2021 Travel Summary: 10+ Locations We Visited Safely

We wanted to look back over 2021 for our travel summary to see where we have safely travelled to during the year. We have been lucky with just the two of us travelling, but also safely visited many friends and family members along the way. Most trips were also done by car, allowing us to avoid being in busy airports or public spaces.

Luxembourg City, Luxembourg – January & February 2021

For the start of 2021, our home was located in Luxembourg for a temporary stay of 2 months. This was amazing as we could work from Luxembourg during the day, and then by evenings and weekends we were exploring the country.

It was truly amazing to have lived in Luxembourg for 2 months in the Winter season, as we also experienced some amazing snowy weather. This gave us enjoyable Christmas celebrations, lots of hiking in snow opportunities, exploring the snowy capital city.

Maastricht, Netherlands – March 2021 (and ongoing)

Since March 2021, we made home in the beautiful, cobblestoned city of Maastricht in the Netherlands. We had already lived in Eindhoven and Rotterdam, so we wanted to pick Maastricht next. This was because we were both working from home due to covid, so this location could have been anywhere in the Netherlands. Our comparisons from Eindhoven and Rotterdam to Maastricht was nice to write about, as there are quite some differences!

Maastricht was our home base of the Netherlands for the rest of 2021 too. It’s so lovely here so why not!?

Sicily, Italy – April 2021

Two gorgeous weeks were spent on the island of Sicily in Italy. We spent a week with our friends on the west coast of Sicily and then a few additional days as a couple exploring Cefalu, Sicily.

The island is a gorgeous place for 2 weeks, but could totally stay for longer too if we had the chance! There is kite surfing on the west coast and the most delicious wine that we tried during a wine tasting. We also made our own pasta and hiked at some beautiful locations together. It was special to visit with friends, something we’d not done before so it was a fun experience! Can’t wait to do it again in a new location!

Weekend Away Glamping In The Netherlands – May 2021

For a full relaxation weekend, we decided to stay at Parc Buitengewoon in the Netherlands. Not far from Maastricht, it was an easy drive to get there and settle in. We stayed in the panoramic dome, perfect for 2 people for 1 weekend!

During the day time we enjoyed a slow breakfast, read our books, went for walks and even discovered Nijmegen after a short drive away. By evenings, we enjoyed a BBQ on our little wooden terrace before getting cosy inside with the fire and blankets. They have other types of accommodations now too, so we can’t wait to try another in the future!

Poland 10 Day Road Trip – June 2021

Our next travels for 2021 was our 10 day road trip around Poland and wow what fun we had! We started in Krakow, since it was easy to fly there from the Netherlands. Then we visited at least 7 top locations with our rental car (Krakow, Poznan, Kolobrzeg, Gdynia, Gdansk, Mragowo and Warsaw). It was a truly lovely trip, since it was my first time in Poland and we also saw friends and went to a wedding!

Travels around Rotterdam – July 2021

For July, we spent a bit of time exploring the Netherlands (like visiting the beach and forests), and back to the city of Rotterdam where we used to live. Rotterdam is one of our favourite places in the Netherlands, with the high sky rise buildings and delicious restaurants. Also a great place for a drink with a skyline view!

Weekend in Luxembourg – August 2021

Since we were here at the beginning of the year during Winter, we couldn’t wait to get back and see Luxembourg for the late summer. It allowed us to experience the city more and also see some areas we never got a chance to see. Luxembourg sure is a special place for us, and would totally return in the future.

Isle of Wight, United Kingdom – September 2021

The Isle of Wight is a place thats always lovely to visit, due to it being my original UK home location and many of my family members still living here. We visited only for a short weekend, just the perfect amount of time to see my family and friends. It wasn’t the best of weather, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying each others company as well as many walks in the nature.

London, United Kingdom – September 2021

We combined a visit to the Isle of Wight with a few nights stay in London. This worked out great (apart from some flight issues) as we had the time to see some top things in London that were new. Walking around the city was pretty amazing, as well as seeing the city from above from the Sky Garden. We explored Canary Wharf as well as an enjoyable walk across a few bridges and London Bridge. We also were able to see a friend here, making it a lovely social visit!

France – October 2021

This trip was a special one, not really for travel or seeing a location, but for seeing family. My lovely grandparents were travelling home from their gorgeous vacation in Greece. This one night stay in France near the border was our chance to see them on their way back to the UK. It was even more fun that we got locked in and couldn’t leave to get any dinner, causing my grandparents to luckily save the evening with some of their food!

A special personal trip for one night worked out perfectly!

Dinant Belgium – November 2021

Stopping in Dinant, Belgium was an easy one for our visit in November. This was because we combined it with a night at Stay Ici (next chapter). This cute location on the water’s edge was a quiet place, since many things were closed up due to restrictions. But that didn’t stop us (safely) exploring and enjoying a walk along the water.

A Romantic Night Away At Stay Ici In Belgium – November 2021

One night at Stay Ici was needed for escaping the rainy weather in the Netherlands. We arrived with some sunshine and below shows the type of cabin we had for the night. This gorgeous spot is truly in the middle of nowhere, with no signal for your phone too – the perfect place for reading, playing games (we took scrabble!) and sitting by the fire with good food and drink.

Lugano Switzerland – November 2021

Despite planning all last minute plans for our more expensive holiday to Norway (next chapter), we booked a last minute getaway to Lugano in Switzerland one weekend before. It was a spur of the moment, with easy safe travel and the cheapest flights ever.

Our weekend was well over 20k steps per day as we explored as much as possible this gorgeous location. Located in the Italian speaking canton, we enjoyed the Italian inspired food and local treats. We were also surprised by the weather, gorgeous sunshine on the Saturday and then perfect fluffy snow on the Sunday. We weren’t prepared for snow with our clothing, but that didn’t stop us hiking up Mount Bre and enjoying the gorgeous view.

Definitely a location we plan to go back to for 2022!

Tromso and Senja in Norway – December 2021

We ended the year with a blast, staying in Tromso and Senja in Norway for our final destination of 2021. This trip was one of the most expensive, but also the most special. We were lucky with the weather, having clear days for exploring by day and clear nights allowing us to see the Northern Lights. Our snowy -21c days were also filled with lots of fun activities, good local restaurants and road trippin’ around to explore as much as possible.

A truly special place that we can definitely recommend to others, just make sure you have the budget for the whole trip. It would be shame to visit and not have the additional money for the activities, a nice hotel or the food choices.

We can’t wait to start planning 2022 and to see more locations!