When people I meet find out I run a travel blog, the first question they invariably ask is, “Ooh, what’s your favorite country?” And then I explain that…that’s actually a hard thing to answer, because it’s often much more about the specific trip experiences that blow my mind, rather than solely a fave place.
That’s not to say I don’t have favorite countries—places like Italy, Ireland, and Turkey have a piece of my heart and pull me back over and over again. But when I start gushing about travel, it’s typically about a TRIP…that magical combination of place + experiences + vibe with a sprinkle of pixie dust that coalesces into something EPIC.
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So as I’m sitting here drinking coffee and eating a fresh chocolate soufflé that I made for breakfast (because…I can), I’m reflecting on the most amazing trips that I’ve taken in my years of travel—from bucket list itineraries to unexpected magical moments.
If you’re looking for more inspiration, I also have an epic travel bucket list for your 30s and 40s that’s worth exploring!
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South Africa!
I haven’t even finished writing posts about this trip, which I took this past spring…but Y’ALL this country is mind-blowing. I only had about 9 days on the ground, which was not nearly enough, but I packed in so much.
I loved Cape Town’s cool vibes, natural beauty, great food, and wonderful people. I was swept away by the gorgeous beach views (and adorable penguins!) of the Cape Peninsula drive, and needed the peaceful, chiller pace of the Stellenbosch and Franschhoek winelands.
And then there were the safaris. I spent two nights each at two different luxury Sabi Sands lodges, and they were absolute perfection. I had so many amazing experiences here, but the game drives were easily the highlight….watching the sunrise and sunset over the African bush (often with a drink in hand), watching a mama leopard and her cubs play, an elephant chase away a hyena, giraffes and lions facing off.
Just SO much, and I can’t wait to plan a return trip, because South Africa definitely took a piece of my heart!
You can see all my South Africa posts here!
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An impromptu long weekend sailing in Sweden
This is the example I often cite when people ask me that question about my favorite places. I’d never say Sweden’s my favorite country (I’ve barely been there), but this TRIP was one of the most amazing things I’ve experienced.
It started on a random Sunday morning when I got a text from a travel buddy that just said “$285 Newark to Gothenburg??” “UM yes!” I replied. And then as we were looking for where to stay in Gothenburg (which I had to look up to find out is in Sweden), I found a sailboat and captain for rent on Airbnb.
This was the early days of Airbnb and doing all your travel planning online (2016, I believe), and this ended up being one of the most idyllic experiences I’ve ever had. We stocked up at the market on fresh smoked herring, butter, bread, pastries, and more, and then sailed around the Gothenburg archipelago for a few days.
We stopped to explore a few of the islands and always docked somewhere at night. One of my favorite parts was getting up early and going out to watch the sunrise light up the world. We ate caviar and drank vodka while the sun reflected off the rippling water out in the middle of the sea. We hiked across an island to watch an epic sunset. The trip was (mostly) perfect.
You can see more about our Swedish sailing trip here, here, and here!
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Soaking in the ancient history of Israel & Jordan
I was beyond stoked to visit Israel and Jordan with my dad. As someone growing up with the Bible, this area has been a part of my imagination for decades, and in particular the ancient city of Petra had been #1 on my travel bucket list since I was a teenager,
We had such an awesome time, and so many cool experiences. I had friends living in Tel Aviv at the time, and Stephen (a huge history nut himself) drove us around biblical sites in the Sea of Galilee area, Tel-Megiddo, Ein Gedi, and Beersheba, through the stark Negev Desert and some more modern historical sites.
We climbed to the fortress of Masada to watch a stunning sunrise and enjoyed the vibe juxtaposition of ancient Joppa and modern Tel Aviv. We wandered the same worn stone alleyways of Jerusalem’s Old City that centuries of disciples have walked, and sampled foods at the vibrant nighttime food market that’s now popped up. We bobbed in the Dead Sea.
And then Jordan…oohhhhhh Jordan. We only had a couple days here but they were magical. We took a jeep tour of the alien desert landscapes of Wadi Rum, then stayed overnight in a Bedouin tent under the desert night sky. Then we walked through the Suq to see the carved facades of Petra, and I went back to see the ethereal Petra by Night experience.
You can see more about my week in Israel and Jordan here!
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Two weeks barely scratching the surface of New Zealand
Exactly a decade ago, a few friends and I decided to spend the fall holy days in New Zealand. And it was easily one of the best trips I’ve ever taken. With only two weeks here, we only saw a fraction of what we wanted, but had one of the coolest roadtrips possible.
The natural beauty in New Zealand is truly mind-blowing. We spent most of our time in the South Island, and did a few gorgeous hikes (like the easy Hooker Valley Track…maybe the best “bang for your buck” hike ever). We marveled at the vivid turquoise glacier lake waters, the snow-capped mountains, the towering redwoods, and the acid-colored sulfur springs.
Our holy days were based in the Nelson area for eight days, so we spent our free time driving around this super chill, beautiful area that has both some of the best wineries in the world as well as a budding craft beer culture, not to mention the world-class Abel Tasman National Park. And we did a few tourist-y things. I skydived for my 30th birthday, which was AWESOME. We visited Hobbiton (obvs).
We also just drove around and stopped wherever we fancied, ate delicious pub food, talked to the super friendly locals, stayed a couple nights in a totally off-the-grid cozy lake cabin, and Sarai and I sang along to the one radio station we could get (shoutout The River!) while the boys napped in the backseat.
You can see more about our cool New Zealand roadtrip here!
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An epic week in Turkey for my 35th birthday
Turkey actually IS one of my favorite countries as well where I’ve had a couple of my favorite trips. And so I chose it for a truly epic 35th birthday adventure. I just love the history, food, culture, and people here, and am currently plotting a return trip.
After visiting Petra in 2016, that bumped Cappadocia up to #1 on my travel bucket list. So that was my first stop, and I was obsessed with the unique landscape, made of cave houses and fairy chimneys, and the beautiful sunrise views from my cave hotel. Sadly, my hot air balloon ride got cancelled due to weather (which also happened in New Zealand), but everything else here was awesome.
And then I headed down to Turkey’s famous Turquoise Coast. After exploring the area and going paragliding over the famous Blue Lagoon, I spent a couple perfect days on a traditional wooden boat, sailing around the tiny islands off the coast of Gocek.
The captain and his wife were so welcoming, and her cooking was AMAZING. I read and watched the gorgeous views, docked and hiked to a private beach, swam whenever I wanted, and watched the sun rise on my 35th birthday with a fragrant cup of tea and some Turkish coffee.
Then it was off to Istanbul for less than 24 hours, including an epic birthday sunset and dinner at one of the world’s 100 best restaurants.
I’ve written SO much about Turkey, which you can see here!
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A five-day trip sailing from Key West to Dry Tortugas
That first accidental sailing trip in Sweden unlocked a LOVE of sailing, so I’ve been trying to find a good multi-day trip every few years. And during the first year of COVID I was trying to figure out how to still get out and explore.
So I found a sailboat and captain on Airbnb and we went out of Key West down to Dry Tortugas National Park and back, a five-day trip in total. Now…this was not a perfect trip. The seas and wind were not in our favor, and it was a very rough and slow trip (thankfully I don’t get seasick). I wouldn’t say the captain and I clicked, but we did okay together.
But being out on the water in this was was really amazing. A couple times, dolphins came up and swam alongside the boat, jumping and splashing. On the first and last night, we docked just off a random uninhabited key out in the middle of the ocean, and I could lay in a hammock on deck to watch the stars.
Plus, having Dry Tortugas all to myself was a completely unique experience. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s about 70 miles off Key West, and 98% of the national park is underwater. Most people who visit do so as a day trip, catching a sea plane or ferry from Key West. So I had the fort all to myself for sunset, and then we sailed the next day to explore tiny Loggerhead Key and snorkel. Just awesome!
You can see my posts about the sailing trip, Fort Jefferson, and Loggerhead Key here!
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A girls’ trip to Argentina
Once upon a time, my friend and I decided to do an annual girls’ trip. It fell off after a while, but we did some pretty amazing things—the first of which was spending a week in Argentina. Now, I REALLY tried to fit Patagonia into this itinerary, but it just wasn’t in the cards. Y’all, Argentina is huuuuge.
But even without that, this itinerary was pretty epic. We started out visiting the majesty of Iguazu Falls, the largest waterfall system in the world—seriously, they put Niagara to shame. Then we spent a few perfect days in the Mendoza area, doing a deep-dive into the world-class wineries in the area (including two of my all-time best meals), and also a day up above 10,000 feet in the Andes.
We finished with a whirlwind exploration of Buenos Aires, which was really too short. I loved the Europe-meets-Latin America vibe that the country has going for it, and the people and food and culture were just amazing. I would love to return, and I would LOVE to finally visit Patagonia and Ushuaia…maybe I’ll finally book that Antarctica trip that’s *now* #1 on my bucket list!
You can see all the great stuff we did in Argentina here!
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Norway’s Arctic Circle during Polar Night
This trip (like Sweden and my first Istanbul adventure) was another cheap airfare deal, something booked on a whim and then we figured out the itinerary afterward. And…wow. As a deep hater of winter, I hadn’t really thought about embracing winter travel on this level, but it’s now become something of a habit.
We were visiting the city of Tromsø, about 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle border. And our trip was in mid January during polar night, meaning the sun never actually rises (or sets). Because we were only a few days from the area getting its first official hour of sun, it wasn’t actually pitch black the whole time.
Instead, we were graced with a few hours in the middle of the day of pearly pink sunrise/sunset sky, and then it was pitch black the other 21 or so hours. So we really had to make use of those few hours of stunning semi-light. It was like a couple hours of perpetual sunrise, and was mind-blowing.
Tromsø itself was full of cute wooden houses, swaying boats, a glass-like fjord, and snow-covered buildings, including the famous pointy Arctic Cathedral and snowy, windy Mount Storsteinen. We did a couple all-night Northern Lights chasing tours, so our internal clocks were absolutely screwed up, between the time change, constant darkness, and nighttime shenanigans.
And then there was our stay at Camp Tamok. Sleeping-wise, it was an uncomfortable night in a traditional Sami tent on reindeer skins, but the overall experience was amazing and totally worth it. I loved the cozy little lavvus (tents), delicious food, roaring fires, freshly baked bread at breakfast, and then an awesome morning dogsledding with the pseudo-sunrise in front of us.
I highly recommend an Arctic Circle winter trip…you can see more about this one here!
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Scotland’s “Highlands & Islands”
It was hard to choose between this trip and two separate Ireland road trips I did (as well as a combined Ireland/Scotland work trip that was pretty amazing, though covered less ground). But I had to go with the “Highlands and islands” adventure that my parents and I took almost a decade ago.
Even though the weather was decently miserable despite it being early August, we fell in love with the often otherworldly landscapes. We did explore some of the upper Highlands and the Isle of Skye for a couple days (gorgeous!) but then ventured further afield to areas that tourists often miss.
Among those were the tiny Isle of Iona, where we soaked in the peace, beauty, and history and enjoyed the lack of cars (a few locals have them, but the whole island is walkable and tourists can’t bring them over). We also took a boat out to the Isle of Staffa, which looks like something from another planet. And then a ferry way out to the Isle of Harris & Lewis showed us (cold) white sand beaches with turquoise waters along with fascinating history.
We loved Edinburgh as well, and I reveled in seeing the famous Jacobite Train, which the Hogwarts Express was modeled after. From waterfalls to moody foggy hikes, and from castles to mystical standing stones, this Scotland itinerary was a winner!
You can read all about our 10-day Scotland itinerary here!
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Studying abroad in Italy in college
The O.G. While technically not my first time abroad (it was my second…my first was Italy a couple years earlier), this trip is where I truly got bit by the travel bug. To set the scene, it was 2004. The internet was still nascent and not really useful for trip planning yet, and smartphones weren’t even a glimmer in someone’s eye.
I was studying in Florence on a language immersion program (meaning our host parents didn’t speak English, and our teachers *wouldn’t*). We were based in Florence, went to school half a day each weekday and then could wander the city or complete required museum tours. And then on weekends, we could explore to our hearts’ content.
Our first weekend, we took the train to Cinque Terre and just like…found an apartment to rent once we got there. That’s how it went back then. It was absolute perfection, before all the crowds discovered it. We spent a weekend in Venice, went to the opera overlooking Florence, saw (and met!) a not-yet-famous Michael Buble in Lucca, and then spent 10 days driving around Sicily once classes ended.
While on Sicily, we climbed Mount Etna (just a couple weeks before it erupted!) and then took a boat to the itty bitty island of Levanzo, where we scuba dived without training or our guide speaking English and didn’t die! And then I spent a week in Rome with my best friend, cooking pasta and getting caught in rainstorms and visiting all of our favorite places.
It was a beautiful summer, and unlocked what travel can really be—immersive, local, intimate, and eye-opening.
Italy has become the “home of my heart”, and I have tons of posts about it!
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So those are my 40th birthday reflections on a couple decades of traveling around this amazing world. The best trips have a few things in common…a beautiful place, rich culture, unique experiences, and (often) the best people. I can’t wait to see what this next decade brings!
Other bucket list adventures:
- 10 Places I’m Dying to Visit in 2024
- 6 Amazing Luxury Resorts to Visit
- Watching The Northern Lights Dance From A Mobile Cabin On A Frozen Finnish Lake
- Snorkeling Between Continents: Iceland’s Silfra Fissure
- The Best Place to Stay in Santorini: Oia’s Gorgeous Charisma Suites
- 7 Travel Intentions for 2024
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