All The Places I Travelled To In 2017

A year of exploring Great Britain, flying across the Atlantic to Canada and the United States, revisiting familiar corners of the Netherlands and discovering new ones, and finally making a long-planned girls’ beach trip happen. Looking back at 2017 is a good way to remember where I went — and it might give you some ideas if you’re thinking about booking a trip, whether close to home or further afield. ## Dublin and Adare, Republic of Ireland The year began on a stone pier in the west of Ireland with my boyfriend and a group of Irish friends, followed by a quick visit to Dublin. Since my boyfriend is Irish, we end up there fairly often. We also made an accidental stop at Dublin airport towards the end of the year, after missing our flights to the south-east for a wedding. No matter — after a long bus ride we made it to the wedding in Adare, a tiny but gorgeous village. It seemed to have only a handful of streets, yet it didn’t take long to spot the first tourists. If you’re ever in the area, it’s worth stopping by for the beautiful old buildings and churches. I slipped out of the hotel before the wedding to look round the local park and shops. Well worth it. ## Exeter In February my friend Lex and I took the train to Exeter as part of a collaboration with Great Western Railway. I was surprised by how much we managed to see in only half a day, including plenty of tea, scones, pizza and cider. ## Northern Ireland and Belfast For our two-year anniversary, Ger and I headed to Northern Ireland in March. Our first stop was Belfast, where I particularly enjoyed the Botanic Gardens, the university campus and the Crumlin Road Gaol — a prison with a great deal of historical significance and an underground tunnel that is partly closed off but once led to the building across the road. The guided tour is well worth doing. From there we took the train to the north coast. It isn’t easy to get around without a car, especially when the single-driver taxi firms decide they’d rather stay at home on a Sunday when you call them. The stunning scenery at the Giant’s Causeway was created by a volcanic eruption — or by an epic mythical fight between giants, take your pick. Two tips: the bus there only runs twice a day, so make sure you have a way of getting there, and if you walk around the right-hand side of the visitors’ centre you’ll find you don’t actually need to buy a ticket to reach the causeway itself. The ticket gives you access to an extra museum. There were two more places I’d have loved to reach: the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge in Ballycastle and the road that served as King’s Road in Game of Thrones. Those will have to wait for next time. There are plenty of other Game of Thrones filming locations in the north of Ireland worth seeking out. ## Whitstable In need of a day trip to the coast? Whitstable is the place to go. Marion and I escaped the city for a weekend of browsing boutiques and wandering near the sea. It’s a small town — we ended up walking up and down the main street about fifteen times over the weekend — but there was plenty to keep us entertained. ## Amsterdam The very first VidCon Europe took place in Amsterdam, which was a fantastic opportunity to spend time in my home country with friends. Between panels and events we slipped into the city for brunch, shopping and glorious weather. It may be the nicest way I’ve ever explored Amsterdam; the short trip felt like absolute heaven. Highlights included Bagels & Beans as usual, Coffee and Coconuts and the Rijksmuseum. Lex and I stayed an extra day in a stunning, modern but cosy AirBnB at canal level. ## Corfu, Greece We finally made it happen this year: a girls’ trip with my friends Emily, Marion, Rosianna and Lex. We booked it so far in advance — some of us plan their lives two years ahead — that by the time we boarded the plane it felt almost like a free trip. It was one of my first times staying in a fancy hotel with enormous rooms, its own little beach and a pool where you could order cocktails. Sitting by the pool working through as many books as possible wasn’t bad, but my favourite parts were exploring Corfu by car. Emily is an amazingly confident driver, trained in the snowy mountains of Canada, so we also saw the more rustic side of Corfu: semi-off-roading, hairpin turns and potholes the width of the road. Playing the Jurassic Park soundtrack seemed like the only appropriate response. We even hiked to a hidden beach. I adore Greek food, from fresh feta to yoghurt with honey, and buying strawberries from the back of someone’s van. It was a pleasure to be back after about ten years. ## Hastings When my friends Fran and Ed moved from London to Hastings to be an artsy couple in a seaside town, I knew I’d be visiting a lot more often. My boyfriend and I have taken the train down several times over the past few years and it’s surprisingly quick, with a direct service from London. Pros: fresh sea air, Fran knowing all the best vegan cafés, picturesque cobbled streets and old houses. Cons: so many hills. ## Winchester To celebrate Rosianna’s birthday — I can’t actually remember whether it fell around then, but her train ticket was my present — we hopped on a train to Winchester. I’d asked people on Twitter for English towns to explore, and Winchester came out on top. We had perfect weather and essentially gave ourselves a history tour of the town, guided by brochures we picked up at the local library. We walked in Keats’s footsteps, visited the Hospital of St Cross, which was hosting a wedding and of course reminded us of Hogwarts, and also stopped by Winchester Cathedral and the Great Hall. ## Toronto More travel inspired by friends moving away: Ger and I visited our friends Emily and Charlie, who had moved to Toronto a few months earlier. I jumped at the chance to make my first visit to Canada, and when we arrived the weather was insanely warm for the time of year. My boyfriend unfortunately got food poisoning, but we still managed plenty of exploring. I also got to attend Buffer Festival, a film festival for the YouTube world, and screened one of my videos in front of a huge cinema audience for the first time. Cycling around Toronto Island in the sun and finally visiting an apple orchard and corn maze outside the city were among my favourite moments. I completely understand why people love this city; it feels like a combination of lots of other cities I’ve visited, in the best way. I hope to return in the next few years. ## Zutphen and the surrounding area, the Netherlands Every year my mum’s side of the family gets together for a five-day trip to the east of the Netherlands, and we joined them for two days. After moving to London five years ago, I’m eager to see more of my native country, and it’s always nice to spend time with family, walk through forests and make a few new cow friends. ## Groningen On that same trip I finally visited a Dutch city I’d wanted to see for most of my life. It’s a student city, and people always say it’s a cool one to visit. It was smaller than I expected, but with plenty of nice restaurants, shops and views, it made the perfect weekend break. I’ll forgive it for getting us thoroughly drenched in a rainstorm on our first night. Bonus points for having a boat that is also a pancake restaurant. ## Memphis, Tennessee I spent Christmas with Marion and her family, mostly in Florida but with a few days in Tennessee for the holidays themselves. It’s interesting to visit a place because you’re visiting someone there, rather than having chosen it as a destination. We went straight from the airport to the Arcade Restaurant, which has strong Wes Anderson vibes, for a massive breakfast and fresh beignets. I even convinced Marion to come for a walk with me on Christmas Day, which turns out to be a bit strange when there’s no pavement and not another soul in sight. ## Florida and South Beach, Miami Florida was an amazing and slightly unexpected way to end the year. I only booked the flights a few weeks in advance, and I don’t think I’d ever spent Christmas in a warm climate before. We had plenty of well-deserved downtime with Marion’s mother in Naples, going to the cinema, visiting the pier and beach and taking a sunset cruise. She also kindly took us on a day trip to Miami. I’d passed through before but wasn’t sure what to expect, and South Beach was a wonderful surprise: pastel Art Deco hotels and vegetarian lunch spots galore. Those are all the places I visited in 2017. I have nothing planned for 2018 yet, but that’s how last year started too — so let’s see where I end up.