As many others in this world, I have always dreamed of traveling around the world. I am very lucky that my family and I are sharing the same dream. Since I live in Europe it is easy to travel to a ton of different countries, cultures, and scenery. We only have to travel 10 minutes by car to get to Germany.
Every summer, for as long as I can remember, we traveled to a different place. But when we travel we don´t like to stay in our hotel.
First of all, we don’t like to stay in hotels after all. We prefer a small lodge or even a rented and furnished tent on a camping. And second, we love to see places near our residence that are worth seeing or are just very relaxing. Most of the time we travel by car, that makes it easy for us to go sight-seeing and getting those amazingly beautiful views on top of mountains or along the coastline.
We even traveled to central Sweden by car. For us, that is 932 miles (1500 kilometers). That´s where I would like to start this post.
SWEDEN (2010)
Traveling there was a journey itself. We decided to bring our puppy along. So we had to take d tours just so we could rest every so often. It took us a ful
l 24 hours to get to our destination. I slept most of the time with our little Jack Russel pup on my lap.
My mom booked a small, but very cute, a wooden lodge near the woods and a lake. We had a small stove so we cooked for ourselves all the time. We had to go to local markets and stores to buy our food. It was such an unique experience.
Everything was very fresh and locally made.
Every day we had something different to do. One day we went a full day hiking. The other day we went kayaking. We visited Oslo, Norway. But the thing that made the most impact on me was the fact that most of the bunkers from WWII were still intact. You could climb in and discover skeletons and other stuff that was left behind by the soldiers. It was impressive but scary at the same time to be in a bunker where people had died defending their country.
At night you could spot wild mooses and hear wolves cry at the other side of the lake.
It was true to nature, so pure. When the moon was bright, it lit up the whole field. I was so inspired by nature at such a young age. That trip is definitely something I will never forget.
CROATIA (most recent 2017)
I have been to Croatia 3 times already. The first time was not that great, to be honest. We booked a last minute camping by the beach. We had fun nonetheless. We had our little rubber boat and my dad and I went “sailing” a couple times.
The second and third time were amazing. My dad won a little house that we could stay in for 2 weeks. It was all private terrain. We had our own private pool, AC and more. The house was located in Istriè near Rovinj.
We visited tons of cute places. Had some amazing beach days. My mom and I even rode horses at a local ranch.
The third time I went to Croatia, I went all by myself. In October 2016 I contacted the owners of that local ranch my mom and I rode horses that year if it was possible for me to stay there all by myself while I work for my living. They immediately said yes.
So I booked my flight, got all my stuff together and flew over to Pula Airport all by myself. At the airport, the owner of the ranch picked me up and as soon as we got to the ranch we went for a ride. It is lovely waking up and being able to ride a horse through nature.
I stayed for 4 weeks in a small room in their home. It was the most amazing experience I have ever had. (Just some quick information, I started riding horses when I was 5 years old and never stopped. I trained horses ever since.)
In the mornings we would feed the horses and maybe do some tourist tours.
At noon it was way too hot (115 degrees) and in the evening we would do the exact same, feeding and riding.
Living on my own was so eye-opening and amazing. Being in a country you barely know and still getting around on a horse is just the most amazing feeling ever. I want to thank the owners and the people that helped me to make this the most amazing thing ever.
CRETE (2011)
The other furthest I have ever gone other than Sweden was Greece, to be exact Crete. That was my first flight ever and it was amazing, besides the fact that I was scared AF.
We stayed in a small apartment by the beach, the view was stunning every morning as we would eat breakfast on our little balcony overlooking the sea. But soon after we found out that the beaches on the other side of the island had to prettier and a lot less touristic, we went over
there every single day. The 1-hour ride, in a small rental car that made me sick, in the morning and evening were totally worth it. The beaches there were stunning and the best part: there were no tourists. That was the laziest holiday we ever had. It was such a different experience, we usually do tons of activities such as hiking, climbing, riding on quads or horse riding while we are on our vacation.
The one thing that sticks with me the most, is the flight back. The airport on Crete is Europes most crowded and chaotic airport. It was a real pain to be where you needed to be, but we made it in time.
AUSTRIA (most recent 2014)
I have no idea how many times we have been there since I was a tiny human being when we first went there. But I can remember staying at the same family a couple of times. That family is amazingly friendly and will do everything for their guests. You stay in an apartment on a cow farm. You can help the farmers with milking cows and feed their calves. It is such a blessing to feed a newborn calve.
They also have a horse. And as the horse girl I am, I can not not ride her. So I rode her. The last time we stayed was in 2014. We went hiking, swimming and climbing a lot our time. We even ended up hiking in Italy. But the last week of our stay my mom and I got very very sick. It ruined all of our last plans. Luckily my dad and brother still had a nice time while my mom and I stayed in bed.
Overal I can say that every trip made an impact on my life in one way or another. I am so grateful for all those wonderful opportunities. But not only my vacations inspired me. All the wonderful villages, cities and nature near me or in the Netherlands is a great inspiration for me.
The thing with inspiration is that it can be found in the small things in life. I love seeing other cultures and learning about them. But a beautiful sunset that I see from my bedroom window is just as beautiful and inspiring.
I hope you liked reading this blogpost. Leave me some feedback
Love
Ankie