In December, I always tend to reflect a bit on the highs and lows of the past year.
Naturally, as someone who loves travel, that includes looking back at our trips from the year. I love reminiscing about fond memories, great meals and fun times almost as much as I love dreaming about future travel experiences.
To my delight, 2024 was a great year for travel – including a return to business travel for me. I hadn’t taken a fun business trip in a handful of years and it was so cool to have not one but two this year!
Here are my favorite 2024 travel highlights… and one lowlight… that I will always want to remember.
- LA in April – my first trip of the year was a business trip to the left coast. I got to go a few days early and spend time with my parents, brother and his family before my big fancy work event. It was such a wonderful trip! The first couple of days were a blur of seeing family and feeling so lucky to have gotten a “free” trip to LA. The last part of the trip was a blur of hard work and bringing the Kids Mental Health Foundation experience to life for the California families – and lots of celebrities – who attended our event. It was an amazing trip that I feel so fortunate to have been able to take!
- NYC in May – the following month, I got to take another fabulous business trip, this time to the opposite coast. I had a big fancy work event at the MTV offices and then we got to light up the Empire State Building in our Kids Mental Health Foundation colors! I also got to bond with my colleagues, walk all the city, see The Great Gatsby on Broadway starring the one and only Jeremy Jordan, and experience high tea at the legendary Morgan Library. Another incredible trip I feel so lucky to have experienced!
- Cali in July – our big family vacation this year involved flying back to LA for some time with the extended fam. Then, E and Z and I roadtripped up to Big Sur for an incredible night in a cabin on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Then, we continued driving up the coast for an incredible two-day reunion with our beloved Napa! Getting to see our girl again after five years apart was unforgettable. I am so happy we got to see her living her best life in sunny Santa Cruz, spend a fun day with her at her Boardwalk amusement park, meet all the special people in her life, and whisk her away to Monterey for some more fun adventures. It was a short but oh-so-sweet reminder that family is forever, no matter how far away we may be!
- WV in August – I also got to take a short but wonderful day trip with my bestie this summer. We drove to the hills of West Virginia and visited the epic, hippie-built Palace of Gold. It was a dreamy, fun and fantastic girls’ day out. I long to go back again and see even more of the place – it was such a cool experience! This is definitely a trip we’ll be making again in 2025 and you can read all about our first visit in my blog post.
We also have one travel memory from early in the year that still wrenches at my heart. We tried to take a family trip to NC in March for Z’s spring break, but it didn’t go so well. We spent one night at a beautiful modern farm AirBnB with friendly animals galore and a gorgeous hot tub nestled on a hillside, but then a big family fight (really, more of a conflagration) happened.
As a result, we drove home in stony silence the next day instead of continuing on our planned week-long trip. It was sad, disappointing and even heartbreaking, and I wish none of it had happened – but thankfully, we moved on together as a family. I’m hoping we’ll get a chance at a do-over of that trip in 2025. Bad things do happen in life, and the only thing that truly matters is how we respond and grow from them.
As I write this, I can see snow flurries outside my window. Wintry weather always gets me dreaming about travel to warm places, tropical locales and sunny climes. Where are you planning to travel to in 2025? I’d love to hear your travel tales and wishes in the comments below or over on Facebook or Instagram!
