Yearly Review – rebeccawanderlusting

I won’t lie to you, 2017 was not my year. Though, I have no illusions that I’m alone in saying that. On a very surface level, I didn’t travel as much as I would have liked to this past year. Which, in the grand scheme of things, isn’t an awful problem to have. However, this is a travel blog that I write and not traveling means a lack of content. So, before we get right into it, I’d like to start off by saying that one of my resolutions for 2018 is to post more authentic and unique blogs. I hope to do much more traveling this year, even if it’s smaller trips throughout the Midwest. So, hopefully, this means I’ll be posting more travel essays and trip planning blogs.

That being said, I did have a few highlights in the past year. I went back to one of my favorite cities in the Midwest: Grand Rapids to see my all-time favorite musician, Aretha Franklin. I visited St. Louis for the first time via a Pullman Car pulled by an Amtrak Train, an amazing experience in and of itself. I drove to New Buffalo, MI to experience one of the prettiest beaches on Lake Michigan. I got the opportunity to explore Toronto and the surrounding area, including Niagara Falls and Niagara-On-The-Lake. And, last but not least, I was able to spend more time exploring my hometown of Chicago.

Okay, on to the more optimistic portion of this post: my 2018 travel goals:

Later this month I’ll be heading to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico solo for a long weekend of beach time and relaxation. Let me tell you, I could use it. I’m very excited to experience Mexico for the first time and most importantly, see Chichen Itza in person. I’m so looking forward to this trip!! I will share more of my travel plans for this one next week.
In the beginning of March, I’m heading to NYC for a quick trip to visit my cousin, Gracie. You may remember her from the beautiful photos and words she shared about her journey to Jordan: here, here and here. I don’t have any solid plans for the weekend except to visit with my friends in the city and enjoy their company.
That being said, I’d also like to visit my lovely friends in Salt Lake City and Denver sometime this year if I can! It’s lovely to have friends all over the country to visit (and stay with!).
Before work gets too busy (starting in May), I’d like to explore a new Midwestern city for a weekend. I think maybe Minneapolis, Madison or Indianapolis could be fun. I could take the Amtrak to any of those cities or rent a car and do a little road trip. If you have any strong feelings about any of these cities please share!
This summer, I’ll be heading to Traverse City with my family for a long weekend on Lake Michigan. We’re renting a house right on the lake and plan on relaxing the whooooooole time. I’d like to check out some of the wineries in the area. We also will be visiting Sleeping Bear Dunes to swim and explore.
I’m playing with the idea of taking a solo trip to Acadia National Park in the Fall. I can imagine that it would be the prettiest time to go, and that timeline gives me enough time to save for it. I think the best way to go out about it would be to fly into Boston and drive up the coast. I’m dreaming about a little cabin in the woods where I can write and hike all day long.
The last big plan I have for 2018 is to go on a little birthday trip somewhere warm-ish. I’m thinking of trying to get to Antelope Canyon in Arizona or Albuquerque, NM; somewhere in the Southwest for sure. Again, if you have any suggestions, please share!

I am hopeful that this year will be wonderful and full of adventures, both big and small.

What are your 2018 travel plans?

2016, oh what a year. It had some ups and a lot of downs. That being said, there were a few really great moments that mostly made up for the bad. This year was full of a lot of new destinations and some golden oldies; I got to go on an amazing solo trip and joined my family for a wonderful week in Tennessee. Though so many great things happened, there were a few bouts of hardship that cast an unfortunate shadow. I guess the best we can do is focus on the good things and try to learn something from the bad things.

Part of what made this year so frustrating is that I’ve been with a lot of anxiety in regards to my career, and what I want to do with my life. Real original, I know. This situation has perhaps caused me to overextend my travel plans beyond my budget to get away from the stress, which means my 2017 travel plans will be on a tighter budget. BUT! The good… let’s talk about that.

January:

It was a slow month for travel. I enjoyed a marvelous spa day with one of my favorites at the Mario Tricoci Spa in Chicago and joined my parents for a candlelit hike in Wisconsin.

February:

February brought me on a solo adventure to Washington, D.C., where I had an amazing meal at Le Diplomate, walked around monuments and museums, and learned the dangers of over-planning a trip.

March:

Another slow travel month due to cancelled plans. I got to interview one of my best friends about her time travelling with a brilliant Chicago band through the American South. And, I started planning my big solo trip to Europe.

April:

April was full of Midwest exploring. First, we went on a fun day trip to Lake Geneva, WI, then we enjoyed an amazing weekend in Grand Rapids, MI. I loved Grand Rapids so much that we are planning another trip there in the Spring.

May:

Despite having no travel plans this month for myself, I did feature some fantastic blogs about Jordan, written by the beautiful and Talented Gracie Barrie. And I, personally, wrote some posts about hotel upgrades, bookstores, and travel lessons I learned from my mom in honor of Mother’s Day.

June:

June was all about Tennessee. Mike and I went with my family to Chattanooga and then to Gatlinburg, TN to visit our Tennessee family and to enjoy the Smoky Mountains. It was a wonderful, restorative trip and I hope we make a habit of these family vacations.

July:

We kept tradition alive and went on our annual trip to the cabin in Wisconsin for the 4^th, which I celebrated with a photo blog. I also wrote about finding unique souvenirs, hiking in the Smoky Mountains, and exploring your own city.

August:

August was all about the Great Outdoors. We hiked in Matthiessen State Park and then camped nearby in Utica, IL. I also crossed an item off of my goal list for the year after going on a sunset cruise on Lake Michigan in Chicago.

September & October & November:

Each of these months were dominated by blogs of all my adventures in both Iceland and Copenhagen. This trip was a huge part of my travel plans for the year and I’m so happy with how it all turned out. We also had a nice weekend at the end of September in Milwaukee to see one of Mike’s favorite bands: Thrice.

December:

The highlight of last month, besides the holidays with family of course, was being invited to enjoy Galena for their Luminaria Festival and enjoying a wonderful stay at The Lamberson Guest House there. We had such a relaxing weekend there, which was very much needed.