2019 Year in Review: Top 8 Travel Moments

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With the new year, I know a lot of people look forward. I think it’s also the perfect time to look back and reflect on the past year. I wanted to start 2020 by reviewing 2019 so without further ado, here is a travel recap of 2019.

Travel by Numbers:

This year felt like one of my least traveled because I started the year with a couple trips then the rest of the year was pretty dry, but it was nothing to sneeze at. I began the year in Israel where I rang in the new year with my brother and cousin on the beaches of Tel Aviv. Mostly, I explored as much of my own states as possible. I’m talking about Georgia, the state I live in, and California, where I’m from. Here are some numbers from last year.

Countries visited: 2 (USA and Israel)

US states visited: 5 (+2 I drove through) – Maryland, Georgia, California, Nevada, Louisiana (+ Alabama and Mississippi)

Cities visited: 9 (Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Athens (GA), Atlanta, Helen (GA), Ellijay (GA), Las Vegas, and New Orleans)

Total flight legs: 10

Total time road tripping: 28 hours

Top Travel Highlights

1. Ringing in the New Year on the beach in Tel Aviv

Alright, here’s the story. I went to Israel on a group trip with about 30 people – including my brother and cousin. Every trip typically has a night out in Tel Aviv and ours happened to be New Year’s Eve. We got all dressed up, which for me meant lip gloss and Toms shoes (LOL). Our whole group trekked from the hotel to a club, through the dark streets of Tel Aviv. Once we got to the club, it was clear that this wasn’t really our scene. We listened to some music but the other people in our group were here to PARTY. One girl even got on top of the bar and started swinging from the ceiling lights. I can’t stress this enough…not my scene. Luckily, we had a group leader in our group who was also looking to leave. He ended up taking a group of us down a couple blocks to the beach. We walked along the shore, played on a kid’s jungle gym, and rang in the New Year with a select few. It was relaxing, peaceful, and exactly my speed. It was really special to celebrate the new year in Israel with family on the beach (my literal favorite place).

2. Roaming through Washington DC solo during a government shutdown and snow storm.

Prior to this trip, I had never been on a solo trip. I’ve been places without my family or boyfriend but I was always in a group of people, never alone. I really got to experience what this whole “solo female travel” thing was about. I was in Washington DC for a conference that I was required to go to as part of a fellowship. It was about transportation and honestly, wasn’t relevant to my career goals that I wanted to be spending every minute at the conference. Naturally, I tried to be a tourist. I wanted to see the monuments and Smithsonian museums.

One problem – I was in DC during a government shutdown. In case you forgot, in January of 2019, the government was shutdown. This meant that any government run museums cough cough Smithsonians were also closed. But, I was determined to see the city. I found some museums that weren’t run by the government that I was going to see.

Problem number two – there was a snow storm. Do I have good timing or what? The snow trapped me in my hotel for a couple days…not that I’m complaining because I binge watched all of Sex Education on Netflix. But, on the third day it was snowing light enough that I could walk the National Mall! I saw the Smithsonian museums from afar, the Washington Monument, WWII memorial, Reflecting Pool, and Lincoln Memorial.

The coolest part happened when I was approaching the Washington Monument. There were a surprising number of people out and about. Turns out they were all locals going to a city-wide snowball fight under the Washington Monument! What a random and cool thing to stumble upon and it never would have happened if I didn’t carry on through the snow.

>> Read more: 2 day Washington DC itinerary

3. Falling even more in love with New Orleans

In February, I met up with my oldest friend in New Orleans where she was visiting for a wedding! We spent a long weekend there and squeezed in as much good food, jazz, sightseeing, hauntings, and everything else that we could. I just love that city.

>> Read more: First-timer’s guide to New Orleans

4. Visiting the California Science Center when it was closed to the public

When I visited Los Angeles in March, I was there for a combustion conference. The coolest part came when they hosted the final banquet at the California Science Center under the Endeavor! We showed up about an hour after closing and had the ENTIRE museum to ourselves. I’m from Los Angeles and I’ve been to the Science Center more times than I can count so this was surreal. I walked through the aquarium tunnel and it was empty!

I played with all the hands-on demonstrations that are normally flooded with little kids! And I schmoozed (networked) under the actual Endeavor! What an Angeleno science nerd’s dream come true!

>> Read more: A local’s guide to Los Angeles Museums

5. Exploring Athens, Georgia

It might sound boring, but one of the biggest highlights of the year was exploring my own town. I moved to Athens two years ago so finally having some time to explore the area around me was really nice. I visited a couple state parks. I tried new restaurants. I went strawberry and pumpkin picking. I checked off a bunch of things on my to-do list and it was really nice feeling more connected to this area!

>> Read more: 10 things to do in Athens, GA

6. Being a 21+ Adult in Las Vegas…and going to M&M’s World

One of my favorite trips from 2019 was going to Las Vegas with Tobin and my cousin. We are all finally 21 and older so the full Las Vegas experience was unlocked. The day we drove there from Los Angeles, we spent some time at Fremont Street in Old Las Vegas (which is officially downtown). We hit up a happy hour for dinner. Had margaritas…even though turns out we hate tequila.

Then we went back to the hotel. We were tired. But despite that, we convinced ourselves to go out and let loose! We had some drinks, wandered around the Vegas Strip, and ultimately, ended up at M&M’s World. I swear this whole adult thing is a façade. Yes, I bought M&M’s. Yes, we went there intentionally. No, it was not a drunk decision. Yes, I am an adult. I just love chocolate okay??

>> Read more: Guide to visiting the Seven Magic Mountains near Las Vegas, Nevada

7. Eating my way through Los Angeles

This year, I discovered two new spots in LA that are now my automatic favorites – Original Farmers Market and Grand Central Market. Clusters of food vendors within walking distance to more Los Angeles sights? Count me in! I ate some awesome food including Bob’s Coffee & Doughnuts, Nonna’s Empanadas, DTLA Cheese, and McConnell’s Ice Cream. There are so many more vendors that I’m dying to try!

>> Read more: What to do at Grand Central Market in LA

8. Seeing the snow from the beach in Los Angeles

One of my favorite parts of Los Angeles is that you could visit the beach and the snow in the same day. However, usually you can’t actually see the snow from the beach because it’s behind the mountains we can see. When I was just in LA last month, it rained putting snow on the mountains and the next day, we went to the beach and I could see the snow! It was beautiful!

>> Read more: Local’s guide to 10 Los Angeles beaches (including the one I went to where I saw the snow!)

If you made it to the end, I want to thank you for reading. Not just this post, but my blog. I appreciate your support and I hope that you find my posts helpful! I would love to connect with you in the comments or on social media.

My Travel Essentials

• Travel Insurance – Going on an international trip? Don’t forget travel and medical insurance with SafetyWing.
• Travel Card – If you’re new to travel hacking, fear not! My favorite card for beginners gives you $750 in rewards when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months, plus lounge access, 10x points on hotel bookings, and free TSA pre-check!
• Get Your Guide – Check out Get Your Guide for a one-stop-shop for booking travel activities.
• Booking.com – This is my favorite hotel search aggregator, specifically for reading reviews. On Booking.com, the reviews can be searched for keywords like WiFi, breakfast, pool, amenities, etc.! So helpful!
• Anti-pickpocket bag – Worried about having your valuables swiped? PacSafe makes the best travel bags with zippers and straps that lock and with mesh steel enforced fabric.
• Give the Gift of Travel – This is the perfect gift for travelers in your life! Tinggly allows you to gift experiences around the world, perfect for birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries.
• Staycation Idea – Check out Resort Pass, which gives you day passes to resorts so you can use their pool, spa, and fitness center, a great staycation idea!

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