My Favourite Travel Memories

Recent events have had me reminiscing a lot. With all the sad updates in the news, I have found myself having to dig deep for happy memories. Travel, is my one thing that makes me happy. I get lost, thinking about travel and all the great times I have had travelling this beautiful world. Looking at a list of my favourite travel memories, they range from romantic to fun; to adventurous and of course, to historical sightings. One thing they all have in common is how epic they are.

I’m excited to share 20 of my favourite travel memories with you.

1. The smiling lady in Mexico

Mexico was a really fun all-inclusive trip. However, we had a few hours a day when we ventured outside the resort to enjoy the authenticity of the city. On one of those wanderings, the mission was to find a taco stand. Our driver took us into the city and we walked to the supermarket to buy water. Then we met this smiling Mayan lady who kept pointing at me and smiling. So I smiled back and she started calling me Christina.

It was the most bizarre, funniest and heart warming experience all wrapped in one. Maybe I looked like a Christina she had met before? I will never know! But we hugged, she spoke Spanish to me, I replied in English. We both didn’t understand each other obviously except that we were both laughing and smiling. I chuckle every time I remember the experience.

2. Boat cruise in Santorini

If you follow my Instagram, I am sure you would have heard me preach about the unforgettable 5 hour boat cruise. In Santorini, aside from all the beautiful backdrops for pictures, a boujee boat cruise is necessary. We went on a ‘Lover’s sunset’ catamaran cruise for 4 couples. The cruise had a butler who served food and drinks and we watched the sun set. It was definitely one of the best experiences of my life till date. My exact definition of a perfect date! It was definitely one of my favourite travel memories of all time.

3. Private Dinner on the Beach in St Lucia

Oh our lovely chill honeymoon. As a little treat, we booked dinner on the beach in our resort. We were staying at Sandals Grande resort in St Lucia and this was our first proper luxury holiday together. There was a private chef and for about 2 hours, it was the beach, the stars, our waitress and us. We ate the loveliest seafood dinner and danced to the waves under the stars. It was a perfect night.

4. Seeing the Eiffel Tower with Mr E in Paris

I had been to Paris a few times but never with Mr E. Since I’d already fallen in love with the city, I was eager for Mr E to fall in love with it too. So on our first trip together to Paris, I timed everything perfectly. We had walked around all evening and when it was almost 9pm, we walked to Trocadero. Got there at about 5 mins to 9 and by 9pm, the Eiffel Tower started to sparkle. I looked at Mr E and I could see the awe in his eyes. He was so mesmerised and it was just so beautiful and perfect.

That night, he fell in love with Paris too.

5. A wedding in Abidjan

This was one family wedding I loved so much. My cousin got married to an Ivorian and we were invited. Mum, my sister Nwady and I flew from Lagos to Abidjan and spent a few days there. The wedding was for about 3 days but the most memorable was the beach festivities. All the fusion of African colours and dances and food. That Nigerian-Ivorian mix highlighted African culture at its best! I went on that trip a very very long time ago but that memory has never left me.

6. That sunrise in Mexico

For as long as I can remember, I have always been a sunset girl. Mr E and I have a tradition to catch a sunset in every new location we go to. However, I had heard about Mexican sunrises and how jaw-stoppingly gorgeous they are. So I set my alarm to a very ungodly hour of the morning and we headed to the beach on the resort.

It was the most beautiful sunrise that I have ever seen – not that I have seen a lot. It was so pretty; all the vibrant colours kept changing. Pinks, Blues, Purples, Oranges and I just couldn’t take my eyes off the sky until it had completely risen. That one sunrise is the reason why I tend to wake up for sunrises now!

Related: The sun rises in Mexico

7. Spotting a dolphin in Malibu

I remember this morning like it was yesterday. It was a Sunday morning; we drove from Beverly Hills to Malibu for breakfast at Malibu Farm. Afterwards, we decided to just chill on a deserted part of the beach. For some reason, it was very quiet and deserted.

As we lay on the beach, what happened next is one of the most memorable sights I have ever seen. We saw a dolphin! A dolphin, just out there living her best life in her natural habitat. It swam across and it was so spontaneous and quick that it almost felt like it was not real. I remember squealing so loudly in excitement and I eventually grabbed my phone to catch the tail end of it.

Related Posts:

Welcome to the good life, Los Angeles | Our LA dates | 

5 instagrammable locations in LA

8. Seeing the statue of Liberty, NY

This one was one of those moments you’ve dreamt about for so long and then it happens. Growing up in Lagos, I had seen so many pictures and movies of the Statue of Liberty. I knew exactly what it looked like so the first time I went to NY, it had to be seen. I got to Battery Park and I got on the ferry. As we got close to the statue, I was just so excited and happy to finally see it in reality. For me, at my ‘big age’, it was like reliving my childhood dream but in real life.

9. Valentine’s in Paris

One of my most favourite travel memories will always be when we spent Valentine’s in Paris. Paris quickly became our favourite city after I hypnotised Mr E into falling in love with it lol.

We had gone to Paris in summer, spring and autumn. So we thought we should go for Valentine’s and it did not disappoint. We stayed in a cute boutique hotel in the 18th arrondissement. The room was small, cosy, intimate and had a bathtub in it. It was the definition of romantic. We went out for breakfast in the mornings and stayed in the room all day. At night, we walked, talked, went to cute corner local restaurants for dinner and drank a lot of wine. It was the most beautiful and romantic 2 days in Paris.

10. The sunrise in Cappadocia

It would have been surprising if I did not add this one right? Cappadocia, Turkey is a special place. A very special and magical town. Of all the places I have been to, Cappadocia is the most magical. If the magic of the town is not enough, wait till sunrise, go up the rooftop or balcony and watch the most incredible thing happen. What you will see is hundreds of hot air balloons going up at sunrise in the quiet of a sleepy town. The balloons are dotted around the sky and mixed with the colours of the sunrise, I cried in awe.

It was magic and definitely one of my favourite travel memories of all time!

Related Posts:

Romantic Things to do in Cappadocia | Where to stay in Cappadocia – Ottoman Cave Suites 

11. Mass at St Peter’s Basilica, Rome

Imagine going to Rome, and then you decide that on this special day, you are touring the Vatican city. We had walked round the museums, including the Sistine Chapel. The last place to go was St Peter’s Basilica. We walked in and noticed that the Priests were walking up to the altar. A few seconds in I realised OMG; we are about to watch Mass LIVE in the Basilica. As usual, cue the waterworks; I started crying tears of happiness.

There is a possibility that I did not hear any part of the Mass lol. I was just so excited to be there. That was one that surely went down in my memory book. As a Catholic, this was a very big deal for me. Therefore, it was a no brainer adding it my favourite travel memories list!

Related: 12 Things to do in Rome & the Vatican city

12. Camp Nou, Barcelona

There is one thing Mr E always does every time we go to a football city. He visits the football grounds. For every football lover, regardless of what team you support, Camp Nou is most likely the one stadium on your bucket list. So when we went to Barcelona, we headed to Camp Nou for a stadium tour. It was mind blowing just being there. We saw all the trophies and especially that one trophy from the 2006 UEFA Champions League. Sad times! But it was a wonderful experience and just knowing I stood on that field, BLOWN!

13. Basketball game in Madison Square Gardens, NY

My sister got Mr E and I the best tickets on one of our visits to NY. Guess where? THE Madison Square Gardens. Yes, that one!! It was home of New York Knicks and we watched them play against Dallas Mavericks. Even though, I don’t know anything about basketball, it was definitely one memory that I was glad I had. I saw a few celebs sitting front row and Lala’s boo, Carmelo Anthony was playing for the Knicks. All in all, a brilliant night!

Related: New York City Guide

14. Lunch in St Tropez

Is there any city in the world more boujee than St Tropez? LOL! We were in South of France for a week and decided to go on a little trip to St Tropez for the day. We got off at the port, walked around for a bit and took a taxi to Eden Plage for lunch. I was on the beach, the most beautiful setting, food was yummy and life was good. There are some moments that you sit back and wonder how you got so blessed. This was one of those moments, etched in my memory forever.

Related Posts

South of France: Nice & Cannes | South of France: St Tropez & Monte Carlo

15. Football Game in Porto

There are derbies and there are derbies. In England, the biggest derby I have watched is Arsenal vs Tottenham. That did not prepare me for the madness that is Benfica vs Porto. Mr E took me to Porto for this football weekend and it was electric. We headed to Estádio do Dragão quite early and made our way to our seats. The chants were so loud that the atmosphere vibrated.

The Ultras were screaming for 90 mins and it felt like I was on a battlefield the whole time. I loved every minute of it and saw football in a totally different (in a good way) light!

Related: A football weekend in Porto

16. Driving a super car in Paris

Mr E loves cars but me, I cannot tell a Toyota from a Honda. They are all cars to me. Big cars, small cars. Blue cars, black cars. All cars to me. However, Mr E got the opportunity to drive a Ferrari in Paris for a few minutes. We went through the inner streets off Champs Elysées and even drove past the Eiffel tower. The whole time, with the roof down. How cool is that? Maybe this one is a more memorable experience for Mr E than it is for me? Oh well, it definitely was an afternoon to remember.

17. The Berlin Wall

I will be very honest with this one, I was not blown away by the sight. Infact, seeing the Berlin wall was quite underwhelming. So why exactly is it on my list of favourite travel memories? Well, it is THE Berlin wall. One of the most prominent sights to see in Europe. So even though it did not totally overwhelm me, I was pretty excited to be seeing it in real life. We spent the afternoon checking out the graffiti and reading some of the writings. When I think of the history attached to it, it does make it 100x more memorable in my imagination.

Related: Landmarks in Berlin

18. That sunset in Cappadocia

Back to the magic of Cappadocia! I have mentioned how Mr E and I always catch sunsets in whatever new location we visit. Cappadocia was no exception. I asked the concierge at our hotel and he recommended Red Rose Valley because he felt the sunset there was the most romantic. He did not lie at all. Red Rose Valley was beautiful with rose tinted formations and when the sun set, it was perfection. It looked like a scene from Lion King and I was Nala and Mr E was Simba hehe!

Related: The best sunset points in Cappadocia

19. A world wonder, in Mexico

How awesome is it that I was able to stand face to face with a world wonder? We were in Mexico so of course, we had to see the Chichén Itzá! I was quite tired from the drive so I think I was over the excitement of where we were headed. All that changes once you step into the space and face the Temple of Kukulcan. It is a UNESCO heritage site and it was definitely one of the most striking structures I have ever seen.

Related: Adventures in Riviera Maya, Mexico

20. Disneyland, Paris

My first time in Disneyland was the best day of my life at that time. I just could not believe I was in the happiest place on earth. Yes, it truly is the happiest place on earth. 

It was one place I had dreamt of going for so long. So my first time in France in 2005, I saved up and went on a day trip from where I lived in Besançon to Disneyland. Spent the whole day there and was so happy even though, at the time, it was so expensive for me to afford. I was broke afterwards but who cares? haha! I have now been back about 3 times more. 

So that’s it! 20 of my favourite travel memories until date. Let me inspire you to write your own list; whether you have a blog or not. Maybe you have 5 or 10 or even just 1 favourite travel memory. No matter the number, write a list and whenever you miss travel, have a look at your list. Bask in your beautiful past experiences and let them give you hope.

I hope you are all well, healthy and staying safe.

Until next time….

….Bisous, ‘Bugo x