Introduction
Nothing inspires me more than a fresh start. I derive great fulfillment from looking ahead at an empty calendar. This early part of the year is always sacred. I dedicate these initial weeks to considering how I want the year to look and making a plan for accomplishing the things I set my mind to. Goal-setting has become an annual practice in intentionality. Over the years, I’ve seen that it always pays off.
Along with my goals for language learning (parli italiano?) and fitness, I have hopes and dreams for travel in 2024. I thought it would be fun to dedicate my first article of the year to those dreams. Then, like my 2023 Year in Review, I can recount my annual adventures at the end of the year.
Whether I visit all six of these places within the next 12 months or not, at least I have a semi-permanent space on the Internet to recognize each of the destinations that have itched my curiosity recently.
Hocking Hills State Park (Ohio)
Let’s start off with somewhere quite close to home.
For Christmas, my partner, Dave, gifted me a weekend trip to one of my favorite places for outdoor shenanigans: Hocking Hills State Park in my home state of Ohio.
I first visited Hocking Hills while in college. Located about an hour south of Columbus, this natural reserve has always held fond memories for me. I’m excited to explore the more than 25 miles of hiking trails, rock formations, waterfalls, and recess caves with my love.
Dave booked our trip for this Spring, which is always a great time for hiking. Maybe I’ll compile a gallery of photos from our trip so you can relive it with me.
Solo Adventure Somewhere
As much as I love traveling with Dave, I would love to dedicate some of my annual resources to a solo travel trip.
Perhaps I'll take a road trip between the national parks of Southwestern USA…or spend a week soaking up the food and wine in a European city. If you know me, I always have a running list of travel options so let’s see what happens.
Especially as a woman, I find that it is so empowering to embark on your own, to indulge selfishly, to have complete control over your daily itineraries. So I hope to make this solo adventure somewhere a reality in the coming months.
British Virgin Islands
Now let’s move onto an international trip I’ve already locked in. My family will be celebrating my sister’s college graduation with a week-long trip to the Caribbean.
If I had to guess, we will be spending most of our time meandering along the white-sand beaches, eating delicious local seafood, and drinking lots of rum.
France
This coming summer, I’m also planning to attend my friend Ryan’s wedding celebration in France.
The couple is getting married in the countryside. I’m hoping I can to extend my trip and spend a night or two in Paris with Dave because, duh, it is the most romantic city in the world!
South Dakota
At first glance, this may seem like a random place to visit. However, Dave and I have become captivated by the rich and complex history of this area. We would like to witness it first-hand.
Plus, South Dakota is home to Badlands National Park, which is one of the reasons why this state is known as "the land of infinite variety." I can already envision myself hiking against a backdrop of layered rock formations, steep canyons and towering spires. I’d also love to see prairie dogs and bison in their natural habitats (My National Geographic nerdom is showing).
We don’t have anything on the books yet, but it’s coming. The more I look into it, South Dakota seems like the ideal destination for us. So perhaps we will spend Dave’s birthday or our anniversary here.
Girls’ Trip (Maybe Scotland or Sweden/Denmark)
As you may recall, my friend Emma and I visited Lisbon in 2023 and had such a blast. My hope is that she and I can go on another girls’ trip before the end of this year rolls around.
Again, nothing is confirmed yet, but we have been throwing around the idea of visiting the Nordic region (perhaps Sweden and Denmark since they’re just a bridge apart) or road tripping around Scotland. Whatever we end up doing, I’m confident we will have an amazing time.
Conclusion
So, what do you think; Can I complete all the trips on my wish list?
Honestly, I’m not sure, but it’s heartwarming and exciting to think about the memories I could make at each of these places.
To close, let me get sentimental for a moment. During the course of drafting this post I was struck by gratitude for my decision to start this project. On one hand, my blog is a tool to further inspire me to get out and see. Most importantly, however, it’s a reminder to document whatever trips I do have the luxury of taking. Like so many other aspects of my life, my travels deserve to be memorialized. So stay tuned for more of them, and thank you again for reading.
Happy New Year!