The Editor wishes our readers a happy new year, looks back over the best (blogging) bits of 2015 and looks forward to what’s coming in 2016, including the first travel stories from the #VivaValencia blogtrip.
So it’s 2016 already! I remember when 1984 was the future. But hey, I’m getting old. And one thing age has taught me is not to be surprised when the year number goes up by one, usually some time shortly after Dec 31st. Yep I saw 2016 coming all the way.
That’s a bit of a rambling beginning, in which I merely wanted to say “Happy New Year” to all our readers old and new! We couldn’t keep going without you, so watching our visitor stats climb up in 2015, seeing the number of our “Urban Travel Bulletin” newsletter subscribers grow and enjoying interacting with some of you via social media (please find us on Facebook, Twitter… and me personally on Instagram and say hi) has been as important for us as it is satisfying.
It means we can keep on delivering our first hand travel reports from around the world straight into your web browser, inbox or news feed… and we sincerely hope some of our expert (and often local) tips have helped you make the most of your own travels. Knowledge can be the difference between an okay, or a legendary travel experience, and that’s what we’re always aiming to provide here at UTB… those special tips that make the difference. Let us know how we’re getting on, or if there’s any information you think we should be providing that we’re not!!!
Ok for the rest of this Editorial update let’s take a look back at 2015, with a little glance forward at what’s to come in 2016 as well…
Locals Go Loco
One of the highlights of an awesome 2015 was undoubtedly our Holiday Like A Local project that we ran in association with Skrill online payment system. Skrill gave our local bloggers in Rome, Paris, London and Barcelona €500 each to spend in our home city… so if you want to see how a local would really go loco in their home town, check out these posts. There are some amazing tips!
Majorca Revisited
Another highlight for me personally was spending 10 days in Majorca. I’ve been based in and out of Barcelona for some time now, but somehow had not go back to the biggest of the Balearic Islands since my Inbetweeners-esque holiday in Magaluf aged 19. Needless to say I did the destination much better justice this time around… it’s an amazing place, albeit a little too touristic (I would recommend going further out of season than I did), with a lot more to discover than just beaches. Click on the link above to see what I got up to!
More City Guides… plus themed breaks!
Other than that we’ve added Moscow, Oslo, Geneva, Ljubljana and Bucharest to our collection of city break guides. We have also recently started to organise our favourite destinations by theme, to help you find the best break for you, depending on what your priority is. So far we’ve written just one article – our recommendations for cheap weekends away in Europe – but we hope to add several more similar pieces in 2016, to make Urban Travel Blog the best possible resource for planning your urban adventures!
Districts & Secrets
2015 was the year we went in-depth on our favourite cities… revealing both the hippest districts (in the likes of Krakow, Berlin, London, Istanbul and New York) and our so-called “Secret Seven” tips for ditching the tourist trail and doing some off piste exploring. We will be adding to both categories of post in 2016, to make sure that whenever you travel with Urban Travel Blog for company you’re getting right under the skin of the city!
Other Great Stuff You Might Have Missed
A travel blogger and a gangster walk into a restaurant… what happens next you can read about right here (ps. it’s something you can do too)! Aside from that surreal experience, two of my favourite articles in 2015 were Josh Ferry Woodard’s adventures exploring the Kasbah of Rabat in Morocco, and Mary Biles’ look at how culture just got intimate in Seville.
Viva Valencia!
Regular readers might be aware that Urban Travel Blog is also a founding member of The Travel Mob, which is a team of some of the world’s best and most famous travel journalists, bloggers and vloggers. In 2014 we spent over a week in Ljubljana, exploring every facet of this small but beguiling city in Central European… and right at the end of 2015 we packed our bags again, but this time to spend a week exploring Spain’s third biggest city, Valencia. Safe to say we had an amazing time (hard not to when the weather is nearly 20 degrees and you’re dining out at Michelin-starred restaurants and checking out all the cool bars and cafes!), so prepare for an in depth look at some of the best aspects of Valencia, not only on Urban Travel Blog, but across our whole spectrum of blogs / media. If in doubt follow the hashtag #VivaValencia on Twitter to stay tuned. (In fact you might find one or two of us are still in Valencia now so you can see what they’re doing live!).
Right, I think that’s plenty to digest for now!
Do you have any exciting travel plans for 2016? Or did you go somewhere in 2015 that you think Urban Travel Blog should definitely visit? Then please drop me a line in the comments and I’ll be sure to get back to you! Maybe we’ll even be crossing paths at some stage? I’d love to know some of our readers’ 2016 itineraries!
Until next time…