2016 in pictures

I think it goes without saying that 2016 has been a pretty bad year. For the world and personally it hasn't been the best (and I realise that it doesn't always seem like that when you're looking at sunny beach photos on Instagram).

Putting this post together has reminded me of all the fun times we've had this year though (and there were a lot!). We visited 13 countries – even more than last year despite having the best of intentions to slow down – and we spent more time in London with family and friends too.

Here's our 2016...

January: We celebrated the new year in Mexico City, a place we visited three times in 2016. This was our favourite neighbourhood hangout – El Lugarcito.

February: Guanajuato is somewhere I dreamed of visiting when we first started planning to travel and it was just as lovely as I'd hoped.

March: After a frustrating month mostly spent indoors job hunting we went on a road trip in Queretaro that reminded us why we're doing this.

April: Oh, San Pancho – the dreamiest little beach town in Mexico. We spent two months here and it's one of our all-time favourite places.

May: A surprise visit from friends meant a week of fun trips around San Pancho.

June: We took the long way home and spent a day in Boston.

July: One of my favourite trips of the year was going camping in Norfolk. We walked along coastal paths, went seal watching and ran around stormy beaches.

August: We set off again, first through France and then Italy. Our week in Florence was packed full of museums, ice cream and lots of laughs.

September: We were lucky enough to go on two road trips in Slovenia, first to Lake Bled and then to Piran.

October: We spent a lot of time on trains this autumn. Journeys in the Balkans were long but cheap (10 hours for €12!).

November: This was my birthday cake, at the wonderful Borkonyha Winekitchen in Budapest.

December: Our first winter for three years and obsessed with everything cosy.

So, 2017. I've got lots of plans – new projects, positive changes, more adventures. I'm excited.

Travel wise, we're spending the first half of the year in Europe, starting off with two months in Prague. The rest is to be confirmed, but things are slowly starting to come together.

I love this time of reflection – a fresh start – and it's been particularly nice to spend it at home this year. And tonight we're celebrating with friends and a little sausage dog called Dusty.

Happy New Year!