I love reflecting back at the end of every year. For most of the last ~9 years that I’ve been blogging, I’ve written a trio of annual recap posts. This one is all about my best travel experiences of the year!

In 2024, my highlights were finishing my Lap of Australia, road tripping New Zealand, and a canoe trip in the Boundary Waters in Minnesota with my family. You can also read about 2023, 2022, 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2016. There’s no criteria as to what can make the list each year – it just has to be a travel experience that I enjoyed! Here are my top travel experiences of 2025.

My final New Zealand road trip

Wow, this was a good one! I spent 5 weeks traveling all across New Zealand, going from the southernmost point of the South Island to the northernmost point on the North Island. Standing at the lighthouse at Cape Reinga on my penultimate day, and realizing I’d driven the entire country, was a moment I’ll never forget. Hiking and swimming at Stewart Island, visiting Lord of the Rings film locations around Poolburn Dam, summiting Avalanche Peak, seeing the most insane view of Mount Taranaki from Pouakai Tarns, and swimming and watching the sunset at Maitai Bay were other stand-out moments.

Read More: New Zealand Road Trip Budget: 2025 Guide, Lord of the Rings Film Locations to Visit in New Zealand, all of my New Zealand posts

A heli hike on Franz Josef Glacier

This was one epic experience I’ll never forget: taking a helicopter ride to Franz Josef Glacier, and then doing a hike on the glacier itself! This is such a weather-dependent experience, and I was so worried it would get canceled and I’d miss out. But the conditions were superb that morning, perfect for ticking a major item off my bucket list. If you’re traveling the West Coast in New Zealand, a Franz Josef Glacier heli hike one thing you can’t miss!

Read More: Franz Josef Glacier Heli Hike: What to Know Before You Go

Finally visiting Switzerland, my 50th country

I’ve really wanted to go to Switzerland for years, but I’ve always been put off by the price. This year, I decided I really wanted to make it happen – so I did, for almost free! I spent 3.5 weeks in Switzerland in July, housesitting outside Bern and exploring and hiking as much as I could. It was, literally, a dream come true: my own pool with glorious views over the Swiss countryside, for free! Starting in Geneva, I visited Lausanne before settling in at my new crib. I did hiking day trips to Interlaken (to hike Augstmatthorn from Harder Kulm) and Lauterbrunnen (hiking from Kleine Scheidegg to Lauterbrunnen) before spending my last day in Zurich. I worked with Travel Switzerland on this trip, and it was such a big milestone for my professional career, too! (Interested in housesitting? Sign up to Trusted Housesitters with this link and get a 25% discount off your membership!)

Read More: How I Made My Dream Trip to Switzerland Happen – For (Almost) Free! Swiss Travel Pass: Is it Worth the Money?

Going on my first official press trip with Jet2 to Malaga, Spain

This fall, I had a long weekend in Malaga – I went with four other girls and we had the best time ever! While the trip was so much fun, it was also a huge deal for me as a travel blogger: it was my first press trip as Away With Maja! This is something I’ve been working towards for almost 10 years as a blogger, and it was so meaningful to me to have this experience. We had a fabulous time thanks to Jet2. I hope it’s the start of more to come in the future!

Read More: How to Spend a City Break in Malaga, Spain: 3-Day Itinerary

Winning a free trip to Croatia with Hostelworld

Who would have thought that you can actually win a free trip from those Instagram competitions?! Well, I did, and I had a fabulous trip to Croatia at the start of September! All my accommodation and transport between cities was covered, plus a few meals and activities. I just had to pay for flights and the rest of the stuff I wanted to do. Seeing Plitvice Lakes National Park (FINALLY, on my third trip to Croatia!), visiting Krka National Park, and returning to my sunset spot in Dubrovnik were major highlights for me. I also partied a lot, met lots of great people, and just had so much FUN!

The most perfect day in Scotland

After a 3-week housesit in Muir of Ord, I set off on a road trip up around Assynt, in the far northwest Scottish Highlands. My first full day, I visited Handa Island in the morning – exploring this unique spot and seeing puffins! Then I drove into the sunshine and hiked Stac Pollaidh with the most spectacular views. I’ve been calling Stac Pollaidh “the one that got away” ever since I did the North Coast 500 and missed it due to weather in 2020! I ended the day with a great camp spot and a swim at my own sandy beach on a loch. Truly, one of the best days this year.

Read More: Handa Island, Scotland: What You Need to Know for Your Visit, Everything You Need to Know About Hiking Stac Pollaidh in Scotland

A Lake District stopover on my way up to Scotland

I left my housesit in Cardiff and drove all the way across the country up to northern Scotland, and chose to break up the drive with a few hours in the Lake District. The weather was unbelievable! I bagged another Wainwright (a short one, Little Mell Fell) and then went swimming in Ullswater. It was the first time I’d been back in the Lake District in almost three years, and I loved it!

Read More: 30 Incredible Places to Visit in the Lake District

At long last, visiting Cornwall properly

I’ve been to Cornwall just once before – for 2 days, in winter, and without a car. I’ve always felt like it’s been one of my biggest UK travel oversights, but my housesitting adventures took me there for about 2.5 weeks this summer. It was very busy, and there were lots of crowds (I don’t think I’ll be going back during the school holidays again) – but it was also magically beautiful. I did so many hikes along the coast, swam at an untold number of stunning beaches, crossed the tidal causeway at St. Michael’s Mount, and visited places I’ve been wanting to go to for over a decade. I’m so glad I was able to make it happen this year!

Hiking Ben Ohau in Twizel

I could see the outline of Ben Ohau from my bedroom window in Twizel – and part of the reason I wanted to return to New Zealand (and Twizel) was to hike this mountain. I finally did that in January, on the most glorious day possible. Nothing but blue skies and jaw-dropping views all around – and my reward was a swim in one of the bright blue glacial lakes (my favorite, Lake Ruataniwha) afterwards. A banner day.

Read More: Hiking Ben Ohau and the Greta Track: Everything You Need to Know, The Best Walks in Twizel, New Zealand

Seeing the heather bloom in Yorkshire

I wanted to be back in Yorkshire at the end of August to see the purple heather in bloom – one of my favorite seasons! While sadly I didn’t think that the colors were as vibrant this year as they had been in previous years, it was so wonderful to see so much natural beauty out in the moors. I planned lots of hikes, including doing a number of my old favorites, specifically to see the heather.

Read More: The Best Places to See Heather in Bloom in Yorkshire

Hiking the Minster Way from York to Beverley

This is a trail I’d been toying with doing for a while now. When I had three days in-between housesits in York, it felt like the perfect time to go for it! I covered the 53-mile trail over three days. Most of the route goes along quiet footpaths and through fields and farms, but there was some great scenery too, particularly in the Yorkshire Wolds. I raced across town to reach Beverley Minster before it closed – finishing at this magnificent church was the finale I’d been working towards!

Read More: A Hiking Guide for the Minster Way in Yorkshire

A layover in Canada with my boo

The cheapest flight from New Zealand back to the UK on my departure date this March was with Air Canada, and had a 13-hour layover in Vancouver. Normally, I’d never do this, and would pay more money for a better flight journey. But my best friend, who I hadn’t seen in three years, lives in Vancouver – so I spent the long layover hanging out with him!! Not only did I finally get to see where he lived and his apartment, but he drove me up the Sea to Sky Highway to the Sea to Sky Gondola, where I ignored my exhaustion with the unbelievable views. There’s no one else I’d crank that with at 6:50am leaving the airport. Thanks boo!

Read More: How to Spend 24 Hours in Vancouver, Canada

Discovering so many new places in my city with York Unlocked

As I’ve been away the last few years, 2025 was the first year I was in town for York Unlocked. And what a weekend! This festival takes place every fall, opening up some of the most interesting and unique buildings in York to the public for absolutely free. I got to see inside so many buildings I’d been wanting to visit for years – Henry Herbert House, Museum Garden Lodge, St. Saviourgate Masonic Lodge, and Castlegate House being some of the highlights. I also finally got to go inside the churchyard at St. Olave’s Church, home to my favorite door in the city, and see my door from the other side! What an adventure!

Read More: 20 Things to Do in York That Are Absolutely FREE!

A spontaneous return to Northumberland

I hadn’t been to Northumberland since May 2022. So, when I was desperately looking for a last-minute housesit at the start of November and one popped up just outside Alnwick, I jumped at the opportunity! I spent just a few days taking care of the sweetest German shepherd named Mopsa, enjoying the sauna and spa at the village’s leisure center (perks of the housesit!), and exploring spots around Northumberland both new and old. I revisited Bamburgh Castle and Alnwick, and did walks to Linhope Spout and the Simsonside Hills. This is such an amazing and underrated part of the UK, and I’m glad I had an excuse to return!

Read More: Exploring Northumberland: A Coastal Road Trip Itinerary, Why You Should Visit Alnwick, Northumberland

Spending Christmas with my family!

Despite the chaos of my life, I was so thrilled that my family came to the UK to spend Christmas here. It was the first time that both my parents and my sister had visited together since I moved in 2016! It was so meaningful for me to get to spend this time together with them, especially after a couple of tough Christmases the last few years. We visited Edinburgh and the Christmas market, had Christmas Eve lunch at my pub, went to the midnight service at York Minster, did walks along the coast and in the Dales, saw the panto, watched Christmas movies, ate so much good food, and enjoyed our time together. I’m so happy to have had this wonderful time together with them.

Moving into my new flat in York

This is probably the opposite of a “travel experience,” but after so long on the road I think it can count. After years of instability and 9 months of full-time housesitting, I finally have a place to call my own! It was a lot of money (I needed to pay 6 months’ rent and the deposit up front, so it was all my money lol), but I’m hoping the peace and stability it’ll bring me will be worth it. Not having to plan “what’s next” or where I’m sleeping the next night is such a relief and a huge weight off my shoulders. And after crashing on so many couches, I can’t wait to have friends come visit me so I can repay the favor!

A lot of good times with friends all around the world this year

I had a lot of laughs and drinks with my community in Twizel, New Zealand – my leaving party was such a huge highlight, as about half the company turned out! I met some wonderful people on the road in New Zealand, and had so much fun reuniting with friends in York and the UK – including my friend Shelley from Australia, who had a birthday party here in York! My friend Ame came and visited me in York, not just once but twice, and I got to meet up with old friends and new friends (including some Instagram connections turned real-life friends!) around the country. These moments brought me so much joy, and I’m so grateful for them. This year was very lonely for me, so I appreciated these good times even more.

Making my dream come true and becoming a freelance travel writer

I’ve always dreamed of being able to work for myself and write about my travels full-time. And this year, I achieved just that. After landing one stable freelance gig right when I came back to the UK, I took on another short-term project – and between the two, I was making more money than at my last full-time job! I always knew it’d be temporary (the second, high-paying project was just for a few months), but I absolutely made the most. I saved up loads of money from housesitting, spent almost a month in Switzerland, took spontaneous trips because I could, and lived out some of my wildest dreams. All of that was possible because I persevered, and made it happen. I’m very proud of myself.

Read More: How I Became a Freelance Travel Writer: A Dream Come True

Having the best year ever for my blog!

I’m closing out 2025 (and this post) on a high note – this year was the best year for Away With Maja to date! I had over 259k page views, a 43% increase from last year. A lot of articles I published last year started ranking, and it’s been really satisfying seeing that hard work pay off. I pitched and produced a major content creation collaboration with Travel Switzerland, and was invited on my first ever press trip with Jet2 to Malaga, Spain. I have been blogging for nearly a decade, and poured my heart and soul into Away With Maja. After so many years, this recognition and these types of numbers mean the world to me. Thank you, dear readers, for supporting me in this journey.

What a year! Intense, chaotic, and wild, but full of memories that will last a lifetime. I started 2025 lightyears away from where I finished it – both literally (New Zealand to the UK) and metaphorically. I’m so excited for 2026 and to see what this next chapter will bring.

Wishing you the very best for the new year and a travel-filled 2026!

What were your top travel highlights of 2025? Do you have any fun plans for 2026?