So we are married now . . . what next?

Hi,
My name is Kylie. An Artist with my own business, newly married with a passport that needs filling! Im not a writer, and not a seasoned traveller. But i have read so many travel blogs that have helped me plan trips, that i would like to give something back and hopefully inspire someone else to get off their bums, stop moaning and get out there!

From a young age i have wanted to travel the world. Blame my parents for that one When i was about 10 they subscribed me and my sister to the "Wheres Wally? around the world" childrens magazine. Every 2 weeks a new one would come out and i would wait in anticipation to see where in the world we were going to explore next. I read these magazines cover to cover at least 10 times. And as i was a little older, they provided a useful resource for school homework. Bear in mind, this was before every child in the UK had access to a computer, let alone the Internet!

So that was it, i had dreams of visiting these far away and exotic destinations and i was going to do anything to to live that dream.

My first holiday was at the age of 18, a package holiday to the Maldives at a bargain £1200 all inc for 2 people. That was it, my first taste for the exotic and it didn't dissapoint! That then followed with a shockingly bad holiday to Egypt, well Sharm el Sheik. Bad hotel, bad food and bad food poisoning and bad company. The only thing that was good about the holiday was the chance to stand in front of the Pyramids at Giza. Nothing prepares you for the sheer scale of these things. You see them in photos and on tv your whole life, but to see them for real is just something else. And of course the Sphinx, which to is massive. The local touts try to sell you all kinds of cheap tat, our tour guide actually stayed on the coach for most of the Pyramids/Sphinx part for fear the locals would have a go at him. He warns everyone about them you see, and has made some enemies in the process. Oh and i got chased by some child riding a camel, all the way around the great pyramid. It was horrible at the time, but so funny looking back!
The Egyptian Museum on Tahir Square in Cairo was also and amazing place. Packed to the rafters with tour groups of every nationality, this place was just out of this world. Again to stand infront of the mummies and Tutankhamuns world famous mask was awe inspiring.
I did however swear to never return, and i had never been so happy to see a Manchester sign, when i got to the airport to fly home. The worst bit though, was returning home to find all my photos had been wiped, no photos of the pyramids, the Nile, the locals. Gutted.

I spent a long and expensive weekend wondering around Amsterdam when i was 20, actually it was 2 weeks before i fly to Sharm. I did the usual tourist traps. Seeing Van Goghs Sunflowers painting in person was a highlight. When i was 9, i had to paint a copy of it and won best in my class. It still hangs on the wall at my parents house, so to see it for real was a special moment

Then as i established some kind of life, i met Tom. Finally a like minded individual that wants to do and see all the things i have always wanted.
We spent 3 nights in Marrakesh in October 2010, exploring the medinas, sampling local food, haggling and just people watching, along with a notebook, camera and pen. We went with my sister and her partner. It was their first time abroad, and i think they got the travel bug like me. I will be writing a full blog about Marrakesh, just need to go through the 3000 photos we took between us!

We then got married after 2 years together. It was a travel themed wedding to show off all the places we want to go. We even wrote our own vows, promising each other that we would travel the world together hand in hand. We had an Arabian tent, got married in the adjacent barn decorated with sari fabric, ate curry on big floor cushions, me and the bridesmaids had henna tattoos and we had an Indian inspired wedding cake, complete with an Indian Elephant cake topper. Our honeymoon was spent in . . .wait for it . . . The Maldives I will be putting my notes into a blog about it. We stayed at Fihalhohi in a water Bungalow paid for by my parents. I know and felt guilty about the fact we could have quite happily lived in India for 6 months on the money it cost. But it was my first holiday destination, and i had wanted to return ever since. Worth it

One evening of the honeymoon, we were sat drinking cocktails over looking the lagoon. Now that the wedding was over with, we could actually start planning our travel! One problem we have is work commitments, even though we are both lucky to be in work, let alone have money for traveling. But it puts restrictions on the amount of time we can spend away in one go. So we are just going to work with what we can.

The list we came up with goes . . . .

Maldives
Costa Rica
Morocco
Egypt - Luxor
Barcelona
Israel
Jordan
Dubai
Singapore
Malaysia
Borneo
India
Thailand
Easter Island
Fiji
Bora Bora
Japan
China
Florida Keys
Cambodia
Laos
Kenya
Madagascar
Cuba
Italy
Sri Lanka
Belgium
Turkey - Istanbul

Thats 22 countries, god knows how many cities and thousands of photos!

So . . . We have a trip planned for this July, Top secret at the mo as we are taking my youngest sister for her 18th. And it to will be her first time abroad! Its going to be a complete surprise and she wont find out out where it is until we arrive at the Airport. She just knows its going to be hot!

We also have panned a trip to Costa Rica in March 2012trekking through the rainforest and visit Arenal Volcano. And then my all time dream destination INDIA! I wish we could spend months there, but can only squeeze in 3 weeks at a time. We plan to do the Golden Triangle and Amritsar. So i will be doing peoples heads in with stupid questions whilst i try to throw some kind of itenary together!

Thanks for reading my epic introduction, and keep an eye out for my blogs