Our Summer Adventure 2023 Plans…
Me again! Yep, on a roll here blogging… two days in a row! DETERMINED to stay on a good posting schedule. It’s so easy to post little things quickly on social media and then forget to detail everything here but I am trying to get back to the old days!
Today’s post is a quick and easy one… sharing our full-ish Summer Adventure 2023 itinerary! Back in late 2016 I had this crazy idea and then decided to actually GO FOR IT! Traveling the world each year with my girls for the first 5-6 of Summer. I don’t take for granted the opportunity to have done this over and over agin even for a second. It’s been months and months now of pure ADVENTURE with my two not-so-little anymore lovies. Memories, experiences and and huge leaps outside of our comfort zones that I know the three of us will carry with us forever. And I can most definitely say now that I KNOW that after Addie had no problem, hesitation or homesickness whatsoever as an exchange student in France this past January. She was in her element and it made me oh so proud.
This year I am sad to say will be a wee bit different. For the first Summer since it all began, the girlies will only be going on half of the trip. The first two and a half weeks will be with John and the girls but my mom will be flying home with Addie and Winnie after London (our third country this Summer) so they can do tend to their ever-increasing tween/teen schedules. With Addie’s band schedule alone, the last half of Summer is constant practices so her time with her Dad was kind of non-existent last year. So this year we are changing it up! I knew it would probably happen one day but just didn’t think it would come “so soon”.
The inspiration for the first half of this Summer’s travels came from Addie’s years long obsession with Harry Potter. She has a bucket list of things to see and we’ve all never been to Ireland or Scotland so we are excited all around!
But first, here’s a few travel posts I’ve done to answer questions I get often…
My Top 13 Travel Tips & Must Haves for Traveling to Europe
How to Plan the Ultimate Long Summer Trip Adventure…
How I Pack Only Carry-On for All of Our Long Travels
Dublin & Galway, Ireland…
We will land in Dublin and spend six nights there… four in Dublin and two in Galway… before flying into Edinburgh where we will meet up with my mom. Addie has several places she wants to see in Dublin and then we will be traveling across the country to see the Cliffs of Moher…
Edinburgh, Scotland…
We will then spend seven nights in Edinburgh where I found a place along the “real Diagon Alley” to stay. I will definitely link everywhere we are staying after we leave each destination. One big thing we are excited about in Scotland is taking the Jacobite Steam Train “the Hogwarts Express” into northern Scotland. From there, we are flying (or taking a train… we haven’t decided) into London, England.
London, England…
We haven’t made too many plans for London just yet but will definitely of course be hitting up the historic basics in addition to a few more Harry Potter must-sees. We will be in London for three nights before the girlies fly back home with my mom. Sniff. Sniff.
Switzerland Road Trip
After the girlies leave, John and I will be flying from London to Geneva for a ten day road trip around Switzerland! And I AM SO PUMPED! We visited Switzerland back in 2018 and it is so unbelievably stunning. Like literally UNREAL. John has such an appreciation for nature and beautiful things that I have been dying to travel there with him and show him all of my favorite places in addition to experiencing some new ones together. A few highlights will be our stay at Pilatus which is the most incredible hotel I’ve ever been to and paragliding over Lake Lucerne. We also plan to visit Montreux, Grindlewald and Zurich. We are then flying from Zurich to Venice, Italy!
Venice, Italy
I am going to start this off with quite possibly a very unpopular opinion… Venice is not my favorite BUT also a must-see. If that makes any sense at all. I visited Venice years ago and thought it was neat and all but really didn’t have a desire to go back until John mentioned wanting to go. We are staying here for three nights before flying over to SLOVENIA!
Ljubljana & Lake Bled, Slovenia
Slovenia… had literally barely even heard of it until I looked at a map and thought hmmmmm… where would be fun to go next. Venice is very close to Slovenia and after a quick Google search seeing that it’s not only beautiful but also one of the safest countries in the world it was a quick YESSSS!!! We are flygin into Ljubljana where we will stay for a short bit before heading to Lake Bled…
Antibes & Nice, France
And last but not least… my FAVORITE OF ALL!!!!!! Antibes, France!
XOXO, Brittany Palazzo
Dang, I cannot wait to follow along on your trip!! This looks incredible!
THANK YOU SO SO MUCH! XOXO
I feel the same way about Venice. Went there with a HS trip and thought it would be a good place to return with my husband. It’s a very romantic place. Hope you two enjoy it!
It’s such a cool city but just for a short time I feel like. I think three days will be perfect! And yes, very romantic!
Sure you aren’t wanting any ideas for what to do in London but as a native I always recommend people to do the ceremony of the keys at the Tower of London. (Yeoman warders/guards locking up the tower and the crown Jewels, has been done every single night for hundreds of years in the same way) Very inexpensive, super atmospheric and such a unique experience! Tickets for the whole month are released on the 1st and they usually sell out quick…
Have a lovely summer!
I love this idea thank you!!! I need to set a reminder on my phone! XOXO
How exciting! Thank you for sharing your travels.
Thank YOU for following along! XOXO
We love Slovenia—the cake, the ice cream, the lakes, the wine, the people—there is a lot to love. Happy you are making that stop!
I don’t know how you all are able to do these huge travel vacations every year. We’re lucky to do it once every five, and it’s not even in multiple places like these. Budget, working, and all these things come into play for us normal people. It’s nice to see your photos from your vacation, what a life!
We didn’t love Venice until we got lost and wandered through some of the non -touristy villages. Then, we fell in love. The people are so kind and love to give advice on where to go that they go. Have fun!! Some how ironically we have had similar summer travels the last couple years but inhaveny booked this year at all. Thanks for the inspiration for some new places to check out. We are thinking about Spain as well!
Wow, I am loving this itinerary! I think 3 nights in Venice is plenty, but have you considered a day in Murano? I could watch the glass blowers all day! Just be sure not to go on a Sunday, most of the studios are closed.
Cant wait to see it all! Thank you for sharing all this wonderfulness. Plan to takes lots of notes. 🙂
Please be sure to visit Meggenhorn castle while in Lucerne. My husband and I got married there and it is so charming. You can actually see the castle from the lake if you are taking a boat.
Can’t wait to hear about Harry Porter adventure. This one is definitely on my list. Thanks so much for sharing
Question: did you find flights more reasonable than car rental or train? We are trying to decide best way to travel around