Now that we’re safely into the second half of the year and I have most of my travel plans squared away for the rest of 2011 (Hong Kong, Macau, Normandy France and England’s West Country), it’s time to start thinking about 2012.

One thing the BF and I have sort of decided on is taking the Trans Siberian railway either from Moscow to Beijing, or St. Petersburg to Beijing. This will take us through Russia, Mongolia and China over the course of about 3 weeks.  I’m dead-set on seeing lake Baikal and am really looking forward to some horse riding in Mongolia.

Lake Baikal (www.voyagesphotosmanu.com)

Beyond this three week adventure, we’re looking at staying in either Amsterdam, Montreal, Toronto or possibly Stockholm during the London 2012 Olympics.  As excited as I always am about the Olympics, I can’t imagine London will cope too well with the massive onslaught of tourists and I’ve decided to keep away during those 2-3 weeks of chaos.  We originally visited Amsterdam in 2009, but didn’t get to stay very long so we’re keen to return.  Montreal and Toronto seem like two of Canada’s best cities and I’d like to visit, but I suspect Stockholm or Amsterdam would be a cheaper option due to flight costs.

Montreal Skyline

From Summer 2012 on, I don’t have anything specific planned yet, but I’m pretty sure the latter half of the year will include some more European weekend getaways, including perhaps a bit more of the British Isles.

Where are you planning to travel in 2012?