We’re looking forward to a big year in travel and, if we can manage some time away from our desks, a few holidays for ourselves! Today, the crew at YourLifeChoices shares where they’d like to go in 2019.
Ben
I like to avoid the regular holiday places and try instead to think of something outside the box. Next year seems to be a decision between two destinations: San Marino in Europe, which offers all of the full European experience in a small city with very few tourists (except for Italians on day trips). The other place on my wish list for 2019 is also a bucket list item – a trip to the United States to watch the Kentucky Derby in May. While this isn’t exactly avoiding the crowds, it is a once-in-a lifetime experience and a rare opportunity to experience two weeks of festivities in an American state that isn’t on the radar of too many people.
Drew
My dream destination for 2019 is the land of the rising sun, Japan. As a scared flyer, the idea of being able to cover such a wide, vast land through the use of bullet trains excites me as much as the prospect of the magnificent Japanese landscapes, centuries of culture and, of course, the culinary delights.
The only thing that would make the trip better would be a cruise ship taking me there direct from Melbourne, but I may just have to settle for the option from Sydney!
Janelle
I’m concerned about ethical travel and limiting my carbon footprint (and keeping costs down), so I want to go to Tasmania. The problem is that we love camping, bush camping preferably, so if we go to Tassie on the ferry with the car and camper trailer, it will cost a bomb – in the vicinity of $2000 after all fees and a cabin are accounted for. So we’d want to make it worthwhile and stay for as long as possible, at least a month. On the back of previous visits to Tassie, I think I could stay a lifetime. Tasmania has so much to offer – amazing walks, wilderness, food, wine – and it’s so compact. If we go in February, there will still be cherries and apricots and other amazing produce. I’ve ticked off Cradle Mountain, the Freycinet region, rafting on the Franklin, Hobart and Mona, so on the must-do list are the Bay of Fires conservation region, the Tamar Valley, Bruny Island (again), Maria Island and more of the west coast, including the wilderness railway. Oh – and a few golf courses, including Lost Farm and Barnbougle. That should take care of a month!
Johan
I would love to go to New Zealand, especially Queenstown. New Zealand has been voted as one of the most beautiful places in the world. I moved to Australia in 2003 and I haven’t yet been there. So, hopefully, I can make it happen this year.
Kaye
Top of my travel wish list for 2019 is a no-brainer. Having enjoyed a couple of wonderful Italian breaks with our daughter SJ (Lake Como and the Amalfi Coast), I am primed and ready to return to the land of vino.
And, as many of my best memories are what we lovingly termed ‘the witching hour’ (when we would sit in a beach or lake side café and clink glasses of bright orange Aperol Spritz), the Prosecco tour of Italy is my number one choice. Hosted by tour company Italy Travel Connections, this four-day boutique Prosecco Hills Tour day tour covers Venice, Treviso and the Prosecco Hills, and includes three nights’ accommodation, hosted transport, vineyard visits and a Prosecco Master class and tastings. There’s also a walking tour in Venice and a shopping trip in Treviso. I can’t wait! Want to go too? Just call 1300 380 992. Cin Cin!
Leon
I’d really love to tick off the top item on my lifelong travel wish list: Italy. My last name should give away the fact that my family origin is Italian. I’ve always wanted to go there and have put it off on the grounds that I’d like to spend at least a month there. Maybe a shorter trip is in order this year? Della Bosca means ‘of the woods’ and there’s a whole tribe of us living near the Switzerland–Italy border in a town called Tirano, but I’d love to start down south in Sicily and work my way up. I want to witness the remnants of the renaissance, immerse myself in the artwork and architecture, sip coffee in cafés and eat al dente pasta in some ancient piazza. It’s really the art, architecture, culture and the ‘local vibe’ I want to soak up. And I’d love to stay with my family for at least a week, so they can fatten me up and show me around my Italian hometown. I’ve been warned that that my Italian relatives may not let me leave. One can only hope …
Liv
A lot of people (myself included) think immediately of India when considering where to travel, but it wasn’t until an Uber driver started telling me about his home country that I really considered exploring Sri Lanka. Now I’m hooked on the idea. Despite the island country’s comparatively small size, it boasts a large array of landscapes, activities and wildlife. It is home to leopards, elephants, whales, sloth bears and far rarer species. If I feel like an adrenalin hit, surfing, scuba diving and stunning hikes are on offer. Or if I’m inclined towards the more relaxed and relaxing pursuits, meditation and the country’s five-thousand-year-old healing system, there’s Ayurveda to explore.
Olga
New Zealand has been on my bucket list for years, but since the lovely Jacinda Ardern became Prime Minister, this nation has peaked my curiosity more than ever. This glowing woman is sprinkling goodwill almost everywhere she goes. So what better place to visit for a rejuvenating holiday to lift the spirits and gather a little wellness along the way? Both islands are dotted with health retreats set within stunning landscapes. Aotearoa’s natural beauty – from soothing thermal springs and breathtaking fjords, to European-like alpine scenes and tall, ancient forests – is hard to beat.
Where do you want to go in 2019?
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