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My 2016 Dream Destinations Bucket List via Ice Lolly #sendmeaway

Hey everyone,

Welcome to February! I can’t believe January is over with already but it also felt like the weeks dragged on FOREVER! I was recently nominated by the lovely Victoria from The Girl on the Move Blog to put together my 2016 Bucket List as part of Icelolly’s Dream Destinations 2016 #sendmeaway campaign. There are sooo many places I want to visit this year, and my list of destinations expands all the time so I’m going to try and whittle this down as much as I can! Here we go, lets get wanderlusting!

Brighton, UK

https://www.instagram.com/p/BBMyX4zATxl/?taken-by=sophiessuitcse

This is my second planned trip of 2016 (I popped to London last weekend) and it’s not as exotic as some other destinations on this list but a little bit closer to home and I thought I’d get some UK representation in here somewhere 😉 Brighton is a city I’ve always wanted to visit but for whatever reason I’ve never had the chance to! My best friend recently moved down that way though so I’m going to take full advantage and head over to Brighton pier during my stay at the end of Feb – I’m so excited!

New York, USA

https://www.instagram.com/p/8OcAq5AGZP/?taken-by=thegirlonthemoveblog

New York, New York – isn’t this place on everyone’s Bucket List?! It’s quite possibly one of the most famous cities on the planet, and with good reason – LOOK AT THAT SKYLINE!! There’s so much to see and do in the Big Apple and I’m just dying to explore it’s dazzling streets and wonderful theatres. Hopefully I’ll be lucky enough to visit New York this year, otherwise it’s going straight back on the 2017 wanderlust wishlist!

Rome, Italy

Experience is the teacher of all things – Caesar. #openymyworld with @gabscanu in Rome 🇮🇹

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When in Rome you should definitely check out all things architectural – the Coliseum is an epic landmark by any scale, and one of the most visited tourist attractions in Europe. Rome has been on my wishlist since I was a little girl – I was brought up as a Catholic and I’m fascinated by religion so it would be incredible to attend a service at the Vatican. I’m not sure if my budget/annual leave/free time will allow me to visit Rome this year but I’m certainly going to try!

Tallinn, Estonia

I thought I'd share another photo of beautiful Tallinn in Estonia – I just can't get over the inherent beauty of the Old Town. The core historic part of town isn't that big and can be easily explored if all you have is a day or so there. But I'd recommend spending a little bit more time and get to know the other parts of town away from the colorful UNESCO side, like the trendy Telliskivi district. Housed in a former secret Soviet-era industrial complex, Telliskivi has been taken over by some of the most creative minds in the country. Home to restaurants, bars, shops, galleries, coffee houses, creative companies and NGOs, the so-called Creative City is by far one of the most cutting edge neighborhoods in the world. It's also just a really fun place to visit, grabbing lunch at the F-Hoone restaurant before window shopping amongst the galleries, feeling inspired along the way. Most cities, even those firmly entrenched in their own historical legacies have something surprising to share. All you have to do is look for it!

A post shared by Matt Long (@landlopers) on

Time for something a little bit different now; for those avid readers out there most of you will know that I specialize in European city breaks – the quirkier the better! Tallinn is somewhere that appeals purely because of its harbourside location, cold temperatures during the winter (I need to see some snow!) and beautiful UNESCO world heritage sites. Tallinn is also suuuperrr cheap and I’d love to make the most of my bank holidays this year so I feel a cheeky weekend stopover in this beautiful city is on the cards!

Riga, Latvia

Like a fairy tale 💫 #openmyworld in Riga, Latvia with @augustaleighphoto

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Riga is another quirky destination on my Bucket List and it’s a trendy, up and coming European city attracting more and more tourists. Boasting a picture perfect Old Town, quaint little streets, beautiful buildings and a multitude of museums, Riga offers something for everyone. Like Tallinn, Riga is also known for being excellent value for money and I’ll be sure to book a little weekend getaway at some point over the next few months!

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Croatia is somewhere I’ve been meaning to visit for a while, and Dubrovnik in particular is on my holiday hit list! I’m forever going to cold destinations on my city breaks (flashback to Iceland 2014!) so I thought I’d mix it up a bit and plump for somewhere a little warmer.. With a cool balance of beaches, city life and plenty of historical landmarks I’d be spoilt for choice in cultural Dubrovnik!

 

So there we have it, that’s my 2016 Bucket List! I’ll be interested to see where I end up this year and I’m so excited to reveal some big news very soon on the blog – I promise not to keep it a secret for too much longer! Thanks again Victoria for the nomination, you can also read her inspiring Bucket List here.

As part of Ice Lolly’s #sendmeaway campaign I’ve also been tasked with nominating three fellow bloggers to share their Dream Destinations Bucket List for 2016. I’d like to nominate Vicky & Chris from Eat Sleep Love Travel, Jess Gibson from The Travelista & Sophie Davis from Sophie’s Suitcase. Looking forward to reading your bucket lists guys!

Where are you heading to this year? Will 2016 be your year of discovery? I’d love to hear your travel plans!

Love Jess x

NB. Thanks to Sophie Davis, Victoria Dovaston, Flight Centre Australia & Matt Long for the Instagram inspo!

 

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BIG NEWS… I'M A UK BLOG AWARDS FINALIST!

OHMYGODDDD I’M A FINALIST!!!

So if you haven’t guessed already by my excitable social media posts I’ve only gone and been shortlisted as a FINALIST in this years UK Blog Awards! Ahhhhhh!! This is such a MASSIVE achievement for me, both personally and professionally, so I felt this warranted its very own blog post…

Over 70,000 votes were cast across 18 different categories with over 100 individual entries in my travel category alone and I can’t quite believe that I’ve been made the top ten! My little blog barely has any online presence compared to some of my fellow nominees, some of which have over 10,000 Twitter followers alone!!

I never thought my little blog would even be noticed by anyone when I first started writing almost two years ago, and look how far I have come! I am so blessed to have support from such fantastic family and friends as well as my amazing readers! Thank you from the bottom of my heart to each and everyone of you who took the time to vote for my blog during the past few weeks- it means the absolute WORLD! <3

 

The glitzy awards ceremony in London will be held at the stunning Westminster Park Plaza Hotel -coincidentally I actually reviewed the hotels bar and restaurant last October! I absolutely cannot WAIT to get dressed up and get involved in a fantastic evening of networking and celebrating. I don’t think I have much of a chance of winning compared to some of the other fantastic bloggers in my category, including Faraway Lucy, Eat Sleep Love Travel & Absolutely Lucy, but a girl can dream huh?!

It will be an honour to just attend the ceremony and experience my first ever awards do and I will of course share it all with you every step of the way!

Thank you again, as always, for your continued support – UK Blog Awards I’m coming for you!!

Love Jess x

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January Newsletter!

Hello and welcome to my first newsletter of 2016!

I have soooo much news to share with you all, so this jam packed edition of my monthly newsletter will give a round up of my oh-so-busy January! It’s been a crazy month and it seems like its dragged on FOREVER but I’ve squeezed an awful lot in to the past five weeks! Without further ado here it is, are you ready?…

I MADE MY NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS!

I kick-started my 2016 with a positively inspiring challenge which is the motivation that’s going to see me through these dull winter months! I’ve tasked myself with visiting 25 countries before I’ve reached the ripe old age of 25! Find out how I’m going to achieve it here…

I’VE BEEN SHORTLISTED FOR MY FIRST EVER AWARDS COMPETITION!

So on 4th January I entered my little blog into its first EVER awards competition, UK Blog Awards 2016, and I’m delighted to announce that, after over 70,000 votes across 18 different categories, I’ve been shortlisted as a FINALIST in the travel category!! You can read more about my big announcement here… I’m still so thrilled and can’t quite believe it, a big THANK YOU to all who took the time to vote for me, it means everything! <3

I CELEBRATED MY BIRTHDAY!

#birthday #lastnight #vip #oxford #nightout 👯🎉🍸🎊

A post shared by Jess Buck|JourneyswithJessica (@jessica16_x) on

I turned 23 on the 16th and spent the day with family followed by an evening of celebrations with my closest friends in my home city of Oxford! We headed to the fantastic Varsity Club for cocktails and then onto one of the city’s biggest clubs for a VIP experience in a private booth! A fantastic night was had by all and we rolled in at 5am so our heads were a little sore the next morning day/night/week! A big THANK YOU to everyone who celebrated with me. <3

I WORKED ON MY FIRST SPONSORED POST!

This month I was given the opportunity to review a fantastic new guidebook for Disneyland California and I relished working on my first ever sponsored post! Read my write up on this fantastic guidebook here – thanks go to Amazon and Independent Guides!

I GOT PAID FOR MY FIRST EVER FREELANCING JOBS!

I’ve recently started writing for US based company www.abnsave.com and recently received my FIRST paycheck for my FIRST lot of freelance work! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed writing for ABN over the past few months and can’t wait to expand my portfolio. Here’s to many more paychecks!

I WATCHED LES MISERABLES IN LONDON’S WEST END!

What a show! Literally had goosebumps the WHOLE way through! Incredible. 😱🇬🇧🎭👏

A post shared by Jess Buck|JourneyswithJessica (@jessica16_x) on

I had an AMAZING time watching the fantastic Les Miserables musical in London recently – it was definitely an experience to tick off the bucket list! The show, which is now in its 30th anniversary celebrations, was incredible from start to finish- everything from the lighting to the music to the cast was out of this world! I could watch Les Mis over and over again I never tire of its fantastic score and mesmerising scenes – I was left feeling very emotional that’s for sure!

So that completes my January round up- told you I’ve been busy! Stay tuned for some big news coming up in February… I’ll reveal all soon I promise!

Love Jess x

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New Years Resolutions! 25:25

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Hi everyone,

So I’m a bit late to the party with this but I’ve been thinking an awful lot lately about what I want from 2016, and my travel plans are well and truly underway which fills me with lots of excitement!! I recently had a meeting with a fantastic consultant at STA Travel who really helped me understand what it is I want from my upcoming career break/gap year/I-need-to-escape year! And so, I’ve set myself an almighty challenge…

*NEWSFLASH!* I’ve decided that I want to have visited 25 countries before my 25th birthday… big statement I know! That’s where the 25:25 plan comes in and now, at the turn of the year, seems like the perfect opportunity to put things into practice! I’ve always said that 2016 was going to be my year and I’m determined to make it more amazing than ever!

To more experienced travellers I guess this doesn’t really seem like a massive deal, I bet you’ve all travelled across plenty of countries, and continents, exploring hundreds of cities and ticking off numerous famous landmarks! To me, however, this personal goal is huge and is somewhat of a life changing moment in my short 22 years on this beautiful planet! I’ve worked since the age of 16, been in full time employment since the age of 18, and never really had the chance to fully explore and take exotic vacations like other travellers.

At school and growing up we went on family holidays to Cornwall and different places around the UK and, if we were lucky, we also got the chance to enjoy package holidays to the nearby Spanish islands! My childhood has been amazing and I wouldn’t change a thing, but I feel like now is the time to start altering certain aspects of my life- and travel plays a HUGE part in that!

 

Now is the time for change though, and I’m fully embracing it! I’ve decided to focus on Europe; I’d like to inter-rail across the continent and trek across 10 countries in the hope that I can see as many cities as possible. If you’re an avid reader of this blog you’ll know by now that European city breaks are my FAVOURITE type of vacation! I’m looking at hitting France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria to name but a few. I’m also hoping to end up in Sweden to attend the fantastic TBEX conference in Stockholm with lots of fellow bloggers! But my plans are always changing, so we’ll see about that…

At the other end of the spectrum I’m also hoping to take on a road trip across the East Coast of the USA… I’ve never been to America before and there’s so much to see and do that I’m just dying to explore!

I will of course keep you updated with my travel plans once everything is firmed up… where’s the most exciting place you’re travelling to in 2016? I’d love to hear your itineraries!

Love Jess x

PS. Don’t forget to VOTE for me in the UK Blog Awards 2016 under the TRAVEL section! You can keep voting until 25th Jan yay!

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UK BLOG AWARDS 2016!

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Hey everyone,

I hope your first working day of 2016 has gone well! Mine went super quick (yay) and I’ve been dying to get home and write his blog post as I am SO EXCITED to share some big news with you all!

After deciding some time ago that 2016 was going to be my year I entered the UK Blog Awards (Travel Section) for the first time in the hope that I can add award winning blogger to my increasingly long website description and bio on all my social profiles.. doesn’t that sound AMAZING?! A girl can dream huh!

In all seriousness, I’m not expecting to win anything or even be shortlisted but I’ll be pray hoping that the exposure will boost my site and that it’ll give me a great opportunity to interact with even more fellow bloggers!

So, why am I writing about this now I hear you ask? Well, today marks the first day of VOTING for this fantastic award and I need YOUR help to get some votes for my little blog!! Any votes at all would be hugely gratefully received and voting will be running between now and 25th January at 9pm.

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Voting couldn’t be simpler and takes literally just a few seconds! What’s more, you can vote for my blog multiple times (yay) off multiple devices (yay again) but only one vote per device per day is permitted. So you could vote each day on your mobile, tablet AND laptop and treat me to lots of lovely votes! Please click here to cast your vote! I’ve also sneak cleverly dotted various VOTE NOW buttons throughout this post so it’s eyecatchingly obvious that you can vote vote vote!

There’s stiff competition this year for the awards, and I’m up against 100 odd other other talented bloggers in the Travel Section, including Jess from The Travelista, Sophie from Sophie’s Suitcase, Victoria from The Girl on the Move, Emma from Paper Planes and Caramel Waffles and Vicky from Eat Sleep Love Travel. I admire each of these travel bloggers hugely and am delighted to be in the same category as them. Best of luck to all of you guys too! <3

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Voting is now open so if you could find it somewhere in your heart to give me a little vote between now and 25th January I will be eternally grateful and it would mean the absolute world to me!

Don’t forget you can vote MORE THAN ONCE and I’ll be posting links and promoting this heavily on social media throughout January! Thank you in advance, you lovely lovely people!

Love Jess x

PS. Don’t forget to vote 😉

UKblogawardsvotenow

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