Every year (since 2013!) I’ve been writing Year in Review recaps that take a look at my life over the last 12 months. These are some of my favorite posts to write, as I really get to look back at the last year and relive some of my best memories. Check out my past year in reviews here if you’re interested! 

And this year was an extraordinary one for sure – it somehow ended up being my most traveled year yet! By July, I had already been to 5 continents (wild considering I have a full-time job), and the traveling didn’t stop there! I aimed to skip visiting Mexico for a full year with hopes it’d motivate me to see other spots, and I think that definitely helped (although I dearly love the country and already have a trip booked there in early 2025, haha).

In 2024 I went skiing for the first time (so fun!), crossed off a new wonder of the world (Machu Picchu!), marveled at the Sydney Opera House and teared up at koalas in the wild in AUSTRALIA (!!!), ate tons of hot honey hotteok, kimbap, and black sesame ice cream in Asia, and spent over a month in Europe. 

2024 was also the year I became the world’s newest Swiftie (and even tried to score a last minute ticket to her show in Dublin, but of course it was the hardest European destination to get because of the restrictive laws in Ireland!). 

There were also some wonderful moments closer to home too. And one of the best ones? My sister had a beautiful baby girl (meaning I’m an auntie again!) and I swear she’s the cutest little thing. I got to meet her in October and I’m in love!

I also went to my first-ever travel blogging conference and had my first-ever $20k+ month from my blog (a huge milestone for me!).

It was also a big year for astronomy, with a full solar eclipse, Comet A3, AND the northern lights shining bright on SO much of America (twice – which I missed both times, just my luck). 

A big realization I had this year is that I’m either away adventuring hard, or hanging at home doing a puzzle, reading, or scrapbooking – there’s no in between for me. I’m starting to enjoy being more of a homebody in California (and starting to find my community here), and that just tells me one thing – my body craves rest when I’m not traveling. Something I’m aiming to prioritize more in the new year (although I keep saying that and it never happens, haha).

2024 by the Numbers

• Countries Traveled To: 12 – Belgium, England (x2), USA, Australia, South Korea, Italy, San Marino, Ireland, Peru, Japan, France, Switzerland 
• States Traveled To: 5 – California, Wyoming, Utah, New York (x2), Hawaii (x2) 
• # of flights: 35
• Miles flown: 95k
• Books read: 72
• Candy Crush Level: 3954
• Duolingo Streak: 933
• Days traveling: 144 (39% of the year, which is pretty wild considering I work full time!)
• Solo travel days: 17 (in mostly Italy, San Marino, and Ireland)

Something I do wanna mention is that this post is coming out a few weeks later than my year-end recaps usually do. To be completely honest, blogging has sort of lost its excitement and sparkle. It just doesn’t feel as fun as it used to. Plus, I’m super overwhelmed with all the trips and destinations I have yet to write about. A good problem to have (I guess), but when the backlog is well over 50 posts long and 15 destinations deep, well, it feels like you’ll never catch up. We’ll see how much I write in 2025, but I’m not pressuring myself. 

Enough about that, let’s get to it! Here’s my 2024 year in review!

January

Bruges, Belgium

We started off the year exploring a new country together – Belgium! I have to admit I knew literally nothing about Bruges (or Belgium in general) before booking our train tickets, but boy am I glad we made the effort to get over here.

The main reason we went? To soak up all the Christmas spirit in Bruges (and lucky us, they continue celebrating well into the new year!). I swear, the literal moment we arrived, I fell in love with the city, yes, even despite the initial heavy rain!

We spent a few days indulging in *all* the chocolate, *all* the waffles, some extremely decadent hot chocolate (mine tasted exactly like speculoos and it was glorious), and of course ate way too many fries (when in Belgium, am I right?).

So much of our time in Bruges was spent just wandering the cute storybook town, strolling along the canals (kinda a mix of Amsterdam and Venice!), checking out the quirky frietmuseum (and learned even more about potatoes!), popping into chocolate shops every 2 minutes, taking photos in front of the old guild houses in Market Square, and taste testing everything at the market.

There’s just something so magical and charming about Bruges, especially during Christmas. It seemed like every single shop, pharmacy, and building put up decorations – everyone was super into the Christmas spirit, creating so much positive and happy energy. 

Despite our original flight to London getting canceled and sitting behind a lady who literally coughed the entire 10-hour flight home (and refused to wear a mask… cue the eye rolls), we had *such* a good trip. Europe in the winter is it – especially around the holidays. 

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

If you’ve been following me for a while now, you know I plan birthday trips for myself every year. It’s a goal I’ve been keeping up with for quite a few years (I’ve spent past birthdays in Mexico City, Todos Santos, San Luis Obispo, Oahu, etc). 

Since I’m currently on my way to visiting all 50 states, I decided a snowy long weekend in Jackson, Wyoming would be it for my 37th!

And what a great idea that was! The trip started off great with free mimosas at the airport and then six moose sightings within 5 minutes of leaving the airport! Despite the Tetons hiding for most of our trip, the landscapes were still incredible.

Over the long weekend we met the cutest misfit doggies while dog sledding, took the tram up 10k feet to get waffles and hot cocoa at Corbet’s Cabin, watched the skiers sitting by the fire with some hot apple cider, spent an epic morning snowmobiling to hot springs (by far one of the coolest things we’ve done!), tried so many great restaurants, and searched for wildlife in Grand Teton National Park (watched a bunch of moose graze in the snow, bighorn sheep on the mountain tops, the cutest fluffy red fox, mule deer, and more). 

We also explored the tiny town filled with an eclectic mix of cowboy shops and ski shops, and even got to see the very beginning of an actual dog sled race that only happens once a year! 

To say we loved our hotel is a massive understatement (it was definitely a splurge for my birthday)! Hot cocoa bar and cookies every afternoon, great service, and the perfect location right in the middle of town. 

I also got to see a childhood friend I hadn’t spent time with in forever which was extra special (hi Li!)! We loved reminiscing – hope we can plan another reunion soon!

And I finally got to fly over the Golden Gate Bridge (with no fog!) – weird that it took this long, haha. 

And when I wasn’t traveling? I was listening to audiobooks, doing 1,000 piece puzzles, relaxing on the couch with Kona, and planning lots of future travels. Honestly, it felt really good to kinda hibernate, especially with all the rain we had.

February

The beginning of the month was dedicated to rest, and boy it felt amazing to sleep in, stay in PJs all day, and just RELAX – I think I’m finally understanding all the hype about hygge, haha.

Australia

But I couldn’t sit still for too long, because in the middle of the month I was off to Australia for almost 2 weeks (an absolute dream of mine for far too long). I was originally gonna travel solo, but ended up having Kristen join me (same gal I went to Guatemala with last February!)

And about an hour before boarding, my sister told me she’s PREGNANT! Such a shock and happy surprise! I’m gonna be such a cool aunt!

I got so lucky with an empty seat next to me for the (very long) 15 hour flight, and slept for 11 hours – practically unheard of for me. And zero jet lag; what a dream! Was somehow so much easier than going to Europe.

Sydney

First stop of the trip – spectacular Sydney! We hit the ground running at 6am right after landing – super impressed we made it to 9pm! We spent a full day wandering around the CBD finding all the best views of the Sydney Opera House, walked across the Harbor Bridge, wandered Circular Quay, had cocktails at one of the top 50 bars in the world (Maybe Sammy – so fun!), watched fireworks at Darling Harbour, perused all the little stalls at the Rocks Market, hung around the Royal Botanic Gardens, sipped drinks at the iconic Opera Bar, and watched the most beautiful sunset at Ms Macquaries Chair.

And oh, all the rumors are true – Aussies are oh so friendly!

Taking a day trip to the Australian Reptile Park to feed kangaroos and cuddle some koalas was a major highlight – such a dream (where we met the cutest baby Koala named Pete). Plus a true Aussie BBQ (including shrimp on the barbie) and a (very unsuccessful) attempt at boomerang throwing. 

Another morning we ferried over to Manly for beach boutiques, more acai, street art, and lots of sandy beach time. Safe to say I fell hard for this little town!

And then we spent a few nights over by Bondi Beach (loved it is an understatement), admired the Bondi Icebergs about a dozen times (it was a 10 min walk from our hotel), spent so much time just laying on the beach watching the surfers, browsed all the cool surf boutiques, ate so many açaí bowls and avocado toasts (I swear they taste better in Australia), and watched an epic sunset chatting with some locals.

Of course we did the stunning (yet disgustingly sticky) Bondi to Coogee walk in about 90 degree weather, and now understand why ppl rave about Sydney’s beaches so much!

Unfortunately we had to cancel our day trip to the Blue Mountains because of a freak thunder and lightning storm – it was downpouring for hours, but I thankfully still made it on my tour of the Opera House! And then of course we feasted on dumplings and buns while watching love is blind in bed (which became our thing in Australia).

Melbourne

Next up was Melbourne, such an eclectic and colorful city, with such good food and even better coffee. And so much greenery!

I took way too many photos at the Brighton Beach bathing boxes, went searching for seashells, did a hot and sticky walk over to St. Kilda (but the views were OMG), and saw the iconic Luna Park entrance.

And of course thoroughly explored the CBD – we photographed a whole slew of Melbourne’s famous laneways (covered in funky street art), tried a bunch of gelato spots, wandered through some actually cool (and free!) modern museums, tried Melbourne’s famous croissant at Lune, admired the leafy gardens, walked along the Yarra River a bit, headed up the dome at The State Library of Victoria, and browsed the airy Queen Victoria Market. Spending an afternoon in Fitzroy popping into thrift stores, boutiques, and people watching was another highlight, too!

One of my favorites? Road tripping the Great Ocean Road, stopping at all the famous viewpoints (those 12 apostles reminded me so much of the Algarve in Portugal!), having some delicious fish n chips, and hiking down to a waterfall in the rainforest. Such a fun time with fun people – our guide was seriously the cutest and we saw kangaroos hanging out on a golf course (which is apparently so normal here!)

We spotted koalas in the wild (!!!) on a day trip to French Island, then spent the rest of the night watching the most adorable tiny penguins waddle their way out of the ocean on Phillip Island during the nightly Penguin Parade (plus saw dozens of wallabies – plus a baby wallaby in a pouch too!) So much wildlife I could not believe it.

Our day on the Mornington Peninsula was filled with epic views, colorful bathing boxes, and a relaxing boat ride around Sorrento. Think I’ll be back to Australia sooner than later, and still can’t believe I made it down under in 2024!

March

Another low-key start to the month. Guess you can say I’m really loving spending time at home with Kona, lol. I was in a slow season of life (hanging at home on the weekends in my PJs) and that’s ok!

The rain finally ended, and we got some lovely early spring weather – plus the cherry blossoms in our neighborhood started to bloom and we had tons of hummingbirds on our balcony (which I always love)!

I fell hard for Australia in February, and spent loads of time writing blog posts on Melbourne and Sydney, and finally started (and finished) a Bill Bryson novel I bought 10+ years ago!

Unfortunately my Facebook account got disabled, so I spent loads of time trying to sort that out. Eventually I just gave up and was sans Facebook for a long while. Still never recovered that account… and all those photos unfortunately. 

Busan, South Korea 

We ended the month with a spring break/cherry blossom trip to Korea! The first few days were spent in the seaside city of Busan. 

We had our first Korean street foods at BIFF square (where we discovered our love for kimbap and hotteok), rode the colorful IG famous sky capsules, watched a drone show at Gwangalli beach, checked out the colorful Gamcheon Village, wandered around Huinnyeoul Culture Village, had breakfast/snacks at cafes overlooking the sea, saw the skyline lit up at night, got some nature at Taejongdae Resort Park, wandered around the lively Haeundae Beach, and rode the cute locals tram up the mosaic steps. 

Other highlights were catching the most beautiful sunset with the most perfect view of the sky capsules, checking out Yonggungsa Temple, the beautiful temple by the sea (and the only one in all of Korea!), and our authentic seafood BBQ of clams and jumbo prawns. 

We also INCREDIBLY loved how everyone is obsessed with their dog – tons of cute outfits on each and every one (jackets and dresses and little shoes). All so, so cute!

Plus the Cherry Blossom Festival in Jinhae! It was busy, busy, busy (of course!), but well worth the struggle to get photos, haha. We totally lucked out with the most gorgeous sunny day and couldn’t believe how many cherry trees there were! And naturally, ate as many festive foods as we could – so many strawberry things, and my first (of many!) strawberry milks!

April

Seoul, South Korea

After a few days in Busan and Jinhae, we spent almost a week in Seoul, and wow, what a vibrant, busy city it is! Truly a city that never sleeps. Was definitely a nice change of pace from the slower life in Busan.

We really lucked out with both the weather and cherry blossoms! No rain at all and peak bloom our entire trip, which I’m SUPER grateful for after so many missed out on the late blossoms in Japan.

We explored different neighborhoods every day; there’s so much to see and do here it’s insane! Our days were spent exploring the traditional area of Ikseondong with tons of old school architecture, running up and down the escalators at the Coex Mall a few too many times (haha), dancing to Gangnam style in Gangnam, and making perfume and getting (our first-ever) facials in Hongdae.

And OF COURSE we ate all the street food in Myeongdong (egg bread! roasted marshmallows! tteokbokki), customized so much Nike clothing and sneakers!, perfected the Korean Photo Booth, ate at tons of popular cafes (Mil toast! Cheongsudong! Salt bread! Nudake!), got silly caricatures drawn up, sipped tea in a traditional tea house, sent letters to our future selves, had ramen and fried chicken by the Han River under the cherry blossoms, and ate our fair share of KBBQ. Plus midnight fried chicken (in bed!) two nights in a row – totally our style!

One of my favorite experiences?! Renting traditional hanbok for a day and feeling like a Korean princess! We admired the beautiful Gyeongbokgung Palace, watched the changing of the guards, and wandered Bukchon Hanok Village – so many photos!

One night we had fried chicken and cheered on the Twins at a baseball game (Koreans love the sport), and another we took a market food tour of Gwangjang Market – where we tried famous hand cut noodles and met the famous Netflix chef, plus learned a few Korean drinking games (and had our first sochecks)!

Plus, the best welcome home surprise! We walked off the plane and through customs, and our good friend Mel was waiting for us to say hi!!!

Utah for WITS! 

Oh WITS Utah, you were truly something special. I had been toying with the idea of attending WITS for a few years (and even bought tickets the year before but ended up selling them!), so finally attending was super memorable! 

The weekend was spent meeting the most inspiring, authentic, courageous, welcoming, and motivated women. And I’m grateful to call a bunch of them good friends already and even have inside jokes with a bunch (#bus4). It was so easy to create real connections – No competition, just uplifting encouragement and deep conversations. The whole weekend felt so wholesome and nourishing – something I’m looking for more of in 2025.

Some key messages I don’t wanna forget from the creator sessions:

• I am an expert, AND I don’t know a lot. 
• NOT an influencer, a BUSINESS OWNER
• My biggest competitor & hindrance to my success is Myself and my fear
• Think of yourself as an investor in the travel ecosystem 
• “Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.”

And of course there was lots of fun, too! The tourism board treated us to a Welcome Party/night at the museum with dirty sodas, spinning photo booths, and dinosaur exhibits all to ourselves. We had a full day out in Park City – where I skied for my first time ever (and actually loved going down the bunny slopes, minus the gear and boot situation, haha), wandered around downtown Park City, and indulged in a Swiss-style dinner party with fondue and fireplaces by the snow. I’ll never forget the wildly unexpected night out line dancing with Marissa and Caroline! 

The perfect ending to the perfect weekend with so many new friends? Creating content at the stunning Bonneville Salt Flats at sunset!

It wasn’t the business sessions, the parties, the outdoor activities, the fireside dining, etc. The strong connections and late night laughs are what really made the weekend so ridiculously special. My heart left so, so full. A true highlight of the entire year (easily). Until WITS 2025 in NYC!

I also got my passport renewed in April and it somehow only took a few days to get (guess that’s why they call it expedited!).

May

May was a low-key month at home besides a few fun weekend trips. I also desperately went looking for the northern lights in my backyard during the crazy geomagnetic storm where the lights were visible in so much of the US! I think I saw the absolute faintest ones – just a pink and purple hue in the sky?! Still not checked off my bucket list though. I also had my first $20k+ month from my blog! So proud of myself!

Universal Studios! 

We spent SUCH a fun weekend in SoCal at Universal Studios Hollywood! It was our first time visiting, and actually our first major amusement park together (which is honestly kinda wild). 

Early access to Super Nintendo World was way worth it – we rode Mario Kart (easily the most sought after ride in the park) twice in less than a half hour! We of course went on every single ride in the park (including the Studio Tour), many multiple times! Our faves were The Mummy, Harry Potter, Jurassic World, Transformers, and the Minions. Thankfully we got so lucky with wait times and don’t think we spent more than 25 minutes waiting for a ride!

Having two days in the park meant we could eat all the treats as well (including multiple frozen butter beers, a giant pink donut from the Simpsons, minion banana pudding, ? Block tiramisu from Toadstool Cafe, and lots more).

The attention to detail in all the themed spaces were super impressive – including the replica dinosaurs (whoa that triceratops and the baby raptor, plus Blue!), all the moving video game components at Super Mario World, Harry Potter World, and Simpsons. WE LOVED IT ALL!

And of course we ended the trip with our favorite ice cream from Handels on the drive back home! All in all, SUCH a fun weekend and don’t think we’ll wait 20+ years until our next major amusement park together!

Santa Barbara 

Later in the month, we popped down to Santa Barbara for a quick weekend at the beach. Although Mother Nature had other plans and there was NO sun and way chillier than we anticipated, so we didn’t relax at the beach like we hoped (which was the complete opposite of our last time here when it was stiflingly hot and unbearably sticky). Definitely wasn’t the SB weekend we had in mind, but ya win some and ya lose some!

Instead we ate at our favorite restaurants (Secret Bao!) and tried some new ones (Bettina! La Super Rica Taquería!), and took long walks in downtown SB and some new-to-us parks overlooking the beach. But the best part was seeing some friends of ours we hadn’t seen since our last visit to SB (hey Lena and Bassam!) at the botanical gardens! Plus their two adorable little kiddos! 

Our few days there finally prompted me to write a weekend guide to Santa Barbara – a few years in the making (go peep the post – photos from past trips are gorgeous)! Too bad we had shitty weather this time!

June

New York

As soon as work finished up for the school year, I was off to New York to visit my sister! AND have her BABY SHOWER, which was absolutely perfect. Including tons of cute details like flavored champagne for giveaways, itty bitty baby clothes as decorations, and tons of fun baby games. It definitely was so wild seeing my sister pregnant!

The rest of the time was spent purely relaxing, hanging out with family (plus time in Port Jeff), lots of sister chats, and going through tons of baby stuff!

Puglia, Italy

A few days after getting home from NY (okay fine, only 2 days – told you summer is always jam packed!), I was off on a FANTASTIC 10 day Puglia road trip down in Southern Italy with Noah. 

We saw plenty (and plenty) of charming Italian towns, historic UNESCO World Heritage sites, and beautiful beaches along the stunning coastline. We gazed at endless olive groves (and of course tried so much olive oil!), wandered hilltop towns, ate gelato every single day, plus TONS of orecchiette pasta, fresh mozzarella cheeses, torrali, and focaccia (easily the best one in Polignano a Mare). 

Every day was spent exploring all the towns by the sea – Polignano a Mare, Otranto (our absolute favorite), Monopoli, and Gallipoli, plus the hilltop towns of Locorotondo, Cisternino, and Alberobello. Heck, we hardly woke up before 8am, and if it weren’t for all the crazy drivers, it would’ve felt like a real vacation, haha.

Some of my favorite experiences were sleeping in an authentic trulli, having a farm to table romantic dinner on a masseria, and the cheese tasting/demonstration on a local farm (where we not only feasted on way too much cheese, but learned and saw exactly how burrata is made).

Before leaving the area, we also spent a few nights in magical Matera – we slept in the most epic cave hotel (with an epic cave spa included), watched sunset over the sassi every night, pet so many cute kitties, and thoroughly explored the sassi (old town) and all the ancient rock churches. When we weren’t dripping with sweat and navigating the sassi maze, we were loving it, haha. 

There were far too many tourists for our liking (especially after coming from southern Puglia), but glad we got to experience the town before it gets even more popular! We also stopped at the famous bridge in the latest James Bond movie (in Gravina in Puglia), indulged in bread made in 750+ year old ovens (in Altamura), and watched the nonnas make the pasta in Bari! 

We were pleasantly surprised by the lack of crowds in early June – the complete opposite of other areas of Italy we’ve been to, like Venice, Cinque Terre, Rome, Florence, and of course the Amalfi Coast. The whole area seems kinda undiscovered, and we mostly encountered Italian tourists (with a handful of Americans thrown in). 

It was hard not to fall hard for Puglia, especially since we stuffed our faces with way too much pasta, had gelato every single day (whoops), took plenty of dips in the sparkling sea, saw half a dozen Italian towns, neither of us got drastically sunburned, and we only got one parking ticket! Come soon – I’d say most of our trip was 85% Italian tourists or so, BUT I see that changing sooner than later. Such a special place

Florence, Italy

Before booking my trip to Italy with Noah, I knew I wanted to stay a bit longer to explore more of the country. And I hadn’t even realized I’d been to Florence before (about 8 years ago for only a day on a group tour). Despite the 90F muggy days, I truly loved this city!

I saw so much impressive art, like Michaelangelos’ David at the Accademia Gallery and The Birth of Venus and Medusa at the Uffizi (I’m not normally an art person but I just had to see these oh-so-famous pieces in person). I climbed up not one, not two, but three towers – the cupola dome (by far the hardest), the clock tower, and Al Forno Tower for direct views of the duomo). And I watched a gorgeous sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo with thousands of my newest friends (the crowds were beyond insane). 

I also took a day trip to the Italian countryside, and loved the small towns in Tuscany (Siena, Colle di Val d’Elsa, and San Gimignano – where I of course had to try what was claimed to be the best gelato in the world). My pasta making and tiramisu cooking class in Florence was a highlight as well, where I finally learned how to make authentic ravioli and tiramisu custard! 

After spending almost a week here I really felt like I got to know the city pretty well!

San Marino

Of course when I learned I could add a new country to my list just a few hours away from Florence, you know I was there! And just like that, San Marino, the oldest surviving republic in the world, established in 301 AD, was my 48th country!

It’s also been a World Heritage Site since 2008, as well as the oldest Republic and fifth smallest country in the world. San Marino is a mountainous microstate completely surrounded by Italy. It’s intense, magical, unique, and authentic, and kinda feels like a way less crowded and way less colorful Sintra, Portugal. 

I spent a very long day trip from Florence to San Marino, taking 2 trains and a bus, which thankfully was way easier than I anticipated. And while there, I climbed up and hiked between the 3 towers, took in plenty and plenty of fantastic mountain views, and had a delicious pizza overlooking the city. So much historic architecture – I absolutely loved the tiny country, especially because it was hardly crowded!

Naples, Italy

After finally getting to Napoli Centrale (my original train from Florence was canceled and I had to stand for three hours on a different one), I got a whole margherita pizza (obvs), explored the city a bit (way more energetic, buzzy, and eclectic than I imagined!), and then went on a food tour in the city center (with more pizza, limoncello, and sfogliatella). What an unapologetically chaotic city!

The rest of my time in Italy was spent on day trips in the area!

On Procida, I had the best time discovering this little gem of an island; it hardly felt touristy at all, especially since I visited on a weekday. I loved the super colorful pastel ports, swimming in the sparkling sea for what felt like hours, indulging in spaghetti al limone (my new fave), and taking a boat around the entire island. Plus the locals were oh so sweet and I was even invited into a traditional fisherman’s home. Easily one of my best days in Italy!

On the other hand, Capri is way overrated in my opinion, and felt ridiculously touristy and crazy overpriced (girls I met paid €8 each for a regular hot tea!). It was also super shitty weather (pouring rain practically the entire day) and was probably the worst tour itinerary I’ve ever booked (took 4 hours to get there when it takes only 50 min via ferry from Naples… someone explain that to me…). I’d consider going back in the future but will definitely be making my own way there (instead of an absurdly overpriced tour).

And finally, the Amalfi Coast! I lucked out with a gorgeous, sunny day (after the horrific rainstorm the day before), visiting the towns of Sorrento, Positano, and Amalfi, plus seeing the coast from the water via boat. Of course I had lemon sorbet in a massive lemon. And yes it was busy (that’s to be expected), but I think I’d go back and spend a few nights!

I also hit a 2 year streak on Duolingo in June! Kinda crazy that I’ve kept up with it for so long!

July

Galway, Ireland

After a few (absolutely amazing) weeks in Italy, I was off to another new country (my 49th!) – Ireland!

But to be honest, I didn’t have the greatest first impression; it was beyond pouring when I arrived (typical Irish weather I guess…) and I didn’t like the area I was staying in (there’s honestly not much to do in Salthill). It was a shock to the system for sure after spending 3 weeks in Italy (with near-perfect weather). 

But fish n chips were had, I saw some of the stunning countryside (so, so lush and a thousand shades of green), and I listened (and sang and danced) to HOURS of live music in fun Irish pubs every night so all in all a pretty fantastic time during my first few nights in Ireland. I also saw the Cliffs of Moher from above (hiking) and below (on a cruise!), and the Aran island of Inishmore. 

Before visiting I didn’t know much about Ireland and Irish culture in general so I definitely learned a lot!

Dublin, Ireland

I don’t drink much, so I found Dublin to be kinda meh to be honest. I just didn’t vibe with it — at all. I spent most of my time wandering around the Temple Bar neighborhood and photographing all the decorated pubs, although not actually drinking anything, hahaha. Plus, I severely overpaid for my hotel which always kinda sucks (mostly because Taylor Swift was in town — and no, I couldn’t get a ticket unfortunately).

I also went on a day trip to the cute little town of Kilkenny (where I had delicious bangers and mash), went on a short hike in the Wicklow Mountains and saw sheep, watched Rob (the dog!) herd some other sheep, and even got to hold a 6 day old baby lamb! The sweetest little thing!

Ireland in general just wasn’t my thing. I learned I can’t love every single place I go, and that’s totally ok. I found the nature in Ireland to be pretty (and very green), but kinda underwhelming. I’m glad I came (to see what all the fuss is about) but won’t be running back. 

Peru!

Lima, Huacachina, Paracas, Arequipa,  Colca Canyon and Chivay, Lake Titicaca, Cusco, Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu

Now Peru? That’s a whole different story – I fell completely head over heels in love with the entire country! I loved the culture, the colors, and the cuisine (minus the guinea pig).

You know me by now, and cannot sit still so I try to really take advantage of my summer off from work, so off I was again (less than 2 weeks later) to Peru, my 50th country!!! And what a trip it was! I spent a crazy busy and adventurous 3+ weeks in Peru, and so glad I picked the longer G tour (to help relieve my anxiety about the altitude, which I had no problems with thankfully).

It was my first time doing a tour in practically 10 years, and I got lucky with the best people and the best tour guide. They soon all felt like friends I’ve known for years, and eventually we felt like a little family. Such a heartwarming, fulfilling, and intimate experience. Tons of laughter, inside jokes, and just a general sense of belonging. I’ll cherish these memories with all mis nuevas amigas forever! Llama lovers (and Freddy!), if you’re reading this, just know you’re all the very, very best human beings and our few weeks in Peru together made my heart oh so happy.

I spent a bit of time in Lima, admiring tons of pottery at Museo Larco, wandering Miraflores and saying hola to all the kitties in the park, taking in the impressive architecture in the historic district, and strolling through artsy Barranco (with cute coffee shops and art galleries). 

My few weeks were spent viewing the famous Nazca lines from above in a tiny Cessna plane, sandboarding and riding on a crazy dune buggy in the Huacachina oasis, watching sunset in Paracas, admiring volcanoes in the cute town of Arequipa, hugging tons of llamas and alpacas in Chivay, and gawking at the huge condors at Colca Canyon. 

Spending a night with a local family on Lake Titicaca was by far one of the most memorable experiences in Peru overall. We met the sweetest little girl, Valentina, helped the family with their chores – like herding their sheep (!!!) and separating lima beans, ate home-cooked meals with the family (so many potatoes!), and saw the brightest Milky Way of my life. 

Of course Cusco was a major highlight as well, spending a few days exploring the city, finding the best sunset viewpoints, ATVing to Rainbow Mountain, doing tons of window shopping, and relaxing in the main square. Plus day trips to Sacred Valley (where we met some incredible women weavers) and Ollantaytambo (one of my favorite little Andean towns with spectacular views from the ruins). 

We learned so much about Inca history and tried tons of Peruvian dishes, like ceviche, Lomo Saltado, chicha morada, causa rellena, pisco sours, chaufa, picarones, inca kola, and aji de gallina (but no guinea pig, alpaca, or llama for me!),

And the major cross off my bucket list? Machu Picchu! I got lucky with near perfect weather and a great group to explore with (although that dip in the hot springs the night before was pretty questionable, haha). Machu Picchu was nothing short of magical — what a mesmerizing blend of nature’s raw beauty and ancient human civilization! Wow, just wow! A major highlight of 2024 for sure. 

August

Peruvian Amazon

My last few days in Peru were spent in the Amazon Rainforest, and what an adventure that was (despite being perpetually hot and sticky and humid for the entire 72 hours, with very minimal electricity, haha)!

We spent our days exploring the jungle, looking for monkeys, caimans, macaws, spiders, colorful birds, capybaras, butterflies, tarantulas, leaf-cutting ants, and more. I learned so much about the flora and fauna of the rainforest, and thankfully didn’t see anything too dangerous!

And we spent our nights taking cold showers, being wowed by the night sky (Milky Way and shooting stars!), and sleeping under mosquito nets in our thatched bungalows. Waking up to the sounds of the jungle, including howler monkeys and tons of birds, was definitely part of the experience.

All in all, I was super satisfied with my time in Peru and it’s given me the urge to explore more of South America. Hopefully next summer!

And then work started again… whomp whomp! I got a new car (since my 15 year old car needed a few thousand dollars of work done… so it was time, haha). 

AND my sister gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl, Ella Brooke on August 28! So thrilled for her and her new little family! She really is the cutest newborn!

September 

September marks 10 years living in the Bay Area and doing our cross country road trip from NY to CA. Pretty wild – it definitely feels like we’re locals now, and have visited so many spots in the state! We also found out Noah has to go into work 5 days a week starting Jan 2025. Amazon’s RTO is awful!

Oahu, Hawaii

This was the first trip in a while that wasn’t planned minute by minute (what I’m known for, haha) and it felt amazing to be spontaneous for a few days.

I lived my best life in Oahu for Labor Day weekend (still feel so fortunate we can take long weekend trips to Hawaii!). We both get instantly giddy as soon as we land – must be something about that island air… and this time was no different. 

I totally forgot how breathtaking Waikiki Beach truly is (tourists and all). We swam everyday for hours, watched the Friday night fireworks, gallivanted around Honolulu, and hiked up Diamond Head (also forgot how stunning the views are from up here). 

We spontaneously rented a car one morning, and spent a few hours wading in the softest white sand, ate our way around the north shore, then watched a gorgeous sunset with sweeping views of Waikiki from Tantalus lookout. 

And oh the food! We had tons of old favorites – Mai tais at the Royal Hawaiian, macnut coffee, hula pie, LEONARDS!, acai bowls, shave ice, garlic shrimp, coco puffs, macnut crusted mahi, fresh poke – ya know, all the staples of a great Hawaiian diet, haha. 

I swam SO much, and even went home with wet salty ocean hair (kinda disgusting but oh well, haha). We almost canceled the trip because of 3 impending hurricanes that were possibly on track to hit the islands – thankfully we went because we had practically perfect weather!

Kona, Hawaii

We spontaneously bought tickets to Kona after finding good airfare and missing the ocean too much. Yes, just a few weeks after visiting Oahu, haha. Feel oh so lucky to have Hawaii right there for quick weekend trips!

It was our first time to the Big Island, and I have no idea why it took us this long to visit! I also celebrated hitting my blog income goal for the year ($200k!!!) a few months early!

We watched the sunset every night, loved gazing out into the wild lava landscapes, swam with sea turtles at the beach, and of course played around in the turquoise waters as much as we humanly could! We also indulged in kalua pork nachos, tons of shave ice, and so much fresh poke. 

By far the most epic experience of our trip?! Snorkeling with giant manta rays out in the open ocean one night – we got extremely lucky and saw over 2 dozen (when the average is typically 2-3, or so they say!). And oh the show they put on for us underwater – captivating and mesmerizing and all kinds of wild. Such gorgeous creatures and I can’t believe just how close they got to us – brushed up against my body so many times! Kinda thrilling at first and a little nerve wracking! 

We only explored a small section of the island (we only had 3 days there…), but we’ll be back since Noah’s running the Kona marathon next June!

October 

The month started off with a massive heatwave (almost 100 degrees for a week straight!), and the Yankees making it into the World Series! They lost unfortunately – I forgot how exciting baseball can be!

Kona turned 5 (!!!) later this month, and he got so spoiled at our friends house with 4 daughters to play with, new toys, a huge cookie, and they even sung happy birthday to him 🥹. Such a cute memory I never wanna forget!

I also spent way too many hours watching scrapbooking videos (currently in my scrapbooking era!) and learning all the things (ephemera, rolling adhesive, story kits, die cuts, chipboard, etc). All that seemed incredibly foreign to me at the time!

New York

It was finally time to visit my sister and her beautiful baby girl Ella, the newest addition to the fam! We spent an extra special long weekend in New York visiting, and got to see so many friends and family. 

I had a delicious taco dinner with Tara and spent hours catching up, grabbed breakfast with Alli and Dave and their crazy little kiddos, visited Mary – she’s 102!, saw my cousin Andrea, had a family dinner party with my Aunt Sue, Uncle Fred, Louise, and Henry, and even FaceTimed my parents and Lizzy!

We took Ella to the farm for pumpkins, apple pie, and apple cider donuts, ate all the bagels and Italian food, and got to spend so much uninterrupted time with Ali and Ella which filled my cup so much. Always love hanging with my sister and her little mini me just adds to the fun!

November 

November ended up being a very, very busy month, with a few weekend trips and ending in Japan. Plus, lots of friend dates (some new, some old), including an election watch party and a mini Friendsgiving. Plus I went to Filoli for the holidays for the first time (with Kessler!) and it was just as spectacular as I’d imagined. It was a much more social month for me than normal, and I loved it!

AND Noah’s parents came for a visit so we got to spend some time with them pre- and post- Japan! A little hectic but always good to see family!

The Presidential election got the US into all kinds of frenzy (like always), and I honestly cannot believe how divided our country still is. Plus, I was deep into my scrapbooking era and loving learning all the things and my personal scrapbooking style! So nice to create something that’s purely just a hobby!

Glamping in Sonoma 

After a fun glamping trip in the redwoods last year in 2023, we decided to go for round two! This time? A weekend glamping along the river at Wildhaven Sonoma! We went all out – bringing along supplies for s’mores, a full-on cheese and charcuterie plate, and steak and potatoes for dinner! Plus homemade breakfast burritos for the next morning. And of course Kona came with us too!

I’m proud of how successful we were considering we’re the very opposite of campers, lol. Although I could not believe all the stuff we needed for one night glamping. Took us multiple trips to the car!

It was a super relaxing time; we played board games, listened to music, relaxed in our tent, took lots of walks, sat by the fire, and even photographed the Milky Way!

In the area, we also wandered around Healdsburg (and saw some pretty fall foliage) before checking in, then took a walk along the water in Tiburon and got buns in SF on our way home. 

Monterey for Noah’s half marathon

The next weekend we were off on another nearby weekend trip in California. This time, down to Monterey for Noah to run a half marathon – which was actually his first race since Maui in January 2023! He ran with a friend so definitely no PR here, but his friend was very appreciative, haha. Noah described it as “a light Sunday jog”, lol. 

I’m always amazed by his ability to run long distances, when I have zero interest in even running a 5k.

It was a quick and low-key weekend, but we went to a few of our favorite spots, including a long walk at Lovers Point Park and the Pacific Grove Coastal Walk, sunset at Asilomar State Marine Reserve, and Old Fisherman’s Wharf. I’ll never say no to a weekend down in Monterey!

Japan 

And then we were off to Japan! Ever since we traveled there years ago, we’ve been obsessed with the country. And lucky for us, this was our third trip there (and probably my favorite trip yet). We split our week in Japan between Tokyo and Kyoto (rode the shinkansen of course!), with little side trips to Mt. Fuji and Osaka thrown in.

We got extremely lucky with the fall colors since the peak was 2 weeks earlier than originally expected! And you know we indulged in all our faves – black sesame ice cream, red bean mochi, tonkotsu ramen, pork katsu, fatty tuna and tomago, gyoza, matcha-flavored everything, etc, etc, etc. We go to Japan to eat, and eat we did!

Kyoto

First up, Kyoto – where we hadn’t been since our first trip to Japan back in 2017. We stayed at two beautiful properties, one right in Higashiyama 2 minutes away from the iconic Yasaka Pagoda, and the other right along the lake in Arashiyama. 

We had the most delicious kaiseki dinners (although we figured out the hard way that we absolutely despise tofu skin, haha), went to a bunch of stunning temples (Nanzen-ji Temple, Eikando Zenrin-ji, etc) to see the fall colors, and wow did they deliver, and ate tons of market food at Nishiki Market. 

Other highlights included waking up early to see sunrise at Yasaka Pagoda, wandering along Ninenzaka (where we had Starbucks sitting on tatami mats!) and Sannenzaka streets, admiring the stunning fall views at Kiyomizu-dera Temple, taking a long stroll along the Hozugawa River and the Togetsu-kyo Bridge, climbing up to the Arashiyama Park Observation Deck, strolling along dense bamboo forests, taking a super long walk (stopping at temples and shrines) en route to Abashino Nenbutsuji, and seeing the fall foliage illuminated at night at Hogon-In.

I also made a ring at Glanta, we wore kimonos and participated in a traditional matcha tea ceremony, and shopped at Nike in Gion.

Before leaving Kyoto, we took a day trip to Osaka where we admired Osaka Castle, ate our way through Kuromon Market, took silly pics with the Namba Yasaka Shrine (the one that looks like a dragon), wandered around Denden Town and the eclectic Shinseki (New World), went wild at Don Quijote once it started pouring, and took in the bright lights in Dotonbori. I’d love to spend more time in Osaka on our next trip.

Tokyo

Tokyo was basically spent eating all the sushi and fatty tuna we could get our hands on (including a few conveyor belt sushi spots and a standing sushi bar too – our new fave). It’s hard to have a bad meal in Tokyo. Never enough time in this city – and I already wanna go back!

We spent one day in modern Tokyo – sipping 3d lattes (with Kona’s face on it!), stuffing our faces with gyoza, playing with the cutest shibas and wandering Takeshita Street in Harajuku, seeing the most stunning sunset at Shibuya Sky, and having inventive cocktails at the swanky SG Club. 

Another day we focused on traditional Tokyo – starting the morning with a sushi breakfast at Tsukiji Outer Market, then spending hours testing out pens and stationary in Itoya, having dessert at the LV Cafe, and then finally making our way over to Asakusa and Senso-ji Temple.

On our last morning I ventured over to Gotokuji – the cat temple, and then wandered around Shinjuku. Always so great to go back to some old favorites and of course find some new ones along the way!

Mt. Fuji

I took a solo day trip to Mt. Fuji, and got OH so lucky with the weather – had perfectly clear conditions the entire day, and the mountain was even kinda hard to photograph because of all the sun shining!

I ventured to all the hot spots – I climbed the almost 400 steps to the Chureito Pagoda at Arakurayama Sengen Park for that iconic postcard view, saw all the koi in the clearest blue waters at Oshino Hakkai, stopped by Lawson to take lots of pics, admired the views at Oishi Park along Lake Kawaguchi, and watched all the cars zipping by on the instagram-popular Honcho Street. 

Japan, thank you for being just as fantastic as we remember. 

December

We ended the year the same way it started – at the Christmas markets in Europe! Guess it’s kinda a thing for us now? After last year’s wildly successful winter trip to Europe, we found ourselves back here to explore different markets and even head over to snowy Switzerland for a few days (which we had to sadly cancel numerous times because of 2020 events). 

It was super bitter cold for most of our trip – I don’t remember Europe being this chilly last year! We definitely had to bundle up and brave the cold.

One thing I wanna note is that I deleted IG a few days before our trip, and it made a world of a difference. My husband and I had SUCH an amazing time together, mostly free from distractions and spent tons of actual quality time together. Think I’ll be deleting social media for future trips. 

London

We had originally planned to start the trip in Paris, but after loving London at Xmas last year (so much), we decided to head back!

We saw a bunch of our faves from last year (Leicester Market, Annabel’s, dinner at Dishoom, Cartier and Dior, Neil Strain, Covent Garden, KOYN, and the angels on Regent Street, of course!), and went to plenty more new-to-us London Xmas spots. Including breakfast in an igloo at Coppa Club, lunch at Daphnes, afternoon tea at The Dalloway, Big Ben, plenty of gorgeous hotel lobbies (all decked out for Xmas of course), and an overwhelmingly busy night out at winter wonderland in Hyde Park! 

Plus the most decadent chocolate cake at EL&N (Noah was obsessed!). London was such a great way to kick off our festive holiday trip, with so many sugar biscuits, baubles, and Christmas treats.

Paris

Up next – a quick hop over to Paris where we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, before making our way to Strasbourg. We had a lovely lunch at Le Train Bleu, checked out all the decorations at the major shops (although they were mostly the same as the ones in London), saw the impressive avant-garde tree at Galleries de Lafayette, and admired all the Christmas windows. 

We also saw the newly-completed Notre Dame and checked out the mini Xmas market nearby, had our first Parisian croissants and pastries of the trip (mmm I love me some pain de suisse), and got so lucky with a spontaneous yet super delicious Christmas Eve dinner!

We actually came back to Paris after Switzerland (a few weeks later), so that’ll have to wait for my 2025 year in review!

Alsace: Strasbourg, Colmar, and Obernai

After Paris, we spent a few days in the Alsace region of France to celebrate all things Christmas! And whoa – they’re definitely a few of the most festive spots we’ve ever been! 

Think over the top lights on practically every single street, huge Christmas trees filled with giant baubles, and the instagram-famous teddy bear Christmas building in Strasbourg. Makes sense since Strasbourg is the Capital of Christmas “Capitale de Noel” after all! So, so, so insanely festive, both day and night. The energy was like nowhere else I’ve ever seen.

We ate so much local market food (a mix of French, German, and Alsatian foods) – cheesy bretzels, plenty of crepes, kugelhopf, spaetzle, boules mousse (my FAVORITE), potatoes and Muenster cheese, tarte flambees, gingerbread cookies, manele (brioche buns shaped into little men!), and chocolate covered raspberries (that took forever to find, haha). 

Our few days were spent wandering through all the markets (there’s over a dozen throughout Strasbourg and Colmar with literally hundreds of chalets!), admiring the beautifully decorated carousels, and drinking so much jus de pommes chaud (hot apple cider). And of course seeing the largest decorated Christmas tree in Europe, gawking at the stately Notre Dame De Strasbourg, and loving the colorful, half-timbered buildings in Colmar (said to be the inspiration for Beauty and the Beast)!

Switzerland

Winter in Switzerland was all that I envisioned it to be, and I still cannot believe just how lucky we got with the weather (it’s always a toss up in the mountains this time of year). 

Over the course of our 3 days in the mountains (which spilled over until New Year’s Day), we practically ventured everywhere on the map! Taking trains, cable cars, gondolas, and buses – impressive how it all just works so seamlessly (the Swiss have really got it all figured out!). The peaks were absolutely spectacular, and we got insanely lucky with 3 perfectly clear days. 

And whoa; the views were even more impressive than the wintery hike we did in Hallstatt last year (which was hard to beat). Including Jungfrau, Eiger, Munch, and a whole slew of other peaks I definitely don’t remember the name of, haha. 

We feasted on delicious mountain-side schnitzels, lots of Swiss chocolate, plenty of cheese fondues, and rostis (our new fave thing).

Day 1 was spent seeing our first mountain views at the cute little town of Wengen, traipsing through the snow during the Royal Walk at Mannlichen, and checking out the cute ski shops, gawking at the wooden chalets, and having hot cocoa with rum in Grindelwald!

On Day 2 we walked over the thrilling First Cliff Walk and saw breathtaking views of the north face of the Eiger at Grindelwald First, took the Eiger Express to get even higher (and had a great schnitzel up here!), and made a quick pit stop in Kleine Scheidegg to watch the sunset. 

Psst – we actually spent 4 days in Switzerland, but half was in 2025, so that’ll have to wait until my next year in review! Always so tricky when trips spill into the next year. 

Early to mid December this blog of mine officially got hit by a Google update, which saw my traffic (and therefore income) plummet. I had been already getting a bit bored of blogging (if I’m being completely honest), but it still sucks to get hit so hard! Traffic is slowly coming back and rankings are starting to recover, so we’ll see what 2025 brings in terms of this passion project of mine. 

If you made it this far, thank you!!! Let’s see what 2025 has in store for us all!

The post 2024 Year in Review: My Most Traveled Year Yet appeared first on A Passion and A Passport.

Wow, another year flew by – I say this every year (look at my past Year in Review posts if you don’t believe me, haha), but damn did 2023 go fast. I feel like I was just reflecting back on 2022 last month!

2023 was another year of living on my own terms, going against societal expectations, and truly enjoying my life. It was a year I heavily leaned into truly living in the present, indulging in extravagant trips and meals without regret, and working damn hard for it all. As I get older, I’m understanding there’s no time like the present, so I make it my mission to fill my year with fun experiences and try not to take life too seriously.

Overall, 2023 was pretty excellent. 

I listened to a shit ton of audiobooks (over 50!), finally made it to Disneyland, and crossed a huge bucket list trip off my never ending list of adventures. I traveled with friends, with my sister, with my husband, found my way back to solo travel, got to see my parents twice (!), and had a whole slew of visitors as well! 

Wild to think this is actually my 11th year writing detailed year in reviews on my blog. Sure, those 10-second overdone reels on IG are fun for a few minutes, but I honestly don’t even know how to make them, haha. Plus, I like being able to write 8k words and include over 100 photos (which is probably more like 200 knowing me).

It was the year of the Eras Tour (although I didn’t have any interest in participating, I opted for Beyonce instead), the horrific war in Israel, and deciding I want to visit all 50 states in the next few years (before I turn 40!).

So proud of this life I created for myself. 

Interested in seeing what I got up to in years past? Here’s all my year in review posts: 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019 / 2020 / 2021 / 2022

2023 by the Numbers

• Countries Traveled To: 8 (USA, Guatemala x2, Belize, Tanzania + Zanzibar, Mexico, England, Austria, Czech Republic)
• States Visited: 8 (California, Hawaii, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, Idaho, New Mexico, North Carolina)
• Days On The Road: ~105
• Days Traveling Solo: 8 (Caye Caulker, Belize and Flores, Guatemala!)
• Flights Taken: 34 (60,500 miles flown!)
• Books Read: 56 (favorites: Molokai, Pachinko, Into Thin Air, Remarkably Bright Creatures, The Day the World Came to Town, Fly Girl, The House in the Cerulean Sea, Nowhere for Very Long)
• Duolingo Streak: 576 days (primarily Spanish and math!)
• Candy Crush level: 3195

January 

The year started off a bit crazy, getting home from Mexico a week later than expected after the airline canceled my flight. I made it home at 9:30pm on New Year’s Eve, just in time to celebrate my late arrival with my husband by indulging in a slice of our favorite cheesecake and some cuddles with Kona. 

MAUI

Just a week later we were off to Maui for Noah to run the Maui Oceanfront Marathon! He has a goal to run a full marathon on each Hawaiian island it’s offered, and although he already crossed Maui off his running list, he decided he wanted to run again! Fine by me; I’ll never say no to a trip to Hawaii (obviously). 

He PRed AGAIN and subbed 4, finishing the full marathon in 3 hours, 59 minutes, and 34 seconds! Absolutely WILD — my husband is a beast! So, so proud of him and his dedication.

Besides his running escapades, we spent most of the long weekend in Kihei, kinda sorta feeling like a local, walking to the beach for sunset every night and eating/drinking nearby. I sometimes love revisiting places we’ve been to a bunch of times, so I can focus on simply enjoying our time together instead of feeling like I need to see and do everything. Something I’m clearly working on, haha.

The main focus of this Maui trip (besides Noah running the marathon of course) was WHALES! Since we were visiting during prime whale season, we saw SO many humpbacks. So, so magical. And besides taking an official whale watching tour, we saw so many whales right off the coast — all those breaches and whale tails never get old!

We left Maui with holes in our hearts, aching for permanent island life. The heartache was so bad we started semi-seriously talking about moving to Hawaii (complete with a pros/cons list and mile-long to-do list). We ultimately decided this isn’t the best time for our dream, but I think we’ll be back sooner than later. 

February 

I kicked off the month by taking myself out on a solo birthday date to see Mean Girls on Broadway! Scored myself a $40 rush ticket, which turned out to be an amazing seat all the way down in the orchestra! Such a fun show, and proud of myself for making the effort despite going solo. 

Also — I celebrated TEN official years of A Passion and A Passport on February 9th — cannot believe I’ve stuck with my passion project turned side hustle for oh so long!

MADONNA INN

I always plan a birthday trip for myself (past years including Mexico City, Hawaii, and Todos Santos), and decided to do something low-key this year. We celebrated my belated bday with a weekend in SLO at the Madonna Inn, complete with pink champagne cake, a glitzy pink bathroom in our all pink room, and pink boozy drinks. 

It was truly an instagrammers paradise, perfect for a quick birthday trip! Think whimsy gingerbread trim, bubblegum pink and fuschia accents, and eccentric and unconventional hotel rooms. The whole space is quirky, bizarre, and downright wacky — in the best kinda way! To say I loved it was a downright understatement, haha. 

We saw some friends for lunch, took way too many photos, and checked out all the tacky decor at the hotel. 

GUATEMALA 

A few weeks later I was off to Guatemala, a country I hadn’t been to for over 5 years and one I was super thrilled to be heading back to! The country is so misunderstood (and wildly underrated), but I’m glad it’s becoming a place travelers don’t overlook anymore. It’s actually getting pretty popular!

After scoring cheap $350 round trip tickets (and desperately missing all the color and culture), I couldn’t not go! Plus, I went with a friend I hadn’t seen in years (hey, Kris!). We ended up going with a bunch of really cool people, and met even more in Guatemala once there!

It really was the best travel crew and I loved and appreciated all our deep non-judgemental convos! Travel people really are the best kinds of people.

Lake Atitlan 

Our first stop in Guatemala was the famous Lake Atitlan. And despite the loooong 5 hour ride there (TONS and tons of traffic), we absolutely loved the lake and I’m aching to go back sooner than later.

We primarily spent our time at the lake zipping around on lanchas and visiting a whole bunch of different towns (which were all so, so different) — the colorful town of San Pedro (where we saw a chocolate demonstration, weaving demonstration, and learned about Mayan bees), super hippy San Marcos, the market street in Panajachel, traditional Santiago Atitlan, and the colorful blue village of Santa Catarina Palopo. 

Volcano views EVERYWHERE! 

We stayed at La Fortuna at Atitlan, an eco-hotel with a completely outdoor bathroom (toilet included). Lemme just say — such a unique experience showering outside completely naked. It was also crazy windy at some points; our entire shack would shake; but thankfully we saw no bugs or scorpions — something we were super worried about (we even shook out our entire bedding each and every night)

That pool with a perfect view of the volcano was something else, as was the old-school bus turned sauna. 

Antigua 

In Antigua, we spent a glorious few days wandering the colonial town, admiring the volcano views, checking out all the cute cafes, and shopping at all the markets and boutiques (we wanted to buy so much). 

I hopped on a photo shoot at the famous yellow arch, took a chocolate making class, relaxed on nets overlooking the highlands and volcanos (absolutely epic), and spent a morning at Hobbitenango walking on the trolls hand and hanging out in the hobbit houses. 

Nights in town were absolutely epic — we could see the orangey glow of the erupting volcano from our hotel. Super wild and surreal! Definitely not something we see here in California. 

We ended our whirlwind of a trip with the most impressive tasting menu at Sublime in Guatemala City — it even rivaled fine-dining meals I’ve had in Mexico City. There’s a reason why it’s on the list of the 50 Best Restaurants in Latin America! So unique and creative, and way cheaper at that, haha. 

March 

Strawberry, California

We had been aching for a winter trip, so were thrilled when our friends invited us to their new cozy cabin in the snowy mountains. And I swear, it legit felt like a boutique hotel – they did an amazing job with it, but no surprise there (Kris is kinda a master at home design and interiors). 

It was a weekend full of homemade eats (thanks Taka!), puzzle competitions, bourbon hot chocolates (loaded with mini marshmallows), marmalade making, comedy specials, bubble-filled board games, and snowy winter walks. 

We couldn’t even get in through the front door — completely covered in snow!

It was a weekend being fully present with fun people and hardly any phone time! Need more days like this!

BELIZE & GUATEMALA 

Caye Caulker, Belize

Time for my first (and actually *only*) solo trip of the year! I spent a glorious few day taking it slow on Caye Caulker, and luckily met a great group of people my first morning and spent a decent chunk of my time on the island with them. 

I’ve actually been to Belize before (over a decade ago), but primarily stayed in San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. After my new friend I met in Mexico started sending me photos from her trip to Caye Caulker, I instantly knew I needed to head back to Belize.

Two of the main reasons I came? The Blue Hole and snorkeling in the Hol Chan barrier reef! 

Gazing out the window of a tiny 12-seater propeller plane flying over the Blue Hole was a major highlight and wildly impressive and the reef, wow, just wow! — crazy how many blues there are!

I spent a full day out on the water snorkeling in the Hol Chan Barrier Reef, and saw so much wildlife it was incredible! Manatees, spotted eagle rays, nurse sharks, sea turtles, sting rays, lots of coral, and tons of colorful tropical fish. Such a perfect day out on the dazzling water, besides getting the worst sunburn of my life!

Other highlights on Caye Caulker included watching sunset every single night at the beach (most likely with a mango juice in hand), spending a lazy day relaxing at a beach club on the north side, and eating and drinking my weight in fresh coconuts, iced cacao tea, bbq chicken and shrimp, and the creamiest key lime pie. 

It’s impressive how many locals I had long conversations with. There’s such an amazing, positive energy here — hard to describe but Belizeans are just so helpful and actually care about their visitors. By far some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met. 

April

Flores, Guatemala 

I crossed the border and continued my solo spring break trip with a few days in Flores, Guatemala (loved the country so much I just couldn’t stay away!). 

And what a moving few days it was. Swinging in a hammock at sunrise over the lake with sounds of hundreds of birds in the jungle, and then once the day was over, watching sunset over the lake every single night with watermelon juice in hand. Super idyllic; I just loved those slow nights/mornings. 

My major adventure here?! Waking up at 2:30am for a sunrise mission to Tikal! While there wasn’t exactly a sunrise, walking through the jungle in the pitch black listening to howler monkeys is something I’ll never forget. I got a full tour of the park afterwards and loved all the temples — so impressive and hardly crowded. Also saw a bunch of animals in the jungle too — toucans, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, and cute coati! One of those pinch-me moments in life I’ll never forget. 

I wandered around the colorful island town taking tons of pictures of all the decorative doors and buildings (which totally reminded me of Guatape in Colombia a bit)!

Strolling the malecon for the best lake views was my favorite, as was taking a lancha to a scenic mirador, hanging out at a locals beach, and watching my new friends jump off rope swings into the lake (I was too chicken for that of course). 

Before the trip was over, I spent a full day swimming in the bluest, crystal clear waters I’ve ever seen at Crater Azul. Kinda crazy how this place is wildly unknown (and I kinda wanna keep it that way).

ANDREA VISITS SF

You read that right! My cousin came to visit — it was so fun having her in SF for a whole week (!!!) and showing her around our area. 

And we really took advantage of our time together – I don’t think we had this much uninterrupted quality time in years. So, so special and I can’t wait for her to come visit again soon Plus, Kona was obsessed with Ann from the first moment she got here at 2 in the morning, haha. 

We did *all* the things — we took plenty of silly selfies at Battery Spencer, had dangerously delicious pizza in North Beach, wandered around Chinatown, drove down Lombard Street, played tourist at the Painted Ladies, had a picnic at the Aquatic Park, rode on a cable car (my very first time!), took the ferry and explored Alcatraz, had huge scoops of cookies n cream at Ghirardelli, gawked at all the cute sourdough shapes at Boudin, and spent a night cheering on the Giants at the game (although we never actually made it to our seats, haha). 

There were also day trips to be had — a morning in Sausalito, dining al fresco in the sunshine and walking alongside the water, down to Monterey and Carmel for a day, wandering the cute storybook town, exploring the coastline on the 17 Mile Drive (my favorite), and just overall enjoying the sun!

We spent our last night together celebrating Ann’s early 40th birthday indulging in the most delicious over-stuffed lobster rolls while watching a gorgeous sunset over Half Moon Bay. Such a great visit and so thrilled she came to California!

Home in the Bay

After getting home from Central America, I spent most of the month at home here in the Bay Area; I really tried to take advantage of the wonderful weather we’d been having. 

And after all this rain, I swear EVERYTHING looked SO incredibly green with tons and tons of WILDFLOWERS!

I tried doing all the spring things – searched for wildflowers in a nearby park (found lots!), finally visited the famous wisteria fence in SF, checked out the floral exhibit at the Westin St. Francis, took so many photos of the cherry blossoms on our block, had flowery beach walks in Half Moon Bay, and found tons of poppies on a verrry long walk/hike in the East Bay. 

I also saw Come from Away on Broadway — what a heartfelt show and even based on a true story! We spent a few days in the city, trying a new bakery, walking by the bridge, and just enjoying SF. 

May

May was the first month in forever that was super, super low key — I hardly left the Bay Area! We took a few day trips, but honestly just hung out and relaxed SO much. I tend to overdo it with trips (although always very much worth it), so I’m starting to appreciate the downtime I do have. 

At home I checked out the mini yellow super bloom at Mori Point (with a sea of yellow flowers overlooking the beach), saw yet another musical (1776), and did some more city exploring: Coit tower, Mamas for brunch, and Japantown. 

Pacific Grove

We took a spontaneous Sunday drive down to Monterey, and finally got down to see the pink magic carpet in Pacific Grove. It was just as stunning as I imagined! Always forget just how much we love it down here, and crazy that it’s less than 2 hours from us. 

Tiburon

A quick day trip up north to Tiburon was another highlight of the month; I can’t believe after living in the Bay for almost 10 years we had never gone! We feasted on an amazing lunch right by the water at Sam’s, took long walks with the prettiest seaside views, and saw a colorful art installation. 

Orange County 

The minute school was out (remember, I’m a SLP at a high school), we drove down to SoCal for the week, doing some research for a potential upcoming move, and seeing a bunch of good friends/hanging with their cute kiddos.

Besides bringing the gray SF weather down to OC (the sun only came out ONCE our entire week there), it was great to explore different areas and get a feel for what we’re looking for (decided close to the beach it is!)

We checked out Dana Point, San Clemente (which we already knew we loved), a whole bunch of towns a bit further inland (not our style), Laguna Beach, Santa Ana, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa and Newport (LOVED!), and even a few towns in San Diego and in southern LA county. We even met with a realtor – yes, kinda prematurely, but wanted to see what’s out there!

June

June started a few months of basically nonstop travel, but first we celebrated a friend’s beautiful wedding up in Sonoma (Taylor you looked smashing as usual)!

Disneyland!

After living in California for over 9 years, I *finally* made it to Disneyland to celebrate a friend’s birthday with some favorite friends. 

And omg what a blast it was — we spent over 15 hours in the park, from 9am to almost 1 in the morning (and I was still ready to go!), haha. Of course there were lots of lines during peak hours (to be expected), but filled the time with lots of singing, dancing, stretching, mustache-making, etc. 

The morning/early afternoon was spent at Disneyland, then headed to DCA until they closed — then back to Disney for more rides until they closed! A super long and tiring day, but I already can’t wait to go back!

Some Disney stats:

• Rides rode: Big Thunder Railroad (twice!), Pirate of the Caribbean, Star Tours RITR, Hyperspace Mountain, the tea cups, Runaway Railway, the Incredicoaster, Buzz’s Astro Blasters, and Millennium Falcon 
• Ate: giant Mickey macaron, Mickey pretzel, popcorn crack, Mickey ice cream sandwich, lobster nachos, churro 
• Saw: World of Color Show 

Would I go again? 1000% – I can confirm Disney truly is the happiest place on Earth. Yes, despite the high price tag. I kinda wanna see it all decorated for Halloween or Christmas next time!

Newport, Rhode Island

A few days later I flew to NY bound for Rhode Island for a sister trip to Newport! Such a great start to summer, and love that we were able to have a few bonding days just for us! Think I wanna make this a tradition.

Ali’s been to Newport a bunch of times prior, so I was lucky she took me around to her favorite spots! We took a trolley tour learning about the history of Newport, went on an afternoon sail on an old lobster boat admiring all the fancy yachts, sipped Del’s frozen lemonade, and toured the ornate and opulent Breakers Mansion — so much gold everywhere!

I’ll never forget our last dinner overlooking the water with seafood pasta and the most amazing mashed potatoes, all the trips to Bowen’s and Bannister’s wharf, shopping on Thames street, and fresh lobster rolls!

We also spent a morning walking along the stunning cliff walk, cruising on Ocean Drive, and admiring the stunning Castle Hill Inn. Such an underrated state — if you have the opportunity to visit RI, go! 

All in all it was a fantastic few days — even the long drive home was so fun (tons of singing and dancing, haha). 

New York

Trips to NY are primarily about seeing those I love, and that’s exactly what I did, with some NYC exploring thrown in. Plus, I got to hug my 99 year old grandma, which, I didn’t know at the time, would be our very last one.

Once we were back in NY, I spent an afternoon in Astoria with my cousin, indulging in overpriced ice cream, thrift store shopping, and wandering around downtown. 

I always love exploring spots I haven’t been to in a while, so I ferried it over to Brooklyn for a few hours, spent the morning wandering around DUMBO, and watched the sunset on the ferry with some old friends for some stunning skyline views. 

My sister and I took a day trip to Greenport, strawberry picking and pizza winery included! Sunset overlooking the water with boozy lemonades in hand was the perfect way to end the night.

And I *finally* crossed the TWA Hotel off my bucket list! Highly recommended if you’ve got a few spare hours between flights or get to the airport extra early — so fun and nostalgic with tons of photo ops, a bar IN an old airplane, and a rooftop pool where you can watch planes take off. 

Tanzania: African Safari

After 3 long years (getting a puppy and of course international travel stopping due to we-all-know-what), we FINALLY made it on our long-awaited safari in Tanzania!

Was it everything we dreamed of and more? Yup, 1000%.

We spent a week doing game drives in several parks in Tanzania, including Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, and of course Serengeti National Park! What an absolute dream come true. 

Just 30 seconds into Day 1 we saw a huge herd of zebras, and throughout the week saw tons of giraffe (so stately and majestic), more elephants than we could ever imagine (with some walking right in front of our jeep – so special each and every time), and *so many cats* (over a dozen lions). Such a surreal experience and honestly hard to put into words. 

We also saw tons of warthogs (pumbas are such funny little creatures), hyenas (we even heard them laugh!), cheetahs, wildebeest and buffalo and gazelles (oh my!), tiny little dik diks, kori bastards, baboons and black-faced monkeys, flamingos, ostrich, and so many hippos! Plus an endangered black rhino on our last day in the crater, and a huge pride of lions on our night drive. 

Unfortunately we only saw 4/5 of the Big 5 – the leopards were definitely hiding from us despite our patient guide looking for them for over 3 hours!

We woke up bright and early one morning for an unforgettable hot air balloon safari in the Serengeti – such an amazing experience and champagne-toasting in the bush afterwards was so epic (along with the loo with a view – I literally watched zebras grazing along as I used the bathroom, haha). 

Another main highlight was spending two nights at Lemala Nmpingo Ridge in Tarangire – such a splurge but oh so worth it for the sundowners each night, immaculate tent with outdoor tub overlooking the park, and the safari chic atmosphere. We were obsessed; I could easily live there, haha. 

July

Zanzibar

Once we begrudgingly said goodbye to all the animals on our Tanzania safari, we spent the next week relaxing by the beach in Zanzibar. Such a wildly different culture and feel than mainland Tanzania, and I’m glad we got to experience both. 

We explored the historic Stone Town (felt so much like a medina in Morocco), fed the tortoise on Prison Island, and learned all about the exotic fruits and spices on a spice tour. We had a delicious meal at Emerson with cocktails at sunset, with one of the comfiest atmospheres around – pillows upon pillows barefoot!

A main highlight in Zanzibar was spending the day on Nakupenda Bis – a blip of a sandbar in the Indian Ocean a few miles away from land. Hardly anyone was there, and we played in the sparkling shallow waters, I found tons of beautiful, untouched shells, and indulged in a seafood feast cooked by our guide right on the sand (complete with lobster, tuna, octopus, calamari, and homemade fries!)

Our day at Mnemba Island was my favorite day – the sun finally came out and we spent loads of time wading through the waters of yet another sandbar, ate so much passion fruit and avocado, and snorkeled in some of the healthiest reef I ever swam in — and I was the only one in the water (even more impressive than snorkeling in Maui and Belize, surprisingly!). Who knew?!

Our other days on Zanzibar were spent watching sunsets from our fave rooftop bar, taking long walks on the beach, witnessing the crazy tides, relaxing poolside, dodging the rain (yup, ugh!), and drinking tons of passion fruit mojitos. 

Such an impressive country and makes me eager to explore more of Africa! Although the flight was just shy of about 25 hours…

Central Mexico

After a week at home, I was off again – this time to Mexico with some friends! I can’t seem to stay away from this colorful country, haha. At least the flight is way shorter than heading to Africa. 

Guanajuato

I spent a fun few days exploring the city semi-solo (before my other friends arrived), staying with a friend I met in Bacalar last year (hey hey Dani!). I loved getting a more locals’ perspective (bars! friends! People to help me translate/understand the nitty gritty. The best rooftop in the city.), and of course the cutest dog in the whole city, Iggy.

During my almost-week in Guanajuato, I took the funicular up and admired the iconic views from the Pipila viewpoint (twice!), wandered around the plazas and squares with elote and churros in hand, drank so many lemonadas and passionfruit concoctions, loved the colorful buildings and Callejon del Beso, explored the outdoor and indoor markets (mmm fresh jugo de fresa y sandia), watched sunset every night (rooftop bars, university steps, swinging in Dani’s hammock, etc), drank way too many chocolate frios from popular cafes, and loved practicing mi espanol.

I also went on a sticky hot day trip to Dolores Hidalgo to see the famous rainbow tomb, try allll the weird and wacky ice cream flavors, and check out the iconic pottery. 

After five full days in the small city, I kinda started to feel like a local! Such a fun feeling!

San Miguel de Allende

Next up — SMA! I *loved* revisiting this colorful little city — we spent lots of time admiring the most beautiful library, took tons of photos along the colorful streets, wandered the Fabrica la Aurora art center, listened to mariachi music and people watched at Jardin Allende every night, ventured into way too many colorful shops, and checked out the views from the mirador. 

But our favorite? Just wandering the town; I swear every street is a postcard and more beautiful than the last. 

Plus all the eating! We had more amazing meals in SMA than I thought possible, complete with rooftop views of the iconic Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel (including late-night taco carts, breakfast chilaquiles, famous chocolate churros, enmoladas, and our favorite meals at Toastevere and Garambullo). 

Mexico City

I always love heading back to CDMX (it’s such an eclectic and vibrant city with tons of colorful culture). Even with just two full days, we squeezed in oh so much!

We wandered around the gorgeous leafy green Parque Mexico, drank at some fun bars and speakeasies (like GinGin and Handshake), checked out the views from Chapultepec Castle, learned all about Luis Barragan at Casa Gilardi (my second time visiting!), and spent some time in ritzy Polanco.

We also spent a hectic morning downtown, heading to Biblioteca Vasconcelos (my first time!), the House of Tiles (always a must), Palacio Postal, Palacio de Bellas Artes, and the iconic CDMX sign in the Zocalo. Plus the ceiling at Gran Hotel, a wild time grabbing pastries at Pasteleria Ideal, and finishing at the indoor artisan market.

Of course the food was a major highlight – and we ate way too much (featuring ricotta stuffed squash blossoms at Lardo, al pastor tacos at Orinoco, ricotta cacao rolls and guava rolls at Rosetta, churro ice cream sandwiches at El Moro, and everything delicioso at Expendio de Maiz).  

Getting stuck in crazy thunderstorms a few too many times (including that night we camped out in an ATM for far too long and hid under umbrellas at Frida Khalo’s house) will forever be a core memory of the trip. 

August 

Once August rolled around, I said my sad goodbyes to summer as work started up again (and I took Kona on a field trip to school and everyone loved him).

I saw some Broadway shows and went to a few concerts (Aladdin!, Cirque du Soleil!, SAM HUNT, BEYONCÉ!) and decided I wanna accomplish a new travel goal — visiting all 50 states by age 40!

Ali and Kevin come visit!

As soon as I got home from Mexico (less than 12 hours later!), my sister and her husband Kevin flew in! I had just spent a week with her in NY/Newport earlier this summer, but won’t say no to more sister time!

I was SO thrilled for their visit – and I loved showing them where we’ve been living the past 9 years!

We had the most amazing meal at House of Prime Rib, complete with late-night donuts from Bob’s afterwards (drool). And after they got back from Napa, we spent the next few days driving down the coast, laughing non stop on rides in Santa Cruz, indulging in delicious fish tacos, somehow making it down to the beach at Shark Fin Cove (practically hanging onto Kevin), and taking foggy walks in Pacifica and Half Moon Bay.

We also spent an afternoon wandering Sausalito, checked out a few downtown areas on the Peninsula, admired the bridge views at Battery Spencer, did some San Francisco city exploring (Ghirardelli! Fisherman’s Wharf! Calacademy! The most amazing North Beach food tour! Dancing on the streets in Chinatown and getting yelled at for asking for a lime wedge, haha – inside joke I don’t wanna forget lol!). 

Lots of fun family time and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Beyoncé 

Because she totally deserves her own section, haha. I super spontaneously bought tickets to see Beyonce… less than 48 hours before the show. It was easily the most expensive concert ticket I’ve ever bought, but the experience of seeing her live was so worth it!

Was a scramble for sure figuring out a sparkly silver outfit (crazy last minute) and transportation, but we did it!

And what a Queen she was!!! Even from up high in the nose bleeds! We LOVED seeing everyone’s over the top outfits, and her daughter even came out for a few songs!!!

I didn’t make it home until after 2am… and went to work the next day… but I managed to power through, somehow!

September

The fall season started off with lots of busy weekends, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. We also saw New Found Glory and All American Rejects in concert, and got a surprise upgrade to box seats!

Labor Day trip to Napa 

We hadn’t been to Napa Valley in forever (we typically head to Sonoma instead) so we decided to go for a night over the long weekend. Most of our time was spent in Calistoga, and we loved the chill vibes (felt way more laid-back than the typically pretentious towns of Napa Valley).

We went wine tasting at Tank (so cool!), checked out a few vineyards, spent too much time at Dr. Wilkinsons (with total Palm Springs vibes), had s’mores by the fire, and just overall relaxed. Kona loved the hula hoop in our hotel room and playing corn hole, haha. Next time we’re really hoping to get a mud bath!

Other highlights included wandering around downtown Napa for a morning, perusing Oxbow Market, walking by the river, and having a delicious meal of fresh pasta for lunch. It’s always a good time in wine country!

Laguna Seca in Monterey

Another weekend in September was spent down in Monterey with friends, celebrating Noah’s (very) belated bday! We walked around the charming town of Carmel-by-the-Sea, had some delicious pizzas at La Bicyclette, took a short hike at Point Lobos, and had cocktails while playing some golf (so incredibly fun!).

But the real reason we were down there?! To see the last Indycar race of the season!

After following Formula 1 for so long, it was about time we saw a race in action! Felt like we were in a real-life video game! So crazy and insane! Such a fun weekend with some of our favorite people!

Weekend Trip to Seattle

We ended out the month with a long weekend trip to Seattle to visit some good friends of ours that recently moved there. 

Our friends showed us around and we all played tourist — went to the top of the Space Needle, sipped cocktails at so many fun bars (plus pie at Pie Bar!), watched a perfectly pastel sunset at Kerry Park, spent lots of time on their rooftop admiring the views, took a long walk at Discovery Park, checked out the vendors at the Ballard Farmers Market, stuffed our faces with tons of good food (pizza! Malaysian!, brunch!), and wandered inside the Amazon Spheres. 

My #1 highlight?! Taking the ferry over to Bainbridge Island – probably my favorite thing we did during our 3 days in Seattle! Had some delicious fish n chips, ice cream, walked around the local shops, and meandered by the waterfront. Seattle truly shines in the sun!

I also spent some time solo, eating as much as I could at Pike Place Market, exploring Pioneer Square and taking the popular Underground Tour, and loving the striking architecture at Seattle Central Library.

So grateful to have such great friends who opened their home to us and shared their new life in Seattle with us! We even contemplated a potential move afterwards… (sense a theme for 2023?)  

October

October was another busy month at home, with my parents visiting towards the end of the month and some concerts sprinkled in. We saw Neyo (he wore that famous red suit we loved at the Lovers and Friends festival in Vegas last year), and I reached a 500 day streak learning Spanish on Duolingo! 

We had some fall fun in SF — had a sticky picnic to watch the airshow with friends, admired the fall decorations at The Westin (always amazing), and got Halloween themed cocktails at The Summer Place! I even made an apple pie, almost from scratch!

I sadly canceled a dream New England fall foliage road trip, but hey, maybe I’ll go next year instead! Apparently the colors weren’t as bright and bold as normal, so maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

Glamping in Russian River

We started off the busy month with a night glamping at AutoCamp. I’ve been wanting to go glamping in the redwoods for oh so long – it feels like such a Northern California experience right?! So I’m thrilled we finally made it happen!

We are *so* not camping people, and couldn’t even get our fire to start (true story), but we managed!

It ended up being so fun (despite the rainy weather) – we took a long walk amongst the towering redwoods in Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve, had ice cream and a chocolate biscuit for lunch (whoops – that pistachio baklava flavor was LIFE), and a delicious dinner in downtown Guerneville.

We ended the night hanging by the fire (making s’mores) in the lodge and enjoying our tent! It was a pretty low key weekend but loved being able to relax a bit and of course that we could take Kona along with us! 

Boise, Idaho

After my canceled New England trip, I decided to visit a new state — Idaho it was for state #30!

We spent the weekend in Boise wandering around town, hitting up all the hip coffee shops, checking out some fun speakeasies (yes, they have those in Boise, I was surprised!), taking photos at the murals downtown, doing a sunset hike above the fall foliage, and walking down the Boise River Greenbelt. 

And oh so much food — finger steaks with fry sauce, an ice cream potato (probably the highlight of the trip for me, lol), DIY fries (I mean, we were in Idaho!), potato pizza, and the most creative, memorable meal at KIN (I’d go back to Boise just for that, haha).

It was such a relaxing weekend together, and I cannot believe we’ve never been to Idaho before despite being less than a 2 hour flight from us! Boise kinda felt like an outdoorsy Denver/Portland hybrid, and I can see why people love it so much (heck, tons of Californians are moving there). 

Mom and Dad visit!!

We closed out October with a visit from my parents. We spent so much quality time together – I forgot how much I love hanging out with them!

Our days were spent exploring the Bay Area and beyond. We went to Santa Cruz for a day, riding the steam train along the redwoods (such a cool experience), finding new species at the UCSC Arboretum (my moms favorite!), and walking along the water watching the surfers. 

Another day was spent in the city exploring Golden Gate Park, including a visit to the Japanese Tea Gardens (such great mochi!), the observatory at the de Young Museum, and taking a walk around the lake.

We also spent some time local as well, wandering some downtown areas on the Peninsula, getting a great brunch, going to a street fair, checking out the insanely decorated Halloween houses, and lots of yummy take out! Love visits from family. <3 

November

Apple Hill

It *finally* started feeling like fall in San Francisco, and after I unfortunately had to cancel my epic New England fall foliage road trip, we booked a weekend in Apple Hill as my consolation prize, haha. Not exactly the same, but still super fun!

We bounced around from farm to farm and orchard to orchard, sipping apple cider shakes and hard apple ciders, indulging in alllll the things (apple crisp a la mode, HUGE apple fritters, smooth pear cider, a super cute hot chocolate flight, apple dumplings, and more), and admiring all the fall colors.

And of course the most orgasmic apple cider donuts that ever existed – oh so fluffy and soft, and perfectly covered in tons of sugar – a donut I’ll remember for the rest of my life, haha.

We got so lucky and visited during peak foliage – I couldn’t believe the colors of the leaves (including that perfectly peak red tree I found).

Sometimes it’s the small moments I love the most, like having a super low key night eating cheeseburgers in bed and watching Elf together with Kona – which is exactly what we did that night, haha. 

New Mexico Road Trip for Thanksgiving! 

New Mexico was my 31st state of my 50 states challenge! We road tripped almost the entire length of the state, starting in Albuquerque and heading to Santa Fe, Truth or Consequences (what a fun name!), Las Cruces, Bandelier National Monument, and White Sands National Park.

And New Mexico was exactly what I thought it’d be — lots of Pueblo-style architecture, green chile cheeseburgers, and stunning natural landscapes. It was such a fun and varied road trip, and it makes me excited to explore other new-to-me states!

In Santa Fe we went shopping at the Plaza, ate our weight in blue corn pancakes, donuts, and enchiladas, sipped margaritas on the margarita trail, climbed up ladders and saw petroglyphs at Bandelier National Monument, and I learned about and admired Georgia O’Keeffe and all her artwork. 

Our short time in Albuquerque was spent wandering around Old Town (loved it!) and heading up 10,300 feet on the tram for sunset (absolutely spectacular despite the freezing temps).

We soaked in hot springs along the Rio Grande River in Truth or Consequences (what a colorful tiny town) and ran around like little kids on the white gypsum sand at White Sands National Park outside of Las Cruces.

The trip was super bittersweet because my sweet, sweet 99.5 year old grandma passed away just as we were getting on the plane, and I spent the next 48 hours in a frenzy trying to figure out if we could get to New York. 

Logistics got the better of me so we decided to celebrate her life down in North Carolina with my parents later in the month. Lots of tears were shed, but I found peace knowing my grandma wouldn’t want me in a state of intense stress.

Plus, Noah’s parents visited for a few days, so we got to spend some time with them before and after our trip to New Mexico.

December

North Carolina 

After a few weeks at home, we were off again, this time to North Carolina to see my parents! It was a low-key few days, spending lots of quality time with them, and reminiscing tons about my grandparents – we even found my grandpa’s GED and lots of old photos! Some of my favorites!

Besides the trip down memory lane, we did lots of puzzling (worked on a 2000 piece puzzle!), explored the Battleship North Carolina (so interesting!), saw dozens of decorated Christmas trees at the Fort Fisher Aquarium Festival of Trees, wandered along Wrightsville beach in the winter sun looking for seashells, and walked on the Wilmington Riverwalk and caught a gorgeous sunset. 

My dad also gave us a golf cart ride around their new development which was definitely a fun highlight as well!

Christmas in Europe!

London, England 

After planning (and re-planning) this trip for months, it was finally here! Our first time to Europe in the winter, and we chose to start our 2-week Christmas Market trip in London. I could not believe just how festive the city gets for the holidays (after finally getting there – our flight was canceled and we spent an unexpected night/day in Salt Lake City).

We primarily explored the SoHo/Mayfair and Covent Garden areas, and wow, just wow! London really goes all out! 

Of course we saw all the over-the-top decorations in the city — including all the windows at the big name brands on Bond Street (loved Cartier the most), a festive high tea, lunch at Sketch (oh those bathrooms!), the Regent Street angels, wandered Harrods (don’t miss the fish n chips) and Fortnum and Mason, devoured festive cupcakes at Peggy Porschein, and more. Basically all the festive things in London. I was obsessed with it all to say the least. 

In all honesty, the Christmas markets were nothing special, but we kinda expected that (and ohhh that cheese wheel pasta, drool).

I kinda forgot how much I love London (it’s such an eclectic city with so much personality and fun), and now I’m scheming how we can maybeee live there someday, at least for a little while

We also got in a few of our favorites toward the end of our trip, like Indian at Dishoom, salt beef bagels at Beigel Bake, wandering the markets in Shoreditch, and a new favorite — the famous chocolate strawberries at Borough Market (which I’ll gladly pay £8.5 for over and over).

Prague, Czechia 

After our few days in London, we flew over to Prague, and what an unexpected good time it was (and great to revisit after almost 8 years). 

The Christmas Markets in Prague were by far the best ones on our trip, despite the insane crowds on our first night (it was Christmas Day and all…). We stuffed our faces with so much market food, like paprika sausages, savarak wine (admittedly not our favorite), so many trdelniks with Nutella, fried cheese, old Prague ham, mini potato dumplings, and more. Honestly, it was hard to keep track!

Besides all the market gorging, we crossed the Charles Bridge at sunrise, explored the Prague Castle (before all the crowds came), sipped savarak on a river cruise, gawked at some great views from a few medieval towers, saw the wild architecture of the famous Dancing House, took pics at the Lennon Wall, saw the crazy old astronomical clock, watched some insane performances and ate massive pork knees at a medieval dinner, and tried (and loved) kolaches, a traditional Czech dessert.

Cesky Krumlov, Czechia

Next up – Cesky Krumlov, a small South Bohemian town that’s known for its super cute storybook little village! And little it was, haha. We quite literally walked every block a few times.

During our few days, we got great views of the tiny town from the Cloak Bridge and other viewpoints, stepped into the St. Vitus Church, got lost in the UNESCO Heritage Historic Town Center, and strolled along the peaceful riverbank.

We got so lucky with food, considering we made zero reservations – lucking out with a table at Krčma Šatlava (where we had dinner in a cave with candlelight), and having a classic Czech meal at Svejk (where I ate the most delicious vareniki of my life).

The Christmas markets right in Svornosti Square were small, but of course we managed to eat even more trdelniks, sausages, fresh potato chips, crepes, spiced nuts, and a delicious apple rum drink we were both obsessed with.

We admittedly devoted too much time in Cesky, but it was nice to relax for a bit in the middle of our very-busy trip.

Hallstatt, Austria for New Years!

Our last stop of 2023 – Hallstatt, Austria; a place that’s been on my Pinterest board for oh so many years. It wasn’t the snowy winter wonderland we had hoped for, but still so idyllic with its dramatic landscapes and frozen fairytale village.

In town, we wandered around finding all the best viewpoints, eating so many Austrian pastries and more schnitzel and potato salad than imaginable (so much potato salad, haha). We stayed at the most beautiful hotel of our trip, super modern with unobstructed views of the lake and even heated floors! It was marvelous!

A huge highlight of our entire Euro winter trip was taking the gondola up to Dachstein Krippenstein and doing the short snowy hike to 5 Fingers. To say I was enamored by the views is a massive understatement – I legit almost cried it was so beautiful. 

We watched the sunset from the top of the mountain and breathed in that crisp mountain air; definitely one of those moments you can’t believe life is real. Those snowy peaks were something else – Austria you officially have my heart.

We rang in the New Year eating soft pretzels in bed and watching loads of fireworks over the lake – exactly how we wanted it. Calm and cozy with full bellies stuffed with schnitzel and apple strudel.

We also went to Bruges, Belgium for a few days and had another wintery day in London – but that’ll have to wait for next year’s Year in Review since it was technically already 2024! 

Thanks 2023 for a beautiful year, filled with tons of family time, puppy cuddles, good food, and of course lots of travels and adventures. I’ve got a few things in the works for 2024, but it’s always so exciting to see how the next year pans out! Happy New Year, friends!

The post 2023 Year in Review: The Year of Adventures, Near and Far appeared first on A Passion and A Passport.

Another year has flown by! And boy did I pack this one in with tons and tons of travel (I traveled for roughly ⅓ of the year). No wonder why I’m so utterly exhausted! After 2 years of the world feeling mostly off-limits and difficult to access, I took advantage of this new found freedom. 

I finally visited a new country (Colombia!), a few old favorites (Portugal!, Italy!), and got in my groove of solo travel again. I visited my parents in their new home in North Carolina, watched my sister get married in NY, and spent a few weeks in Europe with my husband on his sabbatical. Fewer canceled trips, actual hugs with my friends and family, and tons more time living life sans mask. 

Looking back, it was a great year, and I’m so grateful for all the experiences 2022 brought me.

This is my TENTH year in review post on this blog, and it’s wild to me that I’ve been documenting my life and travels online for that long. I LOVE looking back at my life so these very personal and reflective posts are so special to my heart. 

→ Interested in seeing what I got up to in years past? Here are all my year in review posts: 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019 / 2020 / 2021

2022 by the Numbers

• Countries Traveled To: 8 (USA, Mexico x2, Colombia, Italy, France, Netherlands, Portugal, Canada)
• States Visited: 7 (California, Arizona, New York, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Nevada x2)
• Days On The Road: 124
• Days Traveling Solo: 29
• Beds Slept In: too many to count, haha
• Flights Taken: 38 
• Books Read: 39
• Duolingo Streak: 226 days

After taking a huge hit financially from my blog the last few years (travel was at a halt because of Covid), income levels are finally rising again and 2022 was my most profitable year yet! Pretty damn proud of myself for not giving up and never losing hope despite all the struggles in 2020 and 2021. A Passion and A Passport is my side-hustle baby, and there’s no way I’d give it up even after a few stressful years. 

Let’s go — my 2022 year in review, coming right up!

January

We spent New Years Day at our favorite place in our area – Pacifica! I love to start off the year on a high note, so we took Kona on a short hike in the sunshine (boy do I love living in CA) and got in our steps.

The new year started off kinda rocky – I got a false positive Covid test so had to quarantine at home for 5 days. Not the worst thing in the world since I got to work from home for a week, but definitely unexpected (I had zero symptoms) and kinda stressful. 

It wasn’t all bad – I did a bunch of puzzles, perfected a Levain cookie recipe (OMG super droolworthy), and spent tons of time cuddling Kona, the perfect WFH companion.

ARIZONA 

As soon as my quarantine requirements were up, we flew to Phoenix for a long weekend. Why?! For Noah to run his second marathon in just two months, and guess what – he PR’ed – again! Always so motivated by his determination (although nothing will ever get me to want to run for enjoyment…). 

We also met up with a few cousins of mine who I hadn’t seen in forever, thoroughly explored the ASU campus (I swear, we walked around it tons), loved Papago Park and hiked to “the hole in the rock”, explored downtown Tempe and Old Town Scottsdale, and saw a whole bunch of fun murals!

It was a short weekend, but definitely nice to be in hot and sunny weather in January!

That very same weekend, my sister, Ali, and her bf Kevin got engaged in North Carolina! So special and exciting for them! So thrilled my sister found her person.

MEXICO CITY 

I make it my business to travel on my birthday every year, so when we found a great deal on flights, I knew we’d be heading back to CDMX for my 35th birthday! We loved this city last time we visited (back in 2018), so couldn’t wait to return (and of course eat all the things, because that’s what you do in Mexico City, haha). And that we did – we ate at 3 of the best restaurants in the city: Quintonil, Pujol, and our new favorite Sud 777.

Besides all the eating, we also went on a few Luis Barragán architecture tours — I was blown away; the houses he designed are absolutely spectacular and oh so unique and mesmerizing. Tons of color and impressive architectural elements.

We revisited a few CDMX favorites, like Casa Azul, Parque Espana, and churros at El Moro, and checked out a few new-to-us spots, like the stunning Palacio Postal, the super instagrammable Casa Olympia for drinks, and wandering the leafy streets of San Angel. 

But my favorite thing we did all week? Waking up before dawn to float above the pyramids in a hot air balloon at sunrise on my birthday! We lucked out with the most perfect weather and saw Teotithuacan from above – such a magical morning and a birthday experience I’ll remember forever. 

Plus, we somehow got upgraded to first class on the way back home to San Francisco! No complaints there!

February

HOME

We had a few weeks of GLORIOUS 70 degree weather, so I tried to really soak it all up! Still completely in awe of where I live, and feel so, so, grateful for year-round sun and beach time. 

We went hiking at Devil’s Slide (one of my favorite easy trails in Pacifica), walked atop the cliffs at Point Pillar Bluffs in Half Moon Bay, saw a spectacular sunset at Fort Funston (along with dozens of cute pups), and even went tide pooling at Mavericks! Still cannot believe just how many tiny hermit crabs, sea anemone, and starfish I found! So fun!

I also spent an afternoon hiking above Gray Whale Cove and then frolicking on the beach afterwards. We got soaked in the waves but it was so worth it. Totally felt like a little kid — I was so giddy! Find all my favorite hikes in Half Moon Bay here!

NEW YORK

Next up – a long weekend of celebrations in NY! My sister’s engagement, brother-in-law’s birthday, their dating anniversary, and my birthday!

The weekend was filled with lots of movie nights and singalongs cuddling in the snuggle room, and spending a day out east in Greenport, listening to live music and watching dancing dogs at a brewery, sipping some sparkling rose at a gorgeous winery, and eating the smallest lobster roll known to man (true story, haha).

I got to see a lot of family/friends including my hysterical 97-year old grandma – love that little lady so much! Later on in the month Ali asked me to be her maid of honor (of course I said yes!).

The rest of February was a blur as we were navigating through some family things and trying to help as much as we could. <3

March

HOME

We saw Harry Potter on Broadway (which was great but unfortunately way too long), and visited my SIL and niece/nephew in Nevada City for a weekend (got to spend time with my in-laws too).

The horrific war between Ukraine and Russia caused gas prices to rise to over $6(!!!) in parts of the Bay – definitely not a good time for a long road trip!

MONTEREY AND CARMEL 

We snuck in a little beachy weekend trip to Monterey and Carmel, which we always forget is only 1 ½ hours south of us! We did a short coastal walk to Calla Lily Valley (something that’s been on my California bucket list for years), watched Kona play in the sand at Garrapata Beach, I hiked around Point Lobos and saw the most stunning turquoise waters and even a few cute harbor seals, walked around the storybook village of Carmel-By-The-Sea (my favorite!), and enjoyed a few pastries from the best cafes. 

I also randomly discovered the super-decked out Butterfly House (whoa!), and we took a super-long walk in Pacific Grove on the waterfront. To say we love this little area is a huge understatement… OH! We also had such a fun night at the coastal-chic Inn at Spanish Bay (along the 17 Mile Drive), watching the sunset while listening to the bagpiper and sipping drinks!

We absolutely love this area and I can see us making plenty of day trips here as the year continues (especially to see the pink ice plants bloom in summer!)

COLOMBIA  

And then we were off to Colombia – our first big adventure of 2022 and first new country in almost 3 years!

Besides spending SO much time in airports (our flight from Medellin to Cartagena was delayed 25 hours, yes TWENTY FIVE hours, and then we spent a 7-hour layover at the airport in Panama), we thoroughly enjoyed Colombia. Such a diverse and misunderstood country.

Medellin 

First stop in Colombia – Medellin! We checked out so many hip coffee bars while wandering around the trendy neighborhood of El Poblado, tried a crazy amount of exotic fruits on a market tour (ohhh we both loved lulos and granadillas and uchuvas), and had delicious rooftop cocktails complete with views of the whole city. 

Learning about the history and transformation of the Comuna 13 neighborhood was super powerful, and I’m glad we got to dive deep into the complex history. Of course we used the iconic escalators of the neighborhood, checked out the trippy Casa Neon, and took photos with all the fun murals in the area.

Guatape 

Ohhh – I loved this colorful little town so much! It kinda reminded me a tad of Guanajuato and Bacalar mixed into one (ok fine, just a little bit…). Guatape’s got its own unique charm, and we spent our two days there taking long walks along the lake and wandering the town so many times (finding new houses to photograph every few steps)! 

We trekked up the Guatape Rock (El Penol) for insane views of the lakes, and then got stuck in a wild Colombian thunderstorm on the way down! The steps were completely flooded and of course we got soaked… when in Colombia! Finding the empanada lady everyone raves about was another highlight (yes, more food!).

Cartagena 

Our last few days of our Colombia itinerary were spent in Cartagena – a port city I’d recently heard so much about. I don’t think we were prepared for the intense heat and humidity, and we ended up utterly exhausted from dripping all weekend but we loved the colonial city of Cartagena. 

So much charm on the cobblestone streets, and you betcha I took loads of photos of the colorful houses and doors draped with the prettiest pink bougainvillea.

We spent a morning at the fort, checked out the street art in Getsemani, sipped rooftop cocktails at sunset, relaxed at our gorgeous hotel pools, walked the city walls, and overall reveled in laid-back Caribbean life. I would totally come back here for a week or so. 

Cartagena surprised me with its foodie scene – we had a few too many latte frios, limonada de cocos, and pisco sours, indulged in cheesy street arepas and pandebonos, ate way too much exotic fruit, and had our best two meals of the trip at Carmen Cartagena and Alma (in the stunning Casa San Agustin). I even wrote an entire post on my favorite restaurants in Cartagena!

April

Once we got back from our whirlwind of a trip to Colombia, we had a few relaxing weekends full of Indian buffets, rotating sushi meals, and playing mini golf at Urban Putt (never heard of it? Be sure to check out my post on hidden gems in San Francisco).

We spent a lot of April planning our big summer Europe trip, with me constantly changing destinations and finally making a decision on where we’d go (spoiler — we spent the summer basking in the sun in Italy and the French Riviera with a mini side trip to Amsterdam).

NASHVILLE 

After canceling our trip to Nashville last September (Covid cases were spiking like crazy), I was so excited to finally make it to Tennessee – a brand new state for me! 

We went to Nashville for Noah to run the half marathon, and surprise, surprise, he PRed again – 1:55! 

Went to allll the murals so I could create my Nashville photo spots post (my fav were the candy hearts), stayed at the most instagrammable hotel in all of Nashville — the Graduate, decorated with all things Dolly Parton, and of course ate a whole lot of hot chicken, biscuits, grits, and even hush puppies (with the best meal of our trip at Husk; run, don’t walk).

Our Nashville itinerary included checking out the Country Music Hall of Fame (fun to learn about the evolution of country music), exploring a bunch of trendy neighborhoods, and listening to lots of live music at Tootsies and other spots on South Broadway.

One main highlight – seeing a few friends we hadn’t seen since before the pandemic (heyaaa Jay and Carol)! Plus, back at home, Kona went SWIMMING (those videos our friend sent us were a true 2022 highlight for us!).

May

May ended up being a semi-quiet month for us. We drove up to Nevada City again and spent the weekend with my favorite niece and nephew, baking, playing at the park, and hanging out. 

LAS VEGAS for Lovers and Friends Fest 

After falling in love with Usher’s residency back in August 2021, we somehow scored tickets to the highly anticipated Lovers and Friends Fest. Which meant, back to Vegas we went for our very first festival! The entire show was a total 90s throwback, and I loved every second of it (besides almost passing out from the intense heat and lack of available water…). 

There was a surprise guest appearance by Snoop Dog, and great performances by tons of my favorite artists (including Neyo, TLC, Frankie J, Juvenile, Mario, 112, Pretty Ricky, The Dream, etc). Ohhhh my high school years… 

But the end was a completely different story – there was a wild and super scary stampede (talks of a gunshot). I literally almost got trampled. Thank god Noah picked me up and we ran for our lives, then walked a few miles down Las Vegas Boulevard back to our hotel. Meaning we never got to see Usher after all , but we were too hyped on adrenaline and nerves to fully process the events at the time. A truly horrifying moment.

Besides the festival, we splashed around at our first ever Vegas pool party! So much fun in the cabana with a semi-private pool for Em’s 40th! We also had fresh pasta in Eataly, a delicious dinner at Best Friend, and drinks at Chandelier Bar (like always, haha). 

Other foodie stand outs were the insane cake shake, spiked dole whip at the Cosmo pool, Secret Pizza, and Eggslut (we can’t NOT go). Thankfully we burned off some of our indulgences by walking/dancing over 25 miles over the course of the 2 days (that’s ~62k steps in 2 days!).

COVID 

Covid finally caught up to us in May, after TWO years of avoiding it! Noah tested positive and felt like shit, most likely getting it from either the festival or wild pool party in Vegas. Could’ve predicted that! I somehow didn’t get it from him…!

Unfortunately we had to cancel a whole bunch of fun weekend plans, including a dinner experience we had booked FOUR months earlier. Ugh, go away Covid! I made pierogi that weekend (which took freaking 6 hours), watched a whole bunch of trashy TV, and got to work on a few blog posts. He thankfully started feeling better a few days later and tested negative (!!!) shortly after. 

And then Monkeypox became a thing and we had our first case in California — WTF. And the school shooting in Texas. And the baby formula shortage. Ugh!

SONOMA 

We finished up the month with a little day trip up north to Sonoma, and I totally forgot how much I love it up here! Pretending we were in Tuscany for the day, sipping our wines looking out at the views was the perfect way to welcome summer.

June

HOME

Lots of celebrations at home this month! We started with a delicious steak dinner at Mastro’s in SF for Noah’s birthday and then celebrated our TEN year anniversary with a fancy dinner at RH a week later. 

But the best news?! The requirement for negative Covid tests to return back to the US went away!!! Just in time for our big summer trip. I also hit 5 million impressions on Mediavine, which was such a victory after my traffic took a complete nose dive in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID.

But there was some seriously depressing news as well. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade; just proving once again how much our country is moving backwards. What a horrific day for women’s rights. Seriously America, WTF?!

WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA 

As soon as my school year was over, I finally made it to North Carolina where my parents moved last year! We hung out at the pool, walked in the lazy river, explored downtown Wilmington, got famous ice cream at Kilwins, walked along the waterfront, and saw carnivorous plants in the wild (which I found utterly fascinating).

We took day trips to SouthPort (the cutest town where tons of cheesy romances were filmed) and New Bern (home of Pepsi Cola and the Tyron Palace). It was so nice to relax a bit and spend lots of quality time with my parents and see their new home (I freaking love it and am so glad they’re having the best time in retirement). Such a great move for them.

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

I drove down to Charleston for a few days with my parents, a city I’ve been wanting to check out for so long! Before Charleston, we stopped in Myrtle Beach on the way, and checked out the colorful Broadway on the Beach and strolled on the beach boardwalk for a bit. 

It was absolutely sweltering in the South, but worth it for the Charleston charm.

Besides literally dripping in the scorching heat and getting stung by a massive bee, we had a great time. We indulged in shrimp and grits, biscuits, sweet tea, and other Lowcountry favorites. We explored all the typical Charleston favorites, like the Battery at sunset, the Pineapple fountain, Charleston City Market, and walked down King Street and all the pretty little alleyways.

We saw tons of gorgeous homes in the South Broad neighborhood (including of course Rainbow Row and all the pretty doors on Tradd Street). We learned about the enslaved Gullah people at The Boone Plantation, and admired all the Spanish moss on famous oak avenue.  We took a harbor boat tour to escape the heat, and saw Fort Sumter from afar. I wrote an entire post on our weekend in Charleston – it’s such a charming little city and I can’t wait to go back!

It was so sad saying goodbye to my parents — so grateful for the full week of uninterrupted quality time with them! 

VENICE 

Finally, after planning for months and months, we were off on our 3-week European adventure! And our first stop? Venice!

We didn’t particularly fall in love with Venice, but still had a great time (despite Noah’s bag getting lost on the way and ending up in GHANA!). Highlights included indulging in take away boxed pasta, authentic Italian pizza in bed, and creamy gelato overlooking the canals. We wandered around such charming (yet busy) streets and alleyways, walked up the Campanile Tower for amazing views over Venice, and admired all the Italian architecture and views.

But my favorite part of Venice – heading over to Burano for a morning, which I fell head over heels for the second we arrived! It looked like we stepped into a rainbow of color, with every single house painted so bright and cheery! I was in heaven! Touristy but such a locals spot as well. Highly recommend wandering around for a morning/afternoon.

July 

CINQUE TERRE

Next up on our European rendezvous – Cinque Terre! We had the most amazing 3 days in Cinque Terre, watching the sunset all 4 nights and eating as much trofie al pesto as we could get our hands on (plus spritz’s and lemon sodas and local wine and allll the gelatos).

We watched sunset on the rocks with a pizza picnic in Riomaggiore, learned how to make authentic pesto in Manarola, hiked to spectacular viewpoints in Vernazza, wandered tiny Corniglia with focaccia in hand, and spent a day at the beach under iconic umbrellas in Monterosso. Each town was so colorful and similar yet different in their own way.

I saw all 5 towns from the water on a local’s boat (hello Palao!), and swam in the crystal clear Mediterranean water. Times like this I cannot believe life is real. 

I desperately loved these tiny towns on the Italian coastline, and miss our time there so badly! Minus all the hills and stairs — got almost 20k steps every day!

One of the best parts?! Noah got his bag back — after going all the way to Venice and back for the day! Quite the 15 hour journey/adventure, but well worth it! I had myself a solo day!

PROVENCE 

We then made our way over to France, with Noah’s bag in tow (thankfully)! We explored so many charming villages and tiny alleyways, including L’isle-Sur-La-Sorgue, Moustiers, Roussillon, Gordes, Valensole, Fontaine de Vaucluse, Aix-en-Provence, and Saignon. Market days were insane! The countryside wasn’t our favorite, but I think that’s because we’re just coastal people!

Highlights included running through the lavender fields (at both sunrise and sunset) — we were visiting at peak bloom, how could we not?! Bucket list check! 

Renting a paddle boat at Verdon Gorge was another favorite – I swear the scene was straight outta a movie (and the water looked just like Gatorade!). Another bucket list check!

We finally made our way to the coast, spending time in Marseilles and Cassis, including a day out on the water checking out the limestone cliffs of the Calanques, admiring all the fancy yachts, and seeing the riviera from above via insane viewpoints. 

FRENCH RIVIERA 

To say we LOVED our time in the Côte d’Azur is a massive understatement. We split our time in Cannes and Nice, taking lots of day trips from each. Our days were filled with bougie lunches at beach clubs, renting umbrellas for afternoon swims, exploring the old town of Cannes, popping over to Antibes for a solo morning, and spending a day on a private boat ride with friends and getting pizza and mojitos delivered by boat! Such a unique experience.

In Nice, we took the train over to Menton (to eat all the lemon things), Monaco (where we checked out the F1 racetrack and iconic casino), Villefrance-Sur-Mer (my favorite little seaside town to date!), and Villa Ephrussi (with its pink ornate building and gorgeous gardens). We also walked tons along the water, explored the main squares, and got tons and tons of gelato and spritz! The best few days.

AMSTERDAM 

Amsterdam was our last official stop on our European summer! Our original flight from Nice got canceled so we ended up with an extra half day in Amsterdam, which was a nice surprise. 

We spent a full day and a half eating pancakes, takeaway frites, loaded baked potatoes, stroopwafels, cheese samples, famous chocolate cookies (seriously rivaling our favorite in NYC), and an authentic Dutch dinner. We wandered around the picturesque canals and admired all the architecture, relaxed at the Damrak, smelled the tulips at the flower market, and took an impromptu canal ride. 

But my favorite afternoon in Amsterdam? Visiting the Anne Frank House, and stepping foot in the secret annex where the Frank family hid out during the war (honestly one of the most impactful experiences of my life to date). Highly recommend adding a visit to your Amsterdam itinerary, even if you’ve only got a day or so!

LISBON 

After 4 days at home, yes FOUR, (and watching two good friends get married – heya Bella and Grant!), I flew back to Europe to start my 2-week solo trip to Portugal! First stop — Lisbon!

Throughout my few days in Lisbon, I snacked on about a dozen egg tarts at various pastelerias, took photos on the insta-famous pink street, burned off all those pastries walking uphill to all the miradouros, and wandered around the charming neighborhoods of Alfama and Barrio Alto.  

I spent an entire day feeding my gluttonous self — with a trendy breakfast, pasteis de nata baking class, fudgy chocolate cake (the best!), and a food and wine tour! 

I took a day trip to beachy Cascais (with a stop at the LX factory and in Belem beforehand), and fulfilled all my fairytale dreams during a long day trip to Sintra, exploring Peña Palace (twice), Quinta de Regalia, Montserrat Palace, and Sintra Town. Finally get what all the fuss is about!

August

PORTO

It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with Porto. All of 10 minutes to be exact. Didn’t hurt that I was staying in the cutest apartment, and stumbled upon the prettiest viewpoint (hardly mentioned anywhere!) on my first afternoon. I loved the city and its local vibe, maybe even more so than Lisbon, shh!

During my 3 days in Porto, I learned all about Port on a wine and cave tour (tawny was my clear favorite), stumbled upon a whole bunch of viewpoints, watched the sunset every night across the river, checked out as many beautiful blue tiles in Porto as I possibly could, indulged in a famous Porto hot dog and francesinha, wandered the city on a photo walk with a local photographer, and just wandered the tiny streets. 

I also managed to finally make it over to Costa Nova and Aveiro — two spots that have been on my Portugal bucket list for quite some time! I wandered around town, stopping at every single colorful striped house (haha), trying some local treats, and of course taking a boat ride on the famous Aveiro river. So much fun!

ALGARVE

I swear, I had the best few days of my life down by the beaches in southern Portugal. I could not believe all the views — each one more amazing than the last! Easily one of the most scenic landscapes I’ve seen in my life… missing southern Portugal already!

One of my favorite days was hiking along the coast (on the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail), admiring all the wild rock formations from above and ending the day with sunset petiscos overlooking the gorgeous Marinha de Praia.

I spent another day wandering a different section of the coast, checking out all the beaches on the Lagos Peninsula and treating myself to a fancy meal of grilled octopus with a sunset view.

I spent my Algarve mornings on speedboats and catamarans, exploring both Ponta de Piedade and Benagil Cave, hanging at the beaches searching for seashells, and eating as much seafood as I could.

I also loved my afternoon in Albufeira — wandering the picturesque beaches, exploring the whitewashed Old Town, all while taking tons of photos of course. Being by the beach and on Portuguese boats for almost a straight week was so up my alley.

HOME

Back to work it was… summer break was over! I started another school year literally the day after I landed home from Portugal. It was kinda hectic and I was downright exhausted, but I pushed through! 

We then celebrated a few birthdays — had a 30th bday outdoor movie night for a friend which was so fun, and drove over to Nevada City to celebrate my niece turning 6 the day after! We also saw Thomas Rhett in concert, a show that was canceled in (the non-existent) Summer 2020.

September

SANTA BARBARA

We always love heading down the coast, so we decided to spend Labor Day Weekend in Santa Barbara! First, we made a quick pit stop in Solvang, the cutest little Dutch town (although it was way too hot to actually enjoy it).

Once in Santa Barbara, we spent the weekend on busy State Street, indulging in $10 coffee drinks (delish), tiki drinks in the Funk Zone, and so much good food (tried a whole bunch of new-to-us restaurants, like Secret Bao and Flor de Maiz). We walked along the beaches, watched sunsets from the pier, and ate delicious tri-tip sandwiches off the side of the road at Cold Spring Tavern. 

Major highlight of the weekend was spontaneously seeing two of our good friends who we hadn’t seen in almost a year! We love ya Lena and Bassam + co! And staying at the oldest and most beautiful Motel 6 in the country; no joke, it kinda felt like a cute boutique hotel.

Besides the scorching hot weather (it was in the 100s almost the whole time…), we had such a great weekend. As we always do in SB! We even ran into Andy Buckley (from the office!) at the Kimpton!

NEW YORK

Time for some bridal festivities – Ali’s Bridal Shower and Bachelorette Party in NY! After planning for months (and months), we finally got to celebrate my sister for the weekend! And what a huge success it was!

First up — the bachelorette party! We had a delicious boozy brunch with a perfect view of the water, indulging in so much good food and taking tons of fun pics. An afternoon pampering ourselves at Sojo Spa was next (!!!). I couldn’t believe how huge the place was — 4 levels of saunas, hot tubs, foot massages, ice rooms, a freaking sand pit, and even an infinity pool overlooking the Manhattan skyline! 

We stayed in our robes the entire day (what a dream!), sipped on berry smoothies, and hopped around between all the saunas and pools. What a perfect day of relaxation and celebrating my sister with such a great group of girls! I swear, my sister has the bestest of friends.

Next day was the bridal shower — full of fun shower games, a delicious buffet meal, and the most adorable custom sugar cookies around! It was so nice to see tons of family and meet a whole bunch of my sister’s friends! Next stop, the wedding in December!

HOME

While at home, we saw Dave Matthews Band in concert (such a good show), spent a day in Sonoma wine tasting with new friends at MaCrostie Vineyards (oh so gorgeous!), and I got into Mediavine Pro, which means I get to keep more of my ad revenue!

October

Beginning of the month was pretty low-key, which was a-okay by me after such a busy summer and start to fall. I saw Moulin Rouge on Broadway – so fun and one of the best shows I’ve seen so far!

We went all out and attempted to do as many fall things as we could! Went apple picking in Morgan Hill, took fun photos at the pumpkin patches, ate warm apple pie and sipped on fresh cider, spent a day at Great America on the roller coasters (for their festive fall event), and hung out with friends at Oktoberfest!

I also signed up with an online coach/trainer, and am so proud of myself for getting my butt in gear and finally working on my health/nutrition. After gaining a few Covid pounds, I definitely didn’t feel like my best self so decided it was finally time to take action. Almost back to my pre-Covid weight after a few short months → so proud of myself!

Also – Noah accepted and started a new job at an amazing company — such a great opportunity for him and I’m thrilled he’s so ecstatic about it!

LAS VEGAS for USHER! 

After the catastrophe of Lovers and Friends back in May, I knew we needed to go back to Vegas to see Usher again (just like we did last year!). While we both admit his show was infinitely times better the first time around, it’s never not fun seeing Usher in Vegas.

We spent the weekend checking out new fancy cocktail bars, eating at our fave foodie spots (if you haven’t had stone crabs at Joes, go now), and spending time with one of our fave friends we hadn’t seen in a while! We also re-explored a bunch of hotels on the strip we hadn’t been to in forever, and I got some cute pics for my Las Vegas photo spots post! Coming soon!

HOPE VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

Continuing our season of fall fun, we drove over to Hope Valley with hopes of seeing all the fall colors famous in this area! There ended up being a snowstorm a week prior, meaning all the gorgeous aspens at the hotel were gone, but we still had an amazing time staying at the woodsy chic Wylder Hotel. 

We literally stayed in a real-life log cabin, wood-burning fire stove and all (which was an experience in and of itself to light). So chill and relaxing and just so fun hanging in the log cabin with Kona – he did so great and was such a great little adventure buddy!

Although we visited at the very tail end of fall foliage, we managed to find some pretty yellow aspens closer to Tahoe, and went on a bunch of chilly walks by the lake and through the trees. 

November

Again, our November was pretty chill, exploring closer to home and taking some time to relax. One weekend we went down to the redwoods in Los Gatos and checked out all the fall colors, while we ventured over to Santa Cruz another weekend for a gorgeous (yet very windy) coastal hike (which honestly kinda reminded me of the Algarve in Portugal!). We also snuck into SF for a day, and then both got our Covid bi-valent boosters a few days later which we were especially happy about!

BANFF NATIONAL PARK 

After visiting Banff THREE times (even once in winter), it was time to finally show Noah around! And lemme just say — Banff in November was all kinda magical. We walked on a frozen Lake Louise, roasted marshmallows over the fire with views of the mountains, and had high tea with a perfect view of the frozen lake and glacier. A true winter wonderland!

It was so fun finally staying at all the hotels I’ve gawked at for years (Fairmont Lake Louise, Fairmont Banff Springs, and Emerald Lake Lodge). We watched a gorgeous sunset with the mountain peaks reflecting in the one wet spot of Emerald Lake → one of our favorite experiences of the trip. 

We took the gondola up for spectacular views of all the mountain peaks, and had a delicious lunch at Sky Bistro. On our last day we checked out the Banff Christmas markets, hung out at the outdoor hot tub, and of course indulged in a beavertail, 3-course fondue dinner, and lots of hot chocolate/hot cider!

We relaxed SO much, which is not like us at all. We spent time reading by the fire in our cabin, eating dessert in bed, sipping Christmas blend tea, and eating our tiny finger sandwiches while watching the fluffiest snow fall with views of the mountains. So peaceful and relaxing.  

To say we lucked out with the weather is a massive understatement — lots of blue skies and then fresh SNOW (and thankfully made it safely out of a wild snowstorm back to Calgary). Such a great winter trip, and I hope we can revisit sometime in the future together.

December

Before an exceptionally busy December, we saw Adam Sandler live at the CHASE Center in SF and it was one of the most hilarious shows we’ve ever seen. Always forget how much I enjoy seeing my favorite people on stage! 

ALI AND KEVIN’S WEDDING WEEKEND!

We headed back to NY for an extended long weekend – this time for my sister’s wedding! I swear, she was the most stunning bride.

The bridal party started getting ready at 5am in the bridal suite, and despite the early wake up call, we all had a blast getting our hair and makeup done and busting out in random dance parties. We’ve got the photos to prove it!

Ali and Kevin planned such a gorgeous wedding, complete with fried Oreos, a mini Hank statue on the wedding cake, and the sweetest, most heartwarming ceremony. And thankfully, despite all my nerves, I totally crushed my maid of honor speech!

Overall, such an amazing weekend spending so much quality time with my family (immediate and extended) at both the wedding and before/after. <3 And plus, we got upgraded to DeltaOne on our flight home which was a nice surprise after a weekend of non stop partying!

MEXICO

Just 4 days after getting home from NY, I was off to Mexico for winter break! Like most solo trips these days, it always takes a lot of effort and motivation for me to get on that plane. But once I get there and get back into my groove, I end up having the best time. That’s EXACTLY what happened with Mexico.

I fell in love with the Yucatan Peninsula, and I ended up staying for a full 2 weeks instead of only 1, haha! I packed in a whole bunch of epic spots, including Merida, Valladolid, Chichen Itza, Izamal, Rio Lagartos, Bacalar, and Tulum! Busy but somehow kinda relaxing too!

Merida 

Merida was my first stop on my solo trip around the Yucatan Peninsula. And I loved it – spent my days wandering the colorful streets around Plaza Grande and the chic Paseo Montejo, tried my first (but not last) marquesita, and stayed at an all-pink hotel (and obviously took way too many photos of it).

I indulged in authentic market foods (like cochinita pibil salbutes and carnita tacos) from stands I would have never found myself on a Mérida local food tour (plus agua frescas, sweet corn helado, and so much al pastor). 

Joining a cenote tour last minute was one of the most magical mornings of my life. Floating in the middle of the turquoise Cenote, looking up at the sky, with only the other 2 people on my tour plus our guide, is something I’ll never forget. Most cenotes are crazy crowded, so when it was just us, that made the experience all that more special. Plus the lunch we shared in a local Mayan’s house alongside her family was spectacular, and I can easily say her salbutes were the best I had all trip. 

Valladolid 

After a low-key few days in Merida, I headed over to Valladolid where I did oh so much! I learned all about the Mayans at both Chichen Itza and Ek Balam (both super impressive and wildly different experiences), gawked at flamingos and crocodiles during our boat ride on Rio Lagartos, marveled at the all-pink lake at Las Coloradas, cooled off at yet another cenote, and explored the yellow town of Izamal. Despite crazy long days, I met the best people and had the best time. <3

In Valladolid itself, I spent lots of time in the main square, going shopping, people-watching, and loving the churros rellenos. I ended my time in Valladolid with a visit to Instagram-worthy Cenote Suytun, another bucket list check for me! 

Bacalar 

Bacalar is a place I had never even heard of until I was in Valladolid, haha. And my trip down to Bacalar was super spontaneous. My flight home from Cancun was canceled, so instead of dealing with the holiday airline messes, I decided to extend my stay in Mexico for a week (could be way worse, right?).

It was my first time showing up to a place having done very minimal research — which was all kinds of exhilarating, stressful, and fun. I took the long 5-hour bus ride down to Bacalar and met up with a friend I recently met in Valladolid; we had such a great time together and can’t wait to meet up elsewhere in the world in 2023!

Bacalar was hardly touristy and despite some unexpected rain, we loved the tiny town. The main highlights were heading out on a boat to see the 7 colors of the lagoon (ain’t called the Maldives of Mexico for nothing!), floating down Los Rapidos (too much fun), spending an afternoon relaxing at a beach club, and surprisingly having so much good food. Highly recommend heading down to Bacalar if you’re interested in experiencing a lesser-known, yet just as beautiful part of Mexico. 

Tulum 

I ended my extra-long stay in Mexico with a trip to Tulum, a place I’d been wanting to explore for a while despite the wild over-tourism.

I spent my last two days in Mexico exploring Tulum Pueblo, relaxing at the beach with some fish tacos, wandering around the Tulum Ruins, walking up and down the hotel strip, and staring at that turquoise blue sea for far too long on crazy long beach walks.

Despite staying next to a nightclub that blasted music until 4am and dealing with overpriced taxis, it was way better than I expected (although definitely overrated and overpriced). Would I go back? Not anytime soon, but regardless, it was a great end to my unexpected 2 weeks in Mexico!

I got home from Mexico at 9pm on New Year’s Eve… just in time to kiss my husband at midnight! While we didn’t have much time to ring in the new year, we celebrated with some champagne, peanut butter cheesecake, and couch snuggles with Kona. Didn’t wanna miss saying goodbye to 2022 without my little family by my side. <3

Phew – that’s my 2022! Happy New Year, and here’s to a productive, fun-filled 2023!

The post 2022 Year in Review: The Year Life Kinda Got Back to Normal appeared first on A Passion and A Passport.

It was a weird year with so much fluctuation. Yes, COVID dominated all our lives (still very much so), but the world slightly got more and more back to normal as the year went on. Although now in December I feel like we’re kinda backtracking a bit…. ack! 2021 was kinda like a mind game — one month we were making so much progress and well, the next? Not so much.

I’ve been writing these yearly posts for almost a decade, and they’re honestly some of my favorite posts to write. Probably because I’m a sucker for memories and just love reliving the best moments. 

Care to low-key stalk me? See what I got up to in years past (damn, I’ve been writing these year-in-review posts for almost 10 years). 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019 / 2020

I’m including highlights of HOME each month because I really tried to take advantage of the beautiful Bay since international travel was difficult to say the least. The ups and downs of Covid really got me (again) this year, with so much frustration of those refusing to get the vaccine and wear the damn mask. But I digress… 

Thankfully 2021 brought a lot of goodness, too! Derek Chauvin was found guilty for the murder of George Floyd (how was that even a question?), Mr. Joe Biden got elected into office, Europe opened its doors to Americans by summer (we took full advantage and went to Greece!), and Canada followed shortly after in August. 

In terms of vaccines, everyone was eligible for Covid vaccines in the states by mid April, the Pfizer vaccine got FDA approval in late August, and booster shots were available in October! All things considered, it was a great year in science and politics.

January 

Loss

The first few days of the New Year were as normal as they could be (considering the current state of the world), but my world came crashing down soon thereafter. 

My sweet grandma was not doing well and declining rapidly. What a way to start the year, right?

I wrestled with my feelings of not being able to say a proper goodbye to her due to COVID restrictions in New York for those coming from California (a forced quarantine upon arrival). We had a beautiful zoom shiva for her, where we all showed pictures/videos, reveled in happy memories, and just celebrated her long life. I’ll always admire her no-bullshit attitude towards life, and the fact that she really did put family first no matter what. Love you always, Toots!

HOME + Exploring the Bay/MLK Weekend 

With the Bay Area still under lockdown, we spent most of the month exploring close to home. I feel so grateful to live in California where it literally feels like summer in the dead of winter some days (77 and sunny in mid-January?! Yes please!). 

A few highlights I don’t wanna forget:

• Took Kona on a hike in the Oakland redwoods; he hiked over 4 miles up and down and LOVED every second of it 
• Re-explored the Marin headlands with some hiking, a breakfast sandwich picnic overlooking the gorgeous Golden Gate Bridge, and an amazing sunset from Battery Spencer — a perfect day despite the horrific holiday traffic
• Such a fun over-the-top lakeside picnic with some friends 
• Tried out (and bought) a peloton! I guess I should start using it… haha
• Made Mexican street tacos complete with homemade tortillas, homemade salsa, and bacon-flavored steak with a chef in Mexico City on AirBnB experiences! Such a fun Paloma-filled rainy-day date night 

Inauguration 

I don’t typically include any politics over here on my travel blog, but this year’s inauguration (and the weeks leading up to it) were absolute bonkers. 

Definitely one of the most devastating and disgusting days in US history when the government was counting the votes – protesters were literally STORMING the capital. Um, what?! 

But when we welcomed Joe into office, it was such a breath of fresh air and a HUGE weight lifted off everyone’s shoulders. Definitely gives us hope for the next few years. And I just have to add — those Bernie Sanders memes were out of control in the best way possible.

OAHU

The stay-at-home order finally got lifted towards the end of January — just in time for us to go to Hawaii for my birthday! 

We were actually supposed to head back to Mexico instead (this time to sunny Sayulita and Puerto Vallarta), but once new restrictions were put into place (requiring a negative COVID test before boarding a plane back to the US), we were sad for all of 5 minutes then quickly changed our plans. 

Tickets were booked in a matter of an hour, we made appointments to get COVID tested for Hawaii, and I smiled knowing we’d be back to one of our favorite places in the world way sooner than expected — Oahu!

I’m not really sure why we stressed so much about the COVID requirements for Hawaii — we got our negative results back within 12 hours and the whole process at the airport was super simple. I honestly wouldn’t mind if they kept this procedure for a while. 

From the airport to Leonard’s it was (for some fresh lilikoi malasadas), then it was off to the North Shore!

North Shore 

We’ve taken a day trip to the North Shore of Oahu on trips past, but never actually spent ample time here! Staying on the North Shore was SUCH a good decision – we saw green Hawaiian sea turtles on Laniakea Beach, indulged in overflowing açaí bowls from The Sunrise Shack, watched surfers attempt the INSANE swells at Banzai Pipeline, and took so many walks on the beach.

On my actual birthday we went cage diving with 12 feet Galapagos Sharks – to say that was a wild experience is an understatement. While we’ve been snorkeling with black-tip reef sharks in Bora Bora (no cage), this seemed way scarier for some reason. Although the go-pro footage is some of the worst we’ve ever taken and we have little to no photos of the morning, what an experience it was!

We ended our time on the North Shore with some shave ice from Matsumotos, searching for tiny fish at Sharks Cove (my favorite!), and finally watching the most beautiful beach sunset with a picnic complete with Ted’s famous chocolate haupia pie, the freshest poke from Foodlands, and POG-flavored Maui’s hard seltzer.

February 

OAHU – Waikiki

My birthday trips usually spill over into February, and we spent the last few days in and around Waikiki, marveling in the sunshine and turquoise waters. We indulged in lots of Mai tais and pineapple vodkas on the beach, went back to all our favorite spots and loved some new ones (like Haleiwa Joe’s Haiku Gardens for my birthday dinner and Hawaiian Crown for fresh pineapple juice), and stayed at The Laylow, a super cute boutique I’ve been eyeing ever since they opened!

One of my favorite memories?! Seeing Hawaiian monk seals on the eastern coast of Oahu! Including one of the only 5 pups born last year! Super special to see – promise me if you ever go to Hawaii you’ll do your absolute best to protect all its species and the land!

Because of the pandemic, the main streets of Waikiki and Waikiki Beach were relatively empty! I was the only one walking along Waikiki Beach at sunrise one morning, and it was absolutely wild being in one of the most popular spots in Hawaii with practically no one there. Honestly, it was really nice, haha, although it felt kinda surreal (like all of 2020 did, haha).

Overall, a very successful pandemic trip to Hawaii, and I’m glad we got to experience the warmth of the island without all the usual crowds.

HOME

Back at home, we filled our weekends with lots of outdoor time since spring came early in the Bay (high 70s in February!). The cherry blossoms in our neighborhood bloomed, I went on lots of flower photo walks, and literally ran through the wild mustard fields (and checked out a new-to-me beach) in Half Moon Bay. I also crossed off a few things on my SF bucket list: magnolias in the SF Botanical Garden, hiked the Batteries to Bluffs trail, and ate cupcakes from Noe Valley Bakery! 

Plus something we’ve never done before – we bought live lobsters, steamed them, and made lobster rolls (and then lobster tacos with some leftover meat for dinner the next day!) Absolutely delicious.

I also went hiking in Castle Rock State Park with some friends- so fun climbing on the rocks and singing Spice Girls in the caves! Get you some friends who aren’t ashamed to sing 90s music in public, haha.

YOSEMITE 

We spent Valentine’s Day weekend in the park (after somehow snagging a last minute reservation despite them all being taken in 2 minutes!!!). We went to all the usual Yosemite winter spots: Tunnel View, Lower Falls, Yosemite Chapel, Mirror Lake, Valley View, etc. Nothing will beat our first Yosemite winter visit, but we still had fun in the snow!

It was the ultimate winter wonderland, despite Kona being so cold in his little sweater and jacket. Made my heart so happy when Noah continuously picked him up and carried him when he was shivering. He LOVED the snow though!

The days were spent in the snowy park and we had cozy nights in bed with Netflix and take-out. The best, right? And on our way home, we stopped in Hilmar for some of the best grilled cheese sandwiches we’ve ever had!

COVID VACCINE DOSE 1

It was my turn to get the first dose of the vaccine, being an educator and all! And boy did it feel weird (in the best way possible). We went to a huge convention center near us, and had to wait in line with hundreds of other cars to get the vaccine. Such a surreal experience. Totally felt like I was in a movie – kinda like Contagion or some other pandemic movie. Definitely didn’t think this was something we’d all experience in our life time.

To be honest, getting the vaccine was a bit more anti-climactic than I thought, but we’re doing things! Go science! I was seriously lucky and only had a sore arm for a few days.

NEVADA CITY 

Off we were again, this time to Nevada City to celebrate my sister-in-law turning 40 (!!!) and my cute nephew’s 8th birthday. It was a super low-key weekend with lots of relaxing, bomb pastrami sandwiches, bear watching right outside their house (we saw THREE bears!), sparkly nail painting, cake and balloons, and a champagne/apple cider toast.

We decided to make a quick pit stop on the way home in Sacramento for a yummy lunch at Hook and Ladder, a walk around the capitol building, and to see a gorgeous mural I’d been wanting to photograph for a while! 

March

March marked a full year of working from home and when the crazy virus started exploding all over the news and stomping on our world as we knew it. It’s also when restrictions started being lifted, and I finally began seeing the light at the end of the (never-ending) tunnel.

We relaxed a lot this month, and it honestly felt so good to slow down (after having an exceptionally busy February somehow).

HOME

At home in the Bay we spent lots of time relaxing and binging Breaking Bad, I had my first $500+ Mediavine day due to a post going crazy viral and super high RPMs (!!!), and I spoke at the #influencer conference about all things Mediavine and SEO. It was super nerve wracking and I totally needed my husband and friends to encourage me to go for it, but I got through it (with only a few minor hiccups).

I also made it my mission to visit the city a bit to help ramp up my SF content, including playing tourist for a day at Fisherman’s Wharf, checking out the new Umbrella Alley and murals, walking around Ghirardelli Square, and watching the sea lions bark at Pier 39. It’s definitely not one of my favorite neighborhoods in SF, but it’s fun every once in a while. AND I finalllllly indulged in a chocolate croissant from Le Marais and I’M IN LOVE.

Another day was spent  wandering around Golden Gate Park, finally seeing the tulips in FULL bloom at The Dutch Windmill and going back to the Conservatory of Flowers (and of course wrote a whole blog post about all my favorite things to do in Golden Gate Park).

Outdoor and even indoor dining opened at reduced capacity, and I went out with friends for the first time in over a year and celebrated a friend’s birthday at our favorite steak restaurant! So fun! Forgot how much we love these nights out! Makes me appreciate all the little things in life we typically take for granted.

Also, the peloton arrived earlier than we thought (!!!) and we started riding almost every day!

COVID VACCINE #2

Time for my second dose! Thankfully the line wasn’t as long today and we drove right up! Still felt pretty apocalyptic though. What weird times!

Luckily I had no major symptoms/side effects, only a tiny bit of muscle pain in my shoulder near the injection site. AND I was in a bit of a fatigued fog for a morning but that was it! There’s a sliiiiiight possibility I had Covid back in February 2020 when I didn’t feel well at the airport coming back from Todos Santos, but the symptoms were different and went away in less than a day. So probably not? Definitely not complaining though!

My parents got their first dose in NY, which made me especially happy!

DAY TRIP TO TREASURE ISLAND 

We FINALLY headed over to Treasure Island and spent an afternoon hanging out with friends. I can’t believe we had never been before – it’s so close to us! We lucked out with a beautiful sunny day, with picture perfect views of the SF skyline on our walk (with tons of sailboats out) and snacked on some delicious fish and chips in the sunshine. 

It’s days like this that make me remember why we live in the Bay. Definitely one of my favorite day trips from San Francisco, that’s for sure!

PALM SPRINGS

When we realized international travel was still pretty much outta the picture, I figured why not head south for Spring Break and explore a few parts of CA we’d still never been to! 

But first stop — Roscoes for some fried chicken and waffles! On our way to Palm Springs, we stopped in Cabazon for chocolate date shakes and of course to see the infamous giant dinosaurs.

We fell in love with Palm Springs almost the moment we arrived. Our few days were filled with boozy brunches at some of the chicest hotels in the city, pool time at the Ace Hotel with some mango margaritas, finding a whole bunch of Desert X art pieces, gawking at the crazy windmill farms, and strolling around the Moorten cactus garden. 

We also wandered around the Indian Canyon neighborhood taking lots of photos (I just loved those mid-century modern homes and colorful doors) and hiked along the lush oasis of Andres Canyon Trail in Palm Canyon.

If you find yourself in Palm Springs, you NEED to try the yummiest potato pizza, Nonna’s meatballs, and pane bread from Birba. The best.

JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK

Next up – a day trip to Joshua Tree! We stopped at all the typical spots, like the Cholla Cactus Garden, Hidden Valley, Skull Rock, and the Arch Trail. The number of Joshua Trees we saw were absolutely unreal, I had too much fun climbing on the massive rocks at Jumbo Rocks, and we watched the most beautiful sunset from Keys View (the highest place in the park) with some fried chicken sandwiches (yes, we left the park and made a mad dash for some food). 

And luckily, made it back to Palm Springs juuuuust in time for some over-the-top milkshakes from Great Shakes. Another must on any Palm Springs weekend getaway! 

April 

DESERT ODDITIES + BORREGO SPRINGS

The next part of our little SoCal desert road trip – Borrego Springs! But before heading there, we took a little road trip to some of the wackiest spots in CA! We found a HUGE palm tree farm, walked out to the smelly Salton Sea, took so many pictures of the Bombay Beach ruins and town (that drive-in movie theatre was so cool!), marveled at the colorful Salvation Mountain, saw a whole bunch of wacky art in East Jesus, and walked on some impressive sand dunes.

And then we got to Borrego Springs. We stayed at the cutest desert oasis getaway, spending our mornings out in the desert, exploring the metal sculptures at Galleta Meadows and squeezing through The Slot Trail. The desert was in full bloom and it was just oh so pretty!

We relaxed by the pool every afternoon once it got way too hot to do anything else, and hung in the hot tub under the stars at night. So, so peaceful and hardly anyone was at our resort (hello pandemic times!). One night we learned all about the night sky and even saw different galaxies with our own eyes (!!!) through a telescope (Borrego Springs is an International Dark Sky hotspot afterall!). 

Before heading home, we stopped in Julian for some famous apple pie and fulfilled my dream of prancing around the stunning blooms at the Carlsbad Flower Fields (finally crossed that off my CA bucket list).

HOME

Noah got the vaccine in mid-April, and we were both overjoyed! He felt like absolute shit the next day, but so worth it. Of course we celebrated with some free Krispy Cream donuts that weekend! 

And my parents got their second dose as well! Finally seeing the shiny bright light at the end of the COVID tunnel! 

PINNACLES NATIONAL PARK

I put my National Parks Pass to good use and headed down to Pinnacles one weekend with some friends! We literally scaled the side of the mountain – the trail was so narrow at times; it honestly kinda felt like we were on a different planet! So wild! All in all, we hiked around 12 miles or so, and it felt so good to be outside with friends for the day! 

I definitely wanna go back to explore the caves and see the reservoir one day! Another great day trip from SF for sure. 

SAN DIEGO

After spending a day in San Diego last summer, I headed back down with some friends for a long weekend getaway! We ate tacos until we were officially taco-ed out (including one only 8 miles from the Mexican border!), hung at Hotel Del for some sunset cocktails, and walked around the waterfront and explored Old Town.

One of my favorite afternoons? Walking around the hip neighborhoods of North Park and South Park, of course stopping at all the beautiful plant shops and colorful murals. We also explored Balboa Park, including the super colorful Spanish Village Art Center, cacti garden, and botanical building.

The weekend wouldn’t be complete without some trendy boozy brunches x2 (complete with maple bacon donuts and soufflé pancakes), admiring the paragliders at Torrey Pines, swinging on hidden swings, and watching the sea lions at La Jolla Cove for over an hour and a half! Such a fun girls trip!

May

HOME

In May, we celebrated a 99th birthday over Zoom (Mary!), a derby party complete with chocolate pie and mint juleps, and I surprised my mom for Mother’s Day in New York (more on that later). But at home we helped two of our good friends get engaged (we were part of the scavenger hunt), I hiked Mission Peak with friends (over 9 miles and up 149 flights — Phew!), and started going out to bars/breweries with friends/coworkers — definitely felt a bit strange but oh so welcomed! 

We also explored the city a bit, scoring free tickets to the SF MOMA (I’ve been wanting to go for so long!), riding the ferris wheel in Golden Gate Park, and checking out the immersive Van Gough exhibit. We finally re-visited the Rose Garden in San Jose, stopping for yummy drinks at San Pedro marketplace afterwards.

NEW YORK

Ohhhh – I pulled off surprising my mom in NY for Mother’s Day so good! I randomly found a $130 ROUNDTRIP nonstop flight from SFO to JFK a few months back, so I couldn’t not go! Cheapest I’ve ever seen! 

It was a super low-key weekend, but I got to spend some quality time with my immediate family and sweet (almost) 97 year old grandma (and of course consume some bagels and pizza)! I also saw some family who I haven’t seen since before Covid – including my older cousin (who’s more like a sister) who I missed SOOOO much. 

I even teared up on the plane coming home — didn’t realize how much I missed my family

PASO ROBLES

Memorial day in Paso! We met up with some friends for a weekend of wine tasting! It was super hot and sticky (that’s Paso in the summer for ya), but we cooled off with some chilled whites and yummy rose, and FINALLY got to check out the Sensario light installation which was more spectacular than I ever imagined (even Noah loved it)!

We also checked off a few wineries I’d been wanting to see — with Niner being our favorite, and ended the weekend at an olive farm going olive oil tasting! That ice cream drizzled with EVOO at the end was oh so refreshing and perfect!

June

HOME

In June, we celebrated our NINE year anniversary over brunch at Son & Garden, a hip spot I’ve been wanting to check out for a while. I also spent some time in Berkeley with friends (eating all the things) and then smelling all the lavender at Araceli Farms, another local spot I’ve been wanting to see!

And get this – California officially opened back up in mid-June! San Francisco was the first major city in the US to put a mandatory shelter in place last year, and I’m so proud and grateful of how far we’ve come. We were also the first major city in the states to have herd immunity (80% vaccine rate), which just makes me love my city even more. <3 Hot girl vax summer, here we go!

In terms of business, it was my highest month EVER on Mediavine (read my love letter to the company here!). This little blog of mine is finally reaching pre-Covid levels of income again (after what was a rough 15 months or so), and it gives me hope for the blog’s future. 

WASHINGTON 

As soon as school was out for the summer, I snuck off on a week-long trip to Washington State, and what a fun girls trip it was. The primary reason for our trip (besides eating all the things in Seattle…) – to celebrate Caroline’s birthday!

Seattle

In Seattle, we spent a whole afternoon eating everything at the market (think mac n cheese from Beechers, lemon greek yogurt, mini donuts, and more), admiring all the peonies, sipping on espresso martini flights at Starbucks, feasting on happy hour pastas, hanging at a swanky rooftop bar overlooking the waterfront, grabbing donuts from General Porpoise, and checking out the REI flagship store! Makes me miss this city in more ways than one, considering it was my first EVER solo trip way back when.

Seattle Day Trips

Once our bellies were full, we unexpectedly took the ferry and explored Whidbey island, full of cute little seaside towns and a clam chowder and fish n chips lunch. We also got gorgeous views over Deception Pass bridge and watched an epic sunset at the beach.

Next was a full day on the San Juan islands (we took the ferry again!) in hopes to see orca whales! No luck (womp, womp), but we did see some porpoises, local sheep, and bald eagles while cruising the straight. We also circumnavigated the island and checked out a sculpture garden, an alpaca farm, and a lookout point… but still, no whales. But it’s always a good time with these girls – full of dance parties on the ferry and lots of sing-a-longs. 

Olympic National Park

We said goodbye to the San Juans and off to Olympic National Park it was, where we spent two full days adventuring in the wildly unpredictable weather. We admired lush rainforests (and walked through the iconic Hall of Mosses), hung out on scenic beaches — Ruby Beach was our favorite, with tons of haystacks jutting out of the water, and drove up 5k feet on Hurricane Ridge Road for a scenic lookout of the mountains (despite feeling the chill through our bones).

The trip was also full of hiking to gushing waterfalls (including one very muddy walk in the rain), a scenic bridge which we swore looked like a cenote in Mexico, and a lavender farm where we indulged in both lavender lemon ice cream AND white chocolate lavender ice cream.

LAVENDER FARM

Back home I finally made it to Aracelli Farms, a lavender farm near Dixon I’ve been wanting to check out since the minute I first heard about it. Despite literally dripping our entire visit (it was scorching hot to say the least), I loved frolicking in the fields and living out all my lavender fantasies.

We sipped on lavender lemonade and lavender sangria, took way too many photos, and hung out in the barn/shade as much as we could. Let’s just say my husband was a trooper…

MAUI 

Hawaii round two, anyone?! This time to Maui! Since we had to cancel Noah’s birthday trip to Hawaii last year, when we scored a cheap ticket to Maui, we booked that baby right up! We always love our trips to Maui, but this one was definitely our best trip yet (despite being oh so crowded).

We watched the sunset from the beach almost every night, saw sea turtles almost every day, and rented a fun tangerine colored Jeep! The lushness of Iao Valley was incredible (there were so many monsteras!) and an insane amount of green mountainous peaks. We drove the Road to Hana again, and while it wasn’t as impressive as the first time around, we loved the black sand beach and the cute beach town of Paia.

Also – we finally crossed Kapalua Bay Beach, dinner at Merrimans, and a round at the Bay Course off our Hawaii bucket lists!

I somehow scored us a ticket to watch the sunrise at Haleakala, and we lucked out with the most perfect conditions! Yes, chilly as always, but zero wind, which made it that much more enjoyable. The first bit of light after driving up the mountain is so magical! Those colors! We also walked the Sliding Sands trail a bit and checked out what I swore looked exactly like Mars after marveling in the sunrise. 

But the most magical part of the trip?! Cruising alongside a whole pod of dolphins on the way to Lanai. I swear, I watched them for what felt like hours! I totally teared up – it was so, so special. Hawaii always continues to surprise us in the best ways possible.

July 

HOME 

Whoops – I cancelled our 4th of July plans up in Sonoma (I was too lazy to plan) and hung around SF instead. So I did some fun city things instead (because nope, I can’t sit still!).

I crossed off a bunch of photo spots for my epic photo spots in San Francisco post with a friend, had fun at nightlife at the CalAcademy (which I hadn’t done in YEARS), and finally had fancy afternoon tea at The Rotunda! We also took Kona to Fort Point and let him run around off leash, and he did SO well! 

But the indoor mask mandate began again in LA county (proving that CA isn’t doing so well pandemic-wise), and we had major threats of dry lightning. Global warming I tell ya! 

NEW YORK

Back to New York it was, this time for my grandma’s unveiling — meaning I got to spend lots of quality time with family. Always a wonderful time laughing with my people, exactly how grandma would have wanted it. <3 I even had lobster rolls overlooking the water and then unexpectedly took a ride on the police boat with my soon-to-be brother-in-law!

I spent a few days re-exploring NYC, a place I didn’t realize how much I missed until I was there walking the streets with friends and family. Loved all the details at the new Friends Experience, stuffed ourselves silly on a DIY dessert tour, had dinner at a completely pink Italian restaurant, sipped drinks on rooftop bars, walked around the new Little Island and Hudson Yards, and hung out at Central Park with popsicles.

But before leaving, I said my last goodbyes to my childhood home (before my parents’ big move to North Carolina), which was much more emotional than I thought it’d be. So many great memories in that house, and it feels so weird to know I’ll never run around in the backyard or have sleepovers with my sister in my childhood bedroom.

GREECE!!!!

Greece is one of our all-time favorites (it was our honeymoon destination after all!), so as soon as the country opened up to vaccinated Americans, we booked our flights! It was our first major international trip since Covid, and it felt so good to get back out there (although I kinda forgot how far away we are from Europe now that we live on the West Coast). 

I left Noah in charge of booking our flights, so of course we ended up with lay flat seats on the way to Athens (via Istanbul), and I slept like a baby for over 8 hours (not complaining).

Santorini

Our 3 days in Santorini were a dream come true – and it was just as gorgeous as I remember it being on our honeymoon. Although a tad bit more crowded…

We stayed in Oia at the most beautiful hotel (a major splurge) and loved every second of it (besides the hundreds of steps and humidity!). We definitely took max advantage of the infinity pool, just relaxing and soaking in all the views of the caldera (I mean, just look at it — how could we not?!) 

Our days were spent eating spinach pie and gyros, exploring the picturesque town of Oia (and all it’s blue domes), exploring bustling Fira, sailing the seas of Santorini and swimming in the water, and of course watching gorgeous sunsets out on the water.

A promise I made to myself – to never miss a Santorini sunset! And I even braved the crowds at the Oia Castle one night; those views, swoon! Worth it? Times a million.

But UGH – the jet lag was so real! I was up at 3:30am almost every morning — which was perfect for watching the sunrise and taking early morning photos at the blue domes. So I guess it wasn’t so horrible, haha. There’s worse places to have jet lag for sure.

Milos 

This was our first time on Milos, and we loved every second of it. The island felt way more authentic and natural than the other Greek islands we’ve been to, and I’m so glad we chose it as our 3rd island on our Greek island hopping adventure! If you go, make sure you indulge in some honey puffs (delicious is an understatement).

Our days were spent exploring the island, stopping at fishing villages, the most gorgeous beaches (including the moonlike lunar landscape of Sarakiniko — what attracted me to Milos in the first place, and Firiplaka — our newest obsession in Greece), and other viewpoints. We spent another full day beach hopping via catamaran (including the mysterious pirate lair of Kleftiko Bay), and OMG pictures hardly do these spots justice. Absolutely breathtaking and the water felt SO GOOD on the hot summer afternoon.

I’m reallllly glad we got to Milos when we did; I fully expect this tiny island to become exceptionally popular in the next few years (hopefully it doesn’t turn into the next Santorini…).

Mykonos 

We spent the last few days of our trip taking it easy in Mykonos – nearly 3 days were spent wandering through town (and taking thousands of photos), hanging at the pool, and eating our way through Mykonos. Live music was banned because of Covid, but we still enjoyed drinks at sunset overlooking the windmills (despite all the wind!). 

A great way to end a mildly hectic trip. Greece – we’ll be back! Just maybe in shoulder season, wink wink.

August 

HOME

Covid took a turn for the worst with the Delta variant running rampant, causing indoor mask mandates to be put back into effect (completely ruining hot vax summer!). 

But we kept our heads up high and went on with real life, spending an afternoon at the Yankee game which was so fun after not going to a sporting event in forever! And we even made it on the Jumbotron for a split second!

I also finally made it to Yoga at the Grace Cathedral with a friend (something that’s been on my SF bucket list for years)!

I started in-person work again, and boy was that weird for a few weeks. All the kids seemed exceptionally happy to be back, and spirits were high despite needing to wear masks the entire day and sanitizing like crazy. So wild.

VEGAS

Las Vegas was a quick 72 hours full of crazy milkshakes, drool-worthy NY-style pizza, Nutella brioches, an insane afternoon of all things crazy at Meow Wolf, and some much-needed pool time under the Eiffel Tower.

But the main reason for our quick trip?! URSHER, baby!! And what a show he put on — still as sexy as ever! The concert was the first big-scale event we’ve been to since Covid (and it was even indoors). 

We loved the show so much we refreshed our browsers for hours to score tickets to Lovers and Friends Fest for this coming May! Can’t wait!

SURPRISE GLAMPING TRIP

Glamping was part of our 6 month challenge (read about that on my 101 in 1001 goals post), and the husband did so well! We spent the night in a decked out “luxury” African safari tent, which was thrilling even if we were only two hours north of home in Santa Rosa (Sonoma). 

I was honestly shocked how much I loved the whole experience; those baby giraffes were the cutest little things! We saw some of the typical animals you’d see on safari, like zebras, warthogs, hyenas, buffalo, cheetahs, etc, but also some much more unique species, like the Trumpeter hornbill, caracal, lemur, and vulturine guineafowl. Gave me all the Lion King vibes for sure!

Read my full review of Safari West here!

The safari in Sonoma totally reinspired my desire to go on safari — a REAL safari in Africa (like we were supposed to do in Tanzania before the pandemic canceled all our plans). Gotta go research and plan!

September 

HOME

In September, I did a fun 8 mile hike above the clouds at Mt Tam with friends, met a friend’s new baby, spent a morning pumpkin picking in Half Moon Bay, and saw the new acrobatic show Dear San Francisco!

SAN LUIS OBISPO

We were supposed to spend Labor Day weekend in the Eastern Sierras/Yosemite, but decided to cancel after fires were storming through the national forests. So, off to the coast it was (being a much safer option and all). 

Our weekend was spent with friends for a pizza picnic overlooking the estuary— we hadn’t seen them since February 2020 — right before Covid, hiking up to the architectural graveyard at Poly Canyon, and finally checking out Pismo Beach! 

You betcha I got my hands on one of those famous cinnamon rolls (yum), and then promptly walked it off at the Dinosaur Caves Park. Can’t believe we haven’t properly explored this area before – we’ll gotta go back!

LOS CABOS

Remember when Noah and I escaped to Cabo during the pandemic in December 2020? Well I found myself back there less than a year later!

We were supposed to head to Nashville for a long weekend together, but decided to cancel our trip because the city was spiking like crazy with Covid cases.

So instead, I hopped on a friend trip to Cabo to celebrate Mel turning 40, and OMG it was so fun. 

We spent a ridiculous amount of time relaxing in the resort pool (sipping on pina coladas at the swim up bar of course), eating chilaquiles for breakfast every AM, indulging in a delicious farm-to-table lunch at Flora Farms (complete with farm tour), and wandering around Centro San Jose del Cabo, indulging in tacos, margs, and paletas, and of course doing some shopping!

But the highlight of our trip? Spending a morning on our own private clear boat to El Arco! We loved watching the tropical fish swim right under our boat — it was insane how many there were! Such a fun girls trip, complete with dance parties on the boat shuttle en route to Playa Amour.

Despite sweating like crazy and feeling run down on our first day, the birthday trip was a wild success! And we were all negativo!

October 

HOME

We started off the month with two back to back concerts: Andrew McMahon and Maroon 5, spontaneously ordering (and eating…) $50 worth of Seattle’s Piroshky Piroshky from a pop up, and celebrating Kona turning two! Of course we forced him to wear a little party hat to take photos in, haha.

SAN DIEGO

Fall travel continued with a long weekend in San Diego, which I was so excited to return to after visiting (and falling in love with) this past April! We thankfully managed to escape the bomb cyclone in the Bay Area (the legit scientific name for the storm!) – what great timing it was!

While we stuffed our faces with tacos and gallivanted around the city, the main reason for our trip? For Noah to run the SD ½ marathon, his first race since 2019 (because of you know what), and he freaking PRed! All 13.1 miles done in 1 hour, 53 minutes. So proud of him! Of course there was Crack Shack and an ice cream flight at Hammonds afterwards. 

After the race, we saw some friends for a celebratory steak dinner on the water (Island Prime is a must on any San Diego itinerary you guys!), and it was just perfect! 

We watched the sunset at Sunset Cliffs, indulged in homemade tortillas in Old Town, gorged on cheese wheel pasta, sipped on lots of craft cocktails (we loved Raised By Wolves the most!), chilled in the sun at La Jolla, strolled around Balboa Park, pretended we were staying at Hotel Del, and of course I made it to quite a few San Diego photo spots.

San Diego, I love you the most and already can’t wait to come back. I do have lots more to check off my San Diego bucket list afterall!

AUSTIN

And just a few days later, I flew out to Austin for a long weekend for another girls trip! We had found suuuuper cheap nonstop flights back in June (practically unheard of) so we booked those babies right up!

We went mural chasing on South Congress, spent a lazy morning at the pool, ate all the brisket and sides at a few popular BBQ spots (gimme all that banana pudding), drank cocktails at a secret speakeasy, watched the bats at sunset, hiked up Mount Bonnel, indulged in massive donuts at Gordoughs, saw the capital building, and went to Barton Springs and food truck parks. 

Despite it being Halloween weekend, we managed to escape the Halloween madness on 6th street, although it was fun to see all the costumes (humans and dogs alike)! Overall, a chill weekend doing what we love best – taking tons of photos and indulging in so much good food!

November 

November happened in all of 5 minutes; I can’t believe how fast it went! One minute it was Halloween and then the next we were having Thanksgiving dinner! Wild how time seems to just fly by the older I get, yet go so slow all at once.

ORANGE COUNTY

And then just 2 days later (after my Austin trip) we drove down to OC for Noah to run yet another ½ marathon! Where he PRed again at 1:52! So impressed with his dedication! No photos of his actual race because I stayed in bed with the pup haha.

It was a super (super) quick weekend of seeing friends and running around, but always worth it to head to SoCal. We spent a day in Laguna Beach – having oysters overlooking the Pacific, watching Kona play in the sand, checking out some colorful photo spots, hiking to The Top of the World, and trying out a new ice cream and plenty of coffee spots!

THANKSGIVING IN NEVADA CITY

We spent a few days with family relaxing in Nevada City. It was really low-key but of course filled with lots of yummy food, quality time with my niece and nephew (<3)  and all the holiday coffees from Dutch brothers. We finally checked out Empire Mine State Park, and went on a short hike with Kona to the lake to get our steps in!

But before heading to Nevada City to celebrate with the whole fam, we took my FIL to Alcatraz (on a perfect November day) and celebrated my MIL’s early birthday with a yummy steak meal!

After a crazy busy few months, it was nice to slow down and actually have a few weekends relaxing at home/with family.

December 

HOME

After tons of family time for Thanksgiving, one of our friends came to visit us in SF for a quick weekend! We saw a comedy show, grabbed holiday drinks in a bar decked out for Christmas, and spent an afternoon/night admiring the tree and all the lights in the city, plus cheesecake overlooking the ice rink .

Another highlight – Noah running his first full marathon in over 2 years – this time CIM in Sacramento. He beat his full PR by 29 minutes and finished in 4 hours, 9 minutes. Wild! I had big plans of getting a lot of content but it was chillier than expected so we kinda just watched Christmas movies in bed all day instead haha. 

And then I got a cold and convinced myself it was Covid so naturally, took 3 tests — thankfully they all came back negative but OMG was that scary.

But our December days were honestly filled with so much confliction over if our trip to Switzerland would happen (it didn’t). The new omicron variant officially started spreading in the US – when will this virus ever end?! I’m officially over it all.

101 in 1001 Goals

My 101 in 1001 goal list ended in mid-December, and surprise, surprise — definitely didn’t complete my entire list! The fact that I survived (and even semi-thrived) during a global pandemic is good enough for me. I definitely didn’t visit 8 new countries (heck, we hardly traveled internationally these past 2 years), run 3 miles (although it would’ve been the perfect time to train), or visit Disneyland. 

I did somehow manage to see numerous concerts and broadway shows, check off a bunch of things on my San Francisco bucket list, read over 25 books (super easy in quarantine times), took a whole week off social media, surprise my family in NY, as well as discover plenty of new-to-me spots in California (hello Palm Springs, Joshua Tree, San Diego, and San Clemente).

MEXICO — PUERTO VALLARTA AND SAYULITA

This totally should be a section on snowy Switzerland (and the insane igloo we booked for a night). But once the virus started spreading like crazy over there and they enforced quarantines, we quickly changed our plans to go to Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita instead!

I’d been wanting to go for a while now (see January’s cancelled birthday plans, haha), so figured now was the time! Mexico’s always an easy trip, and since we’ve done Los Cabos a few times, figured we should change it up!

And plus, after a few days of cold and rain in San Francisco, I was ready for some sun.

Puerto Vallarta

First up – Puerto Vallarta! We split our time between a bougie hotel a bit south and the city itself. 

And that bougie hotel was the best idea yet. After so much stress (and sadness) of canceling our Switzerland trip, we needed a few days of pure relaxation to jump start our time in Mexico. We didn’t leave the hotel at all, except for venturing down to the beach for a bit and eating the most delicious meal at Le Kliff (a must!).

In the city, we walked along the malecon, gorged on street food (all the esquina y tacos por favor), hiked up to a viewpoint, and checked out the artisan market on Isla Cuale. We also took a day trip to the Marietas Islands and swam to the hidden beach which was gorgeous! Oh and saw an insane amount of humpback whales — I was in awe the entire time!

To be honest, Vallarta wasn’t our absolute favorite (it was wayyyy too busy for our liking), but I’m still glad we got to experience it. Although we could have stayed in the infinity pool overlooking the water and jungle for days (that’s definitely where we’ll be basing ourselves next time).

San Pancho

The biggest unexpected (but very pleasant) surprise was the tiny town of San Pancho, where (some) people walk around barefoot, dogs are literally everywhere, and there’s a chill sunset party every night.

San Pancho is such a chill and laid back surf town, full of expats, locals, and tourists, and kinda reminds us of Gili Air off the coast of Bali which we loved a few summers ago. We wandered around the colorful town, ate at the best local spots (including tons of fresh tortillas from the tortilla lady), got massages, hung at the beach, watched the famous San Pancho sunsets, and hung at our hotel! Didn’t hurt that it was so chic and designed so stylishly; we loved it!

We also got invited to the first ever Sope Festival by the owner, and it was more like a 6-course gourmet meal! Absolutely delicious! Something we’ll never forget for sure.

We already can’t wait to go back and we just got home a few days ago!  

Sayulita

From the minute I saw photos of Sayulita a few years back, I just knew I’d love this little area (and I was right). We strolled around the colorful streets, indulged in all the street food sweets (churros, crepes, y smashed plantains), drank lots of agua de cacao (my new favorite), watched all the surfers, and ate at all the best spots (omg the mole at Mary’s and pizza at La Rustica, drool). 

We were in Sayulita for Christmas Eve, and omg there was so much festive fun in the square that night. Mexicans really know how to enjoy themselves!

Just like in PV, we also booked a hotel with a rooftop pool and spent tons of time relaxing up there when we weren’t at the beach.

The end of our trip was a bit stressful after hearing of SO many getting Covid (since we’d need negative tests to return back to the US). BUT we tested NEGATIVO, so celebrated with some of the best beachside lobsters, blue shrimp, and walks on the softest sand in Punta Mita!

RECAP

While the year was slightly dominated by Covid yet again (plenty of cancelled trips and tons of stress), we definitely made the most of it! Lots of trips in the US (Hawaii, San Diego multiple times, Palm Springs and Joshua Tree, Austin, SLO, Vegas, Washington, etc), and even a few out of the country (México twice – San Jose del Cabo and Puerto Vallarta/Sayulita/San Pancho, and the Greek Islands of Santorini, Milos, and Mykonos). 

I got to see my family a few times in New York, took plenty of trips with friends, watched Noah run a few marathons, and everyone I love got the vaccine (plus booster). The school year started in-person again, we finally got a new president, and I definitely explored more of San Francisco yet again.

We’ll see what next year brings, but I have a slight suspicion it’ll be similar to 2021 – cases are expected to peak in January/February… Happy New Year, friends! Thanks for reading! Your support means everything to me!

The post 2021 Year in Review: Life, Travel, Blogging, and Everything in Between appeared first on A Passion and A Passport.

It’s been the slowest, yet fastest year of all time. It’s like, time stood still but went by in a blink of an eye all at once, if that even makes any sense at all. 

I think we can all agree — 2020 was absolute madness. Millions infected with COVID-19, resulting in lockdowns and curfews and ICU bed capacity below threshold. Election insanity (I mean, we had not one, not two, but 4 election days!). Police brutality and riots and so much racism (honestly, America, WTF).

The innocent killings of Breanna Taylor and George Floyd. Dry lightning fire storms in California resulting in apocalyptic orange skies and unhealthy air. Small businesses being forced to close resulting in tons of lost jobs (due to both COVID and the CA fires). Killer bees? And of course canceled trips, decreased business revenue, and a million other things.

Hands up if you’re ready for 2020 to be over (many months ago).

Instead of focusing on all the negatives, let’s focus on the positives, shall we? Puppy cuddles and peaceful BLM protests. Lots of zoom calls and FaceTimes with family/students. Exploring more of California and our immediate area with a bunch of day trips from San Francisco.

Outdoor dining date nights and picnics by the lake. Banana bread and puzzles (two quarantine musts). Supportive WFH workplaces and frontline/healthcare workers. And finally, a much-needed Democratic presidential win (!!!) AND the first (BIPOC) female in office. 

Well, unsurprisingly, the year didn’t go as planned. Was it my best year yet? No, not even close. But I am thankful for what it’s taught me — to be present and slow down a bit, tell my friends/family how much I adore and appreciate them, prioritize myself and my needs, and that sometimes puppy snuggles are just the right medicine. 

2020 was also the first time I slurped an oyster, hiked an 11-mile trail, ate a McDonalds breakfast (not a fan), and whitened my teeth. I took a lot of time off from social media (especially Instagram) and watching the news — as they were doing nothing but negative things for my mental health. 

This gave me extra time to read a whole lotta books — something I realized I really miss!

OH. And I got up to level 1500 in Candy Crush (one of my most important 101 in 1001 goals crushed right there ?). No one said this year in review would be all of actual importance! I’m not the most eloquent writer when it comes to serious stuff, so gotta include some silly accomplishments every now and then. 

PSST — I tried something new this year and wrote notes for the monthly summaries as the months progressed, instead of the full 12 months in December. I kinda like reliving my past visited destinations all at once towards the end of the year, but I get wildly overwhelmed trying to remember everything and finding the photos to go along. I kinda liked this new way of documenting my annual recaps, despite the ~7k word essay that resulted from documenting EVERYTHING.

So, let’s get started!

January 

MIAMI

We rang in the New Year (and new decade!) in Miami, by eating arepas and watching the most epic fireworks show we’ve ever experienced. Pitbull was expected in the park we were at, but after waiting a few hours we came to the conclusion that he was either a no-show or we were waiting in the wrong spot (totally my fault – whoops!). 

The following few days were spent marveling in that South Floridian sunshine on the famous Miami South Beach (of course photographing the colorful lifeguard stands the beach is famous for), watching the sunset on Key Biscayne, having a delicious seafood meal at our new favorite Miami restaurant (Rusty Pelican), and indulging in donuts and over-the-top paletas amongst the murals in Wynwood.

We visited the Design District (oh so hip and fun), had our fair share of tacos and fancy toasts, and got to spend a bit more time with Noah’s parents in southern Florida.

But by far the best part of our trip was coming home though, something I never thought I’d ever say! If you don’t remember from last year’s 2019 annual review recap, we had juuuust adopted the cutest puppy from a local shelter 3 days before our trip. To say we were missing him like crazy is an absolute understatement. 

NEW YORK

When I found a $200 round trip ticket to JFK for the long MLK weekend, I booked that baby right up. Sure, it was bitter cold (and even snowed a few inches one day), but I got to see a bunch of extended family members and there was lots of quality time with my parents and sister <3.

Little did I know those were the last hugs I would give my family for far too long. 

In my few short days in New York, I visited both my grandmas, had lunch with my aunt, and visited a friend who was about to give birth to her first baby boy!

Whenever I’m in town, we always attempt to have a family day in NYC. This time, we checked out the Bryant Park Winter Village (complete with super-sweet chimney cakes from The Stackery), admired the architecture at both the NY Public Library and Grand Central Station, and paid our respects at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum (something I’ve been wanting to do for years, despite holding back tears numerous times throughout the exhibits). 

I also got chosen from the crowd for a street performance stunt in Times Square, and had a crazy dancer literally jump over me while standing up. The videos beyond wild, y’all. 

It’s always a whirlwind of a few days, but I love the time I get to spend with loved ones. 

February

BAJA CALIFORNIA, MÉXICO

A few days later, I was off again; this time down to warm, sunny Mexico to celebrate my birthday in La Paz and Todos Santos with the husband. Although it wasn’t as toasty as we originally planned for (we ended up wearing our plane clothes a bit too much, with me whining like a baby of course), we still made the most of it.

La Paz

Fear not though, the birthday trip was a success. In La Paz, we watched idyllic sunsets from the Malecón, ate our weight in fish tacos and mexican street snacks (mmm gimme some gorditas and esquina), witnessed dozens of gray whales soooo close to our boat in Magdalena Bay/Puerto Chale, and even attempted snorkeling with whale sharks. 

The seas were a bit too rough, so swimming along them was a major workout in and of itself! BUT I did swim next to a few whale sharks, so the day was a success after all (although I think I’d like to go again when the waves are not so strong).

Todos Santos

In Todos Santos, we released baby sea turtles into the ocean (a complete dream come true of mine), watched the last quarter of the Super Bowl in a local Mexican bar complete with fruity margaritas and hot chicken wings, wandered around the colorful town taking oh so many photos of the fluttering flags and pastel-laden buildings, and admired all the local handicrafts and chic beachwear. 

Our last night was spent at the desert-chic Hotel San Cristobal, where we lazed in the sun by the pool, relaxed in our colorful, woven bathrobes, and exclaimed a few too many times just how perfect the space was. Our stay was on par with The Pink Coco in Gili Air, which we 1000% fell in love with last summer.

SAN LUIS OBISPO

We also managed to make it down to SLO for a quick weekend to visit some friends (hi Charlotte and Zach!). Although we never did quite make it back to Bubblegum Alley (thankfully we did last year), we wandered town, ate our weight in BBQ from Firestone Grill, took Kona to the beach at Spooner’s Cove, indulged in donuts from SloDoCo (a must), and ended the night with late-night drinks at the iconic (albeit kitschy) Madonna Inn.

We also spent another day at Morro Bay (after the most delicious brunch at Sally Loo’s), and completely lucked out with absolutely perfect weather. The beach was filled with more sand dollars than I had ever seen, we watched sea otters swim and cuddle and hold hands (gahhh), and just admired that big ole’ monolith that is Morro Rock.

Extra Tid-Bits

February was also the first month in I-can’t-even-remember-how-long, that I didn’t fully use a vacation day for travel (President’s Day). Blame baby Kona (the puppy we rescued in late 2019), but we were preoccupied with the little man’s puppy shots and training and all that jazz, that the thought of going away didn’t even cross our minds. It was nice to just fully relax for a few days, although I was kinda going stir crazy after a day and a half!

March 

CALIFORNIA COAST OUTING

We had zero clue this would be our last little outing before the world got turned upside down. And I’m so glad we fit it in.

In early March, we took our cute nephew out for a day on the coast. We hit up Bean Hollow State Park (free and dog-friendly!) for a morning of pebble and shell collecting, grabbed sandwiches and famous artichoke bread in Pescadero, and stopped by Harley Farms to see the baby goats (and a llama, too!). 

The rest of the day was spent admiring pies at Pie Ranch (despite all the minis being sold out) and wandering around Pigeon Point Lighthouse. We saw a whole slew of harbor seals wiggling around on the nearby rocks, as well as a bunch of blowholes from whales out at sea. Love adventuring with this little guy — he’s just so curious about everything, and isn’t scared to get dirty! 

I spent some time during quarantine writing a post about all our favorite stops between San Francisco and Santa Cruz – psst, lots of good stuff in there. 

JORDAN

My good friend Lia and I had planned this trip to Jordan for months! Strategizing and rehashing our itinerary a million times before it was perfect. We booked everything and couldn’t wait to eat all the hummus and shawarma and falafel.

But, ahhhh, the world had other plans. The Coronavirus was all everyone was talking about, and with crazy quarantines and flight restrictions, we weren’t sure if our trip to Jordan was actually going to happen. And spoiler alert – it didn’t (surprise, surprise).

I had been dreaming about Petra and Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea for quite a long time, so understandably I was pretty bummed. With international travel out of the question, we toyed with the idea of road tripping to Palm Springs/Joshua Tree, but the shelter in place took over before the idea actually came into fruition.

I was thankfully able to get a full refund quite easily – after going to the airport itself (their phone lines were shut down…). We were only out about $200 each from our trip expenses, which, when all things considered, isn’t bad at all. SO glad I convinced myself to pay the parking fee at the airport and actually ask for a REFUND not a ticket change (which I didn’t think was initially possible).

COVID-19

People hoarded toilet paper, people stockpiled groceries (hi, us too), and COVID-19 was spreading around the globe like rapid fire. First China, then major outbreaks in Italy, South Korea, Iran, Spain, etc. All travel was essentially put on hold – planes were grounded, borders were closed — we weren’t going anywhere. 

And yup, this lack of travel abilities means no one’s researching trips or booking hotels or activities, meaning — no one was on my website. My blog readership declined quite rapidly (almost overnight), bringing the income I was making from it to less than 20%. Sad to see the business I’ve poured my heart and soul into for the past 5 years or so crumble to itty bitty pieces. 

What a time to be alive.

SHELTER IN PLACE

Shelter in Place officially began on March 17 in San Francisco (the day before we were supposed to leave for Jordan), but we had been using precaution and distancing since around the 7/8th (after getting some mac n cheese from our favorite place in the East Bay).

I started working from home around March 10th or so, with the hopes that school would open up again a week after spring break, on April 6 (haha…). Welp, it got extended, and then extended again.

With no restaurants, bars, shops, anything non-essential opened, and absolutely no possibility of travel, here’s what I got up to in March instead:

• Finished a book (hadn’t read for pleasure in a while)!
• Had a Parisian-inspired picnic in our living room (complete with views of the eiffel tower on TV)
• Lots of family and friend facetimes and virtual “House Party” games
• Went on lots of walks around the neighborhood with Kona and oh so much cuddle time!
• Cleaned and organized a bit!
• Started and finished Love is Blind, then obsessed over Schitt’s Creek 
• Booked super cheap tix to Maui and Oahu for early June (although it was unclear as to whether we’d actually be going or not → more spoilers, we didn’t go)

SITE REDESIGN WENT LIVE!

I had been toying with the idea of changing my theme for over a year. Why? I just hated how it looked. After searching for what felt like forever (and a day), I finally found Laura from PixelMeDesigns, and instantly signed up for her services.

After a few long and hard months of basically getting every single image and content blurb for my new site, it went live in mid-March! I’m excited to say the finished product came out better than I could have ever imagined! Laura took all my visions and went with them, while incorporating her own unique style ideas and website finesse. 

We fully redesigned my entire site, from the logo and branding to individual pages. Be sure to check out my completely redesigned homepage, about me page, destinations page, USA page, travel resources, shop, and work with me page. I’m in love with them all! If you’re reading this on mobile, go to desktop (as they’re even more impressive over there).

It was a scary process as I had never undergone such a massive redesign since starting my blog in 2012, but thankfully Laura helped ease my mind and answered every single ridiculous question I had. HIGHLY recommend her if you’re looking to get some design work done. 

April 

April was another full month of Shelter in Place, and I have to say, I honestly got pretty used to it. I think having my husband working from home as well (and Kona, too!) really helped, as I never really felt lonely and such. 

On that note, I’m SO glad we have Kona now. Having a sweet little pup around really does make each and every day just that much better, and I’m so thankful we got him back in December (2019). So crazy how the timing of everything worked out.

While I don’t have tons to report for April (honestly, we didn’t do tons), here’s a few highlights:

• Finished three 1,000 piece puzzles!
• Lots of Zoom dates and facetimes, including celebrating my sister’s bday, an impromptu virtual Passover seder with my in-laws, and facetime dates with my sweet grandma!
• Tried my hand at baking and cooking: mini apple pies, bacon wrapped mini quiches, cast-iron skillet crispy chicken
• Walked around Mori Point in Pacifica (took Kona!) — our first outing in a few weeks (!!!)

• Watched all the pandemic movies including Outbreak (oh so good, watched it twice), Pandemic (shut it off after 30 minutes, hated it!), and Contagion (the BEST)
• Finished all 6 seasons (!!!) of Schitt’s Creek (THE BEST) and Tiger King (in a mere 3 days), as well as The Morning Show (loveeeed)
• Learned too much about racoons after seeing them on our sidewalk (and then while walking Kona) one night (royally freaked me the F out)
• Drove around looking for boba… a few times (the obsession is real)
• Kona got neutered and I was a royal mess the whole morning

May

May was, well, the opposite of heaven. A lot of shit went down. 

Just when the slightest glimmer of normalcy flashed before our eyes (CA moved into stage 2 of SIP), the riots began. It was a good year of learning — I’ll give 2020 that. First of all, all the unfathomable riots and protests all over the country about the unforgivable racist events (with spots super close to us boarded up). And then the quarantine extended until the end of the month. Annnnd killer hornets came to North America (which honestly, WTF ever happened with those?)

Honestly, May was a rough month for me. I went from totally chill and feeling fine mentally one day, to not wanting to get off the couch other days. I’ve never felt my moods shift so fast, so it was definitely a new experience for me. To say May was mentally draining was a complete understatement. 

Here’s how I attempted to pass the time:

• Read a few books and listened to a few audiobooks while attempting an insanely difficult puzzle 
• Boba guys reopened with a (super) limited menu, but we went the second we found out (again — the obsession is real)
• My favorite froyo place opened back up, so back to Menchie’s it was (we were all about the little joys in May)!
• Was late to the quaran-trend but finally made chocolate chip banana bread 
• Had a Harry Potter marathon of sorts: Watched and finished all 8 Harry Potter movies 

We tried desperately to get outta the house a bit:

• Hung in Berkeley stuffing our faces with potato puffs and fried chicken po boys. Sat on the greens at UC Berkeley and had a picnic! Also walked around the campus which we love!
• Took Kona to the city for the first time! Wandered around the Presidio and the Marina, and had a picnic in Dolores with some Cuban food.
• Went on a few socially distanced boba dates and hikes with friends (and finallllly got Noah to go hiking with me – probably because Kona came along in the little backpack we got for him)
• Saw ET at the drive-in movie theatre! Our friends parked in the spot next to us so it was kiiiinda like a double date, if shouting from our car windows count (haha)
• Finally made it to Taco Bell Cantina in Pacifica, known as the fanciest Taco Bell in the world (it’s right on the beach and serves alcoholic slushies). We indulged in crunch wrap supremes and shared a Mountain Dew margarita.

In terms of travel, we started thinking about our summer plans. We officially cancelled our June trip to Hawaii (was able to reschedule to September with no rebooking fees or fare difference), and booked an Airbnb in SoCal for late June. I also started thinking about some road trips from San Francisco we could do. 

THE BLOG

Since no one was traveling this month, my page views and income took a drastic hit. And when I say drastic, I mean drastic. My page views dropped 85%, along with any promises of secure blog-related income. It’s heart wrenching when the usual number of visitors to your site was 70 is now reduced to 7. I cringed whenever I looked at Google Analytics, and let’s just say, despite the PPP loan I was granted on behalf of the SBA, I’m so thankful I never quit my day job. 

June 

This month was another doozy, although we started leaving the Bay Area a bit which was so refreshing. Just a change of scenery at this point was as welcomed as ever!

The Bay had a curfew for a few days (the world was getting more intense every single day), we had BLM and muteweek (learned so much in such a short period of time), went out for our first restaurant meal (outdoor dining of course), and once the shelter in place lifted mid June, we went on a few hikes with friends and dogs.

Our Anniversary

One positive of 2020: we were both finally home for our anniversary (this never happens)! We celebrated year 8 with a mini hike in Pacifica with pretty ocean views, then rewarded ourselves with Mountain Dew margaritas from Taco Bell. Noah gave me a sweet choose-your-own-adventure day (which we have yet to actually do – haha). And we feasted on bbq and banana pudding and tropical alcoholic slushies for dinner.

Nevada City 

Our first official “trip” since February, albeit it was semi-spontaneous. It was soooo nice to get outta the bay for a bit with my SIL and niece/nephew. Nevada City felt a bit more like “real life”: some dine in restaurants (although we stayed away), cute downtown area, little shops open (with masks!), and a bustling farmers market. 

The fact that we got a huge house all to ourselves for just the 6 of us was mind-blowing: lots of balconies, a waterfall, and a bubbling brook. We spent the days playing corn hole and going on suspension bridge hikes, with nights spent around the campfire roasting marshmallows and making s’mores. It could’ve been worse. We loved feeling so far removed from the wild year thus far, spending time with family and appreciating the little moments.

CAMBRIA and Noah’s Birthday

I had originally wanted to whisk Noah away for his 35th b-day to some tropical oasis, but that obviously didn’t happen. 

Instead, we stayed (way) closer to home, having a low-key pancake breakfast and grilling up some steak and lobster for dinner on his actual birthday.

We drove down the coast for another family weekend, this time in Cambria, with highlights including watching the weird and wacky elephant seals, indulging in olallieberry pie from Linns, and walking along the Moonstone Beach boardwalk.

On the way we stopped in Big Sur (one of my favorite places on the planet), checking out a few new-to-us spots. We hung out at Garrapata State Park Bluff Trail, Monastery Beach, and Big Creek Bridge (that turquoise water, OMG!). Of course we fed our gluttonous selves almond croissants from Big Sur Bakery (by far the most expensive pastry I’ve ever gotten but so worth it).

We also stopped in Paso Robles on the way home for a relaxing afternoon of chilled red wine and burgers. And after living in Northern California for over 5 years, we finally tried garlic ice cream in Gilroy!

WEEK IN Orange County

We had contemplated spending a month down in SoCal, but ultimately decided to cap it at a little over a week (since Noah was gonna have to work anyways). We cozied up at an Airbnb in San Clemente for the week, and checked out different areas of OC every day.

To say we LOVED San Clemente oh so much is a complete understatement, and I feel like we could see ourselves living here (…in the future possibly?). I was utterly obsessed with everything about it. The chilled out atmosphere, small town feeling, watching surfers on the breaks, etc etc etc.

Our days were spent hanging out in Huntington Beach (we took Kona to the dog beach!), Laguna Beach, Corona Del Mar, Newport Beach, and Balboa Island (where we of course got chocolate covered bananas). We saw a bunch of friends for picnics and outdoor dining (heya Car and Lena <3), and walked on the beach during the most amazing sunset ever in Dana Point (still can’t believe how stunning it was).

Honestly, even though we weren’t too far from home, it felt great to explore again and we loved all the beach time. 

We had never been to San Diego (together) before, so down we went (it was pretty close to our home base in SC). The day consisted of a delicious Italian lunch, sea lions in La Jolla (Kona was super scared), and walking around the stunning Coronado Island.

July 

SANTA BARBARA + PASO ROBLES

On our way home from San Clemente, we snuck in a day/night at both Santa Barbara and Paso Robles (again). It was all about exploring CA this summer and sticking closer to home. We saw more friends for a socially-distanced picnic, ate at some of our fave restaurants in Santa Barbara, and walked along Butterfly Beach for sunset.

A last-minute glass of wine was calling our names, so we hung out amongst the lavender and hills at the gorgeous Calcareous Winery in Paso.

LAKE TAHOE and NEW YORK – CANCELLED

Our trips to Lake Tahoe and New York both got cancelled because of COVID. Such is 2020. The tri-state area put a mandatory 14-day quarantine in place for states doing poorly (I don’t blame them), and California got added to the list pretty much as soon as the list was announced. 

And in terms of Tahoe, we personally felt it wasn’t right to go since the locals weren’t pleased with all the tourists coming in. 

MENDOCINO 

Since we cancelled our Tahoe trip pretty much last minute, we booked a few nights at The Glendeven in Mendocino instead (the county was welcoming visitors at this time). And what a relaxing few days it was! We ended up splurging a bit, staying on a gorgeous farm with a chicken coop and llama pasture.

Mendocino had verrrrry limited outdoor dining so we had to do take-out only and eat in our hotel room. Honestly, we didn’t mind because our room was so cute and we ate in front of the fireplace every night — kinda romantic if you ask me! 

Breakfast got delivered to our door each morning (which was absolutely delicious; think Mediterranean quiches and berry crumbles) and since our windows faced the chicken coop and llama pasture we watched them as we ate!

We obviously stuck to outdoor activities (what Mendocino is known for afterall), and took a whole bunch of nature walks around some state parks we missed last time. We loved Russian Gulch, Jug Handle, and most of all, the Mendocino Headlands. OH, and of course we got my favorite ice cream in Fort Bragg.

OTHER JULY HAPPENINGS:

I went on a whole bunch of hikes in Pacifica with friends, and we had a ton of outdoor-dining dinner dates in the city (find my favorite restaurants in San Francisco here).

August  

August was kinda busy, and I somehow found myself with lots of plans every weekend. And lots of eating.

We continued our weekly dinner date nights in the city, and tried out a bunch of new-to-us restaurants that were still on my list of San Francisco restaurants to try! Faves were Original Joes’ butter cake, Farmhouse Thai’s (HUGE) Little Lao platter, a Mano’s fresh pasta, Suppenkuche’s wiener schnitzel, and Foreign Cinema’s everything plus a James Bond movie!

We also spent lots of time with family as my SIL, BIL, and niece/nephew moved to Nevada City in early/mid August.

OH — and I also started working again, which was full distance-learning. The whole concept felt so weird and different and I was stressed beyond belief figuring out schedules, doing so much new paperwork, and getting back into the swings of things (which finally became the new normal).

CARMEL/MONTEREY

We hadn’t been to Carmel or Monterey in quite a while, so I figured, why not! 2020’s the year! :p 

The super touristy areas were a little too crowded for our liking, so we quickly walked through Fisherman’s Wharf and Cannery Row, escaping soon thereafter. Next time I kinda wanna go to the aquarium → we haven’t been in probably 10 years or longer!

Here’s what we got up to:

• Walked around Lover’s Point Park → the color of the water, whoa!
• Drove around the 17 Mile Drive, and it was so much more enjoyable than last time (we went in the winter and had to wear jackets and I was freezing, so yeah). Noah LOVED hanging around Pebble Beach and we even got to walk right up to the green!
• Walked around the super-charming storybook town of Carmel-by-the-Sea, taking probably over 100 photos in less than an hour (although I was drenched in sweat by the end of it).

We decided to stay in quiet Pacific Grove with all the impressive historic Victorian homes instead of busy Monterey. And lucky us, Pavel’s Backerei was within walking distance. Of course we stood on (the very long socially-distanced) line and got a HUGE kalamata olive branch and too many pastries.

It was nice to revisit the area again and check out some new spots. Although I think next time we wanna leave little Kona at home and go hiking in Point Lobos, stand-up paddling, and whale watching.

Overnight to Fern Canyon 

And right when the fires were at their worst, I drove up to Eureka for Fern Canyon with a few friends (smart, right?!). It was the farthest north I’d gone in California!

We had ourselves a redwood-filled few days, stopping at the Drive Thru Tree Park In Leggett, Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt Redwoods, The Founders Tree, and finally — what we drove all the way for — Fern Canyon!

Although we cut our trip short due to the fires, we also hiked Trillium Falls (and felt like we were in the middle of a lush rainforest, because we were!) and admired the historic Victorians in Eureka.

We almost didn’t go because of the crazy fires all over California, which had us seriously questioning whether we should cancel our mini trip. Ultimately, we decided to go for it, and got super lucky both ways, although we had plans B, C, D, and E ready just in case. We were all pretty stressed and just wanted to get home, but we made the most of it and stopped in Petaluma for some snacks along the way! Wicked slushies and apple pie!

Nevada City for Emily’s 4th Bday 

We were supposed to go to Sequoia National Park, but canceled our trip because of the fires. 

It was a blessing in disguise, because back to Nevada City it was, this time for sassy little Emily’s fourth birthday! I love this little girl so much — being there made me realize just how much I miss them all now that they don’t live 5 minutes away anymore.

We got to visit their new house for the first time, roasted marshmallows by the fire and made s’mores, decorated for her backyard outdoor (small) party, and watched her face light up when she realized Elsa was chatting with her on Zoom.

Of course we had a bowl at Heartwood and an almond croissant from Three Forks Bakery (my favorite). The Jelly Belly Factory was right on the way home, so naturally, we stopped, and I bought way too much candy (sounds like me).

Extra Tid-Bits

Besides all those weekend trips, I also took a few day trips with some friends. One to Big Basin State Park (where I went on my first-ever 11 mile hike — and didn’t die), and two, to Point Reyes (where I slurped my first oyster from Hog Island!). I also managed to stuff about 38512 desserts into my gluttonous mouth on what Caroline and I dubbed “dessert day” (all my favorite desserts in SF here). 

September 

September brought along more smoke, and even felt like we’re living in a horror movie one day. The sky was bright ORANGE; it truly felt apocalyptic. We refreshed Purple Sky about a million times, running outside the minute our area turned “green” and got some fresh, healthy air.

We tried to get out, taking a day trip to the East Bay for a hot chicken picnic in Oakland and a sweaty afternoon gallivanting around the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek.

Eureka and Trinidad for Labor Day 

Since my friends and I seriously cut our NorCal road trip short, Noah and I decided to go back for a long weekend. We drove along The Avenue of the Giants and walked to the Founders Tree (second time for me in 2 weeks!), and made it to Eureka for a walk along the waterfront and sunset.

My favorite part of the trip? Exploring the seaside area of Trinidad — it’s absolutely GORGEOUS! We hiked above College Cove beach, found a secret swing, walked along the Trinidad Fishing Pier and chilled at Trinidad State Beach.

Before leaving, we walked along the tall trees at Sequoia Park, got brunch with my old intern/now friend, and checked out some more cool Victorian architecture. 

And of course there was more drama with the wildfires. We alllllmost got stuck in the middle of nowhere (quite literally), because a fire broke out along our way home. If we had left an hour later, we wouldn’t have made it back to The Bay because they closed the highway soon after we were on it! Talk about timing!

Lake Tahoe (and Half Moon Bay/Apple Hill)

I had wanted to go to Tahoe SO badly over the summer, so when we cancelled our Yosemite trip at the last minute (due to wildfires), we quickly booked a hotel in Tahoe instead.

Since we were both off for the day, we stopped in Half Moon Bay (before heading to Tahoe) for some fall fun! I finally got to cross frolicking through a sunflower field off my list — and I was extra excited about that! We continued the fall festivities in Apple Hill (on the way to Tahoe), where we indulged in caramel pecan apple pie a la mode, hot apple cider donuts, and apple cider shakes. I’m drooling as I write this.

Once in Tahoe, we walked on the East Shore Trail, gawked at views of Sand Harbor (and then again at Hidden Beach), took an unexpected (and hot) 4+ mile walk to/from the beach at D.L. Bliss, and admired the water from a bunch of Emerald Bay lookout points. We love driving around Lake Tahoe and discovering new stuff each time. Oh — and we saw a BEAR one night walking to the beach to watch the sunset (ack!!!).

I actually woke up early to snag a ticket to Yosemite National Park for the following weekend, but a trip obviously wasn’t in the cards because we cancelled AGAIN due to smoke. And yup, we cancelled and rescheduled Hawaii AGAIN! ?

October 

DENVER 

In October we took our first flight since February, which definitely felt a little weird! We made sure to book an airline that blocked off middle seats, masked up, and definitely over-sanitized. Something we’ve done hundreds of times somehow felt so foreign and normal all at once.

During our short trip, we experienced all kinds of weather — crazy strong winds, crazy heat (85 in October?!), SNOW in the mountains, and plenty of sunshine! 

I had friends in Colorado Springs (and Noah REALLY wanted to go to Rudy’s), so we day tripped down for the day. We wandered around the Garden of the Gods (twice!), drove up Pikes Peak (and of course had the famous donut), and ate our weight at Rudy’s BBQ for dinner.

Our day trip to Rocky Mountain National Park didn’t go as planned as a random snowstorm closed the main road. We tried to make the most of our day by walking to Bear Lake, enjoying the crisp air, and absolutely loving the snow!

We spent the rest of the time in Denver, with a morning at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, drinks and art in the RiNo district, marveling at Union Station’s architecture, looking for fall foliage at City Park (complete fail), indulging in ice cream at Little Man’s, and walking over the pedestrian bridges.

NEW YORK!

As soon as California got off the 14-day mandatory quarantine list, we booked tickets right away to see my family (I hadn’t seen them in over 10 months!). Kona took his first-ever flight (and was the cutest little thing on the plane — he did great)! We worked from NY for the week which worked out so perfectly.

That week consisted of window and patio visits with my grandmas, beach boardwalk walks, soft serve from Marvel, pizza and bagels and Italian food, lots of quality time with my sister and Kevin (finally met him IRL — and not on FaceTime!), and Kona turning one (and finally warming up to Hank the German Shepherd).

We also tried to soak up all the fall vibes out East on Long Island with blueberry and apple crisp pies from Biermeier Farm, visits to wineries, and lots of pumpkins and sunflowers. 

NYC was calling our name, so we spent a day in the city seeing friends, hanging in Riverside Park, chasing fall colors in Central Park (too crowded for us), getting the best cookies from Levain (iykyk), and scarfing down some rugelach from Lee Lee’s.

It was a low-key visit and we only saw a handful of people, but I’m so glad for all the quality time with the people I love. <3 And as soon as we left, CA was added back to the NY state quarantine list ??‍, meaning we timed our visit perfectly.

November 

We officially CANCELLED our Hawaii trip (womp, womp). The state couldn’t decide on openings and Covid tests, so we figured we’ll go once it all straightened out. 

ELECTION 2020

And then there was the election. 

I don’t even know where to begin — this was by far the craziest election in US history. I was glued to the TV for 4 days straight; which is more MSNBC I’ve watched in my entire life combined. There was stress baking, stress eating, and stress pacing, all the memes, and candidates claiming victory when they in fact did NOT win (and then pointing fingers that the election was being stolen by large-scale fraud).

Ultimately, it was down to Nevada, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona (I think we all finally learned how to pronounce Nevada correctly). We all sighed a breath of relief when it was all over and done with. DEMOCRATS WON, and they’ll be a BIPOC WOMAN in the White House now (!!!). 2020 carved the path for all future elections, and I don’t think we’ll be seeing two white men run together anytime soon.

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK 

More California exploration (haha). We ran around Death Valley for a full two days; climbed up sand dunes (way harder than it looks), walked on salt flats at the lowest spot in North America, gazed out at some pretty impressive view points, saw the MILKY WAY (and Saturn and Jupiter and Mars!) one night while stargazing, watched the sunset behind crazy rock formations, and took a few short hikes.  

I’m so glad we finally got to put our National Parks Pass to good use (after cancelled trips to both Yosemite and Sequoia, and a snowstorm in Rocky Mountain).

Before heading home, we made a short pit stop in Las Vegas for a night. The two-day affair was spent at the Seven Magic Mountains art installation in the middle of the desert, stuffing our faces with crazy milkshakes at midnight, devouring Buchon for breakfast in bed at the Bellagio, and just taking in all the crazy Vegas vibes. It was honestly a bit too crowded for my liking (especially nowadays during the pandemic and all), but overall a good time.

THANKSGIVING/NEVADA CITY

Thanksgiving 2020 was really special, especially considering the year we’ve all had, and oh, all the food!

We had a mini Friendsgiving with our next-door neighbors (who we’ve become really good friends with this year), full of multiple homemade pies, chicken, veggies, the whole deal — and ohhh, those mashed potatoes.

My in-laws flew in from Florida (we all got Covid tested – the accurate, PCR type), and all went to Nevada City to see Noah’s sister and fam. Besides the actual Thanksgiving festivities, we cuddled on the couch, watched old movies and a new series, and took a short nature walk in the forest. Felt nice to just relax with family after this insane year.

Noah and I also stayed a night at a historic hotel, complete with a crowfoot tub, old-school telephone and radio, pour-over coffee, and tons of mid-century modern touches. We also bundled up and went to Tahoe for Kona’s first time in the snow — and he loved it!  On the way home we stopped in Sac for a quick walk along the waterfront; I wanna start exploring more of that city soon!

December

Ohhh the last month of 2020 — what a weird feeling.

The Bay Area went into lockdown again, so it was back to hanging at home and only taking necessary trips out. We indulged in all the Trader Joe’s holiday treats, sipped over-the-top spiked hot cocoas and bourbon balls (who knew I actually enjoy bourbon?!), met some friends in the city for a masked-up evening of xmas lights and light installations, watched a few Christmas movies, ate too many christmas cookies (thanks Lia!), listened to lots of Christmas music, and marveled at all the holiday lights on our annual hot bevy and Xmas walk date near us.

Oh, and our bathroom redos FINALLY got finished, a project that was started in September and took way longer than expected.

The COVID-19 vaccine started getting administered in mid-December (!!!), and a bunch of friends plus my (hospital-working) SISTER got it! Couldn’t be more thrilled and gracious to them for leading the way.

SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO

Wait, what? International travel? Yeah… we kinda kept things hush hush in fear of travel shaming. We were as careful as we could be, masked up and kept our distance (obviously), only ate outdoors, etc, etc etc. And honestly? We felt safer in Mexico than we did at home in California. It was so quiet and we even had the adult pool all to ourselves a few mornings! I’m so glad we didn’t let anyone talk us out of going.

Psst → We didn’t venture over to Cabo San Lucas at all (where the spring breakers hang out) — we stayed in San Jose del Cabo which is known to be much quieter.

It was our first time outta the country since early February, with our last international trip being to Mexico as well (La Paz/Todos Santos for my birthday). We stayed at an all-inclusive resort on the beach for a few nights, spent our days laying by the pool, and eating our weight in tacos and guacamole. Many mojitos and margaritas were consumed… I mean, it was all-inclusive — had to take advantage!

We took an ATV ride on unspoilt beach and through the cacti ridden desert which was thrilling yet beautiful at the same time. We explored the (unexpected!) colorful town of San Jose del Cabo, cooled off with a paleta, and ate at a bunch of farm-to-table restaurants (Flora Farms — yes!). It felt great supporting some smaller companies and restaurants in a country we love.

For our last few nights, we moved over to a treehouse in the palm-tree jungle at Acre, which has been on our Mexico bucket list for quite some time! We got to play with the rescued puppies, see the resident donkeys (one named Burrito!), and hang at the pool. It was the perfect few days before a soft quarantine at home.

New Year’s Eve

We had a super low key New Years Eve at home with our next-door-neighbors (now good friends) with some chinese take-out, bourbon hot chocolate, and silly YouTube videos. While it wasn’t like our usual festivities outta the country, it felt perfect for 2020.

The post 2020 Year in Review: The Wildly Unexpected and Unforeseen Year We’ll Never Forget appeared first on A Passion and A Passport.

It’s annual review time – my yearly post on what I got up to the entire previous year! I know you’ve been waiting for it!

Boy oh boy did this year just fly by. And yes, I tend to say that every year (haha). But not only is it the end of 2019, but the end of a decade (!!!). I read the other day that “if you were born in the 80s and raised in the 90s and make it to 2020… you have lived in 4 different decades, 2 different centuries, 2 different millennia’s and you’re not even 40 yet”. Kinda crazy if you ask me.

In the past decade I married my high school sweetheart (barf, I know), traveled to over 45 countries (and discovered my love for solo travel), graduated with my Masters Degree in speech language pathology and started my career in the field, moved to California after a whirlwind of a cross country road trip, bought our very first home, and most recently, adopted a puppy! It’s been a wild ride, and can’t wait to see what the next 10 years bring!

I could probably go on and on about the 2010s (let’s face it, I’m ridiculously wordy), so I’ll keep this year in review focused on 2019.

2019 in Numbers:

• Countries visited: 8 (Mexico, Panama, England, France, Indonesia, Canada, Japan, USA)
• States visited: 9 (California, Oregon, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Washington, Florida)
• Beds Slept in: 40 (yes, I counted!, and yes, I’m cookoo)
• Photos taken: thousands beyond thousands, aka too many to count
• Concerts: 4 (Lizzo/Halsey, USHER (!!!), Backstreet Boys, DMB)
• Broadway Shows: 6 (Hamilton, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mama Mia, Lion King, Beautiful, Legally Blonde + Beach Blanket Babylon)
• 101 in 1001 goals completed: a whole bunch

After going through my year, I’m always amazed just how much I crammed in. I keep thinking the previous year would be my last super hectic, run-around-the-world non-stop year, but I prove myself wrong each and every time. Although I did have more laid-back, chill-on-the-couch weekends, which was kinda nice.

[ If you’re extra curious (or just feeling a bit nosy), feel free to read past round-ups here: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, + 2018. Can’t believe this is my 7th year of recapping! ]

January

After ringing in the New Year in Mexico City with Noah (boy we ate a lot), I was already off on my first solo trip of the year. I was headed a few hours south to Oaxaca, dubbed the land of Mexican art + chocolate.

Despite only having a few days to explore, I really made the most of my time by feasting on tlayudas and tons of atole, memelas, and tejate on a chocolate and maiz tour, day tripping to the petrified waterfalls of Hierve al Agua and El Árbol del Tule (with some gals I had just met the previous day), marveling at all the cacti at the ethnobotanical gardens, and admiring all the local handicrafts at the local markets. 

One of the main highlights was a day spent out with En Via, an organization that empowers women by providing financial loans so they can open and continue their own businesses. I also made it to Teotitlan del Valle, a nearby village specializing in rug weaving, and San Marcos Tlapazola to watch the women make red pottery and giant tortillas. Oh, how I miss those squash blossom quesadillas and Oaxacan cheese.

Later on in the month, we were also lucky enough to meet up with our friends Lena and Bassam from Happily Ever Adventures for a fun weekend in San Luis Obispo.

We checked out cute brunch spots around town, blew bubbles at the gum wall, danced in the rain on Avila Beach, went dune bashing in Pismo Beach (PS – SO much fun on those crazy hills), and just spent lots of time loving on Buddy (their cute pup!). 

Of course we also managed an afternoon sipping wine and eating too much cheese off the fancy platter at DAO, with the rolling hills as our backdrop and Spanish architecture all around us. Our hotel, The Kinney, was the cutest and we played lots of late-night board games.

February 

Since living in San Francisco doesn’t really provide us with the joy of seasons, we like to “go to the snow” (a phrase I learned that Californians like to use) at least once a year. We chose the cute little(ish) mountain town of Bend, Oregon to get our snowy weekend fix for my birthday (Jan 31) with Visit Bend. 

Our time was spent snowshoeing through the wintery wilderness of the Oregon forests, learning all things photography at Smith Rock State Park (on a photo tour), and checking out Bend’s local craft beverage scene (we visited a cidery, a kombucha taproom – the first one around!, a micro craft brewery, and a whisky distillery).

And get this, we even had a full-on sauna in our hotel room. IN OUR ROOM. Wild!

We ended our quick winter getaway by playing in the snow with alpacas, which was a definite highlight of the trip (I mean, how could it not?). You heard me say alpacas, right?! Read more about our quick snowy weekend getaway to Bend here!

Since I just can’t seem to sit still, less than 2 weeks later I was off to another frigid destination – this time to Banff, Canada with Travel Alberta! I had visited the area in the past during it’s busy summer season, so I was eager to see the lakes in all their frozen glory.

And I must say – the pristine wilderness, snow-capped mountains, and frozen waterfalls really took my breath away (figuratively and literally – it was quite windy at times!).

We drove around in the snow (a somewhat terrifying experience for both of us Californians), partook in exhilarating dog sledding rides, spent too much time at cute local coffee shops, went hot tubbing in the snow (which we loved, despite our hair freezing up!), gawked at the snowy mountains on a scenic helicopter ride, hiked to frozen waterfalls at Johnston’s Canyon, and rode up a breathtaking gondola ride through the snowy trees.

We stuffed our faces with poutine, indulged in last-day beavertails in the nearby town of Canmore, splurged on a cheesy fondue dinner date (and yes, we opted for chocolate fondue as well), and drank fancy hot chocolates looking out at the frozen Lake Louise. It was absolutely glorious, despite freezing our butts off 98% of the time and holding on to our hot hands for dear life.

Banff transformed me into a winter person, and I’m itching to take my husband back and stay at the Fairmont Lake Louise (it’s absolutely gorgeous – trust me).

March

For Spring Break, we made our way down to Central America for a week of beachy jungle fun in Panama! Although it was a super fast-paced mad dash around the country (we split our time between Panama City, San Blas, Boquete, and Bocas del Toro in a mere 10 days), the trip was an absolute success.

We found the country to be full of stunning turquoise waters, white sandy beaches, lush rainforests, laid-back surf towns, misty mountains, and vibrant cafes. 

In Panama City, we cooled off with icy raspados on the Cinta Costera, explored/photographed the stunning colonial Casco Viejo, watched huge ships pass the Panama Canal, and threw back many sunset drinks and fresh ceviches. We left completely obsessed with the American Trade Hotel (promise me you’ll stay there if you ever find yourself in Panama City).

Our few days on the San Blas islands were the perfect mix of relaxation and exploration – but we were happy to head back to civilization after 3 days. It’s safe to say that all our tropical island dreams came true over there in San Blas, despite the limited electricity, bumpy and complicated ride over, and overall confusion. We ate fresh fish everyday (for breakfast, lunch, and dinner), strolled and snorkeled around the different islands, and just reveled in island life.

The little time we had in Boquete was spent learning everything there is to know about coffee farms, strolling through town sipping famous gesha coffee, and gawking at the jungle views. Kinda wish we had more time at our resort as we LOVED it (highly recommend The Haven Spa if you ever find yourself in Boquete)!

The rest of our time was spent in Bocas del Toro, where we splurged on a first-class upgraded room (which was lovely despite it’s where we think we got bed bugs) , wandered around town, spent a fun day in the Zapatilla islands (possibly even more gorgeous than San Blas), searched for sloths, went snorkeling and anfibia boarding, explored a chocolate farm on Bastimentos (with poisonous red frogs), and strolled through the sleepy town of Old Bank.

And sometime during that whirlwind of a trip I started making my 101 goals in 1001 days list! Lots to do still!

April

How, oh how, can my little sister be THIRTY? It still sounds absolutely ridiculously crazy to me. I had initially planned to surprise my sister in New York for her birthday, but somehow my mom ruined it (by accidentally texting her instead of me) – oh well! My parents threw her a great party, filled with lots of yummy Italian food (the best!), friends, family, and fun. 

We also made sure to plan a family day in the city, where we checked out the brand spankin-new Vessel sculpture at Hudson Yards, had Sunday brunch at Jack’s Wife Freda (highly recommended), wandered Chelsea Market (my favorite), and continued on our childhood tradition of Chinese food at Wo Hop in Chinatown (+ some black sesame ice cream from The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, of course).

It was a super quick weekend, but one I wouldn’t have missed for the world.

We then flew to Las Vegas for a weekend of pool parties, yardstick margaritas, and indulgent brunches with our friends Alli and Dave.

But who are we kidding? The real reason we headed to Sin City – to see the Backstreet Boys, of course. I grew up listening to them, and once I heard they were doing a reunion concert as a residency tour at Planet Hollywood, I just knewwww I had to be there. They were by far the most expensive concert tickets I’ve ever purchased, but worth every penny.

I also got to see Hamilton the Musical with one of my good friends, Shirley, after buying tickets months before!

May: 

The month of May was relatively quiet travel-wise, but we did manage to make it down to Huntington Beach for the long Memorial Day weekend.  

We had chocolate covered frozen bananas on Balboa Island, did some beach and mansion hopping in Laguna (Crescent Bay Beach, I’m obsessed), watched donuts being made at Sidecar, and stopped on Melrose for a fun afternoon of brunch (complete with rainbow lattes) and mural hunting. Of course we made it our mission for some beach time, but the weather hardly cooperated! Love quick little getaways with my man!

June: 

As soon as the school year was over (and we celebrated our 7th year anniversary and took our nephew cherry picking – different occasion, obv), I was off to Europe – I can’t seem to get away from the place! I somehow end up there every single summer! And this time, for a quick solo jaunt to London and Paris. 

London was spent ducking in and out of rain, hopping from market to market and museum to museum. Favorites included Borough Market, the Leake Street Graffiti Tunnel, Tower Bridge (of course!), Notting Hill, Brick Lane, and the Columbia Road Flower Market.

I also managed to make it to two Broadway Shows in the West End – Lion King and Mama Mia, which were both absolutely spectacular! Despite the rainy weather (I mean, we are talking about London afterall), I managed to make the most of my few days and would now go back in a heartbeat. And yes, I’ll gladly go back for more salt beef bagels, Dishoom (my new found love), fish and chips at Poppies, and fancy eclairs.

In Paris, I learned how to make macarons in a local Parisian’s kitchen, listened to live music at the Trocadero for hours, found myself dancing with strangers at the annual Parisian White Party, watched the Eiffel sparkle, climbed the Arc de Triomphe for the most fantastic views, went window shopping on Champs-Elysees, tried too many cheese samples on Rue Cler, and ate my weight in crepes, croissants, macarons, and eclairs (whoops).

I toured the Louvre at night, watched painters in Montmartre, and admired as many cute cafes in St. Germain as I possibly could. I now finally understand the true magic of Paris, as I just didn’t get the city on my first visit (which was a whopping 10 years ago, whoaaaa!). 

After my solo European trip, I made my way back to the East Coast, where I spent a weekend in Philly with my immediate family (Magic Gardens, Dizengoff, and the Eastern State Penitentiary were my faves), had a sisters day in NYC, finally tried a rose latte (it was about time), admired the blooms at the NY Botanical Garden, got to tour my sister’s new-ish digs in Port Washington, hit up a Mets Game with my dad, and saw Beautiful, my 4th Broadway Show of the month.

I also reconnected with two old friends of mine (Amanda and Vicky, hi!), which was a definite highlight, to say the least.

In between my trips to NYC and Philly, I bussed over to Boston for a few nights for a friends wedding (Danny + Betsy, heyyyy). Besides the beautiful ceremony and party, I explored Acorn Street/Beacon Hill, had a few too many meals at Tatte Bakery – that ricotta jam toast was OMGGG, and spent a whole lotta time in Boston Common and the Public Garden.

I also took a food/history tour of the North End (stuffing my face with a cannoli larger than my head in the process), indulged in high tea at the Boston Public Library, wandered around Harvard, and window shopped on Newbury.

I somehow managed to make it to a Red Sox game at Fenway (super spontaneously) for $9 with some travel bloggers who were in town for a conference (and just so happened to be staying in my hostel).  

July: 

Ohhh Bali; I don’t even know where to begin as we fell in love with this magical island the second we landed. Our days were filled with infinity pool hopping, checking out the local cafe culture and trendy shops in Canggu, running away from monkeys, wandering the Campuhan Ridge Walk, shopping at the Ubud market, being mesmerized at the Kecak Fire Dance at Uluwatu Temple, waking up early for day trips to Lempuyang Temple and Tirta Gangga, getting stuck in that serious Bali traffic, waterfall trekking, and lots and lots of pool time (yes, even more).

We loved the Tegalalang rice terrace (of course I did the typical Bali swing), our private pool villa, my super-relaxing flower bath, and nightly Rock Bar sunsets.

We also spent some time on a liveaboard in Komodo National Park, sailing to scenic islands everyday, snorkeling among colorful fish and corals, watching millions of bats fly overhead on their nightly migration, sipping fresh juices every morning, and gawking at the stars in the dark sky.

I even jumped off the side of the boat (from 2 stories high) into the water – something that scared me to the core. The sunsets were unreal (the most fiery red I’ve ever witnessed), dragons more docile than I thought, and sand softer than imaginable.

We even wandered around a pink sand beach and hiked to the top of Padar Island for sunrise (difficult but so incredibly worth it once we reached the top). And of course we went trekking a bit on Rinca Island to see the Komodo dragons (the main reason why we came in the first place!). It was just the perfect few days and one we’ll keep talking about for years on end. 

Our time on Gili Air was quick, but boy did we LOVE our resort (The Pink Coco) and the entire island as a whole. We listened to live music on the beach every night, got $7 hour-long foot massages (pure bliss by the way) every single day, snorkeled above statues and with sea turtles, spent tons of time relaxing at our hotel pool, and watched the sunset every night.

Despite our bags getting lost for a scary 24 hours and the treacherous boat ride back to Bali, we’re aching to go back to Gili Air sooner than ever. 

And once we got back, Noah was in full training mode for his full marathon in late July! So inspired by his dedication!

August: 

I just don’t stop (or sleep, apparently) in the summer, because a few days after returning home from Indonesia, I was off again – this time on a road trip to Banff, up the Icefields Parkway, and into Jasper National Park with my friend Bella. I’m semi-obsessed with this area, and visit after visit, it never disappoints (I mean, I was just here in February)!

In Banff, we took the gondola up Sulphur Mountain (for the best views ever), spent an ample amount of time at Lake Louise just casually walking around the lake and eating our pb&j sandwiches, and taking ski lifts up to a viewpoint at Sunshine Village. We also managed to trek to the lower and upper falls of Johnston Canyon, indulged in some beavertails, and stuffed our faces with some local fondue.

We visited all the hot spots along the Icefields Parkway, including Bow Lake, Peyto Lake (that’s the one that looks like a wolf!), and Athabasca Glacier (in a special snow-vehicle with tires taller than me!).

Our time in Jasper was spent mostly on Maligne Lake in order to check out the super scenic Spirit Island, but we also managed to make it to Maligne Canyon and saw quite a few bears – grizzly and black! We saw glaciers on the Edith Cavell Trail, gushing waterfalls at Sunwapta Falls, and had the best poutine ever imaginable.

And then the inevitable happened – back to work it was! So long, sweet, sweet summer. Noah and I did manage a few day trips – once to Sausalito (my fave) and another to Half Moon Bay for some lobster rolls (my other fave).

My in-laws came for a visit and we celebrated my sweet niece turning 3!

September: 

To start off September, we were off to Kauai for Labor Day weekend. We had lots of fish tacos and shave ice, plenty of sunset cocktails, took an epic helicopter ride over the Na Pali coast, checked out some waterfalls, and explored Princeville and Poipu. 

But the main reason for heading to Hawaii – for Noah to run the Kauai marathon! And brutal it was – I could see it on his face the last few miles (I was ‘wife of the year’ and walked a few miles in the pouring rain to meet him around mile 24 to help [mentally] get him to the finish line). He successfully completed the race; 3/4 marathons in Hawaii complete! He’ll do the last one in Kona, probably in 2021!

Not all trips are happy ones, and we had to book last-minute tickets home to New York after my Grandpa suddenly passed away from congestive heart and kidney failure. His death shook me hard, and as difficult as it was, it was so comforting being surrounded by loved ones for the week. </3 I’ll miss ya, toots. Keep carving and playing the clarinet up there!

October: 

October was pretty mellow, which was quite nice after what felt like pretty much nonstop travel for the last few months. We took a few day trips around the Bay, including a beach day at Capitola (what a cute, colorful town) and another to Pacifica for more beachy views and some famous fish and chips by the sea.

We did take a quick weekend trip to Seattle to see some old college friends and their cute little babe (who we had never even met before), and basically spent the whole time stuffing our faces. We did manage to make it to Kerry Park for some fall foliage views, Pikes Place and the surroundings for some market finds, and to the Pop Culture Museum in between all our eating.

November

November was the month of visitors, first my parents came to visit, and then our friends Danny and Betsy came less than 2 days later! And then the in-laws later on!

With my parents, we spent a day in Half Moon Bay (wandering the local market, indulging in lobster rolls at Sams, taking lots of pictures of the moody coastline), a day exploring the city (with views from the top of Twin Peaks, wandering the Inner Sunset Flea market, taking fun photos at the Hidden Garden Steps, and exploring the funky Haight-Ashbury neighborhood).

We hit up the CA coast another day (stopping at Pigeon Point Lighthouse, Shark Fin Cove in Davenport, seeing the monarch butterflies on their annual migration, and walking the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and West Cliff Drive).

Our friends requested a morning at Muir Woods, which was absolutely perfect since we hadn’t been in YEARS, and I forgot how much I just love those redwoods. We also wandered around the Japanese Tea Gardens, had enormous burritos at El Farolito, checked out the street art on Clarion Alley, had some great mole at Nopalito, and walked the Lands End trail.

I finally snagged Noah and I tickets to Beach Blanket Babylon, which was just as hilarious as I’d expected.

And once our first two sets of visitors packed their bags – off to Tokyo it was (yes, we decided to blatantly skip out on Thanksgiving this year). After our trip to Japan a few April’s ago, we just couldn’t wait to get back there. And (kinda) funny story – our trip to Tokyo was kiiiinda a spontaneous accident.

We had bought our tickets 10 months ago on a complete whim, after I randomly found cheap flights while sitting in the car for 7 minutes waiting for an activity to begin while working with Visit Bend.

We snagged those babies right up with the understanding we’d think rationally about the impulsive ticket purchase later (since there’s a 24 hour cancellation policy of course)…. But… we completely forgot about them and therefore couldn’t cancel anymore! We’re not mad about it, but it was definitely a surprise when we remembered the next night – haha.

We spent our time eating rainbow grilled cheese/gyoza/cute animal ice cream/giant cotton candy in Harajuku, running through Torii Gates, photographing both Meji and Senso-ji Temples, eating absolutely EVERYTHING in sight (Noah has way more self-restraint than I do), checking out Teamlab Borderless (digital art museum), and playing loads of games at the arcades in Akihabara and Shinjuku.

Oh how I missed the vending machine coffees/teas, tonkatsu, bright city lights, claw machines, yakitori on Piss Alley, and sushi breakfasts. Okay, so the daifuku, tomago, wagyu beef, and ramen meals were a highlight as well. I also introduced Noah to purikura, and we had a bit too much fun taking silly Japanese selfies.

My initial reasoning for visiting Japan this time of year was for the stunning fall foliage, and that it was x1000. Since the seasons are kinda skimpy here in California, it’s always nice to get a bit of autumn color. We made our way down to the Fuji Five Lakes area, and stayed in a ryokan right on Lake Kawaguchi with the most delicious kaiseki dinners and comfy yukatas (once we learned how to put them on).

Although it was a tad rainy and Mt. Fuji was only visible one morning for a few hours, the fall colors more than made up for it (as did soaking in the private onsen and indulging in hotu noodles, the best!).

And once we got home from Japan, our law-ins came for a visit! Phew – busy, busy month!

December: 

The beginning of December was relatively quiet after all our visitors left, with the Lizzo/Halsey concert being a definite highlight. Ohhhh what a queen she is. The show was lit y’all (is lit still a thing?). *crosses fingers and hopes it is*

OH! And we semi-spontaneously adopted the cutest little puppy imaginable. I had met the pup on Monday (a teacher at my school brought in the litter she was currently fostering), we put in the adoption application Wednesday night, and took him home on Saturday. It was a whirlwind of a week, lemme tell ya. We had been toying with the idea of adding a furry friend to our fam for a while, and he just stole our hearts the minute we laid eyes on him.

And after just 3 days at home with our 8-week old, 3 pound little fluff ball (who we named Kona), we sadly left him with his foster mom to go off on our Christmas/NYE trip. It unfortunately wasn’t the greatest timing, but I couldn’t say no to his adorable tiny face.

We then flew across the country to Florida, spending time in both Miami and the St. Pete/Clearwater area (after changing our initial plans to go down to the Keys because crowds). Highlights of the trip included snorkeling with manatees (!!!) in Crystal River, grabbing brunch with friends (hey Matt and Ellen!) and meeting their new babe, looking for allll the shells on Sanibel Island, geeking out over allll the street art and colorful walls in both St. Pete and Miami, and indulging in Cuban Food (and multiple mojitos) in Little Havana.

We loved South Beach with its colorful lifeguard huts and pearly white sand, of course had Joe’s Stone Crab one night (Noah’s absolute favorite), and some delicious seafood at The Rusty Pelican on Key Biscayne for the best sunset and skyline views.

We finished off 2019 by spending New Years Eve at Bayfront Park in Miami, arepas in hand, patiently waiting for Pitbull who never arrived (although I think we were in the wrong area of the park…). We watched the most insane fireworks show though, and my entire body was pulsing from the crazy shots.

Whew, what a year it’s been! 

NOTABLE BLOGGING HIGHLIGHTS:

• Surpassed my 9-5 income: Whoaaaa stop the tracks. How on mother Earth ever did that happen? When I first started this thing, that was never my intention, but here we are and I ain’t complaining! 
• Redesign in the works: I’m in the middle of a complete redesign of my site, and it’s looking soooo good so far (aka I’m completely obsessed and can’t stop looking at the mockups). I can’t wait to share it with you guys in the next few months.
• All the emails/DMS/etc from readers: It makes my world when I receive sweet messages from you guys saying you’ve stayed at (and loved) places I recommended, or planned entire trips around my itineraries! Keep them coming, I appreciate each and every one!

So, what’s planned for 2020 you ask? I’ve already got a few trips in the works, including a snowy winter trip to NYC to see family, a birthday trip to Mexico in late January/early February, and my spring break trip to Jordan (can’t wait to get back to the Middle East!).

I think we’ll most likely do southern France/northern Italy road trip in the summer, visit my cousin in Arizona, and of course fit in a whole buncha weekend trips in California like always (I’m itching to finally get down to Disneyland and head back to Tahoe). We’re also planning on taking little Kona on as many weekend trips around California once he gets all his shots!

Happy New Years, friends! Here’s to the next decade!

The post 2019 Year in Review: Life and Travels and Everything in Between appeared first on A Passion and A Passport.

One of my favorite posts each year is recapping my travels (and other life/business highlights). I also love hearing about other people’s year-in-reviews – so if you’ve got one or care to break down your year for me, add it in the comments!

Although they take me forevvverrrr and a day to write (I like to relive all the memories, ok?!), I can’t imagine not writing them. So enjoy, and let’s take a look back at exactly what I got up to in 2018.

And before we get started, can you believe yet another year has passed by? How in holy hell did that happen?! I swear – the years keep going faster and faster the more I age. And if you’re thinking I’m a crazy person – just wait, that means you just aren’t old enough yet. Your time will come, I promise you that.

2018 by the Numbers:

• States Visited: 6 (with a whole lotta trips within California as well)
• Countries Visited: 13 
• Flights: 24
• Days Traveling (not at home): ~102*
• Day and Weekend Trips: 10
• Beds Slept In: 29
• Solo Travel Days: 31 (wow, a full month!)

*And because I’m a HUGE nerd and have a slight obsession with numbers, that means I traveled for about 27% of the year! No wonder I’m ridiculously tired. 

Just remember, I have a full time job and all, and with that being said, I’m impressed by how much travel I was able to squeeze in. Yes, I do work in a school and therefore am extremely lucky to have 10 weeks off in the summer (which I most definitely cram in with travel), but other parts of the year aren’t as easy to get away.

I’m limited to the school calendar, which yes, is generous with it’s time off, but that means I don’t have the luxury of traveling wherever whenever I want. Basically, I can’t decide to take off a week in October because I found cheap flights to Europe. So yes, while I may in fact have a larger number of days in which I can travel, those dates are usually the most expensive (school holidays, spring break, summer, etc). 

→ If you’re wondering how I travel so much with a full time job, check out this post for some tricks I use. 

Care to low-key stalk me? Check out my previous year-in-review posts here:

2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017

JANUARY

After spending a few days in both Bangkok and Chiang Mai, we rang in the New Year on the beach in Thailand, watching a lantern festival and fireworks in Krabi (which we somehow randomly stumbled across #yasssss). It felt like pure magic, and I can’t think of a better way we could have welcomed 2018 than staring at the sky with thousands of glistening paper lanterns floating above the Andaman Sea.

The next few days were spent gorging on pineapple fried rice, mango sticky rice, and banana fritters with coconut jelly in tree houses, chasing the sun at Railay Beach, hiring private long tail boats to other nearby islands, beach hopping and finding sand dollars like no big deal, staring up at all the massive formations in Phang Nga Bay, some of the best snorkeling at our lives at Maya Bay, running away from monkeys, and seeing some of the best views of my life at Pileh Lagoon.

We also sailed on over to Koh Phi Phi for a few nights and LOVED our jungle-like resort complete with multiple infinity pools and a semi-private beach. And trust me – that dragon fruit mojito was something else.

Thailand was like one giant ball of pure bliss to me – shiny golden temples, $5 foot massages, endless mango smoothies, and stunning beaches amongst towering limestone cliffs. I die of happiness just thinking about going back. Unfortunately our 2 weeks in Thailand eventually had to come to an end. Probably one of our best trips yet.

Interested in doing the same trip? I wrote up our entire itinerary over here, which has already been followed by dozens of readers! Thanks for all your sweet notes!   

FEBRUARY

After a busy few weeks in Thailand, we needed a refresh and some quality down time at home. We managed to sneak in a few day trips, to both Santa Cruz (where we pranced around on the beach in summer attire, drank tangy fruit smoothies, and indulged in avocado fries) and Half Moon Bay to stuff our faces with lobster rolls and do more frolicking on the soft sand. I love that we’ve got just soooo many day trip options from San Francisco, even when it’s the middle of the winter.

Our weekend trip to Point Reyes was a half-fail, half-success, as it was waaaaay windier than we had originally imagined it would be, so we weren’t quite prepared and basically froze the entire time. Thankfully the huge bowl of clam chowder on the coast helped warm us up a bit. Probablyyyy wasn’t the greatest idea to go hiking in those intense winds with the lightest of jackets, but oh well! We also headed to elephant seal overlook (and boy were those things noisy AF), Point Reyes Lighthouse, and the Cypress Tree Tunnel.

MARCH

By March, ohhhh we missed the snow (well, sorta, kinda – who am I?), so off to the mountains we went! And the fact that Yosemite got a fresh dusting of snow the night we arrived just made the whole park and surrounding areas that much more heavenly. Our resort, Rush Creek, was exactttly what winter wonderland dreams were made of – s’mores under the stars, brownie sundaes in the snow, hot stone massages, and stunning vistas all around.

We drove through the park, stopping at plenty of spectacular snowy-filled photo stops and testing our limits on short wintery waterfall hikes.

Yosemite in March was absolutely perfect – the holiday crowds had vanished, icicles dangled from tree branches, snowflakes coated the Valley, and the entire park was so calm and bright. I think know we’ll be back again (we’re only a four hour drive away!)

The end of March brought me to Hong Kong to start off my spring break in my second Asian country of the year. Hong Kong took me by surprise, and I fell for the conglomerate-sized buildings (they were massive!), curry fish balls, sweet egg tarts (oh how much I miss you Tai Cheong Bakery), epic photo spots, serene floating islands, and that impressive skyline.

I didn’t realize just how lush and green this country was, as in my mind I had pictured tons of Chinese architecture, double decker buses, and a bustling and vibrant city center (true, but Hong Kong is SO much more than that I gladly found out).

I spent my time spotting flamingos in Kowloon Park, perusing alll the markets (Ladies, Goldfish, Flower, Bird, Night, you name it), photographing the rainbow colored Choi Hung Estate, admiring the views at Victoria Peak, retreating to the Man Mo Temple, looking for street art in SoHo, getting lost near Montane Mansion (I finally found it thankfully), and spending a day on Lantau Island for the Big Buddha, Tai O Fishing Village, and the Wisdom Path.

Who am I kidding? Time was mostly spent indulging at Yum Cha for adorable dim sum critters, milk pudding from Yee Shun Dairy Company, pork buns from Tim Ho Wan, egg waffles from Mammy Pancakes, and Little Bao for traditional Chinese baos. And those pineapple bean buns… come to mama! So yes, I ate a lot. #noshame I’d love to head back there, husband in tow, and take him to all my favorite foodie spots (and find even more…).

Read more about my few days in Hong Kong here (if you’re curious or are planning a trip there – psst you should).

APRIL

As soon as my few days in Hong Kong were up, off to Singapore it was! I honestly wasn’t sure exactly what to expect out of Singapore (I mean, it’s not your typical Asian city), but I enjoyed my few days there. I probably won’t be running back, but I’m glad I added the city to my Spring Break itinerary.

In my few days I visited the typical Gardens by the Bay to see the Supertree Grove, Flower Conservatory, and Cloud Forest (which I found the most fascinating) and the rooftop bar at Marina Bay Sands for sunset. A few exhibitions at the ArtScience museum were particularly impressive, and walking over to see the Merlion just had to be done.

I thankfully made it past the super touristy spots, and also checked out Clarke Quay (full of super cute colorful houses), the people’s park complex, ministry of communications and information, Little India, Kampong Glam, Haji Lane, and Bugis Street. I also headed to the Singapore Night Safari, which in all honesty, found especially underwhelming and was a b*tch to get to.

The Singapore Botanical Gardens were nice, but the National Orchid Garden really stole the show. I also attempted to head to Sentosa Island, but before I even got there, it was pouring rain. I camped out at a facility meant for hotel staff, and thankfully the nice people at the Sofitel drove me to their (5-star) resort and I took it upon myself to use their facilities before the rain cleared (free fish spa, anyone?)

I think one of the best parts about Singapore was being upgraded (fo’ free) to a sweet capsule hotel (I paid for a typical hostel bed), complete with flat screen tv and private sleeping quarters. Oh, and eating at Din Tai Fung and Ippudo with minimal lines makes the cut as well. Geez, you guys probably think all I like to do is eat #truestory.

Once back in California, I also made it outta bed one morning (yes, toooo early at 4am) to head off to Mt. Tam for a sunrise photo shoot. Finally met a few of my blogging besties, and it was super weird just going about our morning as if we’d known each other IRL (in-real-life if you’re not up to date with the current acronyms, I know I ain’t) for years already. Weirrrdd how the internet (and instagram) can do that.

MAY

Over Memorial Day Weekend, we drove down to Santa Barbara and spent a few days down in sunny Southern California. We even got to meet up with some blogging friends and their cute little pup, Buddy (who Noah is now low-key obsessed with).

We found the prettiest views from the Santa Barbara courthouse, loved all the architecture on State St, checked out all the interesting finds in the Funk Zone, admired Stearns Wharf (albeit a tad touristy), picked out our next boat to purchase (ha!), and reveled in those Santa Barbara sunsets. And we couldn’t visit without waiting in line for some McConnells (yes, it’s worth it each and every time).

Oh, and we basically drank frose and sangria slushies all weekend, yup – went back there twice in 3 days! We had visited SB in the past but only for a few hours, so it was nice to actually get to know the area a bit better. I forgot how much I love it down there – all the bright colors, fresh seafood, Spanish colonial architecture, upscale and trendy boutiques, the list goes on…

JUNE

June was all about exploring a few US cities I surprisingly hadn’t made it to yet, and somehow knocked both Portland’s off my list back to back. Here’s how it all went down: I first took my annual trip to New York to see the family, then jetted off to Portland, MAINE with my parents after scoring some sweeeeeet $74 roundtrip flights (on JetBlue I might add, not even one of those crappy low-cost airlines).

We spent our few days stuffing our faces with as much lobster as humanly possible (no joke- we had lobster rolls everyday for lunch), indulged in sea salted duck fat caramel milkshakes (yes, it’s a thing there), admired the views from the Portland Observatory, taste-tested everything blueberry imaginable, took a free brew tour with free beers (yuuup :)), took the most charming day trip to Ogunquit and Kennebunkport, ate a whole lotta whoopie pies, visited the Portland Head Light (I have a thing for lighthouses, okay?), cruised Casco Bay, and even watched a Sea Dogs baseball game!

Okay, so after typing that out, it seems like all we did was eat and drink… Fine by me. :p And besides the fact that a seagull stole an entire lobster roll off our picnic table one day (yup, true story), I’d say it was a wildly successful first trip with just the parents.

A few days after returning home from Portland, MAINE, off to Portland, OREGON it was! Yup, super weird how that happened, amiright? I traded in lobster for some heavenly donuts, so no complaining here! I finally got to meet up with my old co-worker, Cami, who moved to Portland a few years back, after trying to squeeze a visit to the city (and failing) for the past few summers. I cram them up with travel, ok?!

My few days in Portland (Oregon) consisted of lots more eating, (Pok Pok, Salt and Straw, Blue Star, Pine State Biscuits, VooDoo, + way more), tidepooling in Cannon Beach to get outta the nasty heat spell, swooning over the views from Pittock Mansion, literally smelling the roses at the International Rose Test Garden, getting overwhelmed at Powell’s, and walking the Tilikum Crossing.

We also took lots of mini road trips to Multnomah Falls, Rowena Crest, Hood River Lavender Farm, Trillium Lake, Mt. Hood, and Silver Falls State Park – which just blew me amazing with all it’s lush-ness.

I never expected to fall in love with Oregon so fast, so I’ll be back. And plus, I’m stillll craving that mint cold brew (from a converted double decker bus nonetheless!) – totally beat Stumptown in my opinion. I even got to see a few cousins who live over there (yeah, I should really be visiting more often, they’re the definition of awesome and Portland’s pretty chill, so yeah….).

JULY

July continued my 2018 summer of fun (yes, I tend to be away the entire summer due to non-existent work – I’m a speech therapist working in a high school, and school’s closed for the summer, oh well?). And finally our long awaited 3-week couples trip began – we flew to Oslo to start our 10-Day Norway Road Trip, and it was allll kinds of glorious.

We found Norway to be absolutely spectacular – home to stunning turquoise fjords, towering mountains, and $8 hot dogs. Yes, it was pricey, but Norway is one of the most remarkable countries I’ve ever been to, so it was worth it and then some. The trip started out in Stavanger, where we chased trolls, admired all the cute white wooden houses in Gamle Stavanger (seriously, the absolute cutest little area), spent some time on Ovre Holmegate loving the vivid colors and wild street art (I died and went to rainbow heaven), and caught up on sleep (jetlag + midnight sun does not mix well).

From there we hiked to Pulpit Rock, and I must say, that 3.5 hour uphill battle through the fog was worth it the second the mist and cloud cover lifted once we reached the top. And ohhh those views – we got rewarded with a panorama of mountains in the distance with the glistening Lysefjord below.

After that we continued by road tripping up to Bergen, stopping at tons of waterfalls along the way, finding glacier views on the side of the road, and dong a mini hike (with tons of sheep) in Folgefonna National Park. Lots of reindeer hot dogs were consumed (as well as waaaay overpriced mini ice cream cones) and we had a blast on the top of Mt. Floyen admiring the views of Bergen below.

Next up was Flam, where we took a cruise down the stunning Naeroyfjord and took a trip on what is said to be the prettiest train ride in the whole world. Not so sure I’d agree exactly (have you been to Switzerland?), but it was still pretty epic to say the least.

The National Tourist Routes took up another full day, with even more sheep and Stave Churches being definite highlights. Oh, and Gamle Strynefjellsvegen totally won over my heart (it’s an absolute stunner). The next few days were spent at lookout points (Dalsnibba and Ørnesvingen, I’m looking at you), taking yet another stunning fjord cruise, driving on Trollstigen (a super curvy road), trying and loving fish and chips (yes, for the first time ever), and huffing and puffing up 418 steps to see the lookout spot in Alesund.

If you want to read more about our Norway road trip, check this out.

We got extreeeemly lucky with the weather, as Norway is usually pretty finicky, and had minimal days of rain and only one moderately cloudy and windy day, which ended up clearing up anyways. And besides the fact that I still cannot pronounce all the places we went (Norwegian is hard, ok?!), the trip was a huge success and I can’t wait to get myself back there sometime.

As soon as our road trip ended, we were off to Copenhagen, Denmark to take a Scandinavian and Russian Cruise! We love cruising because it not only forces us to unpack once (therefore not living out a suitcase at all), but the fact that we get to see so many different destinations so super easily! This was the perfect introduction to Scandinavia and the perfect addition to our Norway road trip. And plus, this one let us visit St. Petersburg, Russia without having to fight for a visa, so that’s primarily the reason we picked it. Before leaving, we spent a few days in Copenhagen, meeting up with a friend (hey, Bella!) in Tivoli Gardens (where I was gifted an unlimited ride bracelet – thanks stranger), strolling around Nyhaven, and walking around Freetown Christiania.

First up on the cruise was Warnemunde, Germany, where we rented a car and drove to Schwerin Castle and Rostock for some must-needed schnitzel. Tallinn, Estonia was way over-crowded and wayyy too hot, but I adored the charming Old Town, and I could see myself going back in the off-season. St. Petersburg was everything and then some – we visited all the touristy must-do’s (Church of Spilled Blood, Hermitage, Mariinsky Theatre, Palace Square, Saint Isaac’s Cathedral, Catherine Palace, and more), and I’ll never forget those dramatic architectural beasts and that surprisingly delicious beet soup!

We found Helsinki, Finland to be a little meh, visiting some cute cafes, the cathedral and a rock church (ok, that was pretty cool), and yes, we waited on line for DIY magnum ice creams (probably the main highlight for me in all of Helsinki). Stockholm, Sweden was more our jam, and we spent our time stuffing our faces with Swedish meatballs, checking out the chic-est Scandi shops (I wanted to buy everythingggg), running around the art-filled subway stops, and checking out the photo museum.

After our exploration of the Scandi cities, Noah headed home and I was off to discover yet another part of Europe I’ve been longing to get to: Croatia!

First up was Split, where I wandered around Diocletian’s Palace, finallly caved and bought a summer hat (the Croatian heat is like no else I tell ya), made the journey to Krka National Park (which was all kinds of fun), ate a lot of cheap pizza and sat by the Riva people-watching. I also took a tour to the blue cave in the tiniest boat ever (the entrance to the cave is super small, you need to duck your head to get in!), which was all kinds of magical (the entire thing and all the water is a million shades of blue, you gotta see it to believe it).

I climbed up the Hvar Fortress, got zipped around in a little orange dingy that finalllly picked us up, and finally made it to Plitvice National Park. I’ll never forget all those blues and turquoises amongst the lush green scenery (as well as the hordes of tourists blocking the view, every time!). Note to self – visit again in the spring or fall.

Before heading to my next destination, I stopped in Omis to go ziplining above the Cetina River. I’ve been ziplining before (in both Whistler and Belize), but zipping over the river through the canyons was a whole different experience in and of itself. Add that one to your bucket list, like now!

After what felt like a 27 hour bus ride (those border crossings were no joke), I finally made it to Bosnia and Herzegovina – Mostar to be exact! I fell hard for this little Bosnian city, and loved learning all about the war and the cities horrifically tragic past (which wasn’t too long ago actually, in the early-mid 1990’s.) Day tripping to Blagaj, Kravice Waterfalls, Politelj, and drinking that fine, fine Bosnian coffee will be something I never forget.

And Mostar – you and your sunsets were absolutely lovely, along with watching the bridge jumpers in the 452nd competition (which I just so happened to be in town for), climbing up the minaret for the most fabulous views, sliding and slipping on the famous Stari Most, trying cevapcici and turkish delight (soooo good), and just loving life here (as well as starting a mini dance party in the river), despite being reminded of the war by the many bullet holes still present all over the city.

AUGUST

After a few days in one of my newly discovered favorite places in the world (Mostar), off to Dubrovnik I went to soak up more of that wondrous Croatian sun. I walked the city walls despite the intense heat (I was dripping by the time I finished), adjusted to those rocky Croatian beaches, wandered around the Old Town come night (once the city cooled off a bit and all those cruise-shippers went home), spent time on Lokrum Island, and jumped in the Adriatic with my clothes on (I couldn’t resist).

I also took the cable car up to Mt. Srd for the most dramatic sunset views over the entire city, took a day trip to the oh so stunning Elaphite Islands, and made some Italian friends in Babin Kuk at the beach clubs over there. Croatia taught me to slow down, at least for a little bit, and I’d gladly go back and spend another summer there. If you wanna copy my exact 2-week Croatia itinerary, find that over here.

Finally it was back to Oslo to catch my flight home, but of course I spent a few days exploring the chic Norwegian capital before jetting off. I checked out a bunch of interesting museums (the Fram Museum, Kon-Tiki Museum, Astrup Fearnley Museum, and the Munch Museum), checked out the bumpin’ Karl Johans Gate street, stared at the odd sculptures at Fragner Park, and loveddd my tour of Oslo Radhus, Oslo’s city counsel building adorned with the most impressive murals I’ve seen to date.

The Opera House was like no other, and was by far the most impressive building in Oslo, modeled after flat icebergs. I spent the bulk of my nights hanging around here, watching the sun go down and people watching.

And just like that, after my sweet, sweet summer in Europe (I can’t seem to get away from the place), the school year started up again and off to work I was!

SEPTEMBER

Thankfully a long weekend wasn’t too far away, and my cute friend Sini and I jumped in the car for 10 hours (yes, TEN hours) to drive up to Crater Lake, in southern Oregon. The lake has been on my USA bucket list for years, so when we ultimately decided to spend Labor Day Weekend over there, I was more than thrilled. Unfortunately this was right around the time of the massive fires in Northern California, so we checked on the air quality errday and decided at the last possible minute to continue on with our trip.

And boy am I glad we did – that lake is bluer than blue! We did a bunch of short day hikes, an absolutely stunning sunset hike (although it was waaaay chillier than I had thought), climbed up the highest mountain in the park, checked out the pinnacles, and just stared at that lake and all its shades of blue all day.

In a few weeks, back down south it was to spend a weekend in Malibu and Santa Monica with our new frands Lena and Bassam. They made sure to feed us donuts from Sidecar and paletas from Boca de Agua, took us around Abbott Kiney (which I LOVED on my last trip to Santa Monica a few years ago), twinned with Caroline, and brunched at the Butcher’s Daughter. We had a perfect night by the beach gawking at the sunset and stuffing our faces with fries (which were, in fact, life changing, as Lena promised).

Somehow Lena and I found ourselves hiking a few miles too many on the beach/in water (and scrambling over rocks) which was all in good fun until we almost couldn’t figure out how to get back to the guys… but we made it! It’s always an adventure with that gal! <3

→ Read Next: 25+ Long Weekend Trips from San Francisco (the list I use when thinking of where to head off on holiday weekends)

OCTOBER

Off on our annual trip to Hawaii it was in October – and this time to Maui for Noah to run the Maui Marathon (yes, he’s a beast and absolutely crazy). He has a goal of running a full marathon on each Hawaiian island, and has completed both Honolulu (on Oahu) and now Maui! I ran the Maui Tacos 5k, and while I didn’t run the entireeee time, it was great to get moving and finally see what all the fuss that is “professional running?” is about.

Besides running, we checked out some farmers markets with allll the tropical fruit you can imagine, of course indulged in shave ice at Ululani’s, got the bestttt views on an epic helicopter tour, explored the funky surf town of Paia, relaxed by the pool, ate a shit load of acai smoothie bowls, and ate at our favorite fish house, Mama’s. Hula pie was also consumed, as were poolside white chocolate macadamia nut pancakes. Since we had driven the Road to Hana on a previous trip, we reveled in our downtime and just enjoyed each other.

After visiting a few times, I’ve created the ultimate 5-day Maui itinerary for anyone heading there in the near future!

We also finallllllyyyy saw the San Francisco Air Show, which I’ve been trying to get to since we moved to the Bay Area over 4 years ago. Check out my full San Francisco Bucket list if you’d like some ideas to add to your own!

NOVEMBER

Mid-November was sorta crazy, as we flew across the country a few times back to back.

But first, a much needed day trip to Big Sur and Carmel to meet up with some friends. Everytime we venture down the coast I can’t help but remember how much I absolutely love it down there. We spent some time on the beach in the soft, soft, white sand that is Carmel Beach, photographed an unrealistic sunset (just look at those colors!), and took in the views from the obvious Bixby Creek Bridge and Julia Pfeiffer Falls.

Next up we flew to New York for a hot second for a wedding of two dear friends of ours. It was such a quick weekend and it flew by super fast, but we wouldn’t have missed this wedding for the world. And plus, we could never say no to pizza and bagels.

Lastly, only 4 days after returning to SFO from JFK, we were off to the east coast again, but this time headed way down south to Florida to visit Noah’s parents for Thanksgiving. They moved to Boynton Beach in March, so figured it’d be extra special to spend their first Turkey Day down there together. It was fantastic getting out of the SF Bay’s chilly-ish weather and into the heat, although the Florida humidity nearly killed us!

We ventured down into South Beach (where I loveddd the trendy Lincoln Road Mall), ate at the infamous Joe’s Stone Crabs for you guessed, stone crabs and Key Lime Pie, and played in the pool with our cute niece and nephew a whole bunch. We also got to see a few (awesomely awesome) cousins and a few friends we had met in Israel sooo many years ago in Ft. Lauderdale. Unfortunately the visit wasn’t only a happy one, as we had to put down Teddy, the family dog, but I’m extra thankful we were down there to help ease the pain just a tiny bit.

DECEMBER

After eating waaaay too many sugar cookies at waaay too many Christmas parties, I was off to Mexico to gorge myself with even more treats – in the form of tacos, mole, tequila, and market-finds! I had only been to the more touristy coastlines of Mexico before – Cabo, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and Riviera Maya – and once I realized flights to Mexico City were oh so much closer and cheaper than heading off to Asia like I had originally planned, those plane tickets were bought right away!

I took a bus straight away from CDMX airport to San Miguel de Allende, which was oozing with color and charm and this stunning Spanish colonial gem was straight outta a Mexican fairytale. My tacos and tequila food tour was a highlight of my few days there, as were the cobblestoned streets, tons of culture, and that oh so stunning pastel-colored cathedral. Oh, and if you’re in the area, definitely take a day trip to Guanajuato! Those views from the Pipila Monument were something else (and that avocado ice cream was to die for).

Noah met me down in Mexico City to spend the New Years weekend together, and we checked out Chapultepec Castle, indulged in a 6-course tasting menu at Pujol (OMG that mole was life changing), ate at El Moro for churros and mini ice cream sandwiches a few too many times, learned all about Frida in her azul-colored museum and house, and took a fascinating canal ride in Xochimilco.

We couldn’t miss watching a Luche Libre match with all their wild and crazy costumes – that night was filled with straight up Mexican culture. Our New Year’s Eve day trip to see the pyramids of Teoticathan and eat at the La Gruta cave restaurant was the perfect way to end the new year (exercise and food, duh), and we loved wandering around the trendy neighborhoods of Condesa and Roma Norte. And OMG the tacos. I die and go to heaven just thinking about those.

I also took a short flight to Oaxaca and spent about a week there, but I’ll have to explain that in more detail next year as this trip crept into 2019!

What’s in store for 2019 so far? A few long weekend trips (we’ve got Bend, Vegas, Denver, and San Luis Obispo almost 100% definite), and we’re headed to Panama in March! We’re also headed to Kauai in the fall, and are currently thinking about our summer and winter plans (Asia and Africa, we’re looking at you!).

→  A few exciting business-related things that happened in 2018:

• A Passion and A Passport became officially official! As in I’m now an established LLC registered in California!!! You betcha I can’t wait to pay those taxes (noooot). As I’m growing and growing each year, I decided it finally needed to be done. If anyone has any questions about becoming an LLC, feel free to ask!
• My income more than doubled in 2018 as compared to 2017. And that’s a big thanks to my beloved ad network, Mediavine. Read more about why I decided to plaster my site with ads here.
• My page views are continuing to grow, and I’m expecting to hit 200k page views per month in the beginning of 2019. Yup, this little baby of mine is growing and I can’t keep up. With that being said, if you’d like to write a guest post for A Passion and A Passport, check this out.

Thanks for all your lovely reader messages this past year. I read every single blog comment, direct IG message, facebook message, and email I receive. You guys really are awesome – here’s to an even better (and productive) 2019! Happy travels!

The post 2018 Year in Review: Travel, Life, Business, and Everything in Between appeared first on A Passion and A Passport.

Every December, err January this year (Thailand got in the way of this), I like to reflect on the year and it’s highlights. Life happens so damn quickly it’s sometimes hard to appreciate what’s happening in the actual moment, so these year in reviews help me stay on top of that.

And plus, how else will I remember all of these specific moments in years to come if I can’t even remember the simplest things? Hands up if you forgot what you had for breakfast yesterday morning! *hand shots up right away.

Even if only 11 people and my mom read this, I love having these yearly roundups to entertain myself for years to come.

2017 was filled to the brim with so many exciting adventures: We bought a house! Finally made it to Asia TWICE! Saw more alpine-blue lakes than I ever could have imagined. Licked a glacier! Ate so many donuts! Went skydiving on my 30th birthday! Played and fed and bathed elephants! You can say it was a good year and then some.

[Curious to know what I got up to in previous years? Check out my 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 yearly roundups. Embarrassing photos included.]

January

We rung in the New Year with a little weekend trip to Monterey, California, where we had plans to go whale watching, dig our toes into the sand, and eat everything (a common theme on our many trips). While we did visit Carmel Beach at sunset and indulged in a few new-to-us restaurant specialities, the whales were a no go.

Because of a rough tide on New Years Day, our whale watching trip got cancelled, and my candy gummy whales (albeit delicious) were the only ocean animals we saw that weekend. Minus some otter – they were pretty cute! And about Monterey – I stilllll need to write a mini guide on that area of California… 2018 goal right there!

A day or two later I was on the my first flight of the year >> to Southern California, LA and Santa Monica to be exact! Since I had previously checked off the main touristy spots in LA, I dug a little deeper and spent the week exploring art museums, eating tons of trendy food (huckleberry donuts included), photographing murals, and admiring the beautiful palm-tree ridden sunsets.

I really found a new appreciation and love for Southern California during this long weekend in LA and Santa Monica, and can see myself taking more frequent trips here (especially since I got to see a new bestie I met in Europe in 2016).

Next up: HAWAII for my 30th birthday! After spending Noah’s 30th in Cabo, I was given the choice of where I wanted to celebrate for a long weekend – so Hawaii it was! Since we had previously visited Maui and Kauai a few years back, I chose Oahu for our next Hawaiian adventure. And that it was! We hiked Diamond Head, ate tons of dole whip and malasadas (OMG drool), did the Pillbox Hike (which we failed miserably at), and had a sombering morning visiting Pearl Harbor.

OH! And there was SKYDIVING! We basically volunteered to jump out of a plane over the ocean for no apparent reason other than for fun… yeah, we’re crazy. Skydiving was one of those things I was most scared of in life, and decided my 30th birthday was time to conquer that fear. The verdict? It was freakin’ awesome.

Big thanks to my instructor who kept me laughing all the way up to 14,000 feet and who literally pushed me out the plane. I’m not really sure what frightened me so much- but now? I’d do it all the time – it was one of the best 67.2* seconds of my life (*not actual statistic).

February

February marked the month of my first trip to New York of 2017 to visit family for a long weekend. We went to a favorite restaurant for our all-you-can-eat sushi tradition, had pizza dinners, and just chilled, because, NY winter.

OF COURSE the weekend I visited decided to be one of the coldest few days of the winter, and lets just say I’m glad I moved from NYC to California. We didn’t let that stop us from having a sisters day in the city, especially since chocolate chip cookies from Levain were involved (which we didn’t have for breakfast… I promise….).

The day not only consisted of chunks of chocolate, but sicilian pepperoni pizza from Prince Street Pizza, kind of a thing over here in NY. My sister and I also made it to the absolutely gorgeous, relatively newly completed Freedom Tower and the brand-spankin’ new Oculus, which was super fun to photograph! If you haven’t been to NYC just yet, make sure to add these both to your NYC itinerary!

The sun put on a spectacular show for us over the river in lower Manhattan, and we ended our tourist day in NYC at no other than amongst the bright lights of Times Square. Other highlights of my NY visit included a visit to my sweet, sweet 92 year old grandma (who hates selfies but loves snapchat), seeing some friends for meatballs, eating more NY pizza, and seeing a bunch of family. <3 Always fun to visit, but I can’t imagine moving back here, it’s way too cold for me now.

March

Travel-wise, March was a quiet month for us. >> Here’s a story for ya explaining why:

Back in NY in February sitting at the kitchen table, my mom and I were casually perusing Redfin for potential houses for me and Noah to buy. We had been toying with the idea of waving money goodbye getting rid of rent, but with astronomical prices all over the San Francisco Bay Area, we never thought this little dream of ours would happen, like ever.

My mom and I found the perfect listing online (albeit a condo, not house), and after a bit of deliberation, I had Noah check it out – he loved it, he brought me to look at it when I was back in SF, I loved it, we met with the broker, we looked at it again (and still loved it), almost lost it, heard there were multiple other offers, offered 30k more than asking, signed some paperwork, signed some more paperwork, and then bam – WE HAD BOUGHT A CONDO!

In other words, we’re finally homeowners/condo-owners! (What’s the right term for that?) And while a condo honestly doesn’t seem all that impressive to most since all my friends back in NY are buying single family homes, just trust me – the shittiest little houses in the neighborhoods we were looking to buy in are all well over a million dollars.

And actually, our condo wasn’t too short of a million (honestly, the housing market here is absolutely despicable and downright disgusting), and its pretty basic, but it’s beautiful and comes with a pool and hot tub (the complex does, a private pool would just be a joke here). We can now call the 3-bed, 2 bath, newly updated kitchen, hardwood floor condo our own. And no more rent (for the next 30 years or so it takes to pay off our mortgage). #facepalm

April

After all that chaos of moving and closing (at the speed of light), we were off on our first international trip of the year and my first trip ever to Asia! We spent just over 10 days in Japan, and really jam-packed our itinerary with so many sites and foods and everything imaginable it’s kinda all a blur now.

However, a few highlights: playing with hedgehogs in Tokyo, eating sakura frosted donuts amongst the cherry blossoms (told you we’re a donut-obsessed family), indulging in so much ramen it’s kinda embarrassing, photographing all the details of the many, many temples, playing with deer in Nara and Miyajima Island, feeding monkeys and wandering up at bamboo in Arashiyama, feeling so lost while hopelessly attempting to navigate the public transportation options, and oh so much more.

It was an overwhelming and over-stimulating trip to say the least. But one we’ll remember. All we know is that we want to go back ASAP.

Oh, and we finally started unpacking once we returned home. :p

May

After our super crazy busy March and April, we desperately needed a bit of R and R. Thankfully, our weekend in Russian River, California (at the cutest little bed and breakfast) came at the perfect moment. A little us time. Some peace and quiet. A good book by the fire. And a whole lotta eating (cuz it’s what we do best). Tranquil.  Cozy.  Remote.  Three words that most accurately described our weekend of relaxation.

A good mix of time was spent on the coast searching for humpbacks and sharing lobster rolls (and of course picking out our next sailboat ), exploring tiny towns nearby (fresh cherry stands included), tastings at local vineyards, and plenty of added relaxation time, massages included. Can’t complain.

June

The second school ended for the year (remember, I’m a full time speech-language pathologist so I follow the school calendar), I was off to Montreal and Quebec City with one of my dearest friends! We had been planning this trip FOR MONTHS so it was nice to finally have it come into fruition.

These two eastern Canadian cities surprised me in the best way possible, and we spent the week hoping around art museums, indulging in everything maple syrup (ice cream, lollipops, pure syrup on a stick, soda, etc), photographing historic doors on cobblestone streets, eating the absolute best of Montreal, waltzing around the Chateau Frontenac, and walking above waterfalls. Now I’ve got even more of Eastern Canada on my bucket list, including Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Wish I hadn’t waited so long to explore my neighbor to the north!

Thanks to super cheap tickets, I flew to Iceland straight from Montreal for yet another semi-solo trip, which has been at the top of my travel wish list for years. And guess what – all my super, super high expectations were thoroughly met, and then some! Never in a million years did I imagine what my eyes saw in those 7 days in Iceland. I based myself out of Reykjavik (the capital), and took day trips to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, Blue Lagoon, Golden Circle, and Southern Iceland and the Glacier Lagoon. I saw more limestone cliffs, rushing waterfalls, icey cold glaciers, black sand beaches, volcanic craters, shooting geysers, and sweet, sweet Icelandic mini horses to last me a lifetime, but I have a feeling I’ll be back to Iceland sometime in the near future.

I sure packed in a lot during my week in Iceland, and am so glad I convinced myself to tack that on to my Montreal/Quebec City trip. My old intern/now bestie came to visit for a short-but-sweet day and a half on her way to Italy, and we had too much fun taking silly silica mud selfies and giving the Icelandic horses some love!

July

After a few days back home in San Francisco, back to Canada it was – this time to the West Coast! The next two weeks were spent exploring British Columbia, and I was in absolute awe the whole time! How is it possible that these places exist just over a two hour flight from me!?

Over those two weeks in British Columbia I kayaked on Lake Louise’s super clear crystal blue waters, took a helicopter ride over the Rocky Mountains, gazed up at waterfalls, chased the most dramatic purpley-orange sunsets, rode a massive truck with 5 foot tires out on Athabasca glacier, and took more photos of turquoise alpine lakes than I ever thought possible.

I met the best bunch of new friends and will hopefully be seeing a few of them this year (everyone – come to CA!).

Oh, and I also hiked the snow-walls and went zip-lining amongst the trees in Whistler! Basically, a winter wonderland in the middle of summer, where it’s super appropriate to drink hot chocolate and eat ice cream in the same seating. I wore shorts during a snowball fight and didn’t freeze to death- can’t beat that!

The end of my Canadian rendezvous was spent in Vancouver for a few extra nights where I finally made it to the Capilano Suspension Bridge, hung out with the totem poles in Stanley Park, and ate everything in Gastown and Granville Public Market.

During my week back in SF (between trips), I managed to squeeze in a day of touristy fun! We got hotdogs at Fisherman’s Wharf, took a bay cruise under the bridge, saw some sea lions, and ate our stomachs full in Japantown (ice cream face crepes and taiyaki ice cream included).

Towards the end of July I hoped back on over to NYC for a few days before jetting off to Europe with my sister for 3 weeks!

August

What a busy busy month August was. Ali (my sister) and I took our first trip together sans parents! We traveled to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, and couldn’t have picked better destinations. Despite the heat strokes that we felt coming on each and every day, it was exciting to explore a new region!

Spain was full of churros con chocolate, paella, big cities (Barcelona I’m looking at you), smaller-ish yet still touristy areas (hello Granada, Sevilla, and Valencia), sunny blue skies, the most charming cobblestone streets, ancient architecture, and so many photo ops. Our days in Lisbon consisted of admiring the tiles found on every street, taking the famous yellow trams around the Bairro Alto, seeing Sao Jorge Castle and Belem Tower, overindulging at the Time Out Market, and photographing every miradouro (designated viewpoint) we could find.

And finally, Morocco, which was an absolute thrill to the senses in every way possible. We explored Fez’s must-sees in a day with our own private guide, and visited a tannery (ack the smells), an authentic pottery shop, more intricate and photogenic doors you can ever imagine, and took a short yet intriguing stroll through the Medina. Our whole time in Fez (and Morocco in general) was absolute culture shock, with it’s smells of leather, tagine, and spices, and having to cover up from head to toe.

I convinced a bunch of our friends to take a day trip to Chefchaouen (the blue city), which was a definite highlight of our time in Morocco. The pictures don’t lie in this case – the city really is painted blue! I just wish we had a bit more time to explore (although we did get lost and almost didn’t make it back to our bus in time).

Oh, and I also removed alllll my clothes and got scrubbed clean at a local Hamman with a few new girlfriends. That was an experience in and of itself to say the verrrrryyy least. The massage and mint tea afterwards was the perfect way to end the afternoon of naked bathing.

After saying goodbye to all our new friends and my sister, I stayed in Lisbon for a few extra nights solo, exploring the cobblestoned streets and eating all the pasteis de nata I could get my hands on.

I also managed to make it to Cascais, my new favorite beach town, take lots of strolls through the Alfama District (without getting majorly lost I must add), taking a must-needed day trip to Sintra, and taking a photo with Cristo Rei (inspired by Christ the Redeemer in Brazil). Oh, and those Golden Gate look-alike views were to die for. I definitely found a new favorite city in Lisbon.

Literally 4 days after I returned home from Europe (which took over 12 hours), I was on a flight back to JFK for a friends wedding in NYC. We danced it up, ate all the mac and cheese grilled cheeses (yes, at the wedding), and then ate cake pops for breakfast the next morning. Noah was the best man, and we felt so honored to be at this wedding of his childhood best friend. Adam and Jen, we love ya and wouldn’t have missed your wedding for the world (literally, in my case)! <3

And within those 4 days? I started work again and saw a Lady Gaga concert – yea, I told you it was a busy month!

September

Shortly after work started up, I was off yet again, this time on a road trip with Noah up north! We ventured to Lassen Volcanic National Park and Burney Falls for Labor Day Weekend, and I couldn’t have been more excited to do some hiking (although I had to force the husband along).

We saw bubbling mud pots and steaming vents (which expectedly smelled like rotten eggs), marveled at glistening blue and green lakes, and enjoyed the silence (somewhat) at one of the most spectacular cascades in the state, Burney Falls. And although Shasta Mountain was completely enclosed in smoke due to the horrible forest fires, we managed to find donuts with gelato inside – weekend made! It was nice to travel a bit with Noah, albeit only for a short weekend, after traveling solo and with friends/my sister the entire summer.

Other highlights of September:

• Our first San Francisco bloggers meetup! Loved hanging with these girls and talking all things blogging! Not many people in my everyday world “get” this thing, so it’s nice to be able to b**ch about the industry with those who understand where I’m coming from!

October

This month was full of visitors – both sets of parents paid us a visit!

Up first – my parents! We showed them our favorite spots around the peninsula (including Foster City canals, Redwood Shores lake, In-n-Out Burger, Tpumps for some Boba, Crepe Stop, etc). And of course we made a visit to the city, which was full of gorgeous hilly views, concrete slides, tiled steps, colorful murals, and ice cream sundaes from Ghirardelli.

We also spent a day exploring the weird and quirky Berkeley, looking for the fish-shaped house, visiting the largest reptile store (in the world?!), smelling the roses at the Berkeley Rose Garden, and stuffing our faces with parmesan potato puffs and cheese board pizza. We had to adjust our plans quite a bit because of the horrendous fires in Napa (so sad), but thankfully managed to fill our days smoke-free. So glad my mom’s shoulder was feeling a bit better – she almost had to cancel her trip out here it hurt so badly!

Next up – the in-laws! Since they visit a few times a year and have already explored the area and those surrounding it, we use this time to just relax and catch up. Love having them here, and can’t wait until they can visit even more regularly once they retire (and move to Florida) in a few months!

A few other October notes worth sharing:

I officially got tenure from work! Well, technically, I received it in August, but finally received my confirmation certificate. Feels good to know I can stay at this district as an SLP for like, ever, if I really wanted to.

October was the month I finalllllly signed up for a gym (my first time EVER!) and bought a fitbit, and am proud to say I have been going consistently (in love with Zumba and cardio kickboxing has been killing me lately) and wearing my fitness tracker every day. On the way to a fitter and healthier me!

We bought a second car! A beautiful chrome gray Mazda CX-5! Now the husband doesn’t need to bike/train/walk to work anymore. And plus, it’ll be super awesome for all the road trips I’m secretly planning!

November

The month started off with a radio show on one of San Francisco’s most popular talk shows, and although I was extremmmmly nervous at first, I’m so pleased with how the segment went! Definitely boosted up my confidence, and proved to myself that I really do know what I’m talking about when it comes to travel and blogging! Huge win for me! Listen here if you’d like!

What do you know?! Back to NY AGAIN for my sweet, sweet grandpa’s 90th BIRTHDAY! Earlier in the month when my mom told me the family was making him a party to celebrate the occasion, I booked tickets to surprise him that very same night! And boy, was he and my grandma surprised to say the least! Their faces when they both saw me? Priceless!

Again, it was a super chilly weekend in NY, but I got to see my sisters super cute new apartment, indulge in some buy one, get one free peppermint mochas (necessary with temps in the teens), and go couch shopping (I love home renos and design, so this was right up my alley). It’s always a plus to see my family in New York, but I don’t think I can handle the harsh winters anymore. Thinking my future visits to NY will be between the months of April to September! California has turned me into SUCH a wimp!

Thanksgiving was pretty low-key, and I’m loving the traditions that we’re starting here in our new home city. Although it’s still tough being away from my immediate family for major holidays, the love and inclusivity we have from our SF family has blown us away. Thanks, guys!

December

Hawaii twice in one year? Don’t mind if I do! When Noah expressed interest in running his second marathon (this time in Honolulu), I was all up in that idea! I admire him to the stars and back for having so much strength and determination during marathon training, and seeing him cross that finish line (AGAIN, he ran the NYC Marathon last fall), was one of the best moments of my year. That, and the fact that the Honolulu Marathon meant we could spend another long weekend in Hawaii

This trip was different – I didn’t plan out each day to the max, and we kinda just went with the flow and relaxed a bit. And you know what? It was freakin’ awesome. Since we had been to Honolulu earlier in the year for my birthday and did all the things then, I didn’t feel the pressure to get so much in this time. We sipped mai tais on the beach, ate at our favorite Honolulu restaurants, tried a few new ones, photographed some colorful murals, and just loved living the Hawaiian life we so crave every day.

The next and main highlight of this month was our precious precious time in Thailand – once we actually finally step foot in the country (after 37 hours of travel time!) If we’re being technical, we diiiiid manage to squeeze in an extra long layover in Taiwan, so 17 of those hours or so were spent running around (and let’s face it, eating EVERYTHING in) Taipei. Oh, the beef noodles, onion pancakes, mango shave ice, din tai fung, etc. IT WAS ALL SO GOOD. We also managed to see a few sites and push our butt up a mountain – all in all – a good day spent exploring a new-to-us city.

Our two weeks in Thailand were spent in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Krabi/Ao Nang, and Koh Phi Phi. I couldn’t have planned a better itinerary and we’re still talking about how perfect each and every day was! I’ll be sure to share that with you eventually!

Highlights include watching a traditional Muay Thai fight, sipping fresh coconut water and mango smoothies (all day, everyday), infinity pool hopping, feeding/bathing/playing with elephants (I still squeal thinking about this), marveling at all the fascinating Thai Temples, only getting into two arguments the entire trip (!!!), eating lots of mango sticky rice, curries and banana fritters, getting daily foot massages (at $5/hr it would be a shame not to), shell/sand dollar hunting, and island hopping via longtail boat. It was definitely one of my best trips to date, and will be tough to beat!

UP NEXT:

This is the first year I have ZERO plans set in stone when it comes to 2018 travel (not even a weekend trip anywhere). In past years I’d be royally freaking out. But you know what? I’m content. I’m okay. Travel will happen this year, possibly/most-likely not as much, but I’m really loving my California life. <3

The post Life and Travel 2017 | Highlights of the Year appeared first on A Passion and A Passport.

On a lighter note…

How is it 2017 already?  That’s just not possible!  My summer in Europe felt like just yesterday! They say the years go fast as you get older, and boy do they mean it!  All kidding aside, I honestly cannot believe 2016 has come to a close.  I’ve defintely had my fair share of fun this year…

After comparing this year’s extravaganzas to last year’s highlights (2015), it’s evident that 2016 beat 2015 by a landslide.  I traveled almost every few weeks this year, and even spent a few months in Europe, something I never thought possible.  But let’s dive in, month by month.  And for good measure, here are the past few years highlight reels as well: 2013 // 2014 // 2015.

January

+ We spent a long weekend exploring in and around Las Vegas for a wonderful beginning of 2016, and to celebrate the last year of my 20’s!  We hit up the Valley of Fire (quite spectacular I must add!), almost got blown away at the Grand Canyon West Rim (literally, it was so windy on that day!), saw David Copperfield (so cheesy and definitely NOT recommended), and of course ate some good food as always.

+ On my actual birthday, we drove down south and went on a day hike to Castle Rock State Park in Los Gatos. It seriously looked like we had been transported to a different planet. Just look at all that moss!  How beautifully spectacular!  California, you win at diversity and nature, that’s for sure.

February

+ We continued the birthday traditions by going indoor skydiving, something I never thought I’d actually say!  The instructors said the sensation is quite similar to that of actual, real-life, jumping-out-of-a-plane skydiving, and I decided that for my next birthday (the big 30!), I’ll do just that.

+ I surprised my friends and family by flying in to New York to see them all.  Only my aunt and uncle knew about this surprise trip for the longest time, and I finally caved and told my parents a week before.  It was chilly to say the least (especially coming from the West Coast), but boy, was it nice to spend some quality time with the fam.

March

+ Spring Break was spent road tripping around Utah to visit all 5 national parks!  We really packed a lot in, and besides hitting up Zion, Bryce, Capital Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands, we marveled at Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, and Monument Valley. The weather was unpredictable to say the least, and we experienced the sun, snow, rain, and hail all in one day!

+ My in-laws came to California for a visit, and we showed a family friend around the city who came to visit too!  We love showing visitors around SF – we have a lot of pride for the new city we call home!  

We saw the Palace of Fine Arts, 16th Street Mosaic Steps, stuffed our faces with some Ghirardelli ice cream sundaes, spent some time in North Beach, walked down Lombard Street, and saw the Golden Gate Bridge from a few different vantage points.  To say I’m in love with this city is a huge understatement.  I still get giddy every time I see that beautiful burnt orange bridge.

April

+ After exploring Yosemite National Park last year, I decided it would be the perfect place to bring our friend Danny when he came to visit SF!  We hiked to waterfalls, scrambled up mountains, and got lost, a lot.  That’s apparently how we roll… We saw half dome from afar and boy was it a spectacular sight…

+ Day Trip! To super eccentric Berkeley that is! I love exploring new hip areas, especially when there’s ice cream involved.  We walked down Telegraph Avenue, had the pizza of the day at Sliver Pizzeria, and walked around the beautiful campus of UC Berkeley.  I still dream about that pizza… no joke.

May

+ May was a rather quiet month, with the exception of getting two wisdom teeth pulled.  People always told me I was too smart.. ;p Thankfully the surgery went well, and I actually got extremely lucky and had little to no swelling, aka chipmunk face.

+ Spent the better part of the month meticulously planning my summer getaway, organizing my life before leaving for a few months, taking long walks around my (very pretty) neighborhood, and packed like no other.  I’m a planner by nature, what can I say?  Plus, it was peony season, and nothing gets me happier than a bouquet of fresh pink peonies!

June

+ Before heading off to Europe, I spent a week in NYC and then took a Southern Caribbean Cruise with my immediate family.  The ship docked in St. Thomas (where we ventured off to St. John), St. Kitts, Aruba, and Curacao.  

Lots of beach/pool time, Caribbean cocktails, and never-ending eating.  I never get tired of the Caribbean, and since moving to the West Coast,  I definitely appreciate how close the islands are to NYC.  California does have Hawaii though… 

+ I started off my summer in Europe in Munich, where I joined a group tour that journeyed across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, and Italy.  We saw Neuschwanstein Castle (which inspired Disney’s Cinderella!), the Chapel bridge in Lucerne, Florence, Verona, and Venice, and played in the snow at Jungfrau to name a few.  

While my entire summer in Europe was downright fantastic, it was the people I met from all around the world that made this first week and then some something to remember.  Innsbruck will always hold a special place in my heart. <3

And all that gelato and pizza, absolutely delicious!  I then spent a few extra days exploring Munich and day tripping to the Romantic Road and Salzburg.

July

+ I started off July in Greece, and what a place to venture to after some tears saying goodbye to those I met in Germany.  I traveled to three more Greek Islands (Hydra, Poros, and Aegina), did a bit of hiking in Delphi, and was blown away by the monasteries in Meteora up north.  I met some fantastic people at my hostel in Athens and spent a few frisky nights wandering the streets (and eating everything in sight) with them.