SUMMARY OF 2017: inspiration for your next trips
Hello! Now that it's officially 2018 I decided to make a summary of my travels from 2017. All together I spent 90 days traveling which is more than ever before. I'll list every trip I did and tell you something about them.
1. The Alps (19th of February-26th of February)
The first trip of 2017 was a family vacation in the Alps. We flew to Zürich, Switzerland and rented a car from there. Then we drove to Sankt Anton, Austria. It's quite popular skiing destination and has many slopes with different level of difficulty. So it's suitable for everybody. If you are not that into skiing Sankt Anton offers you beautiful views and amazing restaurants located in the mountain peaks.
Sankt Anton is a great destination because just by driving 45 minutes you can visit another skiing resort known as Ischgl. Like Sankt Anton, it has a lot of slopes for all kinds of skiers. We spent one day there though it was such a nice resort that we could have spent there more time. Ischgl is located in the border of Austria and Switzerland so you can ski in both of them if you want.
After skiing a few days we drove to Vaduz, Liechtenstein. Vaduz is the capital of one of the smallest countries in the world. There isn't a lot to see but it's a beautiful city located in between of the mountains. We spent there only half a day but I think we saw the main points. One of the most beautiful spots in Vaduz is the Vaduz Castle and it's the primary residence of Liechtenstein's Princely Family.
We continued driving and arrived in Zürich, Switzerland. The best way to get to know Zürich is to start walking. There's a lot of beautiful houses and sculptures in ordinary streets and that way you can avoid the big tourist groups located near the main attractions. But remember that Switzerland is the most expensive country in Europe (with Norway) and you should totally take a notice of that when you are planning your trip and budget.
2. Exchange program in France (6th of April-13th of April)
Number two trip of 2017 was an exchange program to France. It was organized by my school and it included us living in France for one week and the French students living in Finland for one week.
We lived in a small town called Riom in Auvergne. It's two hours away from the third biggest city in France - Lyon.
It's also near Vichy which is well-known for its pastilles, springs and spas. Water from the springs in Vichy are a common ingredient in different lotions since they are said to have healing features. The springs were first found by Romans and have been used for spas ever since.
If you are interested in nature you should indeed visit Puy de Dôme, a young volcano located just outside of Clermont-Ferrand. You can either hike up there which I did or take a train which may be a good choice if you are not that into hiking. At the top of the volcano you can find restaurants and shops but if you are hiking remember to take water and some snacks with you!
3. School trip to Stockholm, Sweden (24th of April-27th of April)
We had a small journey to Stockholm with our Swedish group. Since it's a lot easier to learn a language by talking rather than just reading it, this trip was a good way to improve my Swedish skills.
We took a boat from Turku to Stockholm. You can also fly to Stockholm. The airport of Stockholm - Arlanda - is located outside the city but there are plenty of different transports to take. The main attraction of Stockholm is the old town ("Gamla stan" in Swedish). It's very pedestrian-friendly so you can just walk in small alleys and visit cute bakeries and shops. You can also found the Royal Palace in Gamla stan. There you can watch the changing of the guard.
If you like to visit museums Stockholm is a great destination for you. The most famous museums are the Vasa Museum and the ABBA museum. In Vasa Museum you can explore the old ship wreck which sank in 1628 in Stockholm. Vasa museum is the most visited museum in Scandinavia in addition it's free for under 18 years old children so it's perfect for families.
ABBA museum is quite a new museum so it has lots of new technology which makes the experience even more brilliant. You can find costumes that the members of ABBA have been using, listen to different songs and even sing with them! ABBA museum is located next to Vasa museum so it's easy to go through them both in same day.
If you like to shop you should visit the Sergels torg. It's a square in the middle of shops including the famous Åhléns City department store. Stockholm is also the capital of Scandinavian design and you can find lots of shops that offer trendy and Scandinavian decors, including IKEA.
4. USA - California, Nevada, Arizona, Florida, New York (5th of June-5th of July)
We had one month journey to the USA. It was the first time I have visited America so the culture was new to me and I learned plenty of new things. I have already written a post about this trip so I'm not going to rewrite it - you can read it from here.
5. Language trip to Brighton, United Kingdom (19th of July-9th of August)
The fifth trip in 2017 was a language trip to Brighton. It was organized by EF which is a world-famous company that arranges language trips, studying abroad and exchange years. Language trips are mostly for 14-18 years old youngsters but some destination are also for 10-14 years old. If you are interested about this kind of traveling, you can order a brochure from here.
I have already written a post about this so if you are interested to read what happens in language trips and do they really help you to improve your language skills you can read it from here.
6. Exchange program in Germany (22nd of September-29th of September)
In autumn I visited Germany as a guest of Sindelfingen's youth council. I'm part of my city's youth council so we went there to learn about different modes of operation so we could improve our actions. The journey included learning a lot about European Council and its Youth Department which was really interesting.
We lived in our exchange partner's home and that way we got more in touch with the local culture. I have actually written a post about this trip, too. You can check it out from here.
7. Baltic: Estonia and Latvia (19th of October-22nd of October)
The second last trip of 2017 was a family trip to Baltic. I had previously visited both Estonia and Latvia but it was long ago so now it was time to visit them again. We took a ship from Helsinki to Tallinn and drove to Riga from there. We visited a few other cities, too. You can read more about what places to visit from my previous post here.
8. Tallinn, Estonia with badminton team (10th of November-12th of November)
The last trip of 2017 was just a weekend trip to a badminton competition in Tallinn. It was organized by my badminton team.
I had matches only on Saturday so on Sunday we had some time to see the town and do some shopping. Sadly we didn't have time to visit attractions but I had just visited them with my family during our trip in Baltic so it wasn't a big loss.
So that was my year 2017. In statistics:
90 travel days (25% of year)
8 trips
11 countries
3 new countries
2 continents
16 flights
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!
-TH
1. The Alps (19th of February-26th of February)
The first trip of 2017 was a family vacation in the Alps. We flew to Zürich, Switzerland and rented a car from there. Then we drove to Sankt Anton, Austria. It's quite popular skiing destination and has many slopes with different level of difficulty. So it's suitable for everybody. If you are not that into skiing Sankt Anton offers you beautiful views and amazing restaurants located in the mountain peaks.
 |
| view in Sankt Anton |
Sankt Anton is a great destination because just by driving 45 minutes you can visit another skiing resort known as Ischgl. Like Sankt Anton, it has a lot of slopes for all kinds of skiers. We spent one day there though it was such a nice resort that we could have spent there more time. Ischgl is located in the border of Austria and Switzerland so you can ski in both of them if you want.
After skiing a few days we drove to Vaduz, Liechtenstein. Vaduz is the capital of one of the smallest countries in the world. There isn't a lot to see but it's a beautiful city located in between of the mountains. We spent there only half a day but I think we saw the main points. One of the most beautiful spots in Vaduz is the Vaduz Castle and it's the primary residence of Liechtenstein's Princely Family.
 |
| Vaduz Castle |
We continued driving and arrived in Zürich, Switzerland. The best way to get to know Zürich is to start walking. There's a lot of beautiful houses and sculptures in ordinary streets and that way you can avoid the big tourist groups located near the main attractions. But remember that Switzerland is the most expensive country in Europe (with Norway) and you should totally take a notice of that when you are planning your trip and budget.
2. Exchange program in France (6th of April-13th of April)
Number two trip of 2017 was an exchange program to France. It was organized by my school and it included us living in France for one week and the French students living in Finland for one week.
 |
| a spring in Vichy |
It's also near Vichy which is well-known for its pastilles, springs and spas. Water from the springs in Vichy are a common ingredient in different lotions since they are said to have healing features. The springs were first found by Romans and have been used for spas ever since.
 |
| view from Puy de Dôme |
3. School trip to Stockholm, Sweden (24th of April-27th of April)
We had a small journey to Stockholm with our Swedish group. Since it's a lot easier to learn a language by talking rather than just reading it, this trip was a good way to improve my Swedish skills.
We took a boat from Turku to Stockholm. You can also fly to Stockholm. The airport of Stockholm - Arlanda - is located outside the city but there are plenty of different transports to take. The main attraction of Stockholm is the old town ("Gamla stan" in Swedish). It's very pedestrian-friendly so you can just walk in small alleys and visit cute bakeries and shops. You can also found the Royal Palace in Gamla stan. There you can watch the changing of the guard.
 |
| alley in Gamla stan |
If you like to visit museums Stockholm is a great destination for you. The most famous museums are the Vasa Museum and the ABBA museum. In Vasa Museum you can explore the old ship wreck which sank in 1628 in Stockholm. Vasa museum is the most visited museum in Scandinavia in addition it's free for under 18 years old children so it's perfect for families.
 |
| Vasa ship in the Vasa museum |
ABBA museum is quite a new museum so it has lots of new technology which makes the experience even more brilliant. You can find costumes that the members of ABBA have been using, listen to different songs and even sing with them! ABBA museum is located next to Vasa museum so it's easy to go through them both in same day.
If you like to shop you should visit the Sergels torg. It's a square in the middle of shops including the famous Åhléns City department store. Stockholm is also the capital of Scandinavian design and you can find lots of shops that offer trendy and Scandinavian decors, including IKEA.
4. USA - California, Nevada, Arizona, Florida, New York (5th of June-5th of July)
 |
| Yosemite National Park |
5. Language trip to Brighton, United Kingdom (19th of July-9th of August)
The fifth trip in 2017 was a language trip to Brighton. It was organized by EF which is a world-famous company that arranges language trips, studying abroad and exchange years. Language trips are mostly for 14-18 years old youngsters but some destination are also for 10-14 years old. If you are interested about this kind of traveling, you can order a brochure from here.
 |
| view from my host family's home |
6. Exchange program in Germany (22nd of September-29th of September)
In autumn I visited Germany as a guest of Sindelfingen's youth council. I'm part of my city's youth council so we went there to learn about different modes of operation so we could improve our actions. The journey included learning a lot about European Council and its Youth Department which was really interesting.
 |
| in the streets of Sindelfingen |
7. Baltic: Estonia and Latvia (19th of October-22nd of October)
 |
| Riga, Latvia |
 |
| Tallinn, Estonia |
8. Tallinn, Estonia with badminton team (10th of November-12th of November)
The last trip of 2017 was just a weekend trip to a badminton competition in Tallinn. It was organized by my badminton team.
I had matches only on Saturday so on Sunday we had some time to see the town and do some shopping. Sadly we didn't have time to visit attractions but I had just visited them with my family during our trip in Baltic so it wasn't a big loss.
So that was my year 2017. In statistics:
90 travel days (25% of year)
8 trips
11 countries
3 new countries
2 continents
16 flights
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!
-TH
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