travel blog, travel blogger, nina travels

People say that time flies faster when getting older and now we are in a dilemma – are we old or was 2015 poorer with traveling? Believe it or not, but when thinking what all happened to us in 2015 and where we had been, we thought that some travels and trips were done in 2015, but in fact, they were done already in 2014.

What did really happen in 2015?

  • January

We had no plans for January, when a phone rang. The country code was from Austria, so we were wondering who that would be. Before we even realized what happened, we were invited to Bad Kleinkircheim from Carinthia Tourism Board in Austria. We did not think twice and grab the opportunity immediately. But unfortunately we did not enjoy as much as we could, as Simon got ill with stomach flu and was in bed for most of the time. But being invited to a press trips gave us some responsibilities, so I was the one, who mostly explored the town. Luckily Simon felt a bit better on the last day, to do few things (including cheering on the world cup in women downhill) together.

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Cheered for Tina Maze – Slovenian skiier

  • February and March

These two winter months were a bit slow for us, but nevertheless we made the best of it and put lots of new travel tips on the blog. Hopefully you find them useful.
We have done only one quick weekend trip to Velebit mountain range in Croatia, with our 4WD. Short but sweet!

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Snow on Velebit mountain range in Croatia

  • April and May

April was extremely busy for us. First we have worked with Croatia Tourism Board and visited Festival of asparagus in Istria, Croatia. As soon as we came home we started packing for our next adventure – we were traveling to UAE. Lots of people think that UAE travel is only for thicker wallets, but we were determined to prove them wrong and we did. During our UAE travel, we also worked with two hotels – Hilton Abu Dhabi and Holiday Inn Dubai Al Barsha.

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Adventure driven in UAE

  • June

June was another month with absolutely no plans, but it really looks the best things come when you least expect them too. I was flying to New York City almost overnight and loved the city. Luckily I traveled to NYC without Simon, having now one heck of excuse to return back with him. Being on the East coast, I also did a short roadtrip around the state of Vermont. Loved the scenery there!
As soon as I came back, Simon and I went to Croatia again, where we worked with water park Istralandia. Last but not least, we also got an invite from Friuli Venezia Giulia tourism Board and we were traveling to Italy as well. Visiting prosciutto festival in San Daniele, mosaic school in Spilimbergo and historical town of Aguileia, was amazing. We also loved the fact, that the whole trip was adjusted to foodies, what means, we did not only look at Italy, but we did taste a lot of traditional food as well. Yummy!

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A visit to Spilimbergo mosaic school in Italy

  • July

June being so filled with travels and trips, we took July for writing about all the experiences. Luckily also my mum took care of two new blog posts and destinations. If you are ever traveling to Slovenia during hot summer days, make sure to do some hiking to cooler destinations. Also Austria and a visit to its Kolnbrein dam is great for hot summer days.

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Beautiful views on the road to Kolbrein dam in Carinthia, Austria

  • August

We had lots of plans for August – spending summer holidays at the Greek island of Lefkada and exploring Frankfurt and its surrounding with German Tourism Board. Unfortunately as soon as we reached Lefkada Island, I got some health problems, which have not been 100% ok yet. So, instead of leaving for Frankfurt, I went straight to the doctor.

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Off-roading at Lefkada Island, Greece

  • September

My health did improve a bit, so we made some short trips again. Working with Carinthia Tourism Board in Austria, we have visited the Monkey Hill and experienced adrenalin tobogganing Nocky Flitzer. We have also explored Ljubljana with Segways and fest at eco-farm Trnulja as a press trip from Ljubljana tourism Board in Slovenia.

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Adrenalin tobogganing in Carinthia, Austria

  • October

As you probably know, we are based in Slovenia and that is why we have decided to explore it a bit more. A visit to NE region Pomurje was extremely interesting, especially as it was our first time there.

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First time in Pomurje, Slovenian NE region

  • November

November was extremely warm and sunny, what was perfect for a roadtrip to San Marino and few Italian towns nearby (Rimini, Cesenatico, Ravenna). We were also learning how to make Austrian traditional dish – Kasnudeln. Last but not least, Expedia asked us to make a list of our TOP 6 European destinations to try in 2016. That sure made us proud!

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Roadtrip to San Marino and Italy

  • December

Festive December was time for some lights and Christmas decorations. We have visited Christmas markets in Cividale, Italy and Zagreb, Croatia. We were again exploring a bit of Slovenia – this time we visited Notranjska region.

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Exploring Notransjka region in Slovenia

Well, at first we thought not much was going on in 2015, but with writing this blog post we realized how busy 2015 was. We did not do much traveling outside of Europe, due to our finances, my health and also because of my mum. Unfortunately 2015 was not only a year of my health issues…. My mum was diagnosed for lymphoma cancer. Getting the news was totally shocking for me and everyone in the family. I needed a lot of time to deal with it without asking why her… I could not done it without Simon – I feel so blessed to be born in a strong and determine family and have such a supporting husband. My mum once already overcame breast cancer and we know, she will make it through this time too. We are now stepping together into the New Year stronger than ever, counting down months, weeks and days when my mum is over with her chemotherapy treatments. Every day she shows to be stronger and more optimistic and I respect her for that more and more – I am proud to call her my mum.