Wanderlust

Since as far back as I can remember I have always wanted to go places.

Not necessarily far away places or grand, magnificent places seen in movies.. but just places.

I like to go outside, I like to be around people. I like to walk through small towns and muddy fields. I even enjoy going to Tesco. I just want to constantly be doing something.

I think this comes from my childhood, as a kid I wasn't allowed to just laze about watching TV, there was always something to be doing, something to see. I remember my dad pulling us all out of bed every Saturday morning, with a plan for the day. We'd go on a walk, to a museum, to the beach or a park and have a picnic and we all loved it.

Now that I'm older this longing for adventure and new things is still there. I spend too much of my time looking at flights to exciting places and finding cool houses and flats on Air BnB. That said, my aim for 2014 is simple. Travel as much as possible. With a full time job, this is not always the easiest thing to do. It can be hard to book time off, finding flights that suit can be a struggle and of course the big one, money. Funding the trips you want to take is a big factor. I have decided not to let this stop me, this year I will take every opportunity to go somewhere new. Even if its just down the road.

I have compiled a list of places I want to visit and I'm going to share one of the places with you today. 

AMSTERDAM

Amsterdam is top of my list. Mainly because I've already booked a trip there next week, eek. My main reason for wanting to visit Amsterdam is the clog. That big yellow clog everybody sits in and takes photos of. I'm obsessed, I really want to sit in that clog, ha ha ha. Apart from the clogs, there is just so much to do in Amsterdam! I want to go to the Red Light District (don't worry, I've been warned not to take any photos of the girls in the windows), ride a bicycle everywhere, go to the Anne Frank museum, take a canal tour and do all the other touristy things. 

I'm going with my boyfriend Dom and we've booked a place to stay on airbnb, which we've never actually done before. We're going to be staying here at Sumita's Bed and Breakfast. It was really reasonably priced, is in a brilliant location and most importantly the host seems really lovely and it has great reviews. I think airbnb is a great way to find somewhere to stay, especially if its somewhere you've never visited before. It means you get some advice and tips from somebody who really knows the place you're visiting and its always nice to have a friendly face around.

I'll be taking some warm clothes and an umbrella as the weather is quite similar to ours here in Belfast, so it'll be chilly!

Thanks so much for reading and if you've been to Amsterdam before and have any suggestions for things to do, leave a comment below! 

Rachael x

PS. This is the clog!