Whew! I will say 2024 turned out to be way busier than we expected, in both travels and life events. In the busyness of the year, we didn’t write nearly as many blog posts as we’d hoped but we still plan to catch up and share more about details about these trips early in the new year. In the meantime, here’s a look back at our 2024 travel year in review!
Our 2024 Travel Year in Review:
Gainesville, FL – February
In February, we headed back to our old Gainesville stomping grounds where WC and I first met! Two of our friends, Chris & Amanda, tied the knot inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the home of the Florida Gators (and my alma mater!). Though we’ve been in the stadium many times for football games, it was very cool to see it from a different perspective and be all dressed up. WC served as a groomsmen and got the chance to go inside the locker room for photos – I must say, I’m still a little jealous!
Evergreen, Colorado – March
Though not a travel update, March was quite exciting as we bought a cabin in Evergreen, Colorado! It is just the cutest and has already brought us so much joy. While we love being in the city of Denver, now we can also retreat for some quiet time in the woods whenever we like. We started Airbnbing our Denver home part-time which allows us to have the best of both worlds, but managing bookings and cleaning the property has kept us extra busy in our off-work time!
New Zealand – April
With 12 days in April to visit New Zealand, we stuck almost completely to the South Island. My cousin, Walter, and his wife, Melanie, traveled with us and it was their third time to the island — that’s a testament to how amazing New Zealand is. Some of the highlights included drinking delicious wines in the Marlborough & Gibbston Valley wine regions, hiking through Abel Tasman National Park and the Hooker Valley Track at Mount Cook, and kayaking in the Milford Sound. But that’s just scratching the surface — you can check out our entire itinerary here.
On the way back to the U.S. we spent one day & night in Auckland and hope to share a recap soon.
Greece – June
In recent years, we started a biennial friends sailing trip. 2022, our group of 17 sailed the coast of Croatia. This year, we grew to 23 and sailed the Ionian Islands off the west coast of Greece on board the Aegeotissa II. If you’ve only been to the more popular Greek islands such as Santorini and Mykonos, you’re missing out! The Ionian Islands are much less crowded than other parts of Greece and stunningly beautiful and untouched. Our day-by-day itinerary includes all the highlights from our stops in Corfu, Paxos, Kefalonia, Zakynthos,and Lefkada.
After we disembarked, WC and I spent one last full day in Greece. We hired a driver for the few hours trip to Meteora which has been on my bucket list for many years. In a whirlwind day, we explored Great Meteoron monastery and Rousanou Nunnery, stopped at many amazing viewpoints, tasted wine at Liakou Winery, and had a short wander around the quaint mountain town of Metsovo. Around 8:00 pm (it was a full day!), our driver dropped us at the ferry port in Igoumenitsa where we got ready for the next leg of our trip!
Italy – July
From Greece, WC and I took the ferry across the sea to the southeastern corner of Italy — our first time to the country! We arrived in Brindisi and rented a car for a five-day road trip around Puglia. Our first stop was Emera Wine Resort which was the perfect way to relax after a jam-packed week in Greece. After two nights drinking crisp wine and eating delicious food, we headed for Matera, Italy’s cave city. You do a lot of walking there, but there’s something to discover around every corner and we’ve never seen anything like it. Our final stops in Puglia included a full day and night in the beach town of Polignano a Mare, a jaunt to Alberobello (home of the iconic trulli), and an evening in Brindisi before flying back home.
Cancun, Mexico – August
In August, our dear friend Ashlie celebrated her 40th birthday at one of our favorite repeat spots: Excellence Riviera Cancun! Eight of us spent several days relaxing by the pool, stuffing ourselves on all-inclusive food and drink, watching fun shows, and even celebrating with a Barbie-themed day!
Twin Lakes & Aspen, Colorado – September
Each fall since moving to Colorado, we choose a day to go leaf peeping and explore a new trail (or trails). This year, we drove along Independence Pass from Twin Lakes, through Aspen, to the Ashcroft Ghost Town. All of the stops along the way were new for us which made the adventure even more fun. Independence Pass is a truly special part of Colorado, especially when the aspens are at their most glorious shades of yellow.
Winnipeg, Canada – November
Another friend of ours, Gord, celebrated his 70th birthday in November and we flew to Winnipeg, Canada to attend the party! First off: it’s true what they say about Canadians being the nicest people. Second: Winnipeg is a hidden gem. While this was a quick weekend trip and we spent most of our time with Gord, Mickey and their lovely family, we did walk around The Forks and had yummy beers at Kilter Brewing. Next time we’re back, we have a list of things to check out including a Winnipeg Jets game and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
Tulsa, Oklahoma – December
For everyone out there who still loves the music from their pre-teen years, you’ll appreciate our December trip. As a longtime fan of the band Hanson, I snagged tickets to the holiday show taking place in the band’s hometown of Tulsa. We loaded up our pups and hit the road for the just under 10-hour drive to Oklahoma, which also gave us the opportunity to cross a new U.S. state of our list. Though we only spent about a day and a half in Tulsa, it was really fun! The concert took place at Cain’s Ballroom and was the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit. Downtown Tulsa also has a really great variety of restaurants and bars (definitely try the stroganoff at Juniper and search for The Bull in the Alley for a fun speakeasy experience).
2025, we’re ready for you!
That sums up our 2024 travel year in review and we hope to share our 2025 travel bucket list soon! We currently have one big trip in the planning phase: walking the Portuguese Way of the Camino de Santiago. We’re very excited (and a bit nervous) about that one. It’s been on my bucket list since my dad passed away from leukemia in 2021 and for a variety of reasons we haven’t been able to get it on our schedule. This IS the year. We’ll have more to share on that soon!
How did your 2024 travels go? We’d love to hear about them!
