Ah, January, what a perfect excuse to start thinking what to do this year and where to go. Of course I, too, have made the usual “let’s eat a bit healthier and go to the gym a bit more often” promises (and already failed at them), just like most people, but I also have somehow mysteriously managed to plan a bunch of trips already, too. Most of them are shorter trips to places that are easily reached, some even by train, but there is also one bigger trip. It seems like I can resist anything except temptation (in the form of cheap flights).

And then, of course, there are all the plans I have been thinking about, but haven’t done much about yet. They will happen if I can find the time and money for them to happen. Lately I have been traveling a bit more than is good for my bank balance, so I’m really trying to remind myself that I am not, in fact, a millionaire, and I might need to act accordingly. Maybe I should buy more lottery tickets and hope for the best. Or maybe I should be a bit more realistic and save those lottery ticket euros for more trips…

At the moment I know I will be going to:

• Paris still this January for a few days. Finally visiting the Louvre and the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition they have there right now. Easy and relatively cheap to reach by train, even in first class.
• Frankfurt in March for a networking event, but of course I also booked an extra day there just to go to the zoo and see a bit more of the town. Again, easy and relatively cheap to reach by train, even in first class. Well, okay, I guess for most people almost 5 hours in two trains isn’t exactly easy, but I actually rather like train travel.
• New York also in March. Or, well, I say New York, but actually mean flying to New York, staying there for about a week, and then hopping on the train to Providence and then hopefully fitting in day trips to Salem and maybe also Yale University, because why not. And then a train ride back and a few more days in New York before heading back home.
• Copenhagen in early May, because it seems like me saying “not sure I can afford it, mum” sounds a lot like “let’s book instantly!” in her head… (Love you mum, I know you are reading this.) And Copenhagen has been on my list of cities to see for quite a long time, so I’m not really even complaining. She is my excuse now. Checked the trains for Copenhagen, too, but over 18 hours in a train sounded like overkill for a long weekend trip. I mean at least 18 hours one way, by the way. And it was more expensive than flying, too, which is just silly.

Then there are the few things I have been planning but haven’t acted on, as I mentioned above. Things that I have actually thought about and not just seen a few pretty pictures and thought “I want to go there”: these are the plans for which I have actually checked prices for and made rudimentary route plans and such.

Now just missing that lottery win for these to become a reality:

• Thailand from top to bottom (or bottom to top) with public transport. Trains and buses and such. The plan I have been thinking about would involve going from Chiang Mai to Phuket or maybe Krabi. Or maybe from the beach resorts down south to the northern part. Via Bangkok, of course. The point would be to see a bit more of Thailand than just the big city of Bangkok or the beach resorts of Phuket or Krabi.
• Interrail trip. Since Belgium is relatively centrally situated, I really want to use that to my advantage. My perfect trip would be a slow route through several towns all the way up to Istanbul, and then coming back a slightly different route to see even more places. But to be honest, I’m not completely sure if that is something I could even do both time-wise and with normal Interrail tickets. I would definitely have to book a lot of time for that, and I’d most likely also have to work during the trip, which might make it a bit stressful and mean I’d have quite a lot less time to actually see things. But who knows, maybe some day.

So these trips are something for Some Day in the Future(tm), partially because they will take a lot of time and effort, and partially because I apparently didn’t end up a millionaire since I last said I wasn’t one. All of them people saying you can make money by blogging were clearly lying! I thought I’d just write like 3 posts of random nonsense and suddenly everyone would be giving me all their money and free trips and hotel nights and whatnot. But no, it seems like it doesn’t work that way. I feel so cheated!

(I am, of course, kidding. Don’t expect to make money blogging. You most likely won’t, unless you are super good and interesting and all kinds of savvy and post at least more often than like twice a month. Instead do it because you enjoy it.)

Let’s see what else 2020 will bring. I’m ready, even if my bank account isn’t!

And then see if in 2021 we can do the West Coast of Canada road trip my boyfriend has been dreaming about or the train trip from one North American coast to the other… Because why make plans only for this year when there is next year, too, right?