Last year, I started what will likely be an annual tradition for as long as I have this blog: a look back at the year’s travels. I find it really nice to reflect on the last 12 months and see just how many adventures I’ve had along the way. It always makes me grateful for these opportunities and hungry for more.
This year was a lot more U.S./North America travel, in part due to several work trips, which I tried to leverage as much as I could. I had some destinations on my list that I did not get to, but I also managed to cross a few big places off of my bucket list that I hadn’t anticipated crossing off in 2018, so overall it was a great travel year for me.
Here’s the 2018 rundown:
January: Jamaica
I started this year in Jamaica, which was my first time spending the holidays in Jamaica after four years of being elsewhere for Christmas and New Year’s. I rang in 2018 at my cousin’s house, where we played games, ate, laughed and had a great time bringing in the new year.
February: Vermont
I continued my annual ski trip with friends, and this time we tried a new mountain for all of us: Mount Snow in Dover, Vermont. I’ll admit, the conditions weren’t as great as last year, so my first day on the slopes was pretty rough, but the second day ended up being much better and the trip was great overall.
March: California
This year, I celebrated my birthday in California with a three-part trip: I started off in LA and realized just how much I love that city, then I flew up to San Francisco and met my sister there before we drove up to Napa for a few days of birthday wine tasting in surprisingly gorgeous weather.
April: Chile, Peru
I feel like my travels really got going in April. I was gone for about three weeks total with some remote working mixed in so I could make my vacation days stretch. On this latest South America trip, I went to Santiago and the Atacama Desert in Chile and then to Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu in Peru.
May: New Orleans, Austin, Nashville
In May, I had my first work trip of the year to New Orleans and followed that up by tacking on a few days in both Austin (first time in Texas, y’all!) and Nashville (first time in Tennessee, y’all!). I had a great time exploring the music scene in all three cities, and of course eating all the food.
June: Paris, Barcelona, French Riviera, Monaco
A few days after returning from Nashville, I went off to Europe for a vacation; no work involved whatsoever! While in Paris, I went to the 30th anniversary of Dîner en Blanc and the French Open before heading to Barcelona and finally to the French Riviera and Monaco.
July: Hamptons, Baltimore
After a few travel-packed weeks in April, May and June, I slowed things down by keeping it pretty local in July. I did a quick trip to the Hamptons while my mom was visiting New York City, and then I did a weekend away in Baltimore for the first time.
August: South Florida
In August, I traveled to South Florida to spend some time with my family since I hadn’t been there for most of the year. August in South Florida was freakin’ HOT, but my family and I still had a great time, and I’m glad I was able to go and take a break from NYC (not like I wasn’t taking breaks before, but still, it was nice).
September: Arizona
In August, I found out I had a work trip to Phoenix in September and did what any other person who loves travel would do: I went early and squeezed in a day trip to the Grand Canyon. In part because I didn’t know when else I’d be back in the area and also because I missed out on the Grand Canyon years ago and felt this trip was way overdue.
October: California, Las Vegas, Zion National Park
I had another work trip in October, this time in San Diego (where I tried to squeeze in as much fun as I could). I followed the work part up with a quick trip to Las Vegas, which I used as a jumping off point to visit Zion National Park. I then returned to California, ending my time in LA.
November: Canada, Marco Island, South Florida
November brought yet another work trip, this time to Toronto, Canada. A few days after I returned from that, I went to Marco Island for a few sunny days of relaxing before spending Thanksgiving in South Florida with my family.
December: South Florida, Jamaica
Just like last year, I’m ending the year with a few days in South Florida before heading to Jamaica for Christmas and New Year’s. Not gonna lie, I love the sun and have no qualms about having a tropical holiday. As the kids say: “sorry, not sorry.”
What were your favorite travels from 2018?
