When I unexpectedly had to alter my travel plans at the end of December, I was afforded the chance to continue on with my original itinerary in Asia or to switch things up a bit and create something new.

I chose something new.

As much as I was enjoying my time in Asia, I was a bit burned out. And I was itching for a change. It got me thinking a lot about other places I’d yet to visit that I wanted to explore.

Namely Europe.

So, upon returning home to Massachusetts, I re-evaluated my traveling future and set my sights on the European continent. It had a lot of places I wanted to visit, it was a cheaper flight, and, as the Euro continues to decrease in value against the American dollar, it was one of the best times financially to visit.

Sounds like it was meant to be.

Unlike Asia where I could book my flights the day before or my bus upon arrival, a travel plan in Europe must be created a bit more in advance in order for it to be somewhat affordable.

Therefore I have a fairly concrete idea of where I’ll be through the beginning of May.

My New Travel Plans

California

I fly from Boston to San Diego (as long as we don’t have one of our bi-weekly blizzards) for a week of sunshine and friends in Southern California. I’ll be renting a car for my week there, staying with former roommates, and gorging myself on as much Mexican food as possible.

London

Then I fly from Los Angeles to London. It’s a direct flight (sweet!) on Air New Zealand, and it cost me a grand total of 30,000 airline miles and $5.60. Not bad for a 10.5 hour flight.

My travel plans include four days on the East and South sides of London, visiting Tower Bridge, Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral, St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, The Gherkin, Museum of London, Leadenhall Market (where the Leaky Cauldron is located), Shakespeare’s Globe, and so much more. It will be jam packed and full of awesome.

Scotland

My mom is in the country for her job so I’m taking a bus to see her for a few days before exploring the country on my own. I’ll start in Glasgow, then head to Stirling with my mom before spending 5 days exploring Edinburgh. I’ll hopefully see Doune Castle (the castle from Monty Python), where J.K. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book, and many more castles and cathedrals.

London

I’ll return to London, this time to the Western side, to explore Oxford Street, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, The Sherlock Holmes Museum, the Harry Potter Set Tour, and again, much much more.

England/Wales

I’m still working on the exact order of my travel plans to these cities, but I’ll be touring around other parts of England, as well as Wales, after my time in London. This will include Oxford, Birmingham (to visit family), Stratford-upon-Avon, Cardiff, Salisbury/Stonehenge, and Dover. I hope to make it to all of these places but if I find myself short on time I may have to cut one or two out.

France

It’s out of the UK and on to Paris to visit a friend at the end of March. She’s been living and working there for years now so I’m excited to be shown around Paris by someone who knows the city so well. Then I’ll be taking a train to visit Lille and other towns in Northern France.

Belgium

Brussels is a short bus or train ride from France and looks like a beautiful city to explore for a few days.

Amsterdam

I’m excited to visit Amsterdam not just for the canals, Anne Frank’s House, and tulips, but also because I’ve made travel plans to meet up with my good friend Babs who I met in China hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge, and then had the good fortune to travel through parts of Nepal and Thailand with as well! Again it will be fun to be shown the city by a native and friend.

London

It’s back to London after that because…my sister is joining me! We’re going to be in London for the last weekend in April for one very nerdy reason - a Sherlock convention! It will be an epically geeky weekend and I can’t wait. My sister also studied abroad in London a few summers ago so we’ll be comparing all our favorite pubs and riding the tube to our heart’s content.

Iceland

After our Sherlock filled weekend we will both be flying to Iceland for 5 days! And oh man do we have some awesome things planned. Besides relaxing in and soaking up the benefits of the Blue Lagoon, we’ll be taking tours along the Southern coast and the Golden Circle to see waterfalls, glaciers, volcanoes, caves, and crazy rock formations. Then it’s a trip to Silfra to swim between the North American and European tectonic plates (I’ll be SCUBA diving, my sister will be snorkeling)…how freaking cool is that?!

Boston

Right now I think, come the beginning of May, I’ll be returning to the US for the summer. Not only can I get a summer job to recoup some of the budget hit that Europe will inevitably give me, but summer is an expensive time to be in Europe so I’ll be able to avoid that..

Then there’s the Schengen Visa to deal with - a pain in the travel plan butt visa that restricts someone from traveling in any country that’s a part of it to 90 out of 180 days. Since the majority of Europe is involved in this visa it could end up being a logistical nightmare. A few months back home in the States would solve that problem.

Now the only problem is finding a summer job in the US while traveling throughout Europe. Worse comes to worse I get a job at Starbucks.

So there you have it! My travel plans for the next few months. It’s going to be crazy busy with so many places to visit and things to see. But I’ve wanted to explore Europe for quite some time now so I am thoroughly looking forward to it.

Have you ever been to Europe? Any place in these countries I absolutely must visit?