Just a quick note to say Happy New Year from London. Hope next year brings you some new travel destinations!

Happy New Year to all from me too!

I will be starting 2014 with a WHS-filled Mexico-trip, hoping to have added 16 to my score by the end of January. Also I already arranged a trip to West Canada in September, mainly focusing on wildlife but also with 4 WHS. And, last but not least, I am hoping to join a tour to Iraqi Kurdistan this Spring (including Erbil Citadel which will almost surely become a WHS later this year).

So far my fixed plans for this year. Would like to hear those from others too...

Very keen to hear about those trips, especially Kurdistan (Erbil was going to go on my Top 50 missing list)

As for my plans for the year ahead hopefully I will get in a trip to Riga in February, I planned it but had to suspend last year.
A short trip to Gent to see my new God Daughter can hopefully give me a couple of new Mining sites to visit!
Then if everything comes together we are hopping for a big trip to Iran later in the year, still some way to go on that one though.

Do tell me more please.

I have a trip to Iran all planned for 2014 BUT problems in getting visas have put me off booking it.
Current sitation as far as i know -
No Iranian rep in UK (might change during the year) - so have to send Passports to Dublin. Everywhere else seems to require finger prints which means attending the Embassy in person of course BUT Dublin doesn't seem to be doing so "at the moment" (but could change this on a whim!). Worst case scenario - have to go to Dublin in person? Well - worst case is not getting the visas at all. It is all very well saying "don't book the flight until you have the visa" but it just isn't practical! Similarly one has to pay an agent in Iran something to get the Visa letter etc etc!

Is your knowledge of the situation for UK citizens any different? how were you planning to overcome this hurdle race?

I have had Visa hassles for 2 consecutive years
a. Algeria -had to make a special trip to London and then get invovled in faxing doeumtns to them.
b. Pakistan -even had to go down to the Pakistani "capital" of UK in Bradford to sort that out!

Happy New Year from across the pond! I don't know if I can visit all these places for 2014, but better to be ambitious!

2014 Travel Plans

Domestic

New York - (Statue of Liberty, Guggenheim Museum)
Pennsylvania - (Independence Hall)
New Mexico - (Carlsbad Caverns National Park, White Sands National Monument)
Texas - (San Antonio Franciscan Missions)

International

Mexico - (Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California, Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve, El Pinacate and Great Altar Desert)

South Korea - Remaining Tentative nominations (6)

In regards to the Iranian visa situation, we are seeing the same obstacles. Which is why it isn't 100% on our itinerary just a hopeful plan at the moment.

Yep the trip to Dublin may have to be our option, though we were planning on travelling via Istanbul anyway, so there is the potential of picking one up enroute, though I think it could be a little risky to leave it so late.

We do also have a bit of a link in Iranian Tourism and Touring Organisation, though whether that will turn anything up I don't know.

Mrs Meltwaterfalls is Australian so there is a potential route there as well but we haven't investigated too far, just enough to see that it is twice as expensive for UK passport holders.