17 travel ideas for 2017
I hope you all had a wonderful start into the new year. The first blog post in 2017 follows the tradition. After 2014, 2015 and 2016, there is also an inspiring list of travel ideas for 2017. I love planning trips, researching itineraries, and gathering tips. Most of the time, numerous exciting travel destinations buzz through my head. And sometimes an article, picture or recommendation from friends triggers active wanderlust from one day to the next. Of the 16 travel ideas presented last year, I visited nine. One of the highlights was the Lapland road trip through the snow-covered landscape of Finland and Norway. Oman wasn’t even on my travel radar at the beginning of last year. Then, suddenly, I was seized by the desire to explore and instead of going to La Réunion, we traveled to Oman. Definitely my second travel highlight in 2016. I can cross off the list Rovinj, Bremen, Königsee, the Netherlands, Bordeaux, the Thal Nature Park, the Val Verzasca and Gottlieben. Instead of Wroclaw, we traveled to Lviv and Bilbao is on the itinerary in 2017.
In addition to Bilbao, further trips at home and abroad are already firmly planned for the new year. Due to the book project and the “normal job”, the first half of the year – and that sounds totally crazy – is already meticulously timed. Hard work should be rewarded and so we are already looking forward to autumn 2017, when we can hold the first printed copy of the book in our hands and reward ourselves with a great trip. Despite all the planning – what would life be without surprises and unplanned twists and turns?! We can’t wait to see what the new year has in store for us! With this in mind: here’s to a happy, eventful 2017!
#1 Lviv
Last year we had Wroclaw on our list of travel ideas. Instead of going to the small Polish town, we spontaneously traveled to Lviv in western Ukraine at the beginning of December 2016 – a good decision. Lviv is a great destination for a long city weekend and (in contrast to Wroclaw and Krakow) still a real insider tip.
#2 Lichtensteig
Two years ago we hiked part of the Toggenburg High Trail. For 2017 I have decided to visit other areas of Toggenburg – such as the pretty small town of Lichtensteig or (forever on the bucket list) the Chäserugg.
#3 Azores
The archipelago in the Atlantic also enjoys insider tip status for active nature holidays. The flight there is booked and I’m really looking forward to island hopping next March.
#4 Kleinwalsertal
The Kleinwalsertal is the most beautiful cul-de-sac in the world, Clemens von Anekdotique.com wrote in 2014. I never got that out of my head and that’s why it’s time to visit the Austrian side valley, which can only be reached via Germany, myself. This is not only supported by the beautiful landscape, but also by the excellent regional cuisine.
#5 Fat
I think France is generally a worthwhile travel destination and could easily list five destinations that I absolutely want to visit. Among them is Grasse – the city of perfume not only scores with narrow streets and pretty squares, but is also the destination of the Route du Mimosa. The 130 km route between Bormes-les-Mimosa and Grasse is lined with a bright yellow carpet during the mimosa’s heyday. A nice mini road trip that we planned at the end of February.
#6 Nova Scotia
Last summer, I toyed with the idea of spontaneously traveling to Nova Scotia. The second smallest province in Canada in terms of area offers fantastic coastal landscapes through which one of the most beautiful road trips in North America passes (Cabot Trail) and is home to a “Dark Sky” nature reserve – perfect for photographing the starry sky without light pollution. The limited time budget (fortunately) kept me from doing so. As we all know, postponed is not canceled. And so we have already booked the plane tickets (earlier than ever) for a road trip during the most beautiful season of the year, the Indian Summer. On site, we can count on the tips of the locals, as the great-uncle of the friend runs a restaurantin the coastal town of Shelburne.
#7 Guadeloupe
I’m a total fan of the Caribbean, and since two of my office friends, and the Bärner Meitschi Caroline, rave about Guadeloupe, it’s clear to me: Guadeloupe is the next Caribbean destination.
#8 Turin
I was torn between Bologna and Turin last summer. The choice fell on Bologna and therefore Turin is on the program this year. By the way, when I launched a small poll on Twitter at the time, the result was 50/50.
#9 Greina Plateau
Yes, we also want to go on a hut tour in summer 2017. This time in Switzerland, preferably over the pristine Greina plateau from the canton of Graubünden to the canton of Ticino.
#10 Skopje
An exciting city destination for all those who are enthusiastic about architectural and urban planning topics is the capital of Macedonia. Motivated by the state, Skopje is building a new face that is opulent and sometimes even “irritating”. This city trip can be combined, for example, with a trip to the Matka Gorge – contrast program guaranteed.
By the way, Nate Robert @yomadic generally has a totally inspiring Instagram channel for anyone interested in Central Asian destinations.
#11 Riga
I was in Riga for one night in November 2016 and what I saw in a hurry made me want more. For me, this is an ideal destination for the next Advent, as the probability of snow in Latvia is higher than in our latitudes.
#12 Pragelpass
For a long time I didn’t know that the Klöntalersee does not form the end of the valley, but that the road continues to climb at the back and leads over the Pragel Pass into Muothathal. Closed to car traffic on weekends, it is a great destination for ambitious cyclists.
#13 Schrattenfluh
The wildly jagged rock bar in the Entlebuch Biosphere Reserve is fascinating. The circular hike is not a Sunday walk, but definitely worth the effort.
#14 Calfeisental
The more I see of Switzerland, the bigger it seems to me – I keep discovering new valleys, peaks and hamlets that I have never heard of. For example, St. Martin in the Calfeisental. If you’re scratching your head and need to use the map, don’t worry! I felt the same way. But that’s exactly what awakens the desire to explore.
#15 Syros
Every Greek island is worth a visit. But if you are looking for an authentic travel experience, you should take a closer look at the Cycladic island of Syros.
#16 along the Castle Road
From Mannheim past 90 castles and palaces to Prague – sounds like an exciting road trip, doesn’t it? Over a distance of 1,200 kilometres, the Castle Road connects exciting, diverse cities (e.g. Bamberg, Rothenburg o.d. Tauber, Bayreuth and Heidelberg) and historical sites. A road trip where for once the focus is not on nature, but on culture and history.
#17 Arnisee
A list without a mountain lake tip: doesn’t work at all, does it?! I have been raved about the Arnisee in the canton of Uri many times – it’s about time we hiked it.
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