Many a blogger has written their plans for 2016. It’s mid-January so it’s about time I share my plans with you.

The Netherlands

Those who occasionally read my blog know that I have recently moved back to the Netherlands from living abroad for the past five years. My travel focus has always been outside of the Netherlands, but since I’ve been away for so long I’ve come to appreciate my own backyard more than ever.

I’ll try to visit as many towns, museums, attractions and National Parks as possible this year. Not many travellers venture outside of Amsterdam and I’d like to show what else my country has to offer.

National Parks

I set two goals for myself in terms of travel in The Netherlands this year; firstly, I’d like to visit at least six National Parks this year because this is also in line with my goal to live a healthier life.

The Netherlands is home to twenty National Parks, of which I’ve visited none so there’s a lot left to explore!

UNESCO

My second goal is to visit all ten UNESCO sites in this country.

• Schokland and Surroundings
• Defence Line of Amsterdam
• Historic Area of Willemstad, Inner City and Harbour, Curaçao
• Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout
• Ir.D.F. Woudagemaal (D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station)
• Droogmakerij de Beemster (Beemster Polder)
• Rietveld Schröderhuis (Rietveld Schröder House)
• Wadden Sea
• Seventeenth-Century Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht
• Van Nellefabriek

I noticed that there’s not a lot of focus on sites in Western Europe in the blogging community, which means there’s not a lot of information on them. I’m planning to at least describe the ones in The Netherlands and where possible I’ll explore some in surrounding countries as well – Germany and Belgium.

ABC Islands

I’ve already booked the first trip of this year. A friend and I will be exploring two of the three ABC Islands (Bonaire and Curacao) for ten days in February.

All three islands are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Curacao (like Aruba) is a self-governing constituent of the and Bonaire is a municipality of the Netherlands. As you can see, this trip fits in perfectly with my first plan to explore more of the Netherlands and a visit to Willemstad is needed to accomplish my goal in exploring all of the Netherlands’ UNESCO sights.

I’m mainly looking forward to get into diving gear again and to explore the depths of the ocean. The first and last time I went diving  was in Panama in 2010. Bonaire is unique in that you can dive right from the coast and marine life is supposed to be spectacular. Fingers crossed I’ll manage to take better pictures underwater.

So, I’ll be diving, caving (possibly… since my last experience in Oudtshoorn was pretty traumatising), hiking, and basking in the sunshine and I can’t wait! If you have any advise about what to do and see on these two islands, let me know in the comments!

Iceland

This plan is not set in stone yet, but at the end of this year my mum and I would like to visit Iceland. It was actually her idea, which is shocking because Reykjavik is not really known for its shopping. All joking aside, I would love to explore Iceland, especially in winter. I’ve read many blogs on the subject and I’m sure I’ll be able to plan an awesome trip.

Snorkelling in Silfra, a dip in the Blue Lagoon, ice caving and geysers will definitely be part of this trip. For any tips and advise about what to do in four days in Iceland in winter, let me know in the comments!

Mystery Trip

I will definitely make one more big trip in 2016, but I don’t know where I’d like to go yet. It all depends on my work situation as well and how many holidays I’ll have. I’ll have to surprise you guys, later on in this year!

Conclusion

I think my travel goals are really achievable and fun this year! I’m mostly looking forward to exploring more of my home country! You can expect some stories about short city trips within Europe as well, but I never know where I’ll go beforehand because I let it depend on the price of the flight.

I don’t know about you guys, but I think 2016 will be a great year!