As every year since 2014, here we are with our travel summary of the year ! For us, it is already a tradition to look back and remember everything we did over the last 12 months, trips, getaways and relaxing periods with the family that made up our 2023. The feeling was of a fairly quiet year and honestly, our bodies were already asking us to slow down and enjoy Barcelona more... but after reviewing the year a little, well, it wasn't that boring either, eh?
We started off strong with a family trip to our favourite destination in Asia and discovered new countries throughout the year that blew us away (although there was one that we particularly liked… and spoiler! it was in October-November). Here is our travel summary for 2025.
January: Thailand
Shortly after the Christmas holidays we swapped the streets full of lights and trees in Barcelona for the skyscrapers and tapas bars of Bangkok . We were really looking forward to returning to Thailand and we took advantage of the first two weeks of the trip, when we went ahead of the trip, to visit two islands that we really wanted to see: Koh Kood and Koh Chang and wow 🙂 Koh Kood has become our favourite Thai island!
February: Thailand
At the end of January , Rober's family arrived in Thailand and with them we spent two weeks touring the capital, Ayutthaya, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and ended with a spectacular week in a small hotel in the middle of the jungle in Phuket .
Days full of laughter, beers (even too many hehe), fried rice with pineapple and many places that everyone fell in love with. Thailand is the best !
March: Jordan
When we returned to Barcelona we didn't have much time to get bored, as at the beginning of March we headed to a country we had been wanting to discover for years: Jordan. It was a short trip (we were there for 8 days) but VERY intense , in fact we remember it as one of the best trips ever.
We passed by Roman ruins, floated in the Dead Sea, stood in front of one of the 7 wonders of the world, entered churches full of murals, Crusader castles and tasted some of the best cuisine in the Middle East. As I said: Jordan is a great trip !
April: South Korea
We spent half a month in Barcelona and soon it was time to return to Asia to unmask another incredible destination: South Korea. In 2020, the Covid Pandemic caught Lety in Seoul, waiting to meet up with Rober, to get to know the country together, but for obvious reasons, we had to abort the mission.
And finally, in 2023, we were able to get rid of that travel bug and we completely fell in love with South Korea . It is a super interesting country, where traditions and modernity come together in a super curious mix and mass tourism has not yet arrived. We walked around Seoul without caring about the wear on our soles and from there we went out to visit some of the coolest places in the country, such as Jeonju, Gyeongju, Busan and, of course, our beloved Jeju Island (essential and beautiful!).
May: Barcelona + Terres del Ebre
In mid-May, after falling in love with South Korea, we returned to Barcelona and took the opportunity to enjoy our little house , walk around the city and relax a bit… And when we say relax, we mean typing like crazy XD. It was a quiet and homely month (or rather, half a month), which sometimes is good to take a break!
Although now that we think about it, we did take a mini-road trip through the Tierras del Ebro , a region of Catalonia that we hadn't yet visited and that we really liked (like its rice dishes, mmm).
June: Cordoba and Friuli Venezia Giulia
June gave us two wonderful trips: the first to Córdoba , to attend the wonderful wedding of our beloved Claudia and Jairo (we love you). And the second to my home, Friuli Venezia Giulia , where we had the pleasure of collaborating with the region to promote tourism in this unknown and spectacular area of Italy.
We are convinced that it will soon be a hit, because it really has everything! So if you are looking for an original destination, where you can find beaches, mountains, gastronomy, rural villages and interesting cities... you know what to expect.
July: Madrid and Galicia
In July, Lety's parents arrived in Barcelona and we took advantage of the visit to leave the city hehe, but the 4 of us eh 😉 We decided to visit Madrid , which they didn't know yet, and take a mini road trip to Sanabria and Galicia , which they loved (and of course!).
We settled in our favourite spot, the La Lanzada area , and from there we visited the Cíes, had some good seafood and enjoyed an enviable climate while half (or almost all) of Spain was suffering from heat waves. Galicia Calidade… How we love that northern land!
August: Cotswolds
After spending enough time in Barcelona, we decided to escape to the north for a few days … but further north than Galicia 😉 We flew to England and after renting a stroller we explored the beautiful Cotswolds area , the English countryside, where we felt like we were in a Beatrix Potter book.
Seriously, what a charming place… it makes you want to buy a little house, light the fireplace and spend the days writing while you drink a cup of tea with some scones with butter and jam – yum!
September: Sanabria and Galicia
We continue with the 2023 travel summary! In September we met up with Rober's family #teamThailand and spent about 10 days between Sanabria and Galicia (yes, again, but our thing is pure passion hehe). It was a wonderful flashback of the July trip... octopus, beers, fiery sunsets, hórreos and lots of laughs.
At the end of the month, we also went to Salou to participate in an event organized by Iati, which, as always, made us feel super comfortable and we took the opportunity to visit Ferrari Land and PortAventura with the newlyweds from Catalonia, Cordoba, and the Philippines, hehe. We had a great time!
October: South Africa and Eswatini
And the time has come to close the circle of trips frustrated by Covid: in 2020 we had planned to make the jump to South Africa but a certain virus ruined everything, so 2023 will also be remembered as the year we finally set foot in South Africa . And it was love at first sight, with its lights (stunning landscapes, wild animals, spectacular wines and food) and shadows (apartheid may have ended but unfortunately segregation is still very much present).
We were particularly impressed with Cape Town , which we found simply stunning and fantastic (Camps Bay has become one of our favourite places in the world), with Saint Lucia and its hippos and of course with Kruger, where we spent 8 days surrounded by all kinds of wild animals (what an absolute marvel). Oh, I almost forgot: we also made a mini-excursion into Esuatini which was great hehe.
November: Barcelona
On November 7th we returned to Barcelona tired but with a happy heart: South Africa was probably the trip that left the biggest mark on us this year and we are already thinking about going back hehe. But it will have to wait. The rest of the month was very quiet , at home, meeting up with friends, touring Barcelona and working a lot… another travel season full of surprises is coming 😉
December: Italy and Austria
In the middle of the month we landed in Italy to see the family and to go on some nice excursions around my beloved Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto (how nice it was to return to Chioggia!). Although the mini-trip that we liked the most was the one that took me and my mother to San Candido, in the Dolomites and to Lienz, in Austria … an intense mini-trip like few others XD full of markets, snow, vin brulé and good people.
This is our travel summary for 2023 🙂 We are writing these lines from Barcelona where we will end the year and we will do so in good company since in a few days Rober's parents and 50% of the sisters/brothers-in-law/nieces will arrive (we will miss the other 50%). And that's all... we just have to wish you a happy new year full of health, travel and love !
And speaking of that, we're going to give you a spoiler: we already have a trip for January hehe, we don't have to waste time, in fact we have two! At the beginning of the month we'll take a flash getaway to the south of France and in the middle of the month we'll head to Sri Lanka with the Thai-Sanabresa troops (it's going to be a great trip, you'll see!). Now, if you haven't won anything in the lottery, at least have a great 2025!
