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One reason why I’m so glad I have my monthly recaps is that I can look back and see the best travel moments of my year all at once!
This year took me to 13 countries: Czech Republic, UK, France, Italy, Vatican City, Germany, US, Canada, Spain, Nepal, Bhutan, Qatar, and Panama. I named several places my favorite new destinations of 2024.
It was a great year, and I feel so grateful to be able to do this for a living, 14 years after quitting my job to travel and blog full-time.
Let’s take a look at the best travel moments of 2024!
Throwing the 40th Birthday of a Lifetime in Korčula
When it comes to my birthday, I’ve played it small so many times. For my 40th this year, I decided to take a big swing — and invite several of my closest friends to one of my favorite places, the island of Korčula in Croatia.
And YES. It paid off. My friends came in from the Czech Republic, the US, Canada, and Germany. We booked two places to stay, including a house right on the water.
We spent so much of the week hanging out on our tiny beach, having meals together, going out for drinks, watching weird events at the Olympics on the iPad.
Charlie and I arranged a wine tasting bike trip to Lumbarda for everyone, we went to a traditional Moreška sword dance, we climbed into the old city wall for cocktails, and we ended up in a local wine festival one night. Plus there was plenty of exploration of Korčula town — though we didn’t explore much beyond that!
And on my birthday itself, we had the best day ever — a boat trip around the islands, docking in peaceful bays, snorkeling around a shipwreck, diving off the boat, blasting music, and drinking plenty of my favorite Grk wine from Bire Winery.
It was the best birthday I ever could have dreamed of, and I’m so grateful to my friends for making the journey. I will never forget it!
Meeting Elizabeth Gilbert in Berlin
The furthest I’ll go for a day trip? Around 2.5 hours each way. Maybe a bit longer if it’s for something really special. But as soon as I saw that Elizabeth Gilbert was coming to Berlin — with a meet-and-greet!! — I knew this would be worth spending nine hours on a bus in a single day!
The meet-and-greet was before the show. I wore a new Sézane outfit: this purple top and these matching pants. I greeted her and she the first thing she told me was, “You look glamorous!” I’ll be taking that compliment forever!
I can barely remember what we talked about, but we talked about helping solo female travelers and how everything changes but it’s still the same.
As for her talk — it was incredible. It was about mercy, and how she learned it from her late partner Rayya, who seemed like an incredible woman. She left our entire room enthralled, and I actually decided to walk 40 minutes to the bus station rather than hop on public transit afterward, just so I could keep ruminating on what she said.
So many people unfairly malign her because she traveled the world and wrote a phenomenally successful book about it. But the reason she was able to get that book advance in the first place and the reason why the book became a massive hit is because she is a tremendously gifted writer.
If you get the chance to see her speak, do it. Even if you don’t know anything about her. You won’t regret it.
Opening the Vatican Museums at 6:30 AM
Some travel activities are truly once-in-a-lifetime, and I don’t think anything I’ve done is more once-in-a-lifetime than taking the Key Master’s Tour of the Vatican Museums. On an early March morning — Charlie’s birthday! — we entered the darkened Vatican Museums with a guide and small group, and opened each room for the day.
The Vatican Museums are home to some of the most stunning and priceless art in the world, and they are usually mobbed with tourists. Getting to experience them empty, and seeing the magic as the light switches were turned on? Just incredible. People on the tour take turns opening the doors, and you’ll never guess what’s behind the next one!
Because it was Charlie’s birthday, I asked the guide if he could open the Sistine Chapel — and she said yes. It was so cool that he got to do that, and even cooler that we got to experience the Sistine Chapel with just our small group, no huge crowds or guards chanting, “Silencio.” You can even buy replica keys in the gift shop, and we did!
We got to experience this tour for free thanks to Walks comping Charlie through his work — but this is a very expensive tour. Several hundred dollars per person. But I think that if you are a big Italy fan or art lover, this is simply a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you will never forget. I know I won’t. Save up for months if you need to. It’s worth it.
Taking a Ride in a Self-Driving Car
When my friends and I were in Scottsdale, we discovered that there were self-driving cars picking up passengers all over town. Then one night, we ordered an Uber and got a message — “Would you like a self-driving vehicle?”
Um, sure! Let’s try it!
We laughed the whole time we were in the car, enjoying the experience as we drove across Old Town Scottsdale, making conversation with our nonexistent driver! And honestly, a short five-minute drive was perfect — I don’t think we’d be comfortable taking this on the highway!
Waymo is the self-driving car company operating in a few US cities at the moment (currently the metro areas of Phoenix, Austin, Los Angeles, and San Francisco). They also partner with Uber, hence us getting the option of a Waymo when we ordered an Uber. If you’re curious, give it a try! It’s fun!
Reacquainting Myself with Florence
It’s hard to believe that TWENTY YEARS AGO TODAY, I was studying abroad in Florence. And I can’t believe I wrote my retrospective about my semester abroad TEN YEARS AGO. My god.
I’ve returned to Florence a few times since then, but all of them were for relatively quick trips. This time, I wanted to go back for several days and thoroughly research the city to create my most detailed Florence guide.
And honestly, it felt SO good to be back in such a familiar city, yet with such a different mindset 20 years later. I visited all my old favorites, from the Uffizi to the Medici Chapels, as well as places I had never made it to, like the Bargello and Casa Buonarroti.
And I made sure to visit my favorite kinds of places. The Gucci Museum, with its awesome displays of bags and celebrity outfits. The coolest cocktail bars, like Manifattura, serving exclusively Italian-made spirits, and Procacci, with its tiny truffle sandwiches.
This is what I love about travel — you’re getting to know a destination, but you’re also getting to know yourself and who you are today. I loved my latest Florence visit so much.
Visiting the Umbrella Cover Museum
The most surprising, delightful, and fun place I visited in 2024? Easily the Umbrella Cover Museum of Peakes Island, Maine, just off the coast from Portland!
This place is an absolute gem. First of all — who would ever decide to make not an umbrella museum, but an umbrella cover museum? A fabulous lady named Nancy, that’s who. She is all about celebrating the mundane!
There are umbrella covers from all over the world here, in all kinds of categories. I mean, there’s even a display of “sexy umbrella covers” behind closed doors! And Nancy even plays the accordion and teaches you a song about umbrella covers!
My friend Beth and I laughed the entire time we were here. Truly a joyful place. It’s only open between Memorial Day and Labor Day — so if you’re in Maine, it is so worth hopping on the ferry to check this place open for yourself!
Winning Blogger of the Year at the TravMedia Awards
Earlier this year, after years of taking part in TravMedia events, I decided to finally apply for one of their awards — Blogger of the Year. A few months later, I found out I was nominated, and would attend the ceremony in London.
And that night, I won the award! I was pleased about it, especially since I submitted my blog post about Greenland as my entry. I’m glad that post resonated with people.
For any of the travel industry type people who might be reading this — know that if you accept your nomination, you are committing to attend the awards in London. If you apply, win, and don’t attend, they give your award to someone else.
So don’t apply unless you’re ready to make the trip. For that reason, I think I will let this be my one and only award from them, and will cheer on whoever wins next year.
Getting My Eyebrows Microbladed
This might be a strange thing to put on a “best travel moments” list, but it is the best thing I did for myself this year — and has made a big difference in my routine during my travels! I got my eyebrows microbladed — it’s basically getting a semi-permanent tattoo of your eyebrow hairs.
My eyebrows have gotten thinner and patchier over the years, and for the last few years I’ve been filling them in with a brow pencil before leaving the apartment. But after getting them microbladed, my eyebrows are good to go, all the time. Look at the before and after in the picture above!
It has made a HUGE difference in my daily routine, and that includes during my travels. Nowadays, I only fill them in when I have a full face of makeup. Just a swipe of mascara and some concealer and I’m good to go.
Just know that it might take you multiple sessions. My first session did not stick, but the touch-up from my second session still looks great, eight months in. It should last around a year.
The Lunch of a Lifetime in San Sebastián
When planning our trip to the Basque Country — and our precious few nights in San Sebastián — I did so much research on where to eat. One place that kept showing up was Bar Nestor, with the caveat that getting in is a bit of a challenge.
You see, only the first 12-16 people in line at Bar Nestor get the tortilla, which is supposedly one of the best tortillas in the Basque Country. And if you want to be one of the first 12-16 people in line, you need to get there early. Like, at least two hours before opening.
The first night, we showed up 60 minutes early and it wasn’t enough. The next day, we showed up two hours early — and you only wait one hour, because they start taking names one hour before opening. The three of us got the last two tortilla spots.
After a quick bite at another bar, we returned for our lunch. And this meal ASTOUNDED us in its simplicity. What do you eat at Bar Nestor? The aforementioned tortilla, which is one of the best I have ever had in Spain. Up next, blistered padron peppers and a tomato salad covered with lots of sea salt.
Then came the xuleta — an absolute enormous slab of beef, cooked to rare perfection, topped with even more salt. It was sublime. Charlie and Nick were actually gnawing on the bones by the end, it was so good.
Of all the places I ate in San Sebastián, Bar Nestor was my favorite — and yes, waiting in that line was SO worth it.
Getting Permanent Residency in the Czech Republic
I am incredibly thankful that the Czech Republic has been so welcoming to me and my business. From what I’ve heard from my friends, it seems like such an easier process here compared to many other countries. And it’s far easier than what any immigrant from a developing country goes through.
This summer, I received my Czech permanent residency! This is similar to a green card in the US — the right to stay forever, no more visas.
Most people need to live in the Czech Republic for five years and pass a language test in order to get permanent residency — but if you’re married to an EU citizen, you can skip the language test and apply after two years of residency and one year of marriage.
Charlie is still considered an EU citizen in the Czech system because he applied for permanent residency before Brexit went through. And so I applied for permanent residency shortly after our anniversary and got it a few months later.
I’m already enjoying the benefits — my new health insurance card is good for 10 years (!!), I no longer have to go to the foreign police when I renew my apartment lease, and after so many visits to the Ministry of the Interior this year, I don’t need to visit again until it’s time to renew my US passport.
The next step? Learning Czech so I can become a Czech citizen!
Climbing to Tiger’s Nest in Bhutan
If you’ve seen any one image of Bhutan, it’s probably Tiger’s Nest — a small monastery complex built into a rocky cliff. “If you don’t hike to Tiger’s Nest, your trip to Bhutan is incomplete,” my guide Sonam told me.
I was a bit nervous about the hike because I struggle a lot in altitude. Bhutan guides have you do the hike on your last day because it gives you more time to adjust to the thin oxygen in the air. I had been in Bhutan for six days, plus two days before that at altitude in the mountains surrounding Kathmandu.
Tiger’s Nest is a moderate hike, not really technical at all — but the altitude can easily knock you sideways. So Sonam and I huffed and puffed as we climbed to the top, taking frequent breaks to gulp air.
My goal was to make it to the viewpoint in two hours. I made it in 1:36. From there it was a hike down and then up again to visit Tiger’s Nest itself! Then we did the whole thing in reverse, stopping at a cafe to chug an orange Fanta before heading all the way down.
I LOVE a hike with a big payoff, and this was such a rewarding payoff. It was the perfect way to end my trip to brilliant Bhutan.
Cheering on the Arsenal Women’s Team in London
My husband is a big fan of Arsenal football club, but I had no idea until recently that the Premier League clubs have women’s teams, too! So on one of our trips to London this year, Charlie and I decided to go to a women’s game at Emirates Stadium.
This is something I had no idea I needed until I experienced it. Women’s football (let me clarify that this is soccer, just in case that goes over any Americans’ heads) has had a huge resurgence in the UK over the last few years.
But what I loved the most is that this game didn’t feel like tokenism — it actually felt like equality. Sure, it was great seeing the kids, both boys and girls, with homemade signs for their favorite players. It was nice seeing the groups of women in their matching team scarves and hats.
But you know what I REALLY loved? Groups of gruff middle-aged men fixated on the pitch, beers in hand, yelling and moaning, taking the game just as seriously as they would a men’s game. THAT is what told me that women’s football is getting taken seriously in the UK.
(Also: on the tube ride to the stadium, there were two drunk girls having the slowest, most inane conversation about the game. Of course it was on a stretch of tube with no phone signal. But that’s also equality — the fact that drunk women sports fans on the tub can be just as annoying as drunk men sports fans!)
So I’m just very glad that we’re at this point these days. I hope to attend a WNBA game soon in the US to continue supporting the resurgence in women’s professional sports!
If you’re planning a trip to the UK next year, I highly recommend seeing if you can get tickets to a women’s game. It’s surprisingly affordable (we paid something like 12 pounds, or $15, per ticket for the seats pictured above).
What were your favorite travel moments of 2024? Share away!
