2018: Celebrating an amazing year of travel
As I enter my fourth year of blogging and look back on another wonderful year of travel, I have come to look forward to writing this type of blog post, as my annual “Favorite Travel Experiences” feature has unexpectedly become a personal favorite. For me, it serves as an opportunity to rejoice and reflect on another year of meaningful travel, lifelong memories, and monumental learning experiences that have undoubtedly left a lasting impression on my wanderlusting heart and insatiable traveling appetite.
Deep in the Amazon Rainforest: Guyana’s thunderous Kaieteur Falls
So many of my interactions while traveling, whether positive or frustrating, significant or trivial, and/or enjoyable or uncomfortable, have in some way, impacted, and in many cases, altered my perspective and appreciation for this wondrous world of ours, and the various individuals and cultures that inhabit it.
In short, travel is the flame that sets my soul on fire, burning brighter and stronger with every single trip, destination, and encounter. Few things in this life leave me more inspired, invigorated, and interested than exploring this incredible planet of ours.
Hawaii: Catching the sun yet another day
Of course, I am human, imperfect and flawed to the core, and am constantly working towards reminding myself to be grateful for these amazing experiences and my good fortune. A continued work in progress, I am trying my best to not take these remarkable opportunities for granted, as well as savor every delicious moment.
Here it is: The best of the best of our 2018 travels.
Traveling With Friends Is Always a Good Idea
Sonoma Valley’s Gloria Ferrer: Where the wines and views sparkle with radiance.
2018 proved to be a year-long escapade with friends, including both domestic and international destinations. We tasted an abundance of wine, visited majestic castles and fortresses, tasted even more wine, and lost battles with the wind while trying desperately to remain poised and balanced on paddle boards all along the way.
Below are the highlights of adventuring with friends throughout 2018. May 2019 continue to bring us more resounding moments and jaunts with the ones we love.
PORTUGAL
Discovering Lisbon’s Bairro Alto with our friends Rachel and Charlie
Rivaling Hawaii as our favorite trip of 2018, we fell in love with Portugal’s culture, food, beauty, and approachability. There’s a sense of comfortableness when traveling through Portugal that you don’t always experience when venturing abroad. Portugal seems to possess everything that a visitor wants: It’s easy to reach (a relatively short six hour flight from New York), it’s significantly more affordable than other Western European cities, it possesses a food, wine, and port scene that will make your taste buds swoon, and it’s chock-full of history, art, and music.
Views from Sao Jorge Castelo
Lisbon
We spent three lovely days in Lisbon, strolling through avant-garde neighborhoods, exploring captivating castles, imposing monuments, and elaborate monasteries. We wined and dined filling our bellies with Portuguese staples like cod fritters and Pastéis de Nata, and were entranced by Portugal’s painstakingly beautiful folk music, Fado, which eloquently conveys stories of loss, identity, and culture. We fell head over heels for this charismatic and vibrant city.
Click here to read all about our love affair with Lisbon.
Porto & douro valley
We spent two wonderful days bouncing from one port house to the next while exploring the city of Porto and the Douro Valley, Portugal’s picturesque and verdant wine region. We gleefully filled our days tasting as many delicious and luscious wines, ports, olive oils, and cheeses that our bellies could handle. Characterized by undulating curves and dramatic landscapes, the region is an idyllic area to sample bold and velvety wines and ports while soaking in striking panoramic views.
Sweeping views of the striking Douro Valley
Port tasting at Porto’s Espaço Porto Cruz
Stay tuned for a comprehensive blog post on Porto and the Douro Valley!
The most epic day trip: SINTRA
The incredibly ornate Pena Palace
The day trip of all day trips. A short thirty minute train ride from Lisbon whisks you away to the magical and whimsical town of Sintra, a fairytale destination brimming of exquisite palaces, extravagant mansions and embellished gardens. An array of opulent palaces and resplendent castles dot the pine-covered hills of the Serra de Sintra, making it one of the most stunning areas in all of Portugal.
Those views!
Castelo dos Mouros
A blog post outlining our time in Sintra is forthcoming.
CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY
Scribe: Where all of your wine and food dreams come true.
Spectacular vistas, crisp fresh air, copious amounts of flowing wine, and an incredible group of lifelong friends–what more can one possibly ask for? This summer, our party of fifteen spent a few glorious days of winery hopping throughout Sonoma County. We visited a variety of phenomenal vineyards, but our all-time favorite was Scribe, where we were treated to a sumptuous five course lunch with perfectly aligned wine pairings.
The best wines are the ones we drink with friends.
Party Bus Antics: Bringing a touch of class to Wine Country
To read about our very first trip to Napa and Sonoma Valleys, click here.
A second installment depicting our most recent Sonoma adventure is coming soon!
TULUM
At Gitano, one of many of Tulum’s stunning and divine restaurants and Mezcal bars
There’s a reason why practically everyone you know is flocking to Tulum. It may be only ninety minutes away from Cancun, but Tulum might as well as be on an entirely different planet. Forget the overcrowded all-inclusives and cheesy late-night visits to Senor Frogs and Dady’O (yes, I may be reminiscing about my own sordid spring break experiences, what of it?). In short, Tulum is a foodie’s and yogi’s paradise dream. So yeah, you could say that my friend Abby and I are a bit smitten with this little Yucatan Peninsula gem.
Mayan Ruins of Tulum
While its 1,000 year old Mayan ruins that overlook the piercing turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea are certainly a draw here, by no means are they the sole reason for Tulum’s recent dramatic rise of visitors. No, I’d say it’s the combination of fabulous restaurants and bars enveloped in jungle surroundings, countless yoga studios, stretches of white sand beaches, and laid-back vibes that is so damn appealing here.
Paddleboard yoga on the lagoon — not featured: falling in again and again and again
Look for a detailed Tulum post very soon!
SEATTLE
Seattle Seahawks game with the best of them.
Boasting a phenomenal location amid beautiful natural splendor, progressive cutting-edge initiatives, and strong adherence to high environmental standards, it’s no wonder that Seattle is one of my favorite U.S. cities. But the real reason that we continue to return to the Emerald City is the guy below, one of our all-time favorite humans and one of our very best friends.
Our favorite Seattleite, Kelby
The icing on the already sweet cake was having our dear friends Jenna and Marc, who live in Colorado, meet up with us in Seattle. To say that this was the epitome of the best of two worlds colliding would be a vast understatement. So much fun with some of our favorites.
To read more about a collection of our favorite things to see, do, eat and drink pieced together from four different trips to Seattle, click here.
HAWAII
Along the incomparable Road to Hana in Maui
Is it really that beautiful? We’ve been asked that question a lot since returning from Hawaii. There’s a sense of intrigue and utter infatuation with this remote chain of U.S. islands that is even more amplified with us east coasters, isn’t there?
The answer is unequivocally YES. JUST YES. It is THAT beautiful.
Even with all of the hype that surrounds Hawaii, it still managed to blow us away with its jaw-dropping natural beauty, wide array of things to see and do, and relaxed atmosphere.
We split our time between Kauai and Maui, two incredible islands that are as spectacular as they are different.
Highlight of Kauai: The Spectacular Na Pali Coast
The pure and unparalleled beauty of the Na Pali Coast is other-worldly–a natural phenomenon that you truly have to see to fully appreciate its splendor and grandeur. Fifteen miles of rugged coastline comprised of towering jagged cliffs and a striking contrast of rich colors and textures, Na Pali Coast is one of the most extraordinary examples of Mother’s Nature’s gifts to the universe that we have ever seen.
Sailing along the Na Pali Coast
To read about how to spend four blissful days on Kauai, click here.
HIGHLIGHT OF MAUI: THE ROAD TO HANA
My favorite day of our nine-day trip was exploring the Road to Hana, Maui’s, if not all of Hawaii’s, crown jewel. Encompassing lush rainforests, impressive and rugged ocean views, and cascading waterfalls, the Road to Hana is absolutely heavenly. The Road to Hana reminds us that it’s all about the journey here, rather than the destination.
While words will never do this place justice, look out for a Road to Hana and Maui blog post soon!
Let Life Catch You By Surprise
Kaieteur Falls: One of the most amazing natural sites we’ve ever seen
I love when destinations surprise you and exceed expectations. These experiences can arguably end up being the most rewarding, serving as a great reminder to abandon those preconceived notions that many of us have about too many places, and fully embrace those less regarded and even lesser traveled locales with clear eyes and open hearts.
Two destinations this year surprised the hell out of us, and for very different reasons…
KENTUCKY’S BOURBON TRAIL
Style, sophistication, innovative cuisine, and a killer cocktail scene in…Kentucky? I know, we were shocked, too. We celebrated T’s birthday drinking our way through Kentucky’s Urban Bourbon Trail and let me tell you, we had the best time. We based ourselves in Louisville and between the restaurants, bars and particularly the distilleries, the level of urbanity and hipsterness (not entirely sure that’s a word) was so much more elevated than we could have ever imagined.
To read all about our trip to Louisville and the Urban Bourbon Trail, read here.
Touring Angel’s Envy, our favorite distillery of the trip
KAIETEUR FALLS, GUYANA
Regarded as the world’s largest single drop waterfall by the volume of water flowing over it, Kaieteur Falls absolutely blew us away. Located in Kaieteur National Park, deep in the Amazon Rainforest in central Guyana, Kaieteur Falls is one of the most breathtaking natural sites we have visited thus far.
While Kaieteur Falls is Guyana’s top tourist attractions, I’m going to venture to say that there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of it. I know we hadn’t before visiting. For one, it’s incredibly remote, as it requires an hour flight aboard a small aircraft (ours was a 15-seater) from in and around Geogetown, Guyana’s capital city. But I think the greater obstacle here is Guyana is not on many traveler’s radars. In fact, when I told people that T and I were traveling to Guyana to visit T’s sister and family, who are currently expatted there, many thought we going to Ghana, which of course is not in South America, but in Africa. And make no mistake, other than visiting the Falls and National Park, I’m not entirely sure there is much more to entice even the most adventurous and seasoned of travelers. But if life does indeed take you to Guyana one day, please make it your life mission to get to Kaieteur. An incredible natural wonder that is nothing short of extraordinary.
So many brilliant rainbows!
Family joy and fun in Guyana
A blog post describing our Guyanese adventure is coming soon!
So what does 2019 have in store for us Hills in terms of travel? Morocco in February, South Korea in April and a wedding in Aruba in October are all on the books.
A considerable travel and life goal of visiting 50 countries is becoming more and more realistic, as I’m only 3 countries away from accomplishing this incredible feat (Alas, Aruba is a repeat destination, so it doesn’t count!)! While I’m not sure if I’ll hit my goal of 50 countries in 2019, I will bask in the joy and be grateful (see, I’m trying here!) that it’s well within reach!
Wishing you and yours an abundance of joy, love, adventure, growth, and gratitude in the New Year and beyond!
May 2019 also bring you better hair days and more flattering outfits than this…
Happy Traveling, All!
Recent Reads: Bogota, DC Dining December 2018, Amsterdam
Related Reads: Favorite 2017 Travels, Favorite 2016 Travels, IF | THEN