As we count down these final moments of 2024, it’s time to look back at the incredible journeys of the past year. For me, those journeys included going back to work after maternity leave, as well as moving back to the heart of Tampa (I’m now just ten minutes from the airport!). There were several great trips this year as well, though honestly, I felt like the year flew by!
I am confident there will be plenty of adventures ahead, but for now, let’s kick off the countdown to 2025 with my 2024 travel recap. Who doesn’t love a little wanderlust to ring in the new year? ✨
5+… Countries I Visited
While a lot of my adventures were local – including the week I spent moving from one house to the other before promptly heading on vacation – I still managed to visit six different countries in 2024! Each one offered something special.
- I marked my first visit to Asia with a two week trip to Japan, making the most of my maternity leave with visits to Tokyo and Kyoto.
- We summered in Europe with time in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. That new direct flight to Zurich from Tampa is a great one!
- I also explored the stunning natural beauty of Canada (with three different visits). All of the trips this year were quick, but I love some time up north.
- Of course, I wrapped up the year with some time in Ireland with Tyler’s family, as we road tripped all around the Emerald Isle.
4… Favorite Moments from 2024
Picking my top moments from 2024 is no easy task, but let’s give it a go:
- Seeing the way my son lit up at Tokyo Disney Resort. We’re Florida folks, but this was his first Disney visit (outside of our weekend at Disney Springs earlier in the year). I think if you asked him his favorite part of our trip to Japan, he’d still tell you that it was meeting Mickey Mouse.
- Falling in love with Lindau, Germany. Tyler and I had visited Hamburg several years ago, and it left us with a meh taste in our mouths. I’m glad we didn’t write off the country, because Lindau was a perfect summer getaway. It was cute and low-key, with plenty of ice cream options. 10/10.
- Finding some bleisure time in Whistler, Canada. While I prefer my work trips to be a little closer to the airport – it took us ~3 hours to drive there from the Vancouver airport – I loved getting to explore a bit. The gondola ride with the gorgeous views is definitely one I’ll remember for a long time!
- Scoring a Global Entry appointment for our baby girl before we left for Japan! I was refreshing the website practically daily to see if new appointments would become available for her, and I was so excited to have one become available. We have certainly gotten our money’s worth!
Each of these moments was a reminder that travel is so much more than just the destination – it’s all about the adventures along the way. 😉
3… Key Travel Purchases
Now that we’ve got an extra person in tow, we’ve had to make some additional travel investments. These three purchases – two of which I wrote about here – really changed the game:
- A travel stroller: We could not have made it through two weeks in Japan without this little guy. As much as we love our Mockingbird, we needed something lightweight and compact for the tiny restaurants and tight walkways (as well as when we couldn’t find an elevator in a metro).
- The Stevyn Rolling Duffel from Calpak: Only one of our kids can walk, and neither of them can consistently manage their own bag. The fact that this has multiple compartments (for separating clean and dirty) and stacks on top of another roller bag makes this potentially my best purchase all year.
- A seat on the plane for the baby: This 100% adds to your travel costs, but it is also 1,000% worth it! We bought our little girl a seat for the trip to Ireland, and it meant we all got the chance to rest up ahead of our arrival in Dublin. If your baby can sit on their own, I cannot recommend this more. Honestly, I wish we had bought one for her for the flight to Switzerland!
Each of these items definitely made my travels this year more stress-free and enjoyable. They were definitely worth the investment!
2… Kids I Traveled With
I thought I had a handle on traveling with a kid, but 2024 was the year I had to figure out how to travel with both a toddler and a baby! There were definitely challenges (and plenty of travel snacks), but it was also incredibly rewarding.
Ultimately, my best recommendation for traveling with kid(s) is not to overplan your days. Yes, prepare what you can (see travel purchases above), but when we take our kids with us on our adventures, we pick one thing to accomplish each day. On the day we went to the Swiss Museum of Transport, that was our entire plan for the day; and when we went to the teamLab Planets exhibit in Tokyo, that was all we had on the agenda.
Everything else you manage to accomplish beyond that one thing is extra. 🙂 And if you don’t “do” anything else – outside of keeping your child(ren) alive – then you’ve still managed to knock out your list for the day.
1… Big Trip Coming Up: Australia!
As you know, we’re heading to Australia this year! 🇦🇺 I have been talking about getting to Australia for years, and I’m thrilled that we’ll be kicking off our 2025 adventures with a dream trip to the land down under. The thing I’m most excited about? The Great Barrier Reef.
Since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to see the world’s largest living structure, and next year, I’ll finally get the chance to see it. As a family, we’re taking a cruise from Brisbane that will get us right to the heart of this natural wonder. Picture this: crystal-clear waters, vibrant coral reefs, and a whole world of marine life just waiting to be discovered. I’m not sure whether we’ll be snorkeling (we will have the kiddos with us, after all), but regardless of how we see it, I know it’s going to be magical.
So, as we step into 2025, I’m finalizing my plans for this Aussie adventure. Of course, there are plenty more travel ideas in the works – we’ve been kicking around a domestic roadtrip, though I just saw some very compelling prices for a round two trip to Tokyo – but Australia is definitely at the top of my list.
I can’t wait to share all the incredible experiences I’ll have in the new year. I hope you’ll come along for the ride with me, even if it takes me a beat to get my updates here on the blog. Cheers to 2024, and here’s to a new year filled with even more adventures, discoveries, and memories. ✈️