When I look back on 2019, I cannot believe how much we accomplished travel wise. It’s no wonder that I spent the last three weeks of 2019 majorly run down with a brutal flu / bronchitis / fever combo. If that’s not my body telling me to slow down, I don’t know what is! Aside from my hectic work travel schedule (75+ nights via 30+ flights over 20+ trips), we managed to check off some serious bucket list items and had way too much fun along the way.
Where we Traveled
– I met a gal pal living abroad in Copenhagen for the weekend where we rode bikes, experienced CopenHot, visited Tivoli Gardens, swam in the world’s coolest indoor pool and explored Sweden for a day!
– We escaped winter for a long weekend down in Aruba where we went snorkeling aboard Tranquilo, sailed on a beautiful sunset cruise and spent a few days getting some much needed R&R.
– A wonderful wedding weekend in one of our favorite cities, Charleston! We had a ball and cannot wait to get back.
– Our annual NYC + South Jersey 4th of July trip where we soaked in so much time with best friends in the sun!
– Spent a few summer weekends along Cape Cod, in Woods Hole, the Vineyard & Block Island eating freshly caught lobster, cruising around the harbor and enjoying the beautiful New England summer weather.
– Checked off a major bucket list item with a two week trip to Tanzania where we experienced the magical Serengti, visited the Maasai Mara in Kenya, took a hot air balloon safari across the Mara River wildebeest crossing, saw the Ngorongoro Crater and relaxed by one of the world’s most beautiful beaches in Zanzibar.
– Finally made it back to Italy (5 years later!) and was able to show my husband one of the best cities, Rome!
What’s Changing
Well, a lot really….where do I start? Given our intense job schedules, limited dog coverage and desire to stay home more, we are trying to shy away from big trips in 2020 and stick to more long-weekend trips and quicker getaways. Not to mention, we will be saving a ton of money and vacation days by limited our trips shorter and closer! There are a few key ways we are hoping to accomplish this style of travel. First, we want to be more seasonal with our travel. For example, our next two trips are ski trips out west! Also, we are trying to hit “two birds with one stone” by traveling with friends and/or family, if possible. Our first ski trip will be with close friends and I’ll be venturing on a winter escape to the beach with some gal pals in March! Who lives somewhere fun and wants visitors?!
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, we would like to spend more time visiting our families back home. The past two years have been too limited with trips home and we really miss our families and childhood friends. As we get older so do our parents, grandparents, friends and friends’ children so we have a mutual goal to be more involved. We are also trying to start a family in 2020 so we are trying to avoid any Zika infested locations, just in case!
What’s on the Calendar
I can’t believe how much we already have planned for 2020. This year we learned from last year’s mistakes and front loaded travel since Winter in New England is so miserable. Any excuse to get outta town and I’ll take it! Of course, I’ll be taking monthly trips to my regular cities for work so this is in addition to those. Here’s what’s on the calendar:
– Park City for Sundance in January
– Whistler for a long weekend in February
– South Florida for a girls trip in March
– Austin for a weekend in April
– Mexico for a week in May (wedding in Guadalajara followed by a few days in Cabo San Lucas)
– Italy in Fall if possible (we’re considering a family trip) – I would love to head to Lake Como region or the French – Italian Riviera.
….we’ve already got multiple trips planned to Jersey/Atlanta and a few sets of visitors coming the next few months so we are pretty booked up until Summer. Per usual, we try to keep Summer open so that we can be spontaneous and visit friends on the Cape and surrounding areas.
What’s on the 2020 “Bucket List”
If the stars align and we can make even one of these work, let alone all 3, I’ll be one happy girl! Between budgets, vacation time, work priorities and travel buddies, we are hoping to squeeze in:
– Bermuda – hoping to go in Summer for a weekend getaway.
– Wine country in late Summer / Fall – we have best friends who live there so it’s an easy trip!
– Thanksgiving abroad – maybe Italy, France or Hawaii, time dependent.
– Portugal if we can swing it in late Spring or early Fall (anyone have month suggestions?)
Also, none of this is happening in 2020 but in the next 5 years, I have Australia, New Zealand, South Pacific and Botswana on my bucket list!
What Else?
One thing I really have been slacking on the past few years is partnering with more local gems. There are so many amazing inns, resorts and experiences to be had in New England and I want to be better about exploring them. Ideas that are top of mind include The Ocean House (Newport), Sandy Pines (glamping in Maine), Acadia National Park, Miraval (coming to the Berkshires!) and various places along the Cape. Lastly, I desperately need new carry-on luggage and I’m still in search for the perfect weekender bag. I’d like to test out a few products and then share my findings with you.
What’s on your 2020 bucket list?! Any upcoming travel plans?!
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