It’s that time of year again! If 2020 taught us one thing, it was to hold onto the small moments and treasure them as much as possible. And while I didn’t have a round-up of 2020 on this blog (because, well, it was 2020), I’m excited to sit down and talk about my favorite travel moments of 2021, including a few from 2020.
Because although most of 2020 went to the dogs, there were a few moments that I didn’t really share or talk about during the time.
(I lied…I went back and actually wrote a post recounting my favorite travel moments of 2020 and back-dated it. You know, after people began to lay off of their opinions about travel…)
The internet has become a haven for people to express their polarizing opinions, taking little care regarding the impact that they will have, and the last thing I wanted to do was become fodder for someone’s jealousy, falsely-informed opinions.
But enough about that.
When I started planning out 2021, I realized something about myself. I needed to have adventures in order to stay sane. And with lockdowns, closed borders and insecurity lurking around every corner, I had to be that more intentional, careful, and planned out much more than I normally would.
Missed my last few end-of-year round-up posts? Check them out! 2018 & 2019
All that aside, I was determined to make up for the time I spent in my office, at home, and not going on adventures. Even with all that determination, I was still surprised by the amount of adventures I embarked upon…given that I have a full-time job, community and familial responsibilities, and other obligations vying for my time.
Just a reminder that each of these highlights are extremely personal. They aren’t going to be the most-adventurous, most-dangerous, most-whatever…but they mean something special to me.
As I look back on my year + of adventures, I am so humbled. I realize that although I fund 100% of my own travels, do my own travel planning and booking, and utilize PTO from work, I am extremely fortunate. I don’t take this freedom lightly.
And, of course, all safety precautions and regulations were adhered to.
Without further ado, I present to you my favorite travel moments of 2021! (And a few from 2020 snuck into the list…I’m not sure how that happened…I’ll alert management…)
Snorkeling Again
There’s something magical about being underwater and swimming alongside the fish. I can’t remember how long it had been since I had snorkeled, but it was an otherworldly experience, jumping back into the ocean.
I was fortunate enough to go snorkeling on 3 separate islands this past year: St. Thomas (2020), Puerto Rico, and Oahu. Each time was just as exhilarating as the next.
Nothing can prepare you for that first time jumping off of the boat, plunging into the warm, tropical waters, eyes wide open for sharks colorful fish. Although I had to begrudgingly don those tacky, bright yellow life jackets for most of the dives, it was worth it.
Clockwise, starting from the upper left corner: swimming with green sea turtles beyond Waikiki Beach, Oahu; searching for buried treasure off of St. Thomas; realizing I was the only person on the tour lasting longer than 5 minutes in the water, Oahu; looking for turtles off of St. Thomas; post-swim Isla Caja de Muertos, Puerto Rico.
Probably the most memorable part from snorkeling off of Waikiki was having our guide to myself. The tour group consisted of myself and a large family from Alaska. They were fun to chat with, but most of them had never snorkeled before, and also happened to be extremely novice swimmers. I could think of a few other calmer locations for them, rather than the open ocean.
But it was their choice to retreat back into the boat after only about 5 minutes of swimming. I kid you not. 5 minutes. The tour was supposed to be an hour in the water, so I took full advantage. Along with our tour guide, we dove multiple times on the green sea turtle cleaning area – keeping a safe distance from these endangered beauties, of course.
Bishop Creek Hot Springs (2020)
In the height of the summer of 2020, I decided I needed an adventure. I ventured into the wilderness of Northern Nevada in search of a fabled hot spring, accessible only to those of noble heart, adventurous spirit, and nerves of steel.
Dramatic? You bet.
The Bishop Creek Hot Springs are tucked high in the Humboldt Mountains, along the Humboldt River, and are a serene oasis in the middle of the desert. I loved the secluded pools and rustic environment. Soaking alone in the hot springs was so relaxing, as you could imagine.
But the journey of getting to the hot springs themselves is what made my top travel experiences list.
When I did my research for visiting the Bishop Creek Hot Springs, I saw multiple warnings about the condition of the road to get out there. High-clearance vehicles only were the main warnings, as well as 4-wheel drive recommended. The last few miles to the springs were on a dirt road that was never maintained.
Do you think I heeded those warnings?
Nope. I was way too cocky and over-confident. After all, I’ve driven along some of the most dangerous roads in the world. What could go wrong?
A lot, as I quickly learned.
Not only were the grooves in the road extreme, but the boulders poking out were lying in wait to pop a tire. There were paths that lead around some of the worse sections of road, but they were clearly carved out for ATVs.
I attempted a few of these as I avoided washed out parts of the road. But even then, the plants growing between the treads of the road scrapped the undercarriage of my car, bare and vulnerable from a previous off-roading adventure.
5 MPH was too fast for this road, and there were times when my car was almost sideways as I avoided some of the bigger potholes. It got so bad, I was sweating and praying at the same time, hoping that my car wasn’t going to tumble down the mountain.
By the time I got about halfway through the last stretch of the drive, I had to pull over and park my car next to the river that I wasn’t able to ford.
Spoiler alert: I made it the rest of the way and then back again. I was so proud of myself for finding this little slice of heaven, and putting in so much effort to get there.
Kayaking to a Glacier
Have you ever watched one of those National Geographic videos of people kayaking next to a glacier? And have you ever wondered whether or not you’d be able to do that at some point in your life?
Well, I got that opportunity Labor Day 2021. My friend Ashley and I were in Alaska for a week and had adventures that would fill anyone’s bucket list, with plenty of leftovers to spare. We headed out before the sun rose from Anchorage, destination: Whittier, Alaska. Once there, we caught up with our small group, boarded our little boat, and headed off into the wild yonder.
We ended up kayaking along Blackstone Bay, up to 4 different glaciers. Along the way, we were dodging growlers (I called them glacier poop), the other members of our group that kept running into us, and tried to take as many pictures as we possibly could. There were times we just sat in the kayak and floated around, marveling at the beauty around us, ears listening for the faintest flap of wings, ripple of the water, or slaps of the fish.
Sunrise at The Mokes
When you start looking at popular/famous pictures of the Hawaiian Island of Oahu, chances are high that you’ll see a picture of “The Mokes” race across your computer screen. The Mokes are a local nickname for a pair of small, twin islets that sit just off the coast of Kailua Beach Park on Oahu’s Wailea Point.
I’ve made a point to check out the sunrises around the world, and I was craving an epic spot on Oahu to add the island to my list. Sunrise at The Mokes was on everyone’s “must-do” itineraries for Oahu, and based on the photos I found, I craved to have some of my own.
I was staying in a hostel on Waikiki, on the other side of the island from Wailea, so my day started in the dark, driving in to the unknown…which was oddly familiar. After watching the sky fade to a lighter shade of cotton candy pink, I managed to set my camera up for a different style of selfie and took a few takes. Judging by how many times I stare at the results, I’m pretty pleased. What do you think?
Road Tripping through Puerto Rico
Back in 2016, I was stranded overnight in a hotel in the San Juan airport. Ever since then, I had been itching to go back, to redeem Puerto Rico from the bad taste in my mouth, and give it another chance. I understood that my predicament wasn’t Puerto Rico’s fault (it was that Delta agent’s fault!), but as any traveler would tell you, a situation like that will color your opinion.
I finally got the chance to revisit Puerto Rico in early 2021 and was determined to redeem the island. And what better way to ensure that I had a great time than to rent a car and road trip around the island?
After a disastrous first night on the island (post forthcoming), I headed south to the town of Ponce, where I set up my home base for the first few nights. Over the span of the long weekend, I explored the southern coast, western coast, and northeast corner before returning the rental car (it wasn’t needed for Old San Juan).
I got to see parts of the island that blew away any preconceived notions of beauty. It was so surprising to me how easy it was to get around the island, how well-maintained the roads were, and how much I felt at ease as I criss-crossed the island. At a time when the rest of the world was feeling trapped, I was experiencing a sense of freedom that I didn’t anticipate.
Double Graduation in California
Due to 2020, my mom and brother’s college graduations were postponed to 2021 and combined with everyone else that was affected. And while some people would look at this as a negative, I was too busy staring at the silver lining – I only needed to make one trip to California for a massive graduation ceremony.
My mom, youngest brother and I road tripped down and stayed in an AirBnB…which felt a little weird, given the fact that we’d spent the majority of our lives in the area. But it was so much easier than staying with friends or family. We had packed schedules, and it’s so hard to stay with someone you know and spend adequate time with them, while still keeping your schedules.
Standing in the sun with some new friends, screaming “that’s my mom!” and “that’s my brother!” when their names were called over the speaker was so memorable. Sunburn aside, of course.
Willard, Utah
During 2020, I started binge-watching a certain YouTube channel and got hooked on their adventures. One of the things they did a few times was throwing a dart on a map of the US and visiting/hosting a party wherever the dart landed. I was eager to imitate that, but on a smaller scale.
For the month of July 2021, I embarked upon a month-long adventure challenge where I had daily adventures and created a daily vlog to document it. I have a dart board at my office, and affixed a printed map of northern Utah upon it. With the camera rolling, I threw the dart and it landed closest to the city of Willard, Utah.
My goal was to do a little bit of research, but not too much, and just show up and explore. See where the day took me, see what I could find, and prove that you don’t have to travel far to have an adventure. Most of my travels have to be pretty planned out, due to timing restrictions, but I set myself up for more spontaneity. And it was glorious.
Although I have lived in northern Utah since 2009, I never stopped in Willard. I’ve driven through it plenty of times, but always passing by it without a second glance. Even though it’s a smaller town, I managed to have so much fun exploring: driving down random roads, finding outdoor markets, mistaking a cemetery for an early elementary school location (oops), and so much more. I’m always a little proud when I can prove that you can have adventures anywhere.
Pizza Tour in Chicago
There were so many highlights to my trip to Chicago in the fall, but the one I chose to add to my favorite travel experiences of 2021 was taking a pizza tour in the windy city.
I’d never taken a proper food tour before, and was eager to see what it was like, determine whether or not it was worth it to do a food tour, and eat as much pizza as I possibly could.
Always one to be on time or early, I found out that I wasn’t alone. There were a gaggle of tour group members hanging around Pizano’s, the first stop on our tour. As soon as the doors opened and our tour guide welcomed us into the institution that is Pizano’s, I knew I was in for a treat.
We were bused around (in one of those fancy, swaggy, mini busses that people rent for big events) to 4 different pizza parlors, each different from the others. Not only did our group learn about the history of pizza in Chicago, but the ingredients, ovens and social importance each establishment played in the neighborhoods.
I couldn’t help but pinch myself every few minutes. I was eating Chicago pizza…in Chicago!
Seeing the Northern Lights
To cap off an amazing year, full of adventures, I’ll end this list of my favorite travel moments of 2021 with the end-all adventure. The type of adventure that most people only dream about getting to experience.
I got to watch the northern lights in Alaska.
Yes.
Within an hour of landing in Fairbanks, Alaska, my friend Ashley and I were standing on top of a mountain, surrounded by bear and moose-laden forest, faces affixed up to the sky.
For hours our eyes were arrested to the swirling colors above our heads, widened in disbelief that we were really there, really experiencing the northern lights.
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