The Casual Travelist Turns 6 – Another Year of Adventures Near and Far

Six years ago as we celebrated the start of 2014 I first hit publish on the Casual Travelist and I continue to be amazed at all the places this blog has brought me to and all of the experiences I’ve been fortunate to have. Over this past year I traveled to 3 different countries and 12 states and a lot of my trips focused on reconnecting with family, friends and my past. I also celebrated 17 years of marriage and welcomed yet another adorable nephew into our family. As we get ready to start kick off a new decade (2020 still sounds waaayyy futuristic, how did we get here?!?) Let’s take a look back at some of my favorite experiences in 2019.

I got to be IN Mardi Gras!

My first big trip of the year was to northwest Louisiana where I was lucky enough to see how Shreveport celebrates Mardi Gras. From masked balls, to parades (I even got to ride on a float throwing out beads in Shreveport’s biggest Mardi Gras celebration!) and all the king cake I could eat.

Got my Snow Fix in Vermont

We don’t get much snow here in Virginia Beach so I do try to travel at least once each year to get in some snowy fun. While I do ski Steve does not so we headed up to the Woodstock, a postcard perfect New England town in the White Mountains of Vermont. We spent a weekend fate tire biking, snow shoeing and enjoying the coziness of the famed Woodstock Inn.

Finally Stopped Overlooking Raleigh

Raleigh, North Carolina is just 3 hours away but when I wanted a big city weekend away I would usually head up to Washington DC or Philly. I finally made it to Raleigh this year and discovered an easy going city with an amazing food scene.

Wine Weekend with Some of My Besties in Santa Barbara

I met up with two of my best friends in Santa Barbara. We had a great time exploring this So Cal getaway and especially loved experiencing Santa Barbara’s wine country.

Experienced the Majesty of the Canadian Rockies

Both of our birthdays are in June and Steve and I usually take a trip to celebrate and this year we headed up to Banff and the beauty of the Canadian Rockies. From hiking near Lake Louise to checking out all of the impossibly blue glacier fed lakes we fell in love with this gorgeous part of Canada.

They Say You can Never Go Back Home….

After twenty years away I returned to my hometown of Easton, Pennsylvania with my friend and fellow Leigh Valley native Brianne of A Traveling Life. We found an emerging food scene, a revitalized downtown and that the sense of community that made Easton a special place to grow up was as strong as ever.

Fell in Love with the Pacific Northwest on a River Cruise…

I’ve absolutely loved the time I previously spent in Seattle and Olympic National Park but it had been far too long since I visited the PNW so when UnCruise invited me to sail on their Rivers of Adventure cruise on the Columbia and Snake Rivers I jumped at the chance. I spent a week hiking, biking, paddling and sipping my way through Washington and Oregon before spending a few days meeting up with friends in Portland.

…and Cruised the Caribbean Just a Month Later

For someone who considers themselves a non-cruiser I took quite a few cruises this year. Another friend joined me for a girls weekend in Miami before embarking on the Encore, Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship where we sailed to Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas.

I’m not yet sure where 2020 will take me but I’m grateful for the friends I’ve made though my little corner of the internet. I’d like to say a huge thanks for all of you who have joined me over the last six years and I wish you another year of love, happiness and adventure.