The annual blog and travel review, featuring the highlights and lowlights of 2024 On the Luce – from having my first book published to trips to Greece, the Paralympics, Norwegian fjords and more.
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Goodbye 2024! I’ve been writing these annual reviews since I started On the Luce back in 2011 and they’re a great way to capture travel memories and the ups and downs of each year (as well as a record of how my writing and photography skills have improved!).
From pushing myself to take multiple trips each month pre-pandemic, to being grounded for the whole of 2020, it feels like I’ve finally got the balance between home and travel right (it’s only taken 13 years). 2024 included nine overseas trips, lots of UK travels and plenty of time with family, friends and my cats. So join me on a whistlestop look back…
2024 on the blog
2024’s biggest work highlight wasn’t a blogging one, but the publication of my first book! Writing a guidebook has been a dream since before I started blogging. And it was a long time in the planning – publishers Hardie Grant originally asked me to write an Edinburgh guide in 2018, but the pandemic meant it took until April 2024 to hit the shelves.
Auld and New in Edinburgh features over 120 of my favourite places in the Scottish capital, with almost all my own photos too. It was a real labour of love which took up most of 2023, so it’s been fantastic to see it ‘in the wild’ in bookshops from Bath to New York.
To make it even better, the book also won the British Guild of Travel Writers’ ‘Guidebook of the Year’ award, presented in a Great Gatsby-themed ceremony at the Bloomsbury Ballroom. As someone without formal writing training (and a bit of a case of imposter syndrome), it was extra special to be recognised among more traditional press writers.
Back on the blog it’s been a much tougher year, with a series of Google updates meaning traffic (and income) plummeted for many bloggers. Add in the growth of AI content and it looks like 2025 will be another challenging year. I’ll be using it as a chance to revamp the site, focusing more on sharing tips and stories without trying to please search engines.
2024 on the road
After 2023’s travels were dominated by book research, I was keen to get back out there in 2024. And I ended up visiting 10 countries (including three in one day on a day trip from Nice to Monaco and Ventimiglia in Italy!). As ever there were a mix of old favourites (Paris, Rome, Nice) and new destinations (Catalonia, Zakopane, Trondheim).
I’ve been trying to minimise flying for the last few years. But I didn’t do so well in 2024, taking 10 flights in total (up from six in 2023). There were also eight trips on the Eurostar, four ferries and a whole lot of train and bus journeys as I focus more on car-free travel.
There were definitely some trips I could’ve done without flying if I had the time, so one of my resolutions for 2025 is to travel slower, with fewer, longer trips and stopovers along the way. But before we get to that, here are some of my travel highlights of 2024.
(Warm) winter in Zakopane, Poland
Once upon a time I was a really keen skier – I even spent six weeks in the Alps in 2011. But I got out of the habit and lost confidence over the years. Until Snomads tempted me back onto the snow this February with a week in their chalet in Zakopane, Poland.
Turns out we picked the warmest week of winter, but there was enough snow to make my first attempt at skiing in six years. And fortunately there’s tons to do off the slopes too – hiking to viewpoints and frozen lakes, soaking in thermal spas, and eating all the osczypek smoked cheese. And as the nearest airport is in Kraków, it’s easy to combine them.
Nice and the South of France by train
In April my mum and I took the train down to the South of France for a week in Nice. I’ve visited a few places in this part of the world before (like Antibes and Cassis), but wanted to see how easy it was to stay in Nice and do day trips out by bus and train.
And it turns out it’s incredibly easy. We visited the hilltop towns of Èze and St-Paul-de-Vence, took the coastal train to Menton, Villefranche-sur-Mer and across the border into Italy, and walked the Grand Prix track in Monaco. Each was easily doable in a day or less so there was plenty of time to soak up the spring sunshine with a glass of rosé too.
Norfolk’s Broads and beaches
I feel like I’ve seen a lot of the UK, but there are still a few oversights – including Norfolk. It’s just that bit more awkward to get to from where I live so has ended up getting ignored… until May when I took my parents on a combined ‘Broads and beaches’ trip.
We started off in Wroxham on the Norfolk Broads, where our rental apartment came with its own boat for exploring the waterways. Then it was on to Cromer, which was celebrating its annual Crab and Lobster Festival. From coast path walks and ice creams to end of the pier shows, steam train rides and crazy golf, it ticked all the seaside holiday boxes.
Summer in Rome
Despite a busy June planned, I squeezed in an extra trip to Italy when Jet2 invited me on a long weekend to Rome. (As someone who’s trying to minimise flying I did have a bit of a debate about promoting an airline, but Jet2 are one I genuinely do use myself.)
I’ve been to Rome a couple of times before, so there wasn’t any pressure to visit the famous sights (and battle the summer queues). Instead we visited a couple of historic Roman sites just outside the city (the Via Appia and Park of the Aqueducts), wandered around Trastevere and did a thorough taste test of the city’s best gluten-free pizza.
The Norwegian fjords
Later in June my cousin and I flew to Norway for a two-city trip – starting in Bergen then taking a Hurtigruten ship to Trondheim. Despite Bergen being Europe’s rainiest city, we got incredibly lucky with the weather, with some fabulous views from Mt Ulriken.
Our luck didn’t last when it came to the ship though. After a day sailing through the fjords, we had to spend an unscheduled night in Ålesund after our ship broke down. Eighteen hours later it still wasn’t fixed, so we ended up taking probably the world’s most scenic replacement bus service – a six-hour and three-ferry journey to Trondheim.
Alonissos and Skopelos islands, Greece
I can’t go a whole year without at least one trip to Greece! After visiting Skiathos in the Sporades islands last spring, I headed back in July, this time to visit its two neighbouring islands – Alonissos and Skopelos. Alonissos was probably my favourite, a chilled-out nature reserve island with a gorgeous hilltop old town and quiet pebbly beaches.
Skopelos is best-known as the filming location for the film Mamma Mia!, so we took an ABBA-fuelled day trip around the locations. Though the July heat reminded me why I usually go to Greece in September, with a lot more lazing in the shade than planned.
The Paris Paralympics
I love the Olympics, and spent half of August transfixed by one random sport after the other. So in September I went out to Paris to see it for myself at the Paralympics. My sister is a physiotherapist for the UK Boccia team, so we cheered them on to win a gold medal, as well as watching blind football, archery and swimming in some iconic locations.
There was such a fantastic atmosphere, with fan zones all around the city where you could watch the action on big screens. I also got to try out a few new Parisian experiences – a cheese museum, Van Gogh light show and a cruise on the Canal St Martin.
Celebrations in Catalonia, Spain
Next up was a three-in-one trip to Spain, starting off in Sitges near Barcelona for a girls trip with my best friend. Despite it being sunny 300 days a year we had to dodge the showers but took a wine trip to Cava country and joined in the festivities for the annual Santa Tecla Festival, with days of parades, human towers, firecrackers and fireworks.
From Sitges I headed north-east to Figueres, where Salvador Dali was born, died and is buried under a quirky theatre museum he designed. Then it was on to Cadaqués on the coast for a wedding, an arty seaside town which reminded me of St Ives in Cornwall.
Christmassy Koblenz, Germany
And finally, my last trip of the year was a festive visit to Koblenz in Germany. A Christmas trip with my mum and sister has become an annual tradition, and this time we brought my aunt and cousin along too. I didn’t know much about Koblenz before we went, but it turned out to be a great choice, with plenty of festive sparkle and not too many crowds.
We ate and drank our way around the Christmas markets, visited the hilltop Ehrenbreitstein Fortress for a light show, listened to carols, did a boat trip on the Rhine and watched lots of terrible Hallmark Christmas movies in our apartment – perfect!
Plus a lot of UK travels
As ever there were also plenty of travels around the Cotswolds in 2024 for my local spin-off website Explore the Cotswolds, including stays in Moreton-in-Marsh, Bath, Kingham and a gorgeous stately home in Bradford on Avon. And I rediscovered some childhood favourite haunts in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley, close to where I grew up.
I also took a press trip to discover what the underrated Neath Port Talbot region in the south of Wales has to offer. And got lucky in the Wimbledon ballot again, with tickets for what turned out to be Andy Murray’s last-ever Wimbledon match.
Plans for 2025
And so to 2025 – and so far the travel diary is looking pretty empty. On the wishlist are Sweden (which has been lurking there for 10 years now so it must be time to tick it off), the Channel Islands and of course a Greek island or two. I also bagged a bargain InterRail pass in the Black Friday sales, so there will be a European rail trip somewhere.
One destination missing from 2024’s travels was Scotland. After being a bit Edinburghed out in 2023 I needed a break, but can never stay away for long. I look forward to sharing it all with you – thanks to everyone for following in 2024 and here’s to a fantastic 2025!
