the world. South Africa has it all, however its brutal history has not been forgotten by many, and although there is an air of forgiveness and reconciliation it still requires the caution you would take on any long haul holiday. We have never let this affect us, and always found the locals even in the townships to be nothing but friendly and accommodating. The jewel in the crown of South Africa is of course the city of Cape Town which is just incredible and houses access to a whole range of experiences from Safaris, Vineyards to world-class coastline, townships and even penguins.

2 – Canada – Although it was a good 6 years ago now that we lived and breathed the fresh Canadian air we still remember with pleasure on a daily basis. You’d not be surprised of the huge diversity of the country due to its incomprehensible size. Although the main tourist locations are still based around the cities of Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Montreal and Quebec, other areas such as Prince Edward Island, Vancouver Island, the British Columbia Interior, the wild Yukon and NWT should not be overlooked. Canada really does offer everything, from world-class skiing to sublime wilderness beaches. If we were to move from our nest in the Uk it would be here.

1 – Our number one recommendation is Croatia. Yes, we realise that we are slightly jumping on the band wagon here but our trip last year really did blow us away. The country really does have it all, good weather, beautiful scenery, friendly locals, an eclectic history, wildlife, beaches, the list goes on and on… We booked a week away to the island of Brac just off the city of Split and on the Adriatic coast and it was like paradise, we couldn’t believe how beautiful the island was with clear turquoise water surrounding us, and a host of stunning vistas. Even on a number of trips to the mainland there was not one moment where we not blown away. The coastline all the way down to Dubrovnik is picture perfect… With so much more of the country to explore we will definitely be back – the sooner the better…

We hope you are inspired to see one of these incredible countries this year.

If not we would love to hear where you are heading and what adventures await you in 2017?