After sharing where I traveled to this year and my favorite photos from my travels, it’s time to share my favorite travel moments in my last blog post of 2018.
Like every other year, this one went by suspiciously fast. So fast that I feel like my next post will be my favorite travel moments of 2019! That’s right: 2019! Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but you get what I mean.
Anyway, on to this year’s favorite moments:
My Ski Weekend with Friends
Though the actual skiing was not as great as last year, I still had such a fun time with friends during our annual ski weekend. We stayed in a very cute farm in Massachusetts, right near the Vermont border. I always love weekend getaways with friends and all the laughter that comes with it.
Celebrating My Birthday in Napa
As I’ve written about previously, before arriving in Napa during my birthday weekend, the weather forecast looked bad. Like rain-all-weekend bad. But, fortunately, the weather gods were very wrong. Napa was unusually sunny and warm and perfect, and it was a wonderful, memorable, wine-filled trip.
All of Chile
I realize it’s a cop-out to say all of Chile was a favorite travel moment but I had too many favorite moments from my 2018 trip to Chile to pick just one. From watching the sunset in the Atacama Desert, to my astronomy tour, to horseback riding through literally wide open spaces to so much more, I remain awed by the natural beauty of Chile and am looking forward to my inevitable return.
All of Peru
Another cop-out but this is why I’ve been loving South America so much. I so enjoyed my time in Peru that I felt like I couldn’t just say Machu Picchu was a favorite because I loved much more than Machu Picchu (and I didn’t even love Machu Picchu initially, to be honest). I loved the Sacred Valley, exploring Lima, shopping in Cusco, all the great meals I had and all of the Peruvian furry friends I met along the way.
Watching Live Music in Austin
Specifically watching D Soul Davis & The Art of Soul at The Skylark Lounge. During a live music tour in Austin, I saw some great performances, including jazz at one of the most well-known jazz venues in the city and my very first honky tonk. But my absolute favorite was D Soul Davis & The Art of Soul. If I lived in the Austin area, I’d be seeing them every weekend!
The Many Favorite Moments of Summer ‘18
I had several really great travel moments this past summer, like my first hot chicken experience in Nashville, experiencing Dîner en Blanc and the French Open in Paris, flamenco and tapas in Barcelona, a sailing afternoon in Baltimore, fun with family in Florida, my day trip to the Grand Canyon and more.
Watching the Sunset in San Diego
During my first day in San Diego, before the work part of my trip began, I knew I had to squeeze in a sunset since I wouldn’t have an opportunity after the first day. So I quickly researched where to watch the sunset in San Diego and saw the appropriately named Sunset Cliffs Nature Park was one of the best spots. Off I went to see for myself, and now I can say it was absolutely worth it.
Reaching the Top of Observation Point (and Then Reaching the Bottom)
Zion National Park has been at the top of my travel bucket list for awhile, so when I knew I had my work trip to California, I decided to add on a side trip to Vegas and head to Zion from there. This was definitely a strenuous hike but reaching the top made it all worth it. I was also SO grateful to reach the bottom afterwards after a very rough descent on my knees, but again, all worth it.
My Solo-ish Adventures in LA
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love visiting LA! I have no idea what it’s like to live there and deal with the crazy traffic on a regular basis, but there are many things I discovered I really loved during both of my solo-ish trips there this year (I say solo-ish because though I went by myself, both times I saw friends who live in LA). I’m already looking forward to going back again soon.
Family Moments in Jamaica
Like last year, I spent the end of this year in Jamaica with my family. There are a growing number of kids and babies in my family, so much of my time was spent with them, laughing at all the things that came out of their mouths (children really do say the funniest and smartest things). It was a nice way to end another year of adventures.
Thanks, 2018! Alright, 2019. Let’s do this.
