Hey, everyone! It’s time for the 2024 roundup. It feels like it’s been a long year since between my home life and travelling, there was a lot accomplished. Anyway, here’s a look back at my travels in 2024:

May: Norway

After several months of not travelling, I got to visit Norway for the first time. It had been high on my bucket list for a while. I think most, I loved seeing the mountains and I liked Oslo more than I thought I would. I got to visit during spring which was a very lovely time, especially since Norway was approaching its Constitution Day. I also got an impromptu trip to Copenhagen when I missed my flight connection.

New Blog Posts:

• Bergen, Gateway to the Fjords: Things to Do & Travel Guide
• Borgund Stave Church: a Beautiful Medieval Marvel
• Exploring Oslo, Norway’s Fabulous Capital: Things to Do & Travel Guide
• Visiting Gudvangen Viking Village on the Norwegian Fjords

Updated Blog Posts:

• Finding “Hygge” in Copenhagen: Things to Do & Travel Guide (Updated 2024)

June & July: England & France

I think this trip was the most special to me. I got to take my mom on a Jane Austen pilgrimage, and along the way I got to show her many of my favorite places while visiting other great places for the first time. It’s supposed to be cliche to go to England and France for vacation but neither one ever disappoints. Each one is so beautifully and generally the people are quite friendly… especially when my extrovert mom is with me, lol. We also got to venture into Germany & Belgium.

New Blog Posts:

• A Quick Visit to Eguisheim, a “Beauty and the Beast” Village
• A Stop in Corsham, a Charming Cotswolds Town (with Peacocks!)
• A Visit to Giverny, the Dreamy Home of Monet, in July
• A Visit to Winchester, England’s Forgotten Capital
• Charming Chawton, the Last Home of Jane Austen
• Exploring Monschau, a Small, Cute Town in Germany
• Seeing the Charming Village of Lacock
• Visiting Jane Austen’s England: 66 Spots She Knew
• Visiting Medieval Troyes, France, City with a Heart (& Champagne)
• What to Expect at Shakespeare’s Globe in London

Updated Blog Posts:

• A Former Local’s Travel Guide to Paris, France (Updated 2024)
• Exploring Bath, England: Things to Do & Travel Guide (Updated 2024)
• Exploring London: Things to Do & Travel Guide (Updated 2024)
• Jane Austen’s Bath: 17 Essential Places to See (Updated 2024)
• London’s Harry Potter Studio Tour: a Magical Visit (Updated 2024)

September: Czechia & Austria

Prague and Austria have been high on my bucket list for years, so I’m happy to have finally gotten to go! It was my first time visiting both Austria and Czechia. I loved both Prague and Vienna, and got to visit Nuremberg – another city high on list – in between. Those three cities were my favorite places to visit on the trip. BUT I absolutely loved getting to see the Alps around Salzburg and Hallstatt. The scenery there is unreal.

Blog Posts:

• A Stop in Hallstatt: Overrated or Famous for a Reason?
• A Visit to Salzburg, a City of Music (Things to Do & Travel Guide)
• Different Views of Rothenburg ob der Tauber (a Romantic Road Town)
• Exploring Nuremberg, the Medieval City of Albrecht Durer (Things to Do & Travel Guide)
• Exploring the Imperial City of Vienna, Austria (Things to Do & Travel Guide)
• Prague, the City Between the Medieval and Mucha
• The Fairytale Kreuzenstein Castle (& Getting There via Public Transport)

December: Hawaii

My last trip of the year was a week on Big Island Hawaii. Unfortunately my rabbit died when I was away, and it’s been difficult struggling with the grief of her passing, and the grief of not being there for her. I love travel but I also love my fur babies, and being on the other side of the world when she was sick was one of my worst nightmares come true.

This was also my first trip with a friend so he was able to distract me. Even with a cloud hanging over me, I had a really good time in Hawaii and got to experience some really cool things like snorkeling with sea turtles, watching dolphins, and even coming with a few feet of a shark. It was almost a perfect trip.

Blog post coming soon!

Other Ventures

I also got to go to Detroit, Allentown and Ithaca for personal reasons. They were all lovely places in their own way.

What did I learn this year?

Looking back on this past year, I’ve been reflecting a lot on what I like to do when I travel and what memories I bring back with me. I used to meet a lot of people when I travelled and then I got very sad when I had to say goodbye. I’m not one for small chat and I like lasting relationships – so I basically stopped going out of my way to meet people because I’d probably never see them again. Now it’s something I really miss and I’d like to forge new relationships in 2025 – even if they’re only temporary.

On that note, I’m also thinking of keeping a personal travel diary again so I can look back and remember all the great (or even not so great) people I’ve come across. And I might write about the past experiences I can remember. I don’t talk about people on this blog because I want to respect their privacy, but I have some fun stories!

And even though I get to go to so many cool places, I’ve come to realise that visiting this or that place really pales in comparison to experiencing things. So I’m making more room for experiences like cooking classes, water sports, short hikes, art classes, etc in 2025. All my trips so far, I have some stuff lined up.

I’m very much looking forward to having a more memorable year of travel.

This was also the year I got to ditch Twitter and have started making a nest for myself on Bluesky. It’s still not as active as #TravelTwitter was but I’m hopeful for the future. I also got back into checking my Instagram every day. I add to my stories fairly regularly but admittedly, I’m still bad at adding new posts to my grid.

I have a lot of fun trips lined up for 2025 and I can’t wait to share them with you and hopefully give you some good tips! Until then ★

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