Thursday, January 7, 2016

The Want List: Travel Edition

On my to do list for January was to get our trips mapped out for the year, or at least the time of the year we want to travel and a general idea of locations.  A goal for the year is to be much better in planning in advance (I'm failing on this first trip already) but for the rest of the year I'm hoping to have the proper time to research, plan, book and go.  Our first two trips of the year are set and then we have"ideas" of where the rest of the year *might* take us - we may just be content laying low and skip over some of the planned times.  I love having a trip on the horizon and having something to look forward to.


First up: Palm Beach
For our winter vacation this year, we're headed to Palm Beach! We got caught up in the Christmas season and delayed getting this planned but we at least got the flights and one of the hotels booked last night - there are so many great places to stay, I want to do two.  We made a brief trip to The Breakers on a whirlwind trip around Florida three years ago and I can't wait to get back and have more time there.

We've already got a few restaurants on our mind, activities we want to redo and try new and plenty of beach time but if you know of any favorite restaurants or hidden gems, let me know! 

The Big 30:
Did you know that I almost (as in sent in my deposit and had a dorm set "almost" went to college at The University of Arizona?  Good thing I didn't or I wouldn't have met my husband! Anyway, I've been to Arizona twice, once with a friend and once with my parents to look at schools.  My parents have been plenty of times and my stepdad, Steve went to graduate school at U of A but my brother and Derek have never been - enter their 30th birthday trip, belated trip.  This is something we were suppose to do last spring since Davey's birthday was in March and Derek's was coming up in November but everyone's travel schedules were busy then it was going to be this winter but we're waiting until it warms up a bit in late spring to enjoy.

Island Vibes:
Wouldn't it be fun to live on an island for a bit?  On our honeymoon Derek asked me if I would pick up and move to Bora Bora for two years without coming home to visit if he got a job (he used to be in the hotel industry) and I said heck yes, I think, maybe.

We're thinking of something like Turks and Caicos, St. Lucia or Hawaii for a summer trip (or we could go in a totally different direction) but other than Bora Bora and a cruise to the Bahamas we haven't really done an island OR an all inclusive.  I went to Hawaii with my family years ago but Derek's never been and I'd love to get back.

Any suggestions or recommendations? Locations or Hotels? Any other favorite islands?

Anniversary Tradition:
I don't think we'll ever get sick of California, especially the LA/Beverly Hills area.  We stopped on the way to our honeymoon, for our first anniversary and we decided we wanted to make a tradition out of that - just something short but to get back and relive the memories as well as enjoy the gorgeous area.

Weekending:
I love being home, lounging and doing nothing but at the same time I love the thought of having a free weekend, nothing to do and head out of town for a bit.  Last year we went to Saint Michaels and enjoyed the quaint quietness of the town; we'd love to get back.  In our years of long distance we used to meet up in Princeton for the weekend sometimes so that's another repeat we'd love to get in along with visiting Derek's old hotel in New York.  A new one we really hope to make it to is Hershey, as in Hershey (chocolate), PA - it's not too far from here and in addition to the candy stuff they have a great resort, winery and brewery locally.

Trips to New Jersey, DC and the lake to see family and friends are a given and we love those little "getaways" and do treat them as vacations too.

Any weekend trips you love to take in?

Football:
The 2015 season just ended and the 2016 Penn State games are already on my calendar.  Football really does take up much of our fall making the three hour drive up to State College but Derek especially (and me) would love to get to another school, preferably somewhere south and warmer to take it all in, although nothing can compare to the second largest stadium in the country to us - no place like Beaver Stadium in State College on a Saturday.  We'd also love to keep our Dallas tradition alive and make it to a fourth game. (201520142013)

Is your team one we should visit??

Winter Wandering:
I'd love to travel over the Christmas season but it's rare with how much we do around here to celebrate. This past year Vail and Aspen really caught our eye and we'd love to find a time to go - or maybe in the future.  Getting back to Charleston to visit a college friend is also on our radar.

Biggest question, I'm a terrible skier and wouldn't want to do that, is it worth it to go and not hit the slopes?

Everyone has their hobbies and special things they like to do and traveling is one of ours.  I love the uninterrupted time together to just have fun, be together and enjoy.  The other day Derek sent me this article about top places to go in 2016 in case anyone is looking for ideas.


Linking up with Thoughts for Thursday today.



36 comments:

  1. I love hearing about your travels! It always gives me great ideas on where to go myself. St. Lucia and Turks and Caicos are both on my list. A few of my coworkers have gone recently and say both are gorgeous. I am hoping to take a beach vacation this year, and I love weekends away in Chicago. A wintery escape sounds so fun, getting cozy in front of the fire and checking out shops and restaurants. Can't wait to hear about all your adventures!

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  2. Wow! Lots of traveling in you guys' future!
    I think my favorite all inclusives that we've done in the Caribbean were Antigua (absolutely amazing) and Dominican Republic. If either of those interest you, I'd say try for there because they are beautiful and there are awesome excursions to take advantage of!

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  3. I'm a huge travel girl, we travel so much every year. I definitely think you should check out Vail or Aspen, gorgeous mountains are a must see!

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  4. My goodness you have so many places to look forward to this year!! I'm so excited for you and can't wait to read all about your travels. I'm gonna live vicariously through you. :)

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  5. Went to Turks & Caicos a few years ago and it is absolutely gorgeous! Grand Cayman is probably my #1 favorite place… a low key island with the prettiest beaches of anywhere I've been. Just got back from Sandals Antigua and it was only my 2nd all-inclusive experience and we were pleased. Let me know if you want more recs!

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  6. So many trips! I just got back from Colorado, and while I didn't do Vail or Aspen, I think there is still a lot to do if you don't ski - you can look around the town, shop, and of course just curl up by the fire with a book. If your husband skis then I think it would be worth the trip!

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  7. First of all, I pack well in a suitcase! ;) We went to Antigua on our honeymoon and fell in love with the island and the culture!

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  8. Traveling is one of my favorite things to do! We are about to head back to Mexico in just a few weeks for a company trip! I have heard wonderful things about Turks & Caicos!

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  9. seriously now you have me all amped up to make a list of my own! i have nothing on the books this year (typical) yet and i love this idea. hawaii is obviously my fav pick of the list. i think you could send me to bora bora and i'd do just fine :) brb while i start wanderlusting all day :)

    xoxo cheshire kat

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  10. Palm Beach will be awesome in the winter! What a good chance to wear some Lilly Pulitzer, haha!

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  11. So many travel plans already set...love it...and slightly jealous ;)!! I've always wanted to go to Hawaii!! I went to Turks and Caicos a few years back and it was dreamy!!! I recommend! Thinking about it makes me want to go back!

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  12. Ah so many fun trips, I'm jealous! I would have totally picked up and moved to Bora Bora for a year. It's just a year and while I would miss my family it would be such a great adventure! <3, Pamela Sequins & Sea Breezes

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  13. that is so crazy that one decision changes everything!! the part about if you had gone to college in AZ!

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  14. I love seeing all your travels.... gives me the itch to pick up and go

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  15. Yes! You go to Vail, Breckenridge, Aspen, or Frisco and just sit by the warm fire and sip hotty toddies while everyone else skies! It's perfectly fine. I did a little of both when we went and it was wonderful!

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  16. I think you already know my opinion on what college you should visit in the south next fall... it should absolutely be on your bucket list of college stadiums to visit & games to go to!

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  17. I love that y'all are going to make California an anniversary tradition! There's just so much to see and do in Cali! And I"m kind of partial, but I think that y'all would love Hawaii! We visited Maui and Kauai last year, and everything was absolutely perfect! I think that y'all would love it!

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  18. We went to Turks and Caicos on our honeymoon, it was hands down the best place ever! I would go back in a heartbeat. We are also headed to Punta Cana in a month and I hope to love that just as much! :)

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  19. We went to Aruba for our honeymoon years ago and it's still one of my favorite places! The island is so friendly and it's easy to explore, shop, and enjoy good food. They're aren't many all inclusives there, not sure how you feel about those, but you don't really need them because there are so many good restaurants. If you really want to explore we loved St. Maarteen- we stayed on the dutch side but all the good food and really pretty beaches are on the french side. You definitely have to rent a car there to get around but the island is so small and you can drive the whole thing I think in an hour or so. You can also hop over to St. Barts or Anguilla. Love St. Michaels for a quick get away since we're in Maryland but we just went to Virginia wine country for the first time this fall and it's so nice there. My husband is a huge skier and he loves Vail and Park City, UT. I don't ski at all and he said I would enjoy both places a lot so that's something to think about. Sorry for the long comment- so excited for all your travels this year!

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  20. These are so fun to look forward to! We're trying to plan out our trips this year and we can't decide on our major trip!
    Sarah at MeetTheShaneyfelts

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  21. So many amazing trips! And yesss to picking up and moving to Bora Bora for a year or two, how fun would that be? We honeymooned in Fiji, and as much as we loved it we are absolutely in love with Punta Cana and the all-inclusives there. Their beaches are amazing, the service is spectacular, and you can't beat the unlimited food, drinks, and activities. Our other favorite islands are Curacao, Aruba, and St. Maarten. We weren't really fans of Jamaica, but enjoyed it as a cruise stop instead of staying there (we've done both). We also LOVED Mexico (Cancun and Cozumel) and our Mediterranean cruise. The cruise gave us the island feel by stopping at tropical coastal towns, but have the amenities of the ship and being out on the pristine Mediterranean <3

    Can't wait to hear what you guys choose!

    Green Fashionista

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  22. I love seeing all of your travel plans! You all do such a good mix of places. I vote that you go to Fiji for your tropical vacation! :)

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  23. Y'all have some amazing trips planned!!! Can't wait to read about your West Palm trip! We always pass through there on our way to Ft Lauderdale to see my BIL and SIL. I feel if you want to do a tropical all-inclusive, you should do a Sandals. They seem to always be the best!

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  24. If you guys go to Hawaii, definitely stay in Maui! We went there on our honeymoon, and even though that trip turned out to be a disaster (one day I'll have to post about it on the blog) Maui was positively stunning. That's why our doggie's name is Maui. :o)

    As for visiting a college football town in the south, you know I have an excellent one for you - University of Georgia in Athens! UGA is one of the oldest universities in the US so there is tons of history there and we have one of the largest stadiums in college football... we're ranked in the top ten. Athens has an amazing little downtown area with lots of bars, boutiques, and restaurants, and everything is just so quaint. It's also only 30 minutes away from Atlanta. If you've never been, Atlanta is fantastic!! You guys should totally come to GA! :o)

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  25. Oh this post is hitting me with crazy wanderlust!! I have feeling this year is going to be a big travel one for me too!! Omg to live in Bora Bora for 2 years!?! That would be gorgeous! =)

    Melanie | Blog: Toots + Dill

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  26. SO many amazing trips ahead of you guys! We are thinking about hitting up Palm Beach this winter, too - it was inspired by this article I read: http://www.mydomaine.com/palm-beach-city-guide and it has some great recommendations! As for going out west, but not skiing, I can report back on that in February! We planned a ski trip to Breckenridge with friends, but being pregnant I obviously won't be skiing anymore, ha!

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  27. I really want to plan a weekend trip for Tim's birthday! It's in April but I could give him the trip as his present early haha - you have me eyeing up a weekend in Hershey! The "decked out" live music series sounds amazing! We should coordinate :P

    Also - i love to ski but I could have wandered around Vail village for hours and hours. If you go - ride up the lift and eat at The Tenth (or 10th) - literally the most amazing lunch I have EVER had. (I wrote about it here! https://drinktheday.wordpress.com/2015/09/16/wanderlust-wednesday-vail-co/)

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    1. Yes to coordinating!!! We've been eying it for a while - it looks like such fun!

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  28. Go to a Baylor game!! :) And then let me know which one, and I'll go too and we can meet! Haha. Also, I'd suggest Costa Rica...have y'all been there? We loved it on our honeymoon. I know it's not an island and it's Central America, but still. Your year is going to be fun! We're planning zero trips because this year is so unpredictible. We'll be getting foster kids in 2-ish weeks so who knows what our future holds?!

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  29. So many amazing trips on the horizon! It's definitely always fun having something to countdown to. i've been to many islands but I think Punta Cana is my absolute favorite with very affordable all-inclusive resorts. We stayed at an adults-only resort with top shelf drinks and it was very reasonable with great good and gorgeous beaches.

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  30. Look at you go! I envy all the time (and funds!) you have to do all this traveling. Ryan's work schedule makes it difficult for us to take more than one big trip a year, but we are going to try to take more weekend trips this year if we can manage. Okay, as far as islands go, have you ever thought of the U.S. Virgin Islands? We went to St. Thomas for our honeymoon, and then we ventured to St. John for the day - St. John is heaven on earth! We would go back there every year if we could afford it!

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  31. We went to Bermuda a few years ago and it was the most beautiful place ever. It was super expensive though. We've gone to Riviera Maya, Mexico and Punta Cana since then, all inclusives, and LOVED them. They were so much fun and all inclusive is the best. But not quite as pretty as Bermuda! :)

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  32. I have been to both Tahiti/Moorea and Fiji - while nothing is going to beat French Polynesia, Fiji has super beautiful resorts. too. My husband and I actually got engaged in Fiji!

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  33. If you guys plan a trip to Arizona, check out the Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain resort. We LOVED it and the rooms were a steal!! It's not too far from UA either. ;)

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  34. I'm totally wondering the same thing as a really bad skier myself!! I would love to do another wintery trip someday. :) Also, I am totally up for another cruise/tropical destination trip too.. So excited, I have almost no idea where we will end up this year. :) XO - Alexandra

    Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things

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  35. We stayed at an all inclusive in Costa Rica for our honeymoon, and it was so worth it! The only thing not included were the excursions, but at that point we just wanted to relax so we never got around to doing any. We stayed at the Riu Palace, which is a chain of resorts, so I definitely recommend checking them out wherever you decide to go.

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