2018 Travel Plans

I can undoubtedly say I traveled more in 2017 than any other year of my life – from expat life in England, to living nomadically throughout Europe, I spent time in 16 different countries! In fact, it’s funny to look back on last year’s 2017 travel plans blog post and see that, wow, I really did follow through on most plans – which were only a dream when I wrote it!! But how can 2018 live up to that?  If 2017 was the year of travel, I’m going to make 2018 the year of roots. Of slowing down, enjoying being in one place, reconnecting with family and friends in the USA. And not just because I have  to, but because I want to.

I love travel, but I experienced some travel burnout in 2017, as well as some health problems that were crying out for me to pay attention to them (more details TBA). To be in one place long enough to go to the doctors, not just do one load of laundry and run away again. In fact, this is something I want to talk more about on Endless Distances, as I expand my niche into wellness and managing your health when you travel. I’ve wanted to write about that for a long time, being a yoga teacher and occupational therapist and all, but was always too distracted by my constant traveling! BUT, that’s news for another blog post 😉

So that’s all to say that my 2018 travel plans are very up in the air! I only have one trip that is actually booked, and no idea where I will be living or working halfway through the year, much less which vacations I will be taking. Anyway, without further ado, here are my 2018 travel plans!

TRAVELS I’VE BOOKED…

New York City // January

I found super cheap flights to NYC over Martin Luther King Day weekend (read: $129 roundtrip direct flights with Delta whaaaaaat), so I’m so excited to spend 6 days there! I’ll be visiting one of my college best friends for her birthday – which is extra exciting because I haven’t seen her since our post-graduation trip to the Bahamas almost 3 years ago!! We are also going to a concert of one of my favorite bands, and I’ll be visiting some family I haven’t seen since the last time I was in NYC over 5 years ago. So…. send me your NYC tips ASAP!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bcjc2MSAR9Y/?taken-by=new_york_city_photo

TRAVELS IN THE WORKS…

Roadtrip to Florida

I made it one of my 25 before 25 goals to road trip to Florida, and a good opportunity came up as my family down there is selling a car and… I need one! Although nothing is finalized, I do expect I will be in Florida (at least once) this year, which is a happy tradition of mine, as my Grandparents (and now Uncle and Great Aunt!) live there. I would love to see Dry Tortuga National Park, Harry Potter World, and the 7 mile bridge – three things I’ve never done in all my years visiting Florida.

You can read about some of my previous Florida adventures here 🙂

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWoOfAKBh40/?taken-by=keywest

Mid-Western USA Adventures

Now that I’m stationed in Michigan, I want to truly explore the Midwest rather than passively sit here constantly trying to escape. In Michigan I’m hoping to do a January ski trip to Boyne Mountain, revisit some favorites like Grand Rapids and Mackinac Island, and explore Detroit. I also want to get to Cleveland, Ohio, the hometown of one of my best friends who not once, but TWICE came to England while I was living there!! And also the perennial classic: Chicago! I expect I’ll be visiting some old favorite spots in Chicago as well, although I am slightly bitter because they have stopped Megabus service from Michigan to Chicago. Grr.

You can read about some travels in Michigan last summer here 🙂

https://www.instagram.com/p/BcIXx0VFy-B/?taken-by=puremichigan

Dan-Related Travels // Spring, Summer & Autumn 🙂

One happy thing about being on a separate continent to Dan is that long distance relationships = travel!! I have a feeling that most of my international travel in 2018 will be related to visiting Dan. Nothing is set in stone yet, but we are hoping he can make it over to Michigan in March, and again in November so I can show him how Americans do Thanksgiving 😉 And then for me, I’m hoping to return the favor sometime in the summer! Dan has visited Michigan three times before, so I have to dig deep for some new places to take him – I’m thinking Mackinac Island, or maybe a brief jaunt into Canada if we can sort out his visa.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWdJ9EthT0s/?taken-by=mackinacisle

England // Summer

Yeah I know what you’re thinking… you just left England and you’re going back already?! It’s true, I can’t and won’t ever get enough of my favorite country. But the reason I’ll hopefully get back to England in 2018 is to see Dan. Sooo, if you see any cheap flights to the UK from the Midwest, HIT ME UP.

Catch up on my thousands (not literally, but close) of posts on the UK here

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaUjhwNB-HR/?taken-by=endlessdistances

 

Asheville, NC // Summer

This one is a bit random, but I feel like I keep seeing Asheville everything, everywhere, all the time! I’d really like to make it here this summer. Hiking, relaxation, and that warm mild weather I love!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BcKSRCshome/?taken-by=ashevilletrails

Cuba // Whenever flights are cheap

Here’s hoping Trump doesn’t ruin that one for us.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYvCfdeFMrf/?taken-by=topcubaphoto

 

TRAVELS IN MY DREAMS…

Australia

Okay, I’ve pretty much come to terms already with the fact that I am not going to Australia in 2018. I just don’t have the time or money at the moment… but one of my best and oldest friends from Michigan is moving to Australia in a few weeks (cue me crying as I am finally moving back to Michigan but we still won’t be together). She visited me in England so it’s only my duty to return the favour…. 😉

https://www.instagram.com/p/BcjcbZ7DE7L/?taken-by=visitmelbourne

 

Also willing to travel to… Banff National Park, Grand Canyon, Croatia, Costa Rica (yoga retreat anyone?!), Mexico, Eurrail Trip, Portugal, Hawaii, Antarctica …

So let me know if you find any cheap flights from Detroit 😉

Here’s to 2018 – to new adventures, exhilarating travel, but also finding peace being in one place, too. I’d love to know where you guys are traveling to in 2018, or what your best destination suggestions are, so please let me know!

And thanks to Emma, Angie, and Polly for hosting this travel linkup! The prompt for January was travel plans and reflections, if you have written your own post you can link it up on one of their blogs 🙂

Sarah xx

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41 Comments

  1. Love your list and wow, is it expansive! I am excited about your focuses for 2018 (both personal and on the blog) and am really looking forward to your future posts about health and yoga. As my husband is a Michigander, we keep a mental list of places to road trip to when possible: high on my list are the UP (which I suppose will necessitate a trip to Makinac Island) and Sleeping Bear Dunes. I went to Grand Rapids and the beaches in the area a handful of years ago and really enjoyed beautiful Lake Michigan.

    1. Thanks Cynthia! I have had you and a couple other people mention to me over the last year about writing more things related to wellness, and being a “skill set” of mine I’ve always wondered why I didn’t write about it more haha. So hopefully I can find my voice in that area this coming year. If you have any specific ideas for posts you’d be interested in, just let me know! I think that would help me with getting started 🙂 And yeah, I’m very excited to do some Michigan exploration, distance truly does make the heart grow fonder! However now I just need the snow to melt so I can go to the beach 😛

  2. Yes to planting those roots, it really is so important! 🙂 Especially after a bit of travel burnout.
    As for your list of possible travels, they all sound pretty exciting to me!! I hope you and Dan can see each other as much as possible. Lots of love for 2018!

  3. Set some Google Flights alerts! They’ve helped us finding cheap tickets in advance. They send emails every 4 days or something like that but not too spammy. I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to find cheap tickets to Cancun from Detroit. So excited to see where 2018 takes you!

    1. HAHAH That was literally my first thought (Jaime has subconsciously adopted Trump’s twitter language!! Noo!) before I read your disclaimer hahaha. And no worries, I will let you know when I book a trip back to the UK, and as I’ll be flying through London I’ll make sure I spend some days there so we can FINALLY meet!! 2018 is gonna be the year!

  4. I only have a work trip to Philly down for 2018… so you’re way ahead of me! (I mean, I guess I know there’s another work trip to Pasadena in May, but I don’t have the flights yet, lol.) I’m excited for you to explore more parts of Michigan, and if you find the northern lights there… I totally want to know!! We have a website, CheapDFW that sends email alerts for cheap flights. One of my staff members grabbed a flight to Australia for $297 or something ridiculous. See if your closest airport has one too!

    1. Oooh both Philly and Pasadena sound pretty great! I’ve been looking into how to see the Northern Lights in MI, and it looks like we have a dark sky park! So I’m going to try and check that out! And thanks for the rec, I’m going to look up CheapDFW right now!

  5. We actually had a fairly similar 2017, travel-wise! I’m excited to see where you’ll go in 2018! I’m always on those cheap flight sites trying to find something from the US to anywhere basically. The price difference between US to anywhere vs. Europe to anywhere is shocking! If only it was as cheap to fly to a different state as it is to fly to a different country in Europe!

    1. We both certainly crammed quite a few trips in, didn’t we! Yup, it’s a pretty rude awakening, but at least I knew it was coming, which is one reason I tried to make the most of flying to different countries when I was in Europe!

  6. Travel always ruins my health (a sad fact I don’t want to admit, but it’s true) so any and all tips you can give would be so appreciated! Especially from a fellow coeliac. Travelling gluten free is possible but I personally find it very stressful, I don’t know whether you do too? Anyway I’m looking forward to reading your perspective on it 🙂

    Also good luck at the doctor when you do get to go!

    1. (Ok I got so overexcited about the health thing that I didn’t even read the rest before commenting. I have now.)
      I loved New York so much! Here are my posts about my favourite things:
      https://www.anestingnomad.com/2016/07/top-6-activities-new-york.html/
      https://www.anestingnomad.com/2016/08/6-unmissable-sights-new-york.html/
      And omg you are going to eat so well. Can you post me some donuts…?
      https://www.anestingnomad.com/2016/07/gluten-free-new-york-city-usa.html/

      Asheville looks gorgeous! I’ve never even heard of it before. I hope you do go so I can travel vicariously through you. All your other plans sound really exciting too. I hope this year goes exactly how you hope it will and all your travel dreams come true!

      PS Come to Australia..!!

      1. Ohh I’m glad you’d find it helpful!! I’m thinking of starting out with making it like a monthly feature, I’m pretty sure my first one is going to be about supplements because when I came home I found out I was deficient in pretty much every vitamin (probably partially due to being gluten free, but also how travel exacerbates that!). Hopefully that’s something that would interest you!
        And I just spent like half an hour looking through your NYC posts – I am SO going to Erin McKenna’s bakery OMG those donuts look incredible!!!

  7. What a fun fun year! It’s such a funny trend I’ve noticed on the linkup that, for travel addicts, not many of us have firm plans yet. But that just means we can dream big 😉 Wishing loads of fun adventures for 2018!

  8. I really want to go to NYC and Australia (both places requite money haha!), I’ll be headed to Orlando this week, so I’m excited about that 🙂

    McKenzie
    thrivergirl.com

  9. If you find any funding (lottery winnings?) for that list of places you’d be willing to go, I will totally be joining you!
    Sounds like an exciting year ahead! And yay for coming back to England!
    A few things I loved in New York:
    -Take the cable car over to Roosevelt Island, you get a really cool perspective on the city and it was just a fun thing to do and completely deserted when we went!
    -Free Staten Island Ferry (the orange one) and there’s beautiful views and a 9/11 memriol on the other side (also good statue of liberty views on the ride over).
    -Central Park – we hired bikes and cycled all the way around it which was fun (Though may be a little cold in Jan!)
    -Also all the museums do free entry days/evenings at certain times of the week

    E

  10. Your travels are looking amazing so far! I’ve always wanted to visit Key West and drive the 7 mile bridge – the views look incredible! I REALLY want to visit Cuba. All those vintage cars and colourful buildings are just calling my name! My parents are actually off there on a cruise next week and I’m SO jealous they didn’t take me haha!
    xo April | April Everyday

    1. Thanks April! It’s really only that NYC trip planned but I’m really hoping that I can make some of my other wishes come true too! Ooh, I hope your parents enjoy their cruise. But I would also be angry at not being taken hahaha

    1. Oh I most definitely will! Tbh the main reason we didn’t go in 2017 is because we just didn’t have TIME to do everything we wanted. So we scrapped it and figured we’d go when we have the time to truly devote to it!!

  11. Hi Sarah, thank goodness for the #TravelLinkUp as I stumbled across your blog – I just love your main image. 16 countries sounds incredible. I hope 2018 takes you on all the adventures you’d like to go on.

    sarah ♥

  12. Ooh I love how many plans you’ve got in the works. I also really want to make it to Florida, so fingers crossed 2018 is our year! 🙂 I’ve just got back from Cuba and it was incredible – really hope you’re able to make it soon.

  13. I don’t think I’ve ever set a list for my travel plans… Or if I do, it just doesn’t happen so I’ve given up. They all kind of just happen spontaneously. Though I would like to hit up more of Africa… Le’ts see!! That’s awesome that your plans for 2017 did come to fruition!!

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