10 Places I Want to Visit in 2016

Oh, boy! What a year 2015 has been. So many things happened in my personal and professional life.

Then: If I should go back to December 2014, I was not feeling the same way – I had just quit my job, had no idea what I’m going to do with my life, my blog was still a “baby”, and I was so confused with the whole situation.

Now: A year and a month later, I got my Master’s Degree in Tourism Economics, then I started working with an inspirational travel marketing company here in Sofia, Bulgaria, letting me have the freedom to work remotely, my blog got recognized by Trivago’s blog Checkin and made it to the list of Top 16 bloggers to watch for in 2016, and I’m working on a few new very exciting project that will open up new opportunities for my blog and career! I can’t be more happy and proud with where I am now.

I don’t know what 2016 will bring, but I know what can make this moment even more special – and I’m talking about good ol’ travel dreamin’.

After our most adventurous year so far we are ready to look forward to one even more adventurous 2016. That’s why I prepared a list of some of the places I want to visit in 2016 and I hope to inspire you to dream big this year as well!

In Europe

1. Rome, Italy

Italy as a whole has always been very appealing to me. I’m strongly following the saying “Better to see something once, than to hear about it a thousand times” and I’ve heard about Rome hundreds of thousands of times. In 2016 I’m thinking of visiting either Rome (or other part of Italy) or Iceland. Two very different places but they both seem worth visiting. If it was you, which one would you choose?

Photo: Colosseum, Rome/Pixabay

2. Prague, Czech Republic

Prague is an iconic European capital I’ve also always dreamed about. It will be so exciting to visit Prague this year and to add another beautiful city to my memories list. I’m fascinated by the idea of walking around those colorful baroque buildings, Gothic churches and historic sites…Ehh, I’m there even now! 

Photo: Prague at night, view from Charle’s Bridge/Pixabay

3. Iceland

Ever since I wrote about Iceland for an Icelandic tour company, I am secretly planning my 2016 escape there. I’m mostly attracted by all the adventure opportunities the country has to offer – such as glacier hiking, being inside a volcano, snorkeling in the astonishing Silfra fissure, seeing the Northern Lights and more… Unfortunately, the only thing that stops me now are the expensive flights from Sofia to Reykjavik. I’ll keep checking, though…

4. Croatia

Are there any Game of Thrones fans out there? Well, I am, and I can’t stop thinking about all GoT filming locations in Croatia I can visit and other beautiful sites I’ve heard about from friends and fellow bloggers. It’s on the list!

Photo: Bay of Kotor/Pixabay

In Bulgaria

I’m still catching up on travel destinations even in my home country. I started travelling very late in life and had my first real road trip in Bulgaria in 2013. Since then, I’ve visited a lot of places I wanted to see, but there are still more well-known and not so well-known sites and experiences I want to have. Here are some of the places in Bulgaria I want to visit this year:

5. Road trip in Rhodope Mountain Region

I’m almost 100 percent sure that this trip will happen! Since we visited Pamporovo last year we realized how many more places we can explore in the region. Such as Shiroka Laka village on the photo below. We are currently planning our possible one-week road trip in Rhodope region in 2016 in order to visit places like this one. If you have visited the region, let us know which places we should see!

Photo: Shiroka Laka village in Rhodope Mountain/BulgariaTravel.org

6. Belogradchik Rocks

This is another well-known site in Bulgaria, probably one of the most popular natural sites. But I’m fascinated by anything natural so I can’t miss to see this iconic place. Belogradchik Rocks are a group of strange shaped rock formations and it seems like a wonderful place for a half-day hike.

Photo: The Fortress of Belogradchik [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

7. Perperikon

It’s almost unreal to think about how long ago Bulgarian lands have been populated. Perperikon is an ancient Thracian city in South Bulgaria which is thought to have been a sacred place and is also the largest megalith ensemble in the Balkans. It is definitely worth our attention!

Photo: Perperikon/BulgariaTravel.org

8. Belintash

Another mystical place in Bulgaria which caught our attention is Belintash – a rock formation which is believed to be an ancient Thracian sanctuary.

Photo: The view from Belintash/BulgariaTravel.org

9. Cape Kaliakra

Recently inspired by an epic drone footage, cape Kaliakra and the Archeological Reseve Kaliakra on the Black Sea Coast in Bulgaria has made it to our wish list for 2016. Just look at how gorgeous this place is!

Photo: Cape Kaliakra/DayTripsBulgaria.com

10. ………………….

Since we are always open to recommendations, we really want to hear from you – where would you recommend us to go in 2016? It may be a place you want to visit or a place where you have already been and know that is worth visiting. Can’t wait to hear your suggestions in the comments!