These few days between Christmas and New Years leave a lot of people sat wondering what day it is, but we think it’s the best time to binge-watch some TV and plan your 2023 travels. If you’re the type of person who gets inspired by what you see on the screen, here are some releases from 2022 to kick-start your holiday planning. <br> <br>
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Wednesday
<br> <br> The Addams Family are synonymous with the creepy and spooky, and Wednesday is no different. Attending Nevermore Academy, she investigates a murder spree whilst making friends and navigating being a teenager. <br> <br> Nevermore’s vampy theme only makes us think of one place you’d want to travel to, so get jet-setting to Romania to visit the home of Dracula. Bran Castle is THE historical place to visit when in Romania. Dating back to 1211, Bran Castle has seen royal residence, been a medieval fortress, and had Bram Stoker’s character Dracula set there. You can stay less than a 5-minute walk away from the castle at Casa Din Bran from £89 a night. <br> <br> You can book a full-day tour seeing three different landmarks in Bran, Rasnov Fortress, Bran Castle, and Liberty Bear Sanctuary with end-to-end transport and a private guide from £44.94 per person here. <br> <br>
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Troll
<br> <br> Based around mythology and fairy tales, the Netflix exclusive Troll starts with an explosion in the Norwegian mountains that awakens an ancient troll, with the military and a palaeontologist having to work together to stop it causing havoc. With a critics score of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes this film is worth a watch. <br> <br> With stunning landscapes and cinematic shots of the Norwegian mountain ranges, you can really get a sense of how stunning an area it is to stay. You can book a room at Haugastol Turistsenter and enjoy two national parks, the Hardangervidda and the Hallingskarvet National Park, right on your doorstep. Plus, with summer and winter activities available to book like skiing or hiking, there’s something here for anyone who loves the outdoors – we can’t promise you’ll see an ancient troll though. <br> <br>
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Stranger Things
<br> <br> Set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, Stranger Things took the world by storm when it was first released, and every season after has been a hit. Season 4 was released earlier this year and introduced one of their most iconic characters, Eddie Munson and the Hellfire Club. <br> <br> Luckily for us, Hawkins doesn’t exist so there is no threat of the upside-down here, but you can visit where it is actually filmed in the state of Georgia, USA. Buildings like the school, laboratory, and police station are all genuine buildings spread out around Atlanta, so why not holiday here and get the true (but less creepy) Hawkins experience! <br> <br> Just 12 minutes from Downtown Atlanta you can visit the Stranger Things experience and venture into the Hawkins Lab for a 45-minute immersive experience, with the opportunity to hang out in their 80’s themed area ‘Mix-Tape’ for as long as you want. Tickets start at $39 USD and they highly encourage you to dress for the occasion. <br> <br> While you’re in Georgia, it would be rude to not enjoy the thing the state is known for – peaches! Between May and August you can tour Dickey Farms (for free!) seeing their packinghouse and have a guided tour around the grounds. Rumour has it, their homemade peach ice cream is award-winning and delicious! <br> <br>
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Bullet Train
<br> <br> Highlighting the iconic Japanese bullet train and its stops, Bullet Train follows Ladybug (played by Brad Pitt), an unlucky assassin determined to do his job peacefully. <br> <br> Bullet trains are an amazing way to sight-see around Japan as they connect a lot of the larger cities together with a mixture of fast, semi-fast, and local trains. The Japan RailPass website has maps available so you can plan your route, and a standard rail pass starts at £184 per adult and £92 per child aged 6-11 (children under 6 go free). <br> <br> Start your adventure in Tokyo, staying at Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel for £180.15 a night, then catch the same bullet train as Ladybug to Morioka where you can stay in a traditional Japanese Inn called a ryokan. Shikitei Ryokan is a little out the way from the station (around a 25 minute car ride) but it is based in beautiful countryside, only a 30 minute drive away from Morioka Castle Ruins or take the 25 minute ride north and hit the slopes at Shizukuishi Ski Resort.
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Rings of Power
<br> <br> Lord of the Rings is a classic, with beautiful cinematography, and with just over 11 hours of run time on the original trilogy (if you watch the extended editions) there is plenty of scenery to take in and admire. Rings of Power is set thousands of years before the original trilogy, but following in its footsteps it too was filmed in New Zealand. <br> <br> The majority of production took place on the Northern Island, with a lot of shots taken in Haukari, Piha, and Fiordland National Park. At £85 a night, you can stay right on the outskirts of this national park at The Village Inn Hotel and enjoy a holiday full of gorgeous nature. <br> <br> With Queenstown Airport being the closest, we’d recommend you rent a car, so your travels know no bounds! Car rental starts from $243 NZD per day – around £127 or so, but check your exchange rate with us by logging into your account. <br> <br>
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Whatever inspires your travels for 2023, you can get yourself a Caxton currency card to enjoy 15 currencies all on the same card. Apply for yours today or top-up your existing card.