TRAVEL: My travel bucket list - by age 30!

I’ve kept a bucket list since I was 14 years old. On my list, which currently has 72 entries, there are a fair few life goals, some silly firsts 14 year old me had yet to experience (‘Buy a pretzel’ being the most glaring), and a lot of travel related goals – there’s a whole blog post to be written about that.

My first big travel bucket list item was within my sights when I began the list – ‘Visit all 7 continents,’ something which I managed to tick off that year with a fascinating trip to Antarctica (if only I’d had my blog then).

Next up was perhaps my biggest goal and one of the few with a time limit was the following: ‘Visit 50 countries by age 25.’ Why 50? It seemed like a nice, round number and one which I could conceivably see myself reaching within the next decade.

This past summer, I reached my goal at the ripe old age of 22. A fantastic round the world trip, an educational visit to Mexico and a few short trips to never-before-visited European countries meant that I got there sooner than I’d imagined, and it really did feel like an achievement.

Having a goal like this encouraged me to try and visit new countries that were close enough to home to be reached by a short and normally inexpensive plane ticket and yet still meant I could tick another place off my list. For instance, I’ve fallen in love with Eastern Europe as a part of the world with plenty of new countries to visit, and lovely ones at that (check out my travel blogs from Bulgaria and Hungary).   

So what next? 100 countries by age 50? At the moment I don’t know how likely that would be – 100 countries means no doubt visiting some pretty obscure places (which I’d be more than happy to go to!) but I knew for certain that there were some real big-hitters I wanted to get to first, without worrying myself about keeping on visiting new countries just to reach the goal. Who knows though, maybe that entry will be added to the list further down the line!

Instead, I wrote myself a list of places I want to visit by age 30 as an incentive that even though they’re pretty far away, I’ve now made a commitment to visit them come hell or high water. Hopefully I’ll be able to take you along to via the blog!

1)      Alaska

The USA will always hold a special place in my heart, and in many ways I feel like it is like visiting many countries within itself. Every state has its own personality, culture, attractions, food and even climate and there’s plenty more I’d love to visit if I have the chance. However, top of the list is Alaska and a quick Google image search should show you why. Surely one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

2)      Bolivia

For me, this doesn’t need much more explanation than Salar de Unuyi (the Salt Flats). Again, stunning pictures of this location have given me serious wanderlust and I’m a fan of places that stretch for miles and miles. Plus, I’m sure there’s plenty more than this country can offer that I can’t wait to explore.

3)      Colombia

Frequently cited as the happiest country on Earth, I’m keen to figure out its secrets and see if I can find my own happiness here. I’ve heard nothing but good things from people who have visited or live there and it’s varied landscapes, ranging from mountains to rainforests to coasts tell me there’ll be plenty to visit when I’m there.  

4)      Japan

Boy oh boy, this has long been a bucket list destination of mine. This was crystallised even more when watching Joanna Lumley’s Japan travel documentaries, helping to plot a route I’d love to follow one day. From the robot cafes of Tokyo to the hot spring bathing snow monkeys in Yudanaka Shibu Onsen and the cherry blossom, I want to see as much of this country as I can. Plus Japan has so much going for it be that in terms of its cuisine or ahead of the curve technology – something I definitely want to see firsthand!

5)      Jordan

Again, one word suffices – Petra. There are certain places which deserve to be considered Wonders of the World and I’m sure Petra qualifies. I admittedly know very little about the history or culture of this area and so I’d love to learn more by visiting.

6)      Morocco

I have a feeling Morocco will be quite unlike anywhere I’ve visited before, unlike the parts of Africa I’ve been too but very different from the European countries it sits in close proximity too. I want to visit the souks selling exotic spices and fabrics, indulge in glorious Moroccan cuisine and check out the fascinating architecture that can’t be found anywhere else.

7)      Philippines

I love the idea of the Philippines. Again it looks absolutely beautiful with its crystal clear bays and glorious beaches, but I’m keen to visit the cities, and particularly Manila too. Again, I imagine it’s very different from what I’m used to in the UK and I can’t wait to spend some time there. Plus, I follow (far too many) Filipino food travel accounts so I’m very excited to try dishes like halo-halo and ube!

I hope you enjoyed my travel bucket list – where would you love to visit in the next few years? Drop me a message in the comments below or on Twitter @CiarasCountry and be sure to check out my Instagram account @CiarasCountry where I post all the photos from my trips!

C2C COUNTRY 2 COUNTRY: A look back at 5 years of the festival

I distinctly remember the first time I heard about C2C Country 2 Country. My dad walked into my room one morning with one of the national newspapers. ‘You like Carrie Underwood, don’t you?’ I nodded vigourously – ‘like’ was an understatement. He handed me the paper, and there in a quarter page ad was Country 2 Country, with Carrie headlining one of the nights. Tickets on sale that Friday.

When Friday rolled around, I was ready at my computer half an hour before the waiting room opened to make sure that I got tickets before they sold out (which in retrospect may have been a bit optimistic as I don’t think they sold out that year) and then it was only a half a year wait until the event itself.

And what an experience. In its inaugural year, 2013, I’d say that before the festival, I was only really a fan of Carrie Underwood, and had heard of Darius Rucker as he’d opened for Brad Paisley during one of his previous world tours which I’d attended. How things changed! I had heard of Little Big Town only through Pontoon which was the only track of theirs that the online country radio stations I listened to seemed to play, and I didn’t even like the song. However, hearing them play a variety of songs, many of which I came to love, was a turning point for me and I’ve been a fan ever since. LeAnn Rimes too, to me was an unknown, but C2C revealed her to be the singer behind songs like I Need You and Blue which I found myself listening to over and over after the festival, as well as a lot of her fantastic more recent work.

The festival improved, and got bigger, year on year. In 2014, they opened up the full stadium whereas the year before the upper levels had been closed off as presumably they didn’t think they’d have enough interest to fill the stadium. I got to see three of my favourite artists at the time - Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts and The Band Perry – play on consecutive nights, when normal concerts would mean I’d have to wait months between them.

In 2015, we got the likes of Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean and a personal favourite of mine, Florida Georgia Line, as headliners. I was a big fan of Sam Hunt at the time, so seeing him play, even if only on the smaller Satellite Stage, was very exciting.

2016 was a big deal because the festival became over three nights rather than just two and was probably the my favourite year so far. The artists were fantastic as Carrie was back, along with Thomas Rhett, Little Big Town, Sam Hunt, Maddie & Tae and Kacey Musgraves. We were also introduced to fantastic new artists like Maren Morris and Frankie Ballard who are right up there in my favourites now. Another surprise favourite for me was Miranda Lambert, who like Little Big Town, I’d only heard one song of – Little Red Wagon - and wasn’t a fan (how mistaken I was). But with songs like Automatic and White Liar I was hooked, and couldn’t be gladder I was introduced to her then, particularly in light of her masterpiece of an album The Weight of These Wings.

Even cooler perhaps was the Bluebird Café, which made its way to C2C that year. Having been to the real thing in Nashville a few years prior and it being an absolute highlight of that trip, I was ecstatic at the thought of attending one in my own city. I picked the session with Old Dominion and Shane McAnally which was thoroughly fantastic, and even got my photo with them all after. Looking back at the lineups, I’m sure each and every session would have been fantastic with the likes of Lori McKenna, Charles Esten and Maren Morris playing too.

Another highlight of 2016 was the introduction of the BBC Radio 2 stage where Charles Esten, Lauren Alaina and David Nail played in a more intimate session, and boy was it amazing. Artists with such fantastic voices given the chance to shine on a small stage like that was more than I could have asked for. 2016 will be a hard year to beat!

Finally, there were the meet and greets. I got autographs from the likes of Brooke Eden (amazing, amazing artist), Pauper Kings, Maren Morris and more. It’s rare in any genre that you get to meet the artists whose music you love, but this festival let me do just that.

2017 has been the biggest year yet, with the most artists playing ever I do believe, ranging from country legends from before my era like Reba McEntire and Marty Stuart to more of my favourite crossover artists like Cam, Hunter Hayes, Dan & Shay, Cassadee Pope, and Maren Morris (now on the main stage!) The Bluebird Café was back with more incredible artists like Logan Brill, Lucie Silvas and Canaan Smith, and the Radio 2 stage filled to the brim with great ‘rising stars’ who are already well established in my books. And don’t even get me started on the hundreds of usually more local artists playing the smaller stages who I’d go to a festival to see just by themselves. If you’ve not heard of the likes of Clara Bond, Sarah Darling, Catherine McGrath, Katy Hurt, Raintown and Jade Helliwell, rectify that right now!

And here we are, in 2018 for the sixth instalment of the festival. I’ll admit I was in the camp of ‘not too impressed’ with the lineup when it was first announced, with no new ‘big’ artists and a number of headliners I just wasn’t familiar with. Nonetheless, C2C for me has always been about opening myself up to new artists and so in the year that’s passed, I’ve made myself familiar with the likes of Brett Young, Luke Combs and Ashley McBryde and I’m now very much looking forward to seeing them. Many of the acts playing the other stages look fantastic, and this is also the first year I’ll be attending the Songwriters Series which I’m particularly excited about.

I think C2C has shown country artists that we have a lot of love for them, and encouraged them to keep coming back. The proliferation of country stars coming to the UK has only increased with their added exposure from the festival and I’ve since been able to see almost all of my favourite artists play the UK at least once (although I’m still waiting for Blake Shelton and Keith Urban to tour here!) Long may it continue.

Whilst I have a lot of love for the festival, I’d be lying if I said that it hasn’t brought with it its issues. I wince every year upon finding out that the price of tickets has yet again increased, and know that there will probably be one year when I miss out on the tickets that I want because the tickets will become so heavily sought after. The smaller stages will become more difficult to get into, and the meet and greets farther and fewer between. So there are a lot of good and bad things about the festival becoming so popular, but it goes without saying that I’ll be attending the festival for as long as I can!

Have you attended C2C over the years? What have been your highlights? Let me know by dropping me a comment below or on Twitter @CiarasCountry, and stay tuned for reviews and interviews from C2C 2018 coming soon!