Before heading to Rome where we’d be spending another two days, our group stopped for a walking tour of Pompeii.

I had no idea what to expect from our days spent in Sorrento and the Amalfi coast. That was what I enjoyed so much about this Contiki tour: you’d be in a place you never thought about visiting and have a great time that you never would have otherwise had.

Once we left Cinque Terre, our next stop would be a night in Florence, briefly stopping in Pisa to see the leaning tower and take The Photo.

Our first stop during Italy week was Cinque Terre – the five small towns of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.

I was excited to knock another country off my list and have some fun with this awesome group. So we piled onto the bus in Nice and headed to Monaco for a night at the Monte Carlo.

I had no idea what to expect as our Contiki bus drove into Nice that evening, but it definitely was not beautiful beaches and palm trees.

Arriving in Barcelona and driving around the city, felt like a dream. This Spanish city was on my list for a few years now, and I was so stoked to finally be there.

We arrived in San Sebastián on January 20, which our Contiki trip manager told us was actually San Sebastián Day.

By the time we arrived at the hostel, the sun was already down. Thus began our one night in Bordeaux!

It hit me – the fact I had flown across the ocean, was travelling on a bus with complete strangers, and was now looking up at the Eiffel Tower. This month was going to be incredible, and it was only day one.

I quit a toxic workplace and almost immediately booked the European Quest Contiki trip for January.

One of the best happy accidents I’ve ever made in my life – on a trip or otherwise – was planning to go to Disneyland on Halloween.

While in Los Angeles, my friend and I booked an early day tour of Warner Bros. Studio, and then I decided to make a journey over to Universal Studios for my own adventure.

My friend and I both expressed a desire to travel to Los Angeles at some point in the near future, and by early 2019, we were booking hotels.

The idea of an all-inclusive vacation in Punta Cana was becoming more and more tempting. No planning, significantly less expensive, we could go somewhere with sun and palm trees.

Our Montreal trip was actually the perfect getaway. We were still in Canada, so we didn’t have to worry about the stresses of international travel.

When we got to New York, the experience I was most excited for was to eat our way through the city. All I really wanted to eat on our New York trip was a delicious slice of pizza.

The first trip of 2019 was one I’d been dreaming about since I was a teenager – New York City!

I love the vibe of a packed pub. Music, laughter, glasses clinking… Put me at a bar stool with a Guinness in my hand, and I know it’ll be a fun night of people-watching and entertaining chatter.

Heading to Dublin was a huge step for me. It was my first solo trip overseas to a place I’d never been. The closer the trip got, the more anxious I became, but getting dropped off at the airport was one of the most empowering feelings in my life up until that point.