Our favourite travel destinations

With everything that has been going on in the world recently, I wanted to find a way to keep fellow travel enthusiast’s spirits high. Even though we can’t travel at the moment, there’s no reason why we can’t start building travel inspiration for when this is all over! 

I’ve rounded up some opinions from 7 travel and lifestyle bloggers and influencers to bring you our favourite travel destinations. In this article you’ll get to hear from avid travellers about their favourite travel destinations, what makes these places so special, and why you should consider travelling here.

Not got time to read the whole post? Pick a destination you’re interested in to find out more!

• Italy
• Barcelona, Spain
• Portugal
• Isle of Skye
• Malaysia
• Philippines
• Turkey

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Italy

From yours truly, Italy is my favourite travel destination. Why? There are endless reasons! I hadn’t visited Italy until I went interrailing around Europe, so in the space of about a week and a half I got to see the likes of Florence, Milan, Rome, Venice and Verona… As you can imagine, I was overwhelmed and completely awe-struck at the amazing amount of places you could visit in one country.

Since visiting Italy on my interrail trip, I just can’t stay away! I’ve been back to Florence with my Nan, and during this trip we also visited Pisa. I also visited Naples and the Amalfi Coast in the same year, and went back the following year to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast.

So, why do I keep going back? Because, Italy is just a vibe! The people are lovely, the hotels are pretty, the cities and beaches are cute, and the food and drinks are truly amazing! Nothing beats an afternoon stroll followed by an Aperol Spritz and nibbles at a local bar.

If you’re considering heading somewhere in Europe on your holidays after all of this blows over, I highly recommend Italy and in particular, the Amalfi Coast. It can be expensive to stay on the Amalfi Coast, so I’d recommend staying in Sorrento and catching the SITA bus through the Amalfi Coast towns; it’s an easy and affordable way to see the best this region has to offer.

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  Positano, Amalfi Coast

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  Sorrento, Italy

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  Views in Florence

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Barcelona, Spain

I’m Katelyn, a 21-year-old teaching assistant by day and a frantic blogger by night. I live in Yorkshire, England but I love to travel and explore places across the globe. You can find out more about me on my blog, Embark to Explore.

Have you ever experienced that feeling? The feeling of a bustling night-life full of laughter and wine and fried food. The feeling of warmth on your skin even though it’s almost 2am and normally you would be wrapped up in bed. The feeling of happiness and fullness as you smile at every face you see as you walk through the narrow alleyways. That’s how I feel in Barcelona.

There’s nowhere quite like it. There are no words to describe the feeling of waking up to your balcony curtains dancing in the wind. There’s no words to describe the feeling you get when you hear the sound of clinking glass and the faded mutters of conversations from below. It’s just the feeling you never knew you needed to feel until you actually feel it. It’s romantic, dreamy, peaceful and serene all at once yet those words don’t seem adequate enough to use. It’s rare and blissful. 

Barcelona is a place I’d always wanted to go to but I never knew anyone who’d been there. I’d always loved Spain and its culture has a very special place in my heart. I just click with their people, their lifestyle, their music and food and everything else. In another life, I truly believe I was Spanish. When people ask, “If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?” and I say, “It’s a hard choice but either Florida or Spain.” (For the record, I could never live that far away, so I will happily ‘settle’ for Spain!)

However, if you asked me where I would visit time and time again, my answer would 100% be Barcelona. Obviously, I am saying this because they have the best vegan burgers in the world. I’m saying this because it is so photogenic, you can’t take a bad photo there. I’m saying this because there isn’t ever a day that goes by that I don’t reminisce about this place. Everything about Barcelona inspired me in my everyday life.  I really didn’t think it would have this kind of effect on me, but it does. If you are ever on the fence about where to go, Barcelona is the answer.

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  Arc de Triomphe

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  La Sagrada Familia

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  Park Güell

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Portugal

I’m Sarah Lauren from See the Stars blog, and my favourite travel destination is Portugal! Portugal has become a fond favourite of mine, purely based on the fact that after not having many a ‘sun’ holidays since my teens years and it being the first holiday with my boyfriend. I’ve been the typical nervous traveller for a number of years and our week long trip to Albufeira exceeded all previous expectations and I rediscovered my love for travelling. 

We planned our trip with relaxation in mind and we certainly got that, we didn’t put too much pressure of over doing the ‘tourist’ bits, although we now need another trip to see all the places we missed the first time; I’ve since discovered that Portugal isn’t only known for the beautiful settings in old-town Albufeira but also known for the history you can discover in towns like Lisbon and the wine city of Porto. Our stay was actually booked based on my aunt’s recommendations, staying at the four star, Real Hotel BellaVista (which I highly recommend if you’re looking for a more luxurious stay), our hotel was based right in between old and new town Albufeira, so we had the best of both worlds right on our doorstep, spoiler – we preferred old-town so much more. We were able to get a feel for both towns and found that new-town had more ‘party vibes’ and with us being on our first couples holiday, it was great to have that as an option but we opted for the calmer vibes of old-town. Oh don’t get me wrong it was filled with plenty of bars and clubs but still very much felt family centred. 

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  Sarah Lauren in Portugal

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Portugal has become my absolute favourite because of the variety on offer, the beautiful beaches, the restaurants (omg the food was amazing), evening entertainment and the city tours meant if we’d decided to see more of the country – it was available via tour buses and public transport, I can’t wait for our next visit. 

You can read more about our trip on my blog and keep up to date with any future travel plans over on my instagram. 

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Isle of Skye

My name is Tara and I’m the girl behind the photos over on @travelgirltara on Instagram! I’m from Philadelphia originally, but I feel most at home when traveling. 

When I first saw pictures of the Isle of Skye years ago, I thought it was photo-shopped. It looked too beautiful to be real – like something out of a Lord of the Rings movie. It quickly moved to the top of my bucket list, and I was so happy to discover that it truly is as spectacular in person as it had seemed in photos.

Isle of Skye has so much to offer its visitors. It has the most stunning landscape. If you love hiking and being outdoors, it is a dream come true. Even if you aren’t a fan of hiking, there are so many beautiful places that you can sit and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. The rugged beauty of the Isle of Skye will fill you with a sense of peace – it is a wonderful place to disconnect from technology and focus on yourself, nature, and whomever you may be traveling with.

Hiking aside, there are also cute towns, beautiful castles, and gorgeous natural landmarks and waterfalls to visit! Not to mention, it has amazing seafood and whisky that you can enjoy. Some must-see spots on the Isle of Skye include Old Man of Storr, Mealt Falls and Kilt Rock, the Quiraing, Dunvegan Castle and Gardens, Neist Point Lighthouse, Fairy Glen, Fairy Pools, Talisker Distillery (if you’re a whisky fan), Portree (make sure to grab some fish and chips in town – so fresh!), and Sligachan Old Bridge (hike a little bit up the river and you will be rewarded with stunning views!). Honestly, you will find yourself stopping your car and pulling over everywhere you go – the views are just that beautiful everywhere on the island. 

My husband and I explored Isle of Skye together, however, it is also a perfect destination for families, solo travelers, and groups of friends. You can stay in Portree, the main town on the island, or you can rent an AirBnB on the coast, or you can camp out in the middle of nowhere! We stayed in Portree to have a central base to use to explore the island. I would definitely recommend renting a car – it will be the easiest way to get around.

I love being on the Isle of Skye because for me, it offers such a calming sense of peace. It was wonderful to take a few days to disconnect from my devices and spend time appreciating nature on a quiet, relatively untouched island. If you are searching for an enchanting, ethereal, and magical destination to visit, look no further than the Isle of Skye. This gorgeous island will capture your heart forever!

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  Sligachan

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  Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls

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  Fairy Glen

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Penang, Malaysia

We are Danielle and Andrew, a husband and wife couple from opposite sides of the world. We met in Singapore and enjoy life here, experiencing the city and hopping around Asia on weekends. We both work full time and try to make the most of our free time. If you want to read more about us you can visit our website. Our blog aims to help others see the world in just a weekend! We want to help others use their limited free time to plan easy getaways.

Living in Singapore, we always love a quick weekend getaway to experience the colonial history, rich culture, aromatic street food and liveliness of Penang. 

A true Penang experience starts with accommodation. The streets of the UNESCO world heritage listed area Georgetown are lined with traditional shophouses and mansions converted into boutique hotel stays. As we stepped through the historical wooden doors of our hotel into an open courtyard of Chinese gardens surrounding the 1798 mansion we immediately felt immersed in Malaysia’s rich history from the start of the trip. 

For the rest of the trip, we loved hunting for the famous street art murals on foot around town, eating at local hawker centres to try the best street food and a visit into the jungle atop Penang Hill. To hear more about our trip, you can visit our Weekend Guide to Penang, Malaysia on our website, and view more of our photos on our Instagram page.

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  Penang, Malaysia

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Philippines

We are Mike Holland and Katie Durana, an American-Filipino mixed couple, who both love dragon boating and travelling. This contribution is from Mike, but you can find out more about both of us on our website. 

I love the Philippines! And why wouldn’t I? The number one reason why I love the Philippines is because it’s where I met my wife! And that reason alone is the best, but there are many more reasons why I love this wonderful country.

I first traveled to the Philippines in 2015 with my dragon boat team to race in the 9th Boracay International Dragon Boat Festival. A small group of us decided to stay in Cebu and tour some local attractions before our competition. Our tours consisted of visiting historical sites, geographical attractions, waterfalls and a guided swim with whale sharks. And of course, eating lechon; a local delicacy the Cebu is known for.

The next destination was Boracay and I have to say, I couldn’t have chosen a more beautiful place in the Philippines to spend my time. It was everything I had heard it was and so much more. Boracay is known to have some of the best beaches in the world. And after touring many of them, I would hands down have to agree. My first impressions, besides the awe of the tropical paradise that surrounded me, was the genuine hospitality of the Filipino people. They were always first to greet me whether I was on a simple walk on the island, out to dine or on a tour. When I left the Philippines, I had the feeling that the people I encountered would have given me the shirt off their back if I asked.

I have always liked tropical locations, the sun, and the water. Everything Boracay has to offer. My most enjoyable days were spent going on day tours to other nearby islands to swim and BBQ. And when I returned to Boracay in the evening, I witnessed some of the most amazing sunsets that I have ever seen to this day.

And don’t let me forget the food! Filipino food has long been one of my favourites, and I got to enjoy them all on my first travel to the Philippines. Sinigang, which is my favourite Filipino dish, lumpia, pancit, adobo, and lechon. Now I’m hungry.

I would be amiss to not mention that one of the favourite nightly routines with my teammates was to walk the lively, loud and crowded beach path in front of the many bars, clubs, and restaurants lining the beachfront.

In 2017 I returned to race in Boracay and the following week I raced in Cebu. At the Cebu race, a was introduced to my wife, who was competing on the team staged next to us at the race. In 2019, we returned as a couple to the Boracay race and I proposed to her on stage at the opening ceremonies in front of 1,200 other paddlers. Something we both will never forget.

In June of 2019, I married my wife Katie in the Philippines. I would honestly have to say that is why the Philippines means so much to me. Without traveling there, I never would have met my beautiful wife.

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Mike and Katie in the Philippines

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Turkey

I’m Sandra Ans – a marketing communication manager, travel blogger, huge animal lover and open-minded person with an artistic personality. If you want to read more about me you can visit my blog and Facebook page, and see more of my pictures on my Instagram and Pinterest!

I have visited 15 countries so far and choosing only one of my favorites is always a hard decision. Nevertheless, there is one country that has a very special place in my heart. The emotions that I experienced there, I have never experienced anywhere else! In one word – Turkey.  

Turkey is a country with amazing culture, traditions, nature, food, and people. From the first time I visited this country, I fell in love and it hasn’t changed until this day. Amazing, right?

I’ve travelled to Turkey twice and both times I stayed in Alanya. It’s a very beautiful city with many attractions, markets, restaurants and surprises around every corner. It’s a wonderful place where you can see many new and unbelievable things; explore a cave with stalactite formations, see how bananas grow, drink traditional Turkish tea, catch two metre high waves or sunbathe in Cleopatra’s golden sand beach. In Turkey anything is possible! You only need to make a wish!

For me, Turkey is associated with very strong and beautiful emotions. It was the first country I had travelled to on an aeroplane, and I discovered a totally new culture. It’s a place where I had nothing to worry about. You feel free, calm, and happy. You have sun, sea, golden sand and blue skies. Turkey is the place where I did the most spontaneous of activities in my life – paragliding! I wanted to surpass my fears and feel life to its fullest.  

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  Turkey beaches

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But Turkey is not only about this one town. There is much more to see and explore! Have you ever heard of Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Pergamum, Ephesus or Side? I have, and one day I will visit these beautiful and ancient places. I want to explore Turkey further and highly recommend it to you – it’s a very special country that will stay in your heart forever! 

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So, that’s it! We hope that gave you some travel inspiration during these hard times when we all have to stay at home, and we hope you enjoyed reading this post, whether you’ve already had the chance to visit these places or not.

Where has been your favourite place to travel to? We’d love to hear from you, so let us know in the comments!