2023 Travel Year in Review

2023 was a year of variety, depth, and momentum for us. It included short domestic breaks, extended international travel, conferences, research trips, reunions with friends and family, and experiences that directly shaped much of the content we created across the website, podcast and social channels.

From Australia to Europe, Asia, and New Zealand, the year was about learning, reconnecting, slowing down when needed, and building foundations for what followed in 2024 and beyond.

A 2023 travel year in review highlight was seeing Mt Fuji.

2023 Travel Year in Review – Highlights at a Glance

In 2023, we:
• Began the year exploring South Australia, including Adelaide, the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, and the Fleurieu Peninsula
• Combined solo and joint travel across Australia, Europe, and Asia
• Attended travel conferences in Australia and Kalamata, Greece
• Explored the North and South Islands of New Zealand
• Travelled independently through Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand
• Spent extended time in the UK across spring and summer
• Created and updated destination guides, itineraries, and podcast episodes based on firsthand experience

2023 in Numbers

Here’s what our travel year looked like by the numbers:

• 🌍 11 countries visited
• 🌏 3 continents explored
• ✈️ 20 flights taken
• 🚆 Dozens of train journeys, including extensive rail travel in the UK, around 10 trains in Japan, and long-distance travel by train in Vietnam
• 📆 12 months of travel with at least one trip every month
• 🍽️ 2 food tours, including London food tours with Devour
• 🍷 2 major wine regions visited (Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale)
• 🏛️ Countless historic sites, museums, castles, temples, and archaeological sites visited
• 😷 A few enforced rest days, thanks to illness on the road, reminding us that slow travel matters too

Some things simply can’t be reduced to numbers, like standing under autumn leaves in Seoul, watching the sun rise over Angkor Wat, riding bullet trains across Japan, or returning to favourite places in the UK and Australia with fresh eyes.

January 2023 – South Australia

Our travel year began on 24 January when we flew from Brisbane to Adelaide. We stayed in Burnside at the home of a friend we had originally met through a UK Travel Planning consultation, which gave us a relaxed and very local base.

We explored Adelaide itself, visiting the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, including the Seeing the Invisible arts experience that was running at the time. We also visited Adelaide Oval, where Doug enjoyed seeing the Don Bradman Stand, and the National Wine Centre of Australia, where we sampled wine and shared a cheese board.

Getting around Adelaide was easy using public transport. We used buses and trams regularly, including the tram to Glenelg. Glenelg was a highlight, with walks along the beach and pier, views over the sea, Moseley Square, the Glenelg Eye, and public art installations under clear blue skies.

We hired a car from Adelaide Airport and used it for several day trips. One of our favourites was Hahndorf, a historic village with strong German heritage. We wandered through the village, tried local food, visited the cuckoo clock shop, and took plenty of photos.

Another outing took us to Cleland for views across Adelaide, followed by a day trip to the Barossa Valley. We visited Artisans of Barossa, enjoyed food and wine, stopped at the Chocolate Factory on Vineyard Road, and explored Tanunda, including the Lutheran Church.

From Adelaide we continued south to McLaren Vale, visiting wineries including d’Arenberg Cube, memorable not just for the wine but also for its unique setting.

We then stayed in Victor Harbor and explored the Fleurieu Peninsula, including Goolwa, Encounter Bay, Port Elliot Bakery, and coastal scenery where we spotted kangaroos.

February 2023 – Sydney

In February I travelled to Sydney for a travel conference. While there, I explored Darling Harbour and visited attractions including Sea Life Sydney Aquarium and Madame Tussauds, which I had been invited to experience.

Read more – A Day in Sydney

March 2023 – Bali and Australia (Stanthorpe)

March included two very different trips.

Doug and I travelled to Bali, basing ourselves in Ubud. We stayed at a beautiful five-star hotel and, after an unexpected wildlife encounter, were upgraded to a private villa with a large pool. Breakfast in the pool became one of the memorable moments of the trip.

We took several day trips around Bali, visiting the Handara Gate, tea plantations, temples including Pura Ulun Danu Beratan and Taman Ayun Temple, and enjoying some of the classic Bali swing experiences. We also visited our regular spa twice for extended treatments.

Later in the month I travelled to Stanthorpe with a group of travel writers on a media trip focused on the region’s food and wine. The trip reinforced why Stanthorpe remains one of our favourite Australian destinations, with excellent wineries, local produce, and cool-climate scenery.

Read more – Bali Travel Guide

April 2023 – United Kingdom

I flew to the UK on 10 April and spent some time with family before travelling further afield.

I visited Packwood House in the Cotswolds, then travelled north to Lincoln to meet my friend Lucy. We spent a few days exploring Lincoln before heading to Cambridge and then on to London. After Lucy returned to Australia, I stayed on in London.

While in London I spent time sightseeing, meeting readers and people we had previously met through our UK travel planning consultations, and visiting museums including the Victoria and Albert Museum. I also organised a photo shoot in Notting Hill.

Day trips during this period included Hever Castle and Windsor.

Read more – UK Travel Planning

May 2023 – Greece and England

May began with more time in the Cotswolds, including visits to Lower Slaughter, Hidcote Gardens, and Kiftsgate Gardens.

I then flew to Athens, where I explored the city, visited the Acropolis and museums, and enjoyed plenty of Greek food before heading to Kalamata for a travel conference. As part of the conference programme, I joined a hosted tour through the Peloponnese, visiting Mycenae, Epidaurus, and Nafplio.

I stayed as a guest at the luxury Dolli Hotel in Athens before returning to the UK around 19 May. I then drove to spend a few days in Hereford, using it as a base to explore Ledbury and Hay-on-Wye.

That week was also my mum’s 80th birthday and I returned to spend a fe wdays with her. Doug flew in from Australia on 21 May.

On 26 May Doug and I travelled by train via Shrewsbury to Portmeirion in Wales, enjoying coastal scenery and heritage railways.

We later collected a car and returned to the Cotswolds, staying in Stow-on-the-Wold and visiting Batsford Arboretum, Diddly Squat Farm, and the Cotswold Motoring Museum.

Read more – Greece Travel Guide

June 2023 – England, Scotland, and Paris

June included garden visits, a day trip to Oxford, and train travel to Edinburgh, where we explored the city and took a day trip to St Andrews.

Doug and I briefly headed in different directions, with me exploring Northumberland and parts of Hadrian’s Wall while Doug based himself in North Wales. We reunited in York before returning to London.

I took a day trip to Paris, while Doug visited the Isle of Wight. Doug flew back to Australia on 19 June, and I stayed on in London, joining several guided experiences including food tours, Westminster walks, Tower Bridge, Greenwich, and the reopening of the National Portrait Gallery.

Read more – UK Travel Planning Podcast

July 2023 – England and Australia

In early July I stayed in Bath from 3 July, exploring the city over several days including the Roman Baths and the Jane Austen Centre, and taking my mum along to enjoy Bath’s historic highlights. I flew back to Australia on 7 July.

Later in the month Doug and I spent a working weekend at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat.

Read more – O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat Review

August and September 2023 – New Zealand

On 21 August Doug and I flew to Auckland and explored the North Island, including Hobbiton and Rotorua. Doug returned to Australia on 25 August, while I flew to Christchurch.

Doug rejoined me in September, and together we travelled on the TranzAlpine train and explored the South Island, including Wanaka and Queenstown. We returned to Australia on 19 September.

Read more – New Zealand Travel Guide

October and November 2023 – Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and Cambodia

On 19 October we flew to Tokyo and travelled extensively through Japan by bullet train, visiting Tokyo, Nagano, Takayama, Toyama, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Miyajima Island, and Nara.

We continued on to South Korea, basing ourselves in Seoul, before travelling to Vietnam and then Cambodia. Highlights included Angkor Wat, though visits in Phnom Penh were confronting and emotional.

December 2023 – Cambodia, Thailand, and the United Kingdom

December began in Cambodia enjoying a few days esploring Angkor Wat before flying to Bangkok for a short overnight stay before departing for the UK.

We flew to London on 11 December and spent the remainder of the year in the UK, enjoying Christmas activities in London and York before rounding out the year.

As you can tell from our 2023 Travel Year in Review it was a year that shaped much of what came next. Our 2024 travels continued straight on from here!

2023 Travel Year in Review – Our Travels Across 11 Countries