As we turn the leaf on a new year, I would be remorseful not to share my travel highlights with you. We all have different goals and objectives when we travel but I think we learn the most from each other’s experiences.
I know my love and passion for travel grows every year. What I’m doing, where I’m going, and who I’m going with can look different from year to year. Follow along with me as I reminisce on what I loved and what I would leave behind in my 2022 Travel Year in Review.
For me, 2022 was a year of traveling with family. I didn’t get to go a on a big hiking expedition this year, but spoiler alert it is coming in 2023. Yay!
This year I took four different trips that I want to share with you today. Who knows maybe one of these is on your bucket list or should be added soon.
With a quick overview, I will break down 3 MUST DO’s and 1 SKIP for each location.
Trips
Florida Keys
My husband and I went to the Florida Keys to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. We choose to stay in Islamorada which is close to mid-way down the Florida Keys Island chain. We were pleasantly surprised with how much we loved this location. I mean what’s not to love. Island vibes without having to leave the country!
Must Do’s
- Theatre of The Sea: animal experience
- Snorkeling: some of the prettiest snorkeling I have ever done
- Boat charter: highly recommend fishing but at least a leisure ride if not
Skip
Can’t really skip but have low expectations for the drive down from Miami. Nothing to really see here, but once you arrive you are in paradise!
If you want specific details on this trip, check out the Ultimate Travel Guide: Islamorada, Florida.
Ocracoke, NC
This was not a totally new destination for my husband and me. We were frequent visitors before we had kids. However, this was the kids first time going and they loved it! In fact, my daughter was just begging to go back there this spring.
Ocracoke is an island in the southern Outer Banks (OBX) chain of North Carolina. It is not reachable by road. You must take a ferry to visit this beautiful island. Known for its pristine beaches and world class surf fishing it is a wonderful location for any outdoor enthusiast.
Must Do’s
- Drive on the beach: make sure to purchase your permit and have 4wd
- Throw a fishing line in the water: easy entry-level fishing
- Stay on Silver Lake: the best location in the village
Skip
I recommend driving down the chain of islands and taking the shorter ferry if you have not been to OBX before.
However, I advise taking the longer ferry off the island.
It is nice to just load up and have a big part of your trip traveled for you. It can save you time or at least equal out to about the same amount of total travel time.
If you want specific details on this trip, check out the Ultimate Travel Guide: How to make the most of your trip to Ocracoke, NC.
Hendersonville, NC
A trip to the Appalachian Mountains was a last-minute throw together for my family of four. I wanted to expose our kids to a warm mountain adventure as we have already experienced the fall and winter seasons in previous years.
Hendersonville is in the southern mountains of North Carolina, right below Asheville. You have Pisgah National Forest to the west and Chimney Rock and Lake Lure to the east. This location is a great central location for lots of exploring.
Must Do’s
- Pisgah National Forest waterfalls: Looking Glass Falls and Sliding Rock to name a couple
- Jeter’s Mountain Farm: various fruit picking adventures and family fun
- Chimney Rock: beautiful vantage point
Skip
A hotel for lodging. I let the draw of a fun waterslide for the kids draw me into a hotel in Hendersonville. The slide was fun, but the hotel was less desirable.
In general, I would suggest finding a beautiful mountain home to rent through Airbnb or VRBO. The city life kind of takes away from the mountain experience, in my opinion.
If you want specific details on our experience at Sliding Rock, check out my Guide to Experiencing Sliding Rock.
I haven’t written the Guide for the entire trip yet. However, if you want to know more just email me, I’m happy to give advice and help you find what is right for your trip.
Texas Road Trip
My mom, sister, and I took off on a girl’s expedition of Texas this fall. We hit Dallas, Waco, Austin, Fredericksburg, and San Antonio. Shew, it was a big trip, but we had a great time. Not to mention, we marked off a lot of central Texas.
Must Do’s
- Waco: all things Magnolia
- Fredericksburg: the wine country of Texas
- San Antonio: the Riverwalk and Alamo, SeaWorld if you have the time
Skip
Dallas. Hear me out. Unless there is a specific spot you want to visit in Dallas, it just wasn’t as an interesting of a city as our other locations.
If you want specific details on our experience in Texas, check out the Ultimate 5 Day Road Trip Through Texas.
Takeaway
On any trip you have things that you love and things you would adjust if you were to visit again. The goal is to have more things that you loved than the latter. It’s also important to remember that it is easy to get stuck on what we didn’t like about a trip, especially right after the trip is complete. However, I challenge you to do the opposite. Learn from the mishaps, and harp on the good!
Plan your trip around your audience. Make sure each person has something they are going to take away as their highlight. Bonus points if you have a travel companion who has all the same highlights as you.
How I can help you…
If we are just meeting each other for the first time, hey there, my name is Katie. I’m a mom of two who loves to travel with and without my kids because sometimes let’s be honest, Momma needs a break.
I love to encourage other moms to do the same. Travel can be a form of therapy and I feel sometimes we often don’t want to take the time to plan the trip. Let’s face it our lives are busy and hectic already.
Well, that’s where I come in. With 15 years of travel experience I want to help make travel planning easier for you. Whether you need tips and advice on how to plan for yourself or you just don’t have the time and you need an assistant to help you get to the finish line. I’m here to help you.
Moving forward, I have two ways we can get to know each other better.
- Sign up for my newsletter and I will send you my 6 key decisions to making travel planning easier!
- Joining my newsletter will allow you to know when new destinations are up for review or when I have some tips and advice ready to share!
- If you want to inquire about my planning assistant services today.
- Reach out to me directly and let me know what you are looking for.
I will get you going on your next adventure with ease.
Either way, I’m so glad that you have landed in my world, and I wish you the best year of travel in 2023.
Until our next adventure…keep planning your biggest dreams.
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