2018 was my best travel year, ever…in terms of quantity. Unfortunately, less so on the quality side. While I’m grateful to have visited 14 cities across 6 countries, I don’t plan to travel that often anymore, and certainly not as if my life depended on it. Before I get into my updated travel goals, I’ll give y’all my 2018 travel highlights!
My Top 2018 Trips
Honolulu
Obligatory Hawaii mention! It was my first time in Hawaii, and of course, I picked Honolulu as my vacation spot. I was expecting tourist levels to the max, but didn’t really think it was that bad. I celebrated my birthday with a trip to the stunning and unbelievable Lyon Arboretum. It’s not the typical arboretum or botanical garden I’m used to, that has manicured gardens and mostly flat lands. The whole time, I felt like I was wandering through a rainforest…because it is a rainforest! An artificial one, but a rainforest nonetheless. Afterwards, I had okonomiyaki from Yaki Yaki Miwa (outside of Waikiki) and roll cake from Honu Bakery (also outside of Waikiki but on the same street as Yaki Yaki Miwa).
Mexico City
One of my favorite cities, period. Besides the pollution, there isn’t much to complain about. What I loved most about Mexico City was the greenery, walkability, and the fact that there was delicious and inexpensive food everywhere. Shout out to the pecan muffins at the National Museum of Anthropology (I will remember you, forever)!
San Diego
Am I the only one who thought that they might go blind in San Diego because the sun is so bright? Despite how beautiful (and apparently, bright) San Diego is, the reason why I took this trip was to see N.E.R.D. in concert. I’ve wanted to see them perform since high school, and that is a long time. Not only did I get to see N.E.R.D., but I saw Big Boi (of OutKast) and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Hallstatt
An incredibly beautiful small town in Austria. It took me 3+ hours to get to Hallstatt by train (and 3+ hours to get back to Vienna), and it was worth it! Check out my Vienna to Hallstatt by Train post.
Where to Next?
In My 2018 in Review post, I talked about last year’s traveling style and what I want to change about how I travel this year. Given that, here are the travel goals I’m setting for this year and a list of the places I want to visit in 2019:
Spend at least one full month outside of the U.S. My first solo international trip was to South Korea and Japan, and I want to spend more time in both countries. Also, at the top of my list are:
- South Africa
- UK
- Wales
- Sri Lanka
- Malaysia
- Singapore
Prioritize visiting U.S. cities for short periods of time (2 – 4 days). This will allow for more weekend trips, which is the perfect amount of time for me to enjoy a city and leave wanting more, instead of overstaying and counting down the time until I leave that city. This year, I’d love to visit:
- San Antonio, TX
- Phoenix, AZ
- Sacramento, CA
- San Diego, CA (again)
- Chicago, IL
- Miami, FL
