As you have probably heard many times, 2020 was an unprecedented year. Our lives were turned upside down by the coronavirus, spending most of this year locked in our homes and away from family and friends. Travel especially was hit hard this year, and many dream vacations and trips to see loved ones were canceled with no firm rebooking timelines. However, like many people, we made lemonade out of the many lemons 2020 threw at us. Although I didn’t get my dream European cruise vacation, I was still able to make the most of my time off, traveling locally and planning trips I would have never even thought of if it wasn’t for COVID.
So here is a look back on the “lemonade” I made from 2020:
January 2020: Wine Country Girls Trip
2020 started off with a bang, traveling to the west coast with two of my closest girlfriends to celebrate my 26th birthday. We spent a few days in a cute little town called Petaluma, eating and drinking our hearts out. We spent a day exploring San Francisco and visiting one of my favorite views in the city, Marin Headlands. We wrapped up the trip staying at an awesome resort in the heart of wine country, visiting some amazing wineries and drinking red wine until our teeth turned purple. This is one of my all-time favorite trips, and I can’t wait to go back!
February 2020: Scottsdale and Sedona
A month after my California trip, I jetted off to Arizona for a work conference, but, of course, I had to squeeze in a few vacation days to visit one of my old college friends in Scottsdale. Great food, shopping, and hikes were the highlights before I met a grad school friend in Sedona. We hiked Devil’s Bridge, which was way harder than I imagined, but the views were well worth it. I have never seen anything like Sedona and can’t wait to go back and hike some more – even do a Pink Jeep Tour!
March 2020: Charleston
Fortunately, I was able to get one last trip in before the world shut down a week later. I was able to take my annual girls’ trip with my best friend, Lacy. We traveled to Charleston, SC, and ate the best food while taking in all the sights. Although trips with Lacy are never long enough, they are some of my favorite every year.
June 2020: Merritt Island
By June, we had been in lockdown for three months, and I was dying to not only travel, but just to have a change of scenery. My friend Kathy invited us to stay the weekend at her parent’s waterfront house in Merritt Island. We had the best time social distancing at the beach, taking jet skis out to the sand bar, and staying up late playing games and soaking in the hot tub.
July 2020: Fort Myers Beach
I am not one to normally take beach trips to other beaches in Florida since I live so close to some of the best, but my friends and I really wanted to take a mini vacation. We rented the cutest Airbnb on Fort Myers Beach, which was walking distance to the beach, and even had its own swimming pool. During our trip, we rented out an entire catamaran and enjoyed the day sailing along the Intracoastal Waterway.
September 2020: Disney World
This year, my brother turned 21. We had big plans to take him somewhere like Las Vegas or New Orleans, but with COVID, we had to alter our plans once again. We decided to take advantage of the ticket specials Walt Disney World was offering and check out Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Luckily, we were able to accomplish our main mission and ride the new ride, Rise of the Resistance. Let me tell you, it was incredible!
October 2020: Ellijay, GA
My final trip of 2020 took me to the Blue Ridge Mountains with a group of girlfriends. We road tripped up to a cabin outside of the small town of Ellijay, Georgia. Road tripping is not one of my favorite things, but with COVID, it felt safer than flying. This trip was such a nice surprise. We were able to escape to the mountains with little service, but a whole lot of wine. We went to multiple wineries, took some hikes, and even went white water rafting. I loved this trip so much, and there was a lot we didn’t get to do, so it’s going right back on the bucket list!
As this year comes to a close, I hope you can reflect on some good 2020 has brought you, and most importantly, I hope you are optimistic about the future and all the adventures that are waiting for you!
Happy new year, and see you in 2021!