Hello Friends! January is already zipping by, and I have been busy finalizing plans for trips we booked at the end of last year and planning some awesome new ones. Here is a look at some of the trips we have planned so far for this year.
Trips On Deck
Winter Break
First up, we have a trip to the Florida Keys in early February. I have finally finished booking all the travel components and set up a loose itinerary. As the first big winter storm is rolling into Michigan today, I am looking forward to meandering through the Keys in just a few weeks! A week filled with beaches, pools, cocktails, fresh seafood, and plenty of adventures instead of shoveling snow and scraping windshields.
Spring Fling
For a long weekend in April, I have been trying to decide between Chicago and Phoenix. Phoenix is fantastic that time of year and my husband hasn’t been to Arizona, but I fear it might be a bit too far for a long weekend and we might end up feeling overwhelmed and rushed. That does not make for a fun trip.
Chicago is just a short 4-hour car ride away and there is plenty to do once we get there. We can visit our son and the tulips should be in bloom! It’s Chicago for the win. If I plan it just right, I may even be able to use our 2-night hotel stay to earn a couple of Hyatt Free Night Certificates to use for travel later this year. A Win-Win!
Girl’s Getaway
My daughter and I are taking a 10-day trip to Paris in May! I have had the bones of our travel booked for several months but I am currently working on things like whether to buy a museum pass or a city pass, creating a rough itinerary, figuring out train routes from Paris to Versailles and to Reims and Epernay, and how and when to use public transportation. All important details for a successful trip but not quite as fun as booking the hotels and excursions.
Long Summer Weekend With the Fam
This week I booked a 3-night Tiny House stay in Traverse City for our family in August. We have stayed at Timber Ridge RV Resort many times and it’s a great base camp. These Tiny Houses are an affordable lodging option that can accommodate the whole family even my cute Grand Corgi. Summers in TC offer endless possibilities for adventures with no itinerary necessary. I am looking forward to family shenanigans, beach days, and maybe a sunset cruise on the NautiCat.
Fabulous Fall
My husband and I usually take a trip in mid to late October to unwind before the busy holiday season, but we haven’t yet decided on a destination. We could circle back to our Phoenix idea, head to Myrtle Beach and visit some family along the way, or cash in a Free Cruise Offer that I have and take a Leaf Peeping Cruise in New England and Canada. I will probably let these ideas simmer for a bit and see how the year progresses before choosing a destination.
Final Thoughts
Of course, there will be lots of spontaneous adventures tucked in between our bigger trips, but it’s comforting to have these plans nearly finished. I like to space them out so that we have something planned every few months. Having trips on the calendar always makes me smile and gives me something to look forward to!
Everyone has a different style of doing things. Do you book trips far out or at the last minute? Where are you looking forward to going this year?
The World According to Dev 
It’s nice when you have a few trips in store for the year. If we go where it’s popular, we’ll book a few months ahead of time (like scuba diving in Sodwana over Easter weekend), but usually we plan our getaways a few weeks (or even sometimes days) before the trip. Your Paris trip sounds wonderful – what a great holiday for you and your daughter.
We often have to plan ahead due to getting time off approved from work. With the Paris trip we were trying to sneak in ahead of the Olympics this summer and stumbled on a great flight deal. The campground we like books up very far out so it forces us to pick our dates early in the year.
I do like to fill in with last minute weekend getaway’s and nearby adventures though.
Oh yes, I get it when one has to put in leave at your job. When we go on overseas trips, we also usually plan at the beginning of a year (or even the previous year). It’s always nice to book a quick weekend getaway a few days prior. We brought our camping equipment from our permanent house at the beginning of this year and it makes such weekends very easy now … I definitely look forward to more camping this year.
It’s so nice that you can do that! I look forward to reading about your explorations this year.