This post is about where I travelled in 2024. As a part-time blogger, this list is nowhere near as long as I would like to be! But nonetheless, I will outline my year of travel, including links to relevant articles I have written about each country/city too.

A woman in a blue dress stands on a waterfront boardwalk. Boats are docked in the harbor, and colorful buildings are visible in the background under a clear blue sky.
Sardinia, Italy
Contents show

I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through my affiliate links.

In case we haven’t met – hello! I’m Hazel, a travel blogger based just outside London (in England).

My day job is based in Edinburgh (in Scotland), and I usually do fair bit of travelling within the UK for work. I then use all of my annual leave, plus some weekends, for travelling outside the UK.

I have listed 12 destinations below, but my main trips this year were to Malta, Morocco, Sardinia (Italy) and La Palma (Canary Islands).

I have included a brief description, photos, and hotel links for each destination so you can check out the prices on Booking.com.

1. Malta, Europe

For some reason I have decided to write this post in no particular order. Or perhaps in order of importance/enjoyment. I visited Malta in May 2024, and it was one of my favourite trips.

I based myself in the ancient city of Valletta, travelling around the main island visiting other important cities such as the walled city of Mdina, and the fishing harbour of Marsaxlokk.

A woman in a floral dress and white jacket walking on a path in Valletta with trees and a historic building on the side.
Me at Lower Barakka Garden
View of Valetta Malta
View of Valletta Malta

The weather wasn’t amazing, but the landscapes were. The food was pretty good too.

Malta is an archipelago of three islands: Malta, Gozo and Comino. I have written about all three in numerous posts on this travel blog (links below).

Use this link from Booking.com to see today’s best hotel deals for Malta.

Below are some of my main Malta posts:

2. Morocco, Africa

I visited the south of Morocco in April 2024, and based myself in the coastal city of Agadir. From there, I visited Taghazout, Berber villages and an oasis in the middle of the desert.

Agadir is a resort town, and I wasn’t hugely enamoured with it, but if I returned to Morocco I would definitely stay in Taghazout fishing village – it was lovely there.

A woman in a denim shirt and floral skirt stands on narrow outdoor stairs between two buildings under a clear blue sky.
Taghazout, Morocco
Several blue fishing boats are parked on a sandy beach with people and buildings in the background under a clear blue sky.
Taghazout, Morocco

Use this link from Booking.com to see today’s best hotel deals for Morocco.

3. Sardinia, Italy

Sardinia was my longest trip this year. I found Sardinia to be quite different to the mainland Italian experience.

The islanders on Sardinia like to claim they are not Italian, and in many ways I can indeed see the difference.

Boats are docked along a waterfront with colorful buildings and a mountainous backdrop under a partly cloudy sky.
Bosa, Sardinia
A woman in a black dress stands on a pier by a blue body of water, with hills and buildings in the background.
Porto Cervo, Sardinia

I started my trip in the Northwest in Alghero, then gradually made my way across the Northern Coast over to the city of Olbia in the Northeast.

I visited the famous La Pelosa beach, and some beautiful towns such as Bosa (pictured above) and Sassari.

My main highlight was a day-trip to La Maddalena island. If I returned to Sardinia, I would definitely stay on La Maddalena again.

Use this link from Booking.com to see today’s best hotel deals for Sardinia.

4. La Palma, Canary Islands

I usually return to the Canary Islands every December, as it is the warmest place in Europe in winter.

In 2024/2025, my Canary Island of choice was volcanic La Palma, the greenest island, known as La Isla Bonita. This island is perfect for two things: hiking and stargazing. The hiking was excellent, but unfortuantely I was unable to take any stargazing tours due to snow in the mountains.

Which Canary Island Is the Best: Sunset view over lush green mountains and palm trees, with white clouds in the disitance and a setting sun.
La Palma

Use this link from Booking.com to see today’s best hotel deals for La Palma.

Below are some of my main Canaries posts:

5. Amsterdam, Netherlands

In June, I visited Amsterdam with a group of friends for a special birthday celebration. We spent 4 days exploring the sights, cruising the canals and eating stroopwaffels.

Bicycle with colorful flowers parked on a canal bridge in a city.
Amsterdam
A woman in sunglasses relaxes on a boat in Amsterdam, holding a glass. Behind her, the canal and charming buildings capture the essence of this perfect year of travel.
On the canal in Amsterdam

Use this link from Booking.com to see today’s best hotel deals for Amsterdam.

6. Cambridge, England

Not my first time in Cambridge, but this city is always impressive.

It’s a lovely place for a riverside walk, punting on the river Cam, wandering through art galleries, seeing the architecture and learning about the quirky university history.

Several wooden punting boats named Grace, Rosie, Sarah, and Elizabeth docked by Cambridge riverside with willow trees and buildings in the background.
Cambridge
A woman walks away from an ornate, arched wooden door set in a stone building in Cambridge, england, with intricate carvings.
Round church – Cambridge

Use this link from Booking.com to see today’s best hotel deals for Cambridge.

7. Madrid, Spain

I visited Madrid for a long weekend in November 2024.

The city was a lot busier than I expected it to be in November, and this slightly hampered my enjoyment of the trip, as I spent more time fighting my way through crowds than I did actually enjoying the sights.

A vibrant red and white building with ornate decorations and balconies. The ground floor houses a café with outdoor seating. A clock is mounted on the corner of the building.
Madrid
A woman stands in front of the Puerta de Alcalá monument in Madrid, wearing a coat and scarf.
Madrid

My highlights were the Spanish architecture and the beautiful (but very busy) Retiro park.

Use this link from Booking.com to see today’s best hotel deals for Madrid.

8. Toledo, Spain

Toledo is a quaint and quirky place with an obsession with knives, swords, daggers and weapons in general. Coming from a big city with a high level of knife crime (London) I found this slightly alarming. There are many shopfronts proudly displaying their weaponry – the sort of stuff that is banned back home.

Panoramic view of a historic cityscape with numerous buildings and towers, surrounded by greenery and a river in the foreground under a clear blue sky.
Toledo
Shop window displaying ornate marzipan creations, including a detailed building model. Sign reads "Mazapanes.
Marzipan shop in Toledo

Toledo is also famous for its marzipan, and I enjoyed trying the various different marzipan-based confections on offer.

Use this link from Booking.com to see today’s best hotel deals for Toledo.

9. Scottish Highlands, UK

Driving through the Scottish Highlands during the autumn is really something special.

This year I visited the Highland towns of Aviemore, Dunkeld, Carrbridge, Blair Atholl, Pitlochry and the Cairngorm Mountains (across several different trips). Most of these were during the autumn when the colours of the foliage were vibrant and beautiful.

A winding road meanders through the Scottish Highlands' mountainous landscape, with cloudy skies overhead and a serene body of water nestled among rocky hills and grassland.
Scottish Highlands Roads
Woman in a black jacket stands on a balcony overlooking a lake with green hills in the background on a cloudy day.
Dunkeld riverside

Use this link from Booking.com to see today’s best hotel deals for the Scottish Highlands.

10. Scottish Borders, UK

For my first foray into the Scottish Borders, I visited the small town of Peebles, on the river Tweed.

It was a lovely town, with beautiful autumnal riverside walks and a wonderful chocolate cafe to top it all off.

A scenic landscape with rolling hills, a flowing river, and a stone bridge, surrounded by lush greenery and trees.
Peebles hills

Use this link from Booking.com to see today’s best hotel deals for the Scottish Borders.

11. Other places in Scotland, UK

Also in Scotland, I visited St Andrews, Dunbar, Dean Village, North Berwick, South Queensferry, the city of Glasgow, and of course Edinburgh.

St Andrews (pictured below) was a great day out, and Dean Village was simply charming, and hard to believe it is so close to the big city of Edinburgh.

A person stands outside an old stone building with multiple windows. They are wearing a green coat and black hat, and colorful flowers are seen to their right.
St Andrews
View of Edinburgh University's old college quadarangle.
University of Edinburgh’s Old College

Use this link from Booking.com to see today’s best hotel deals for Scotland.

Here are some further Scotland posts which may interest you:

19 Perfect Day Trips from Edinburgh, Scotland.

12 Wonderful Things to do in Dunkeld, Scotland.

9 Charming Things to do in Dean Village, Edinburgh.

17 Brilliant Things to do in St Andrews, Scotland.

12 Excellent Things to do in South Queensferry, Scotland.

11 Lovely Things to do in North Berwick, Scotland.

15 Magical Harry Potter Locations in Scotland, UK.

Ultimate Edinburgh Travel Guide, Scotland.

12 Glorious things to do in Dunbar, Scotland

Below are some of my most popular Edinburgh/Scotland posts:

12. London, England, UK.

Of course London always features on my lists, but I’ve put it last, since I live round the corner.

A woman in a blue dress stands next to a red telephone booth in London filled with colorful flowers beside a red post box. Flowers also spill from wooden crates on the ground.
Iconic London phone box
A woman in a pink coat stands inside a building with floor-to-ceiling windows, overlooking a cityscape of London with a river and numerous buildings in the background.
The view from the Shard

This year I visited some of my favourite places, including St Katherine Docks, London Bridge, the View from the Shard, Shoreditch, Spitalfields, Regents Park, Liverpool Street, Tower Hill and the South Bank. I rarely venture into the West of London but I intend to do this more next year!

Below are some of my most popular London posts:

Use this link from Booking.com to see today’s best hotel deals for London.

My Upcoming Year of Travel

As I look forward to 2025, I am hoping I will get a bit more time in my diary for writing blog posts.

In 2025 I have one huge trip planned – New Zealand! I am also hoping for more Spanish adventures and maybe a Greek island too, but time will tell.

As I have mentioned throughout this post, I recommend Booking.com for hotels and apartments, and also Viator for organised tours. For car hire, I recommend the brilliant car-comparison site Discover Cars.

Wishing you all a happy 2025!

My 2022 Year of Travel: A Round Up

My 2023 Year of Travel.

My 2024 Year of Travel: Related Posts

Pinterest: 2024 Year of Travel

If you have enjoyed reading my 2024 year of travel round up, or would like to save it for later, please use the below images to pin this article to your Pinterest boards.

A woman in a black dress stands on a pier by the sea, with the text "My Year of Travel 2024" above and a website link below.
A collage of travel images with text: "My Year of Travel 2024". Features a person by the sea, colorful market stalls, a coastal landscape, and historic architecture. Website: www.hazelstravels.co.uk.

General Travel booking links:

Popular Destinations: London | Edinburgh | Malta | Scotland | Madeira | Cyprus | NYC | Italy | Canary Islands

Tags: ,