10 on the 10th - 10 Favorite Places to Travel
Good morning dear friends and happy Monday! I'm posting out of my usual schedule to share the monthly 10 on the 10th with Erin...only this time it's on the 11th of the month. Let's be honest, most of us don't look at emails over the weekend. At least I rarely do! This month we're discussing our top 10 favorite places to travel. This is a good practice for me because I actually need to sit down to create a list of places I have traveled to in my lifetime. I'm afraid I have forgotten quite a few! I have not forgotten my favorite places though! How could I?
My 10 Favorite Places to Travel:
1. Colorado. Every city I've been to has a luring affect on me. Between the weather, the mountains, the air, the vibe, the lifestyle. I love it. Certain cities hold my heart in an utopia kind of way. Romantic and rustic in the winters for skiing, fireplaces, and snow. Perfect weather during the summer for warmer days and cool evenings with lots of options for activities. And, I'm NOT really all that of an outdoorsy kind of person (bugs, wild life).
2. Napa Valley. Because wine. Plus, weather, beautiful land, great restaurants. How could anyone NOT love Napa (and Sonoma)?
3. Turkey. I know it may not be considered exceptionally safe to travel there at the moment, however it will forever be one of my favorite trips and experiences. The food, the culture, the history, the people, and the FOOD. ;) The country is beautiful on so many levels.
4. Amsterdam. This city and the rest of the Netherlands is so different from the US and yet so welcoming! I love the bicycles everywhere, the canals, the food (cheese!!), and amazing people there. I find the language so intriguing and have quite the respect for how difficult it is to speak because I tried. Really, I did. The country is beautiful.
5. Romania. Transylvania, for real. It's a long ways to get over there but once you do everything is so inexpensive! We hired a driver/guide for our entire trip and Marius was the best. Romania's country side was picturesque, the wine and food was ridiculously cheap, and the history is enchanting. We visited numerous cities in five days, walked across a frozen lake, went into Vlad the Impaler's home and birth place, learned a lot about the culture, and ate at a Romanian/Mexican restaurant. Who knew that existed?
6. Ireland. Goodness. Just go. You'll understand. Shepherd's pie, Guinness stew, the Guinness (which I do not like in the US and tastes delicious over there!), the countryside, the sheep, the coasts, the rock formations, the music, the accents, the Kerry Gold butter. It was a dream. (Karen, we must go back!)
7. New York. Four days, three nights is all you need. It's expensive. It's hectic. But, there is nothing like the energy in New York. When you need a break from the non-stop walking and site-seeing, take in a play or musical or go for a stroll in Central Park. My favorite time to go is when it's cold and hopefully snowing but I pretty much wouldn't turn down any NY trip any time of year.
8. France. I've driven through the country side. I've been to Paris and other towns so small they don't register on the map to shop at farmer's markets and wine taste in castles. I've been to southern France: Cannes and St Tropez. It's a gorgeous country with a romantic language all it's own. Great wine and cheese. Interesting history and fashion if you're into that. Beautiful coastal cities.
9. Portland, Oregon. Oh the beauty. The rain. The fall foliage. It's in my heart of hearts. We drove east along the Columbia River Gorge. We drove west to the Pacific coast. The trees are tall and towering, earthy and stunning. The orchards and farms beckon to be visited. And if you're into Pinot Noir there is a lot of options for those vineyards too!
10. The Caribbean, please. The easiest for us to get to is Mexico's GORGEOUS beach cities, but there's a ton of stunning islands in the Caribbean. I've been fortunate to travel there since I was 10 years old and have visited approximately 20 islands and they each have history, culture, food, and beaches that hold their own in comparison to other islands. Cruising is a great way to get to sample the islands and then decide which one you may want to fly to directly some day. Bright aqua water with white sand beaches (or pink in the Bahamas!) that rival other remote places across the world only with a much better price tag and shorter flight.
It is really difficult to keep that list to ten places as I've enjoyed most every trip I've been on. I love to travel near and far! It's hard to pass up the opportunity to travel and see the world or even more of the US. Life is about moments and some of my favorite moments have been exploring new places.
What are some of your favorite places to travel to? Any suggestions?
I'm happy to answer any questions you may have on places I've been to and feel free to reach out about places I didn't list because I might have been there too. ;) You can see some previous reviews I've shared on TripAdvisor.com here. Now...I must add to my to-do list (again) the need to make a list of all of the places I have traveled to. I'd hate to forget!
Wishing you all a fabulous Monday. May your day be easy and quick! Cheers!
XOXO
