Iโm a firm believer of โwriting down the visionโ and speaking things into existence. And why wouldnโt I be? Iโve had enough experiences to make me a believer.
Last year, I wrote a blog post about managing travel downtime periods, and in that post, I mentioned how I was longing to visit Egypt. Barely a year later, I got an opportunityย to work in Cairo for three months! And this is just one example.
Keeping that in mind, Iโve decided to put up this list of some of the countries Iโd love to visit in the coming year, you know, cos the universe listens and all ๐
Obviously, this isnโt a comprehensive list and I would never pass up the opportunity to go one that isnโt listed.ย But just for the fun of it, here are 10 places to visit in 2019 and beyondโฆ
Kenya
I had originally intended to visit Kenya as part of a trip to Tanzania. My sisterย and I eventually left it out due to time and budget reasons. Iโm keeping my fingers crossed for a trip there in 2019.
Edit 2020: I live here now! ๐ Follow my adventures in Kenya via this link.
Rwanda
There are many reasons to love this beautiful African country. The stunning landscapes and mountain trekkings are just some of them. Rwanda has made significant progress in her development over the last few years and this is so exciting to see.
I have paper plans to visit, in addition to two other East African countriesย next year. Ideally, I would love to do a Kenya-Rwanda-Uganda combination. But this will depend again, on time and my budget.
Namibia
A few years ago, before I got bitten by the travel bug, I got an opportunity to travel to Namibia. I spent a day in Windhoek and Walvis Bay and another month off the coast of Walvis Bay. And when that month was over, I packed my bags and left.
I was oblivious to what Namibia had to offer but now, I know better. Iโm looking forward to going back to explore the country more.
China
I have been intrigued by China (and Japan) for a long time. My major reason for wanting to visit is really to see the Great Wall of China. Hopefully, the visa application process from Nigeria wouldnโt put me off. I hear it can be quite intense.
Japan
Japan is my favourite country Iโve never been to. Again, I worry about visa applications but I imagine that whatever stress I have to go through would be worth it to visit this beautiful country.
Turkey
Turkey is another country that recently came up on my radar, thanks to Naija Nomads. The top places on my list are Istanbul (of course) and Cappadocia.
Edit 2021: Visited Istanbul and Cappadocia in September 2021. It was a wonderful trip!
Jordan
I canโt really remember when Jordan came up on my travel list but itโs here to stay! Iโm looking forward to seeing Petra and exploring Wadi Rum.
Iran
I got a positive insight into Iran a few years ago from one of my colleagues who isย Iranian. Every once in a while, Iโd look up tours that go there but so far, I havenโt mustered the courage to pack up my bags and go. Maybe 2019 will be the year for Iran? Weโll see.
USA
Iโm hoping to return to the US next year. My first visit took me to Houston, Texas. Hopefully, this next one will take me to more states, including New York.ย Iโm really excited to go on this particular trip. My last visit was a bit anti-climatic but now that I have Mark, I have high expectations! *No pressure, Mark :)*
Edit 2019: The US was the only country I managed to visit in the year this list was written. I went there twice! My first visit was a 3-week holiday with Mark and then I visited Houston again as part of a work trip.
Russia
My ultimate travel dream is to take the Trans-Siberianย train from Russia to China. This would take a lot of planning, so Iโm really not certain that the epic journey will be feasible this coming year. But hey, Iโm going to write it down anyway. This will be a great reference post for when I eventually go on that trip.
If you were given a blank cheque and an open-air ticket to five countries of your choice next year, where would you be jetting off to? Donโt be shy, you never know, the universe may just be listening! ๐
Images from Unsplash
