I hope your 2016 is off to a lovely start. I rang in 2016 with a huge group of friends in a tiny forest service cabin in the Montana wilderness. It was fun, relaxing, blissful and all-around amazing to get back into the wilderness for a bit–even a wilderness where we had champagne, a keg, and fresh Ciabatta bread ;).

A new year is a great time for taking stock and making goals for the new year, as we all know. I’ve moved away from specific resolutions as I hardly ever keep them and end up feeling guilty, and that’s no fun! However, I always like to make a list of some general goals to work towards in the new year. I’m sure it comes as no surprise to all of you, but I always include some TRAVEL goals and let’s face it, those are some of the most fun ones to make!

2015 was my biggest travel year yet. Although I will be moving to Hungary in just a few weeks, I don’t expect 2016 to be quite as travel-filled, as I will be coming back to the States in May for my sister’s wedding, so a lot of money will be reserved for that. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be taking advantage of my European location!

Hungary

I suppose this one is obvious since I am moving there in just a few weeks!!!! Still, I am looking forward to exploring more of Budapest and the rest of Hungary. Eger and Pecs are at the top of my list! I can’t wait to find more off-the-beaten-track places just like we did in the Czech Republic. Although my first contract is only for six months, I hope to extend so we can really get to know the Hungarians and their culture. I guess this means I should make yet another Bucket List!

Romania

As I will be neighbors with this country, it’s high time to visit the region, Transylvania, that I’ve wanted to visit since reading Dracula a decade ago. Every time I see a picture of this gorgeous area, I immediately want to jump on a plane! It looks so naturally gorgeous, and I love me a cute little village in a spectacular setting.

Slovenia

We were this close to visiting Slovenia last year, but our need to leave the Schengen zone quickly had us going straight to Croatia, rather than going to both Slovenia and Croatia. It’s also a neighbor of Hungary, so it’s time. There is so much to see in this tiny, undiscovered little country–from Lake Bled to Piran on the Mediterranean coast!

Italy

Somehow, I’ve only been to two cities in Italy! I would love to visit Rome and the Amalfi Coast, and Florence and Tuscany. I’m not sure both will be able to happen this year, but I hope to visit one of these regions! E really wants to visit Rome near Easter–it sounds awesome and yet crazy!

Western Canada

I will be coming back to America in both May and July, once for my sister’s wedding and once for the wedding of a dear friend. Along with visiting family, I’d like to visit the western part of Canada. I’ve been to Seattle countless times, but never to Vancouver, which seems like a crime! Also, considering I lived in a state right below some of the most beautiful areas of Canada for a large chunk of my life, it’s a shame I have yet to visit any of this part of the world.

Switzerland/Germany

I’ve been obsessed with the German Christmas markets ever since last year, and if we spend another Christmas in Europe, you bet I will be back! I would also love to re-visit the gorgeous Switzerland–I haven’t been in over a decade, and E has never visited!

Greece 

If we hadn’t needed to leave Europe for visa reasons, I think we would have been all over Greece as a honeymoon spot (although I can’t say I was disappointed in our choice of Costa Rica and Panama!). I’ve wanted to visit both mainland Greece and the islands for as long as I can remember, I hope this is the year we can make it happen!

What’s on your 2016 travel wish list?

Linking up with Emma, Jessi and Angie! 

The post 2016 Travel Wishlist appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

As much as 2014 was a year of change, this brought the roller coaster of emotions one might expect with many events of change. So many goodbyes and new beginnings, so many let downs and triumphs, so many highs and lows. It’s difficult for me to categorize the year at all.

I foresee 2015 as another year of change–but really, is there any other kind? More importantly, should there be any other kind?

Even though this is later into 2015 than I had originally planned, it just wouldn’t feel right not to bid farewell to all of my favorite moments of 2014. What a year it was! Enjoy my best of 2014 (in no particular order).

See the Best of 2013 here.

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Why hello there!

I know I’m a little late to the game (which…isn’t surprising) but HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope you rang in 2015 in exactly the way you wanted to, whatever that looked like. 

As for mine?

We were standing in a giant crowd, drinking champagne out of a water bottle (so classy…when in Paris, right? ;)), watching the Eiffel Tower get sparkly and cheering at the many displays of fireworks. It was one for the books! Paris, in general, was an unforgettable trip. I have to admit that it ended up being fairly stressful–so many things went wrong! It’s a testament to Paris, however, that even though it seemed like nothing would actually go our way, I fell in love with the place.

Now I am back in Prague and back at work. (oooooof). However, the little blogging break was exactly what I needed to renew my mojo, so I have some fun posts coming at ya in the next few weeks!

Starting with, also belatedly, my favorites of 2014 post. I did one of these for 2013, and I loved it. I kept going back to look at that collage for days after I posted it just to feel happy and grateful, so I will certainly be doing that again! Just give me a few days to get back in the swing of things.

I also have my 5th month in Prague by the numbers coming up (5 months, really!) as well as the recapping of some of our trips. I realized I never blogged once about our awesome fall break in Austria, and now I have all of our destinations from Christmas to catch up! Egads!

I hope 2015 is treating you well so far. I’m looking forward to everything it will bring! Thanks, as always, for reading!

XOXO

The post Happy 2015! appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

I didn’t realize what a year I’d had until I compiled this list.

Whew!

I need a vacation.

I should probably get back to Mexico, STAT.

Oh wait, I just started another quarter of school…

(but only two left to go!)

Although I’m a little behind the bandwagon (so what’s new?) I thought I would share my favorites of 2013 with you anyway.

It was a crazy, intense, rollercoaster, fun, wild, scary ride. Although I’m not great with sweeping generalizations like “I wouldn’t change a second,” because there are certainly seconds I WOULD change (like that giant spider in China…for sure could have lived without that and still lived a full life) but I think, overall, I tried to live it up and make some dreams come true in 2013. And there’s nothing to change about that fact!

I can’t wait to see what comes next!

{These snapshots are in no particular order.}

{Thank you for making it this far. I hope you are lucky, like me, and have to spend six hours attempting to find the best moments, because in all honesty, there were millions to choose from! Yes, literally, MILLIONS.}

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