Happy Birthday Casual Travelist! 5 Years of Adventures Near and Far

Zion National Park and St. George Utah

My first big trip of the year took me back to one of my favorite parts of the country which I got to explore with some of my best blogging buds from Travel Mindset. I got to hike the Narrows in Zion National Park with hardly another soul around as well as discover Snow Canyon State Park which made me fall in love with southwestern Utah all over again.

Georgia

In March Steve and I met his family in the mountains of northern Georgia for a multi-generational family trip, staying at the cutest lake house on Lake Rabun. From here we enjoyed exploring the waterfalls and hiking trails of Tallulah Falls. We then made our way down to Savannah and loved getting to know one of the prettiest cities in the south.

Richmond, Virginia

Richmond is less than 2 hours away but too many times I passed by without stopping, either en route to Washington DC or to the mountains. This is a mistake I won’t be making again. In Richmond I found an amazing food and art scene making it a perfect city for a weekend break.

Norwegian Bliss and Miami, Florida

I’ve never been much of a cruiser but when I was invited to check out Norwegian’s newest ship, the Bliss; I couldn’t say no. After two days checking out the food, Broadway shows and racetrack on the Bliss my friend Amy and I enjoyed a thoroughly relaxing girls’ weekend in Miami. Sun, sand and spa are a great recipe for any weekend, wouldn’t you agree?

Culpeper, Virginia

To celebrate our birthdays in June Steve and I took a little weekend getaway to Culpeper, a beautiful part of Virginia we’d had yet to explore. We discovered a charming romantic B&B at Walden Hall , and spent our weekend finding new hiking trails in Shenandoah National Park and wine tasting at some of Virginia’s best vineyards.

Mexico

Labor Day weekend we returned to explore more of Central Mexico. The first few days we dove headfirst in to Mexico’s cowboy tradition at Rancho Las Cascadas then ate our way through the beautiful Colonial town of San Miguel de Allende.

Italy

Italy is the once country that people were always surprised to learn I had never been to but this year I changed that. I hit the usual tourist spots in Rome and Florence, but my favorite parts of the country were a bit further afield. Visiting small organic wineries in Chianti with Tuscany Organic Tours, staying with my friend Katie in her adopted hometown of Ferrara and eating my way through the White Truffle Fair in Alba were my version of la dolce vita.

Baton Rouge

In November I got to explore more of Louisiana courtesy of my friends at Travel Mindset. From the genteel grace of Oak Alley Plantation to the culinary surprises in store throughout Baton Rouge I found that the Mississippi River has loads of stories just waiting to be told.