The lovely Lizzie from Wanderful World recently tagged me in a new blog tag post series on Travel Regrets.  
This really got me thinking about my travel experiences in a way I’ve never really had to. Having just discovered my travel bug in recent years, I’ve only just started branching out and seeing what the world has to offer, so I’ve really tried to make the most of everywhere I’ve been. When I went to New York this summer, I invested in super comfy shoes and dragged my boyfriend from attraction to attraction, making sure we crammed in as much as possible. Seven days (and two very achy pairs of feet) later, we returned to England satisfied we’d made the most of the Big Apple!





But, unlike Edith Piaf, I do have certain regrets. (Pahaha, awful joke, but had to be done.) They may not be horrendously, life-shatteringly big, but they’re enough to make me kick myself a little bit in frustration.

So, ladies and gents, here are my top 3 travel regrets.


1. Not realising just how much I wanted to travel when I was younger.

Just looking at this sign makes me want to go travelling. I’ve got it bad…



This one is more of a ‘rose-tinted-glasses’ regret, but nevertheless, it’s one of my biggest. When I was younger, family holidays were spent in a caravan in Suffolk, playing cricket on the beach. I don’t regret this for a minute – family holidays with my Grandparents have given me some of the best memories. However, it wasn’t until I went abroad to Barcelona in 2010 that it dawned on me just how much there is to see and how much I wanted to see it. Unfortunately, I realised this right at the end of my Gap Year, and have now spent the best part of two years trying to cram in as many visits abroad as I can in university holidays in order to satisfy my wanderlust. 

On certain days, this does mean I sit on a computer gazing at Google images moaning at the fact I’m stuck in my room writing an essay on the history of Early Modern punishments. (Oh, who am I kidding, this happens on a daily basis…) I regret that I didn’t have my big travel realisation during my Gap Year to enable me to make the most of my time away from education.

2. Not visiting Hong Kong’s Peak again to make the most of the amazing view

When I told my friend that I was travelling to Hong Kong, one place she insisted I go to was The Peak, which allows a spectacular panoramic view of the harbour.

Looking through her Facebook pictures, I knew this would be an incredible sight of one of the world’s best skylines:

Sophie’s amazing picture from the Peak

Having convinced my travel partner that this would definitely be something we shouldn’t miss, we kept an afternoon free to make sure we could soak up this wonderful view. Instead, this is what we got:

I promise you this was taken in Hong Kong, and not in my back garden.

So, erm, it wasn’t quite the spectacular view we were hoping for. In fact, the whole thing was a bit of a washout. We ended up sheltering in a Starbucks while the rain lashed down, feeling pretty rubbish.


We had another chance in the week to visit the Peak, but we decided to go to Macau instead. This day, too, was a bit of a disappointment. In hindsight, it would have been better to stay in Hong Kong and make the most of the city – and to have made another attempt to see that fantastic view we missed out on the first time round.

3. Trying to see all of Paris in one day

Ian and I in Paris – the sunglasses conveniently hide the enormous bags under my eyes.

As with all kind gestures I make, this one kind of backfired. Not having enough money to treat my boyfriend to a short holiday in Paris, I decided to take him to the city for a day trip to give him a taste of France.

This meant getting up at 5am, which inevitably meant a very grumpy boyfriend all day. Not that I blamed him – by midday, I was crying out for a nap and was beginning to question my sanity for suggesting such an ambitious trip. We did manage to see most of the main sights, but it ended up being a bit of a slog. By 5pm we had crashed in McDonalds drinking coke in an effort to stay awake. 

You’re next!
In true relay fashion, I must now hand over the baton to several talented travel bloggers. I’ll be very interested to see what they come up with!

@sophierose233 – Sophie of Luggage Tags and Ticket Stubs
@dewtraveller  – Aggy of Dream, Explore, Wander
@ExploreDuJour  – Laura of Explore Du Jour
@farsickness – Amanda of Farsickness