Looking back on 2015
At the beginning of 2015, I didn’t have any vacations booked beyond a week in Paris with my mom. I had just started a new job a few months prior, and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to travel much this year. I confided my concern to my friend Jillian: three new countries, many plane rides and plenty of new discoveries in New York City itself later, she keeps laughing about how I thought I wouldn’t go anywhere!
For the sake of tradition (2012, 2013, 2014 if you’re interested), here’s a look at where I went this year:
January // Paris
Back when I was in college, my mom and I would advantage of my long winter break and cheap off-season fares to spend some bonding time in Paris. We decided to revive the tradition by heading to Paris to shop les soldes, stay in our favorite apartment in the Marais and eat as many pains aux chocolats as possible. Paris was just as absolutely wonderful as I remembered, and it was a joy to go back with my Francophile and fluent-in-French mother.
Also: celebrated my boyfriend’s birthday in Fort Lauderdale
February // Los Angeles
My boyfriend and I traded in a massive blizzard for a long weekend in sunny Los Angeles. It was my first “adult” trip to LA–aka not there on a soccer tournament or to play college lacrosse–and I was excited to see what all the fuss was about. We stayed with friends in West Hollywood, and checked off all of the must-do things in LA: hiking Runyon Canyon, wine tasting in Malibu, bike riding through the Venice Canals and eating all the tacos.
Also: spent Valentine’s Day in a snowstorm in Providence
March // Mystic
One of my favorite things about living in New York City is the chance to explore more of the Northeast: I love that you can drive two hours away and feel like you’re in a completely different world. My boyfriend showed me around his alma mater (sup Connecticut College!) and we stayed in the quaint coastal town of Mystic for a quick but refreshing weekend away.
April // Austin
Austin is such a fun little city in Texas: I’ve only been there twice, but I’m always itching to go back. I’m so glad I got to spend a few days frolicking in the wildflowers (!!!), tasting the wines and searching for cool street art downtown.
Also: a few days at home in Sacramento, all of the flowers at the New York Botanical Gardens
May // Bucks County
My coworker-turned-great-friend Jillian and I took our friendship to the next level with a weekend away in Bucks County. It was the perfect place for a girls trip! We stayed in an adorable B&B, went wine tasting, drove around in search of covered bridges and photo ops, and generally laughed the entire time.
Also: a bachelorette weekend in Atlantic City, perfect cherry blossom timing at Brooklyn Botanic Gardens
June // Curacao
I celebrated my 27th birthday with a solo trip to Curacao, doing all of the things that I love most: searching for colorful houses, floating in tropical waters, and reading for hours on a beautiful beach. Curacao is such an undiscovered gem in the Caribbean (four-hour direct flight from JFK!), and I’m so glad I got to experience it.
Also: bridesmaiding in the Raabrennan wedding
July // Bermuda
Yay for summer Fridays! My boyfriend and I took advantage of this long-standing New York City tradition, but instead of sitting for hours in traffic to the Hamptons: we hopped on a two-hour flight to Bermuda. We drank rum sizzles, played ladder golf and took long walks on the beach: essentially, the most wonderfully relaxing tropical weekend away.
August // Berkshires + Avalon
For the second year in a row, I joined my boyfriend and his family on a bevy of fun weekend trips. We rented lakehouses in Greenwood Lake and Prospect Lake in the Berkshires, where we canoed, BBQed and played plenty of board games. And then we wrapped summer up with a long weekend in Avalon: I still can’t believe how wonderful the Jersey Shore is!
Also: helicopter ride over Manhattan
September // Niagara Falls
I feel so lucky to have opportunities to visit so many far-flung and exotic destinations, but I always feel a bit guilty that I haven’t seen more of my own country and continent. Case in point: I had never been to Niagara Falls! We spent a kitschy weekend seeing the seriously impressive falls from all angles, and I’m glad we checked this wonder of the world off the list.
Also: a week in California
October // The Adirondacks
Our friends put on this super fun “camp for grown-ups” in the Adirondacks: think gourmet s’mores, whiskey tasting and eco-watercolor classes, all set in fantastic cabins on a private lake. It was the ultimate relaxing upstate weekend for a bunch of burnt-out Brooklynites.
Also: we moved out of Williamsburg and into Bed-Stuy
November // South Africa
I still can’t believe I went to South Africa in 2015! It had been number one on my list for so long, but I could never figure out how to make the long flight time (and a whole country to explore!) work in my schedule—until the opportunity dropped into my lap and I just couldn’t say no. I absolutely fell in love with Cape Town and discovered just how awesome safari can be. Already scheming how to get back!
Also: a stay-cation in Red Hook
December // Puerto Rico
I’m a loyal JetBlue customer—mostly because they offer a direct NYC to Sacramento flight, but also because of the excellent service and the loyalty perks (especially with the TrueBlue Amex). So when I realized that I had flown eight flights this year, and I just needed two more to get a bunch of extra TrueBlue points: I booked a mileage run to San Juan! Totally worth it—we had a laid-back weekend of rum drinks and sunshine, and I basically earned myself a free flight to kick off the travel in 2016.
And we’re not done yet! I’m looking forward to spending Christmas in Washington DC with my boyfriend’s family, and then we’re jetting off (just the two of us!) to spend New Year’s Eve on a beach in Costa Rica. So excited to end 2015 with a bang and start 2016 on a sunshine-y travel note!
