2019: A Year of Travels
JANUARY
Puerto Rico
I was in the market for a solo trip to reset the soul and kick off the year and Puerto Rico delivered. A week meandering the streets of Old San Juan, drinking mojitos on the beach and having all the time in the world to read, write and reflect is exactly what my travel dreams are made of. Check out Puerto Rico in Eight Photos: A Summary of a Small Island to learn more from this trip.
FEBRUARY
AUSTIN, TX
We took a weekend trip to the music capital of Texas to celebrate my friend’s birthday. Party hats were worn, drinks were had, concerts were danced at, and it was perfect through and through. Minus that I forgot to buy a plane ticket home… but I did make it back (eventually)!
MARCH
NEW ZEALAND
Friends and I took a 2-week hiking trip to the South Island of New Zealand. Read about our grueling hike to Mueller Hut here.
AUSTRALIA
This was more of a layover than a trip, but 24 hours gave us time to explore, rest up, and take in the sites.
(Both fancy photos of me above are by the talented Disa Wold, check out her website or Instagram, @disa)
APRIL
MY BED
Let us not forget the power of staying still, which both my wallet and back are consistently grateful for. There is something exceedingly beautiful about sleeping in your own bed, as demonstrated by crazy-eyed Luna below.
MAY
NEW MEXICO
My best friend and I flew down to explore the White Sand Desert, which was just as spectacular as expected. What was not expected was the 12 hour storm and other shenanigans, which you can read about in A Mini Southwest Road Trip.
SOUTHWEST COAST TRAIL
Memorial Day Weekend was spent in my own backyard, the Olympic Peninsula, doing a 17-mile, 3-day backpacking adventure along the beautiful Washington coast line. Despite my sore legs, it was still as dreamy as could be. Read more about my trip here, or even plan it for yourself here.
JUNE
HOME - SEATTLE
While I love to travel (if that wasn’t already made abundantly clear), it is always hard to leave Seattle in the summertime. Seattle summers are the stuff dreams are made of: 80 degrees, warm sunshine, cool breezes, endless trails to explore, and long nights to do so. It’s waking up for a hike, enjoying an afternoon at the brewery, and still having time to sit on the beach and watch sunset.
It was also a time of writing and building this website from the bottom up!
JULY
SAWTOOTH MOUNTAINS, ID
Spent 4th of July weekend in this unexpected Idaho gem. We scrambling up mountains with 35 lb. backpacks to find ourselves at the most beautiful of alpine lakes.
COLORADO & UTAH ROAD TRIP
9 days. 5 National Parks. 2 (ish) states. Uncountable beers. Bonus: a stay at a local farm with miniature donkeys. If you are unfamiliar with these magnificent creatures, may I kindly direct your attention here.
AUGUST
ALASKA
This trip was taken with my friend/co-worker and was spectacular from start to finish! To say Alaska is enormous is a vast understatement, so we focused our time on the Kenai Fjords, Anchorage and Seward areas. Read about the adventure here.
september
home - seattle
Another month between big adventures left room for micro-adventures at home. Parks were discovered, many naps were had, and I enjoyed the start of Autumn in Seattle.
OCTOBER
amazon rain forest
We explored the Peruvian Amazon aboard the Zafiro, a beautiful riverboat that was our home for the week. Our adventure included jungle treks, wildlife encounters, and time to explore Lima, Peru’s capital city.
looking to 2020!
antarctica
EEEEK - Dreams do come true! In early January, I am going on a work trip to the most remote destination on earth.I am being sent to check out a ship we work with, though the majority of my time will be spent hanging out with penguins. My excitement level is through the roof. (Update: it was spectacular!)