2017: Year in review

Another year has passed, which gives us all another opportunity to look back and see what we have accomplished in 12 months. Just before I started writing this post I read my last year’s post, with the review for 2016. What caught my attention was the list of countries that I hoped/planned on visiting, but in the end it didn’t happen. My plans changed, but that’s ok. I’m not going to stop making New Year’s resolutions because of that. I’m just going to accept that life happens and opportunities come and go unexpectedly. So without further ado, let’s get into the review of 2017.

What happened in 2017?

Last year I said about 2016 that it was an eventful year for me. Well, 2017 didn’t break the trend. This year I did a lot of things for the first time, I met a lot of people and made a lot of friends, I got to see amazing places and have great adventures. Just like last year, I chose to visit places from both my country and abroad. If until now I was avoiding going to the same place twice, this year a had some destinations which made me come back. The most important places I traveled to this year were: Budapest (Hungary), Brașov, Balvanyos, Sfânta Ana Lake, Băile Tușnad, Eforie Nord, Bacău, Iași, Suceava, Mogoșoaia (Romania), Milan (Italy), Luxembourg & Vianden (Luxembourg), Rome (Italy) & Vatican City (Vatican). My favorite place so far? Undoubtedly, Budapest!

Highlights of 2017

Here are my personal travel-related wins and accomplishments:

1. I traveled to 4 different countries this year: Hungary (twice), Italy (three times), Vatican and Luxembourg. I visited three of them for the first time;
2. I had my first paragliding experience (and I even got to control the paraglider by myself);
3. I had my first international solo trip (then my second, third and forth) and I loved the experience;
4. I traveled for the first time to another country by train. The route was Bucharest-Budapest and the train ride was 15 hours;
5. I beat two personal records this year: most flights booked in a week (eight) and most flights done in a week (four);
6. I went to a lot of concerts and festivals this year and I’ve seen live some of my favorites artists/bands. Just to name a few artists: Kings of Leon, Nothing but Thieves, Glass Animals, The Kills, Three Days Grace, LP.
7. I finished my master’s degree! This is not really travel-related, but this accomplishment gave me more free time, aka more time for travel;
8. I continued to collect travel-related items, starting with fridge magnets and ending with big world maps;
9. I started learning Swedish and I managed to reach my goal for this year, which was being at least 60% fluent in Swedish. Again, not really a travel win, but considering my love for Sweden and my burning desire to visit this country, now I feel like I’m ready and a step closer.

2017 in photographs

To summarize 2017, I want to show you some photos from my travels, even from those that I didn’t write about just yet. Here we go:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSFSS7aFWDY/?taken-by=inspiredtoexploreblog

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSb12RPlfjG/?taken-by=inspiredtoexploreblog

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTCBEFfFtfV/?taken-by=inspiredtoexploreblog

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTHKMxAFfcC/?taken-by=inspiredtoexploreblog

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTJuJ-lFmcR/?taken-by=inspiredtoexploreblog

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTUDlJGlJxj/?taken-by=inspiredtoexploreblog

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWDRyWqli8b/?taken-by=inspiredtoexploreblog

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXLukLJlR0t/?taken-by=inspiredtoexploreblog

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXslJaDl1Y4/?taken-by=inspiredtoexploreblog

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaOuD8_FBO6/?taken-by=inspiredtoexploreblog

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaYgxdQlPTS/?taken-by=inspiredtoexploreblog

https://www.instagram.com/p/Baj3xo0lzdg/?taken-by=inspiredtoexploreblog

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bceft2UlhHq/?taken-by=inspiredtoexploreblog

https://www.instagram.com/p/BdGR8DqFCEe/?taken-by=inspiredtoexploreblog

Like I said, these aren’t all the places I visited in 2017, but are definitely the ones that are worth mentioning the most. And of course, I didn’t include Bucharest, the city I live in, but maybe I should have. This year I pretended a lot to be a tourist and went to museums, art galleries and I took random strolls on the streets.

My plans and wishes for 2018

First off, I have already one trip planned for February. Where you ask? Of course… Italy! Again. But this time I’ll explore the beautiful island of Sicily. Next, I want to go to Sweden. Nothing planned yet, but I’ll do everything in my power to make this a reality. I know that I said the same thing last year, but I feel that this time will happen.

I’ll also continue to take trips in my country, Romania. I still have many things to see and do, so I’ll try not to neglect it.

Another thing that I plan on doing is blogging more. Since I was still a student until recently, I didn’t have much time, but now things changed. I’m ready for 2018. I’m full of positive vibes so I know next year will be amazing. Yours can be as well. It’s only up to you.

I want to thank you all for being here, for supporting me, for your kind words and for your time. If you want to see more than what you see on my blog, make sure you follow me on my socials: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

In the end, I just want to say that I love you all. Keep spreading positivity and keep being Inspired To Explore our beautiful planet. Happy New Year everyone!