Best Trips in 2014 – Lots of Terrific Travel Ideas For You

Hello, I’m coming over all nostalgic here, it’s been such a pleasure reading through my travel posts for this year.

Looking forward to getting away on a holiday, a wander or a major expedition is a huge part of the pleasure of travel. So is looking back on the trips, and reliving the good bits… not the bad bits though!!

Here’s where we got to month-by-month, though it sometimes took me a few weeks to write up the posts.

And YES, I do know – and appreciate – what a blessed life we have.

January

Myself and teenagers spend Hogmanay in Edinburgh and we saw in the New Year watching the fireworks on Princes Street, a splendid start.

We then came home to Sydney via a few days in Dubai. We’d also stayed in Dubai in December, see this post which links to all the posts I put up about Dubai.

A Dubai Stopover with Kids – The Things You Need To Know

It was my 50th birthday on January 17th, spent walking the magnificent Bay of Fires Lodge Walk. This was the first time Paul and I had ever been away for five nights (thanks big sis) and it was bloody marvellous.

What I Did On My 50th Birthday – Bay Of Fires Lodge Walk Day 3 Kayak and Beach Walk

I wrote about the beautiful Quamby Estate too, where we stayed the night before the walk started, love that Anglo Indian architecture, love Tassie.

Quamby Estate near Launceston, Tasmania: A Hotel With History

There were also some fab guests posts in January:

Peat’s Bite Restaurant on the Hawkesburys

Thirroul Beach, Olympic Pool and Playground – Sydney Weekend Getaway

The Banyan Tree, Phuket – A Family Review

I ran a series of travel news snippets each Friday for part of the year, check out all the topics on Escape + Explore page, there are some great holiday ideas there.

February

I so enjoyed a couple of nights in the gorgeous ‘quiet side of the Hunter Valley.’ Can’t recommend this beautiful area enough.

Broke Fordwich Wine Country In The Upper Hunter Valley- Seven Tips For Planning A Trip

March

Had a lovely guest post from Robyn of MrsDPlus3:

Camping At The Basin on Pittwater- Sydney’s Best Secret Camp Site

I went on the Carnival Spirit, my first ever cruise, just a three day one for the Digital Parents annual conference… and I posted lots to social media but not much on the blog – naughty!

DPCon14 + Getting Home + A Travel Dilemma Too

April

The twins and myself zoomed off in the school holidays on a trip we’d been thinking about for years and years:

Billabong Camp at Taronga Western Plains Zoo – Our Family Review

Road Trip: Sydney, Dubbo, Orange – Things To Do and Accommodation

There was a visit to Adelaide for the Words To Go conference, part of the Tasting Australia food fest, see:

Adina Apartment Hotel Adelaide Treasury – Family Friendly Accommodation In The City Of Spires

Escape + Explore – Family Travel Ideas in South Australia and Beyond

And here’s a random post on Scotland:

How To Have A Real Scottish Holiday – A Guide For The Misguided

May

My mum had a hip replacement and I whizzed to Scotland for one week on the ground only to see her:

At Home With Mum In Scotland In The Springtime

June

Had a month of just working on my photography course – no blogging or travelling done. All with the aim of improving my travel photography.

A Professional Photography And Design Course – What I’ve Learned So Far

July

Probably the best trip of the year, certainly the flashest, was spend with just my hubby, kid-free! We really loved the very expensive and very beautiful:

Sydney’s Most Luxurious Weekend Away – Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort

We also spent part of the holidays in lovely Jervis Bay with all the family. It had its ups and downs:

A Week Down The Coast In Winter + The Holiday Photos We Don’t Take

August

A swift trip to the Gold Coast for PBEvent14 was good fun, I do love these blogging conferences, here’s a review of where I stayed:

The Mantra Sun City, a Surfers Paradise Apartment Hotel – With A Water Slide!

September + October

Myself and the four kids had a really good holiday up in Far North Queensland. My FIFO husband was away at work and soooo jealous.

Family Holiday Packing List For Cairns, Port Douglas and Other Hot Spots

Why We Are Loving The Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort

Muddy’s Playground On The Esplanade In Cairns

Miracle on the Great Barrier Reef – Kids Take Holiday Photos of Mum For Once

River Tubing On The Mulgrave River Near Cairns With The Kids

Tips For Travelling to Cairns and Port Douglas With The Family

There was a newsy story….

News: Family Activities at The Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains

And a weekend of camping just for Minnie the Minx and I, in the Royal National Park, which led to:

The Very Best Places To Go Camping In and Around Sydney

November

No travels were done, but some dodgy stories from travels past were confessed to.

5 Marvellous Escapes From Peril!

I also finally posted about a luxurious night in Melbourne… finally!

Splashing Out – A Night at The Langham in Melbourne

And there was a really handy guest post from Rebecca of Little Munch.

Canberra’s Best Playgrounds and Parks

My fave ever travel outfit!

December

Well, I’m typing this post in my room at the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley Resort, the full review will be posted in January.

I’ll also review the kids club which is called Water Dragons. It’s the only kids club in the Hunter Valley, by the way. Worth knowing!

We’ll also be camping at Narrabeen, at the Lakeside Tourist Park very close to my beloved North Narrabeen Beach and Rock Pool.

Then we’ll be heading south to Jervis Bay for Christmas… a busy end to a busy year.

January will be all in Sydney… it’s like being on holiday spending summer in Sydney, don’t you think? So much to see and do.

I do hope you had a good year in 2014 and that you enjoyed whatever travelling or day tripping you did.

What was your best trip of 2014, do tell all in the comments.

Hope you found some good ideas here.

Happy travels,