I took these in Italy in the summer of 2012. We went to Rome, Florence, and Venice, and while it’s tough for me to pick favourite vacations, Rome has to be one of my favourite cities in the world. Great food, sunshine, history, art – it’s unbelievably beautiful.

I’ve been pretty busy the past couple of years, what with school and work, and that hasn’t left me much time to travel. It’s unlikely that I’ll be able to go anywhere until after I finish university. Hopefully, I’ll have a little time between graduating and starting work to take a trip somewhere. I’ve been to the three big destinations in Italy, so if I ever do go back, I’d like to go visit some other countries first, but I’d love to see Rome again, or go to the countryside or the Amalfi Coast. I wasn’t all that taken with Venice, so I’d be fine giving that a pass. It felt too much like one massive tourist trap to me.

My family’s Europe trips tend to be to cities and historical sites. That’s fine, there’s nothing wrong with it at all. I like cities and history as much as the next girl. But it would be nice to do something different – visit some less popular destinations or smaller towns; have a more relaxed, less strictly planned vacation. That sounds like a great plan for the summer after university, just taking a week and lounging around somewhere gorgeous.