Thank you to TripAdvisor for sponsoring this post! Book any hotel through TripAdvisor.com in the month of March and be automatically entered to win incredible prizes – more details at the end of the post. #BookToWin
As you guys know, I LOVE to travel. (See also: my enormous blog travel page which includes all my work and personal travel adventures since starting this blog in 2009.) There’s nothing like leaving work and normal life behind and experiencing a different culture, and once I finished grad school Matt and I started making it a priority to do at least one big trip (and/or a couple smaller ones) per year. Give me an adventure/experience over diamonds any day. 🙂
In 2013, Matt and I spent about a week adventuring around Italy as part of a trip including a friend’s wedding. I’m still dreaming of hiking Cinque Terre.
In 2014, I spent a couple weeks exploring France and Switzerland with friends. (One of the highlights was the awesome and really affordable off-the-beaten path hostel where we stayed in Switzerland – Hostel Rotschuo. Right on the water and very family-friendly. I think I was the only American there!)
And last summer, Matt and I headed to Malta (via an overnight layover in Istanbul) for some scuba diving adventures. (If you ever make it to Malta, I highly recommend the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Golden Sands – gorgeous. And for Instanbul, highly recommend The Premist hotel – it lived up to its reviews and is super centrally located, which was great for our quick layover!)
As for this year, here’s what we have 100% set so far for the next few months:
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In April, we’re heading to Florida for Matt’s brother’s wedding. We have a house from a family friend to stay in for half the week, and Matt and I decided to go early and treat ourselves to a mini-vacation before the wedding festivities begin. We’re going to stay at the SpringHill Suites Pensacola Beach for a couple nights, which we booked because it has amazing reviews on TripAdvisor!
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Our big trip scheduled so far this year, though, is a hiking trip to western Canada in June! We’re traveling with my German friend Melli and her husband Moritz for most of the trip, which will include hiking in Banff National Park and Jasper National Park before ending in Vancouver. So excited! We’re mostly staying at budget places to keep the trip cost down – in Banff we’re staying at the Bow View Lodge, and in Jasper at the Mount Robson Inn. The only thing we still need to book is our Vancouver hotel – any recommendations for a place that’s not too expensive but nice and centrally located? I’m waiting to book that hotel until the TripAdvisor contest starts. 😉
Speaking of – more details about that contest – TripAdvisor’s #BookToWin Trip-A-Day Giveaway! In addition to reading reviews and checking prices, did you know that you can now book hotels right on TripAdvisor? To celebrate, TripAdvisor is giving away over $60,000 worth of trip money – sweet! Book any hotel through TripAdvisor.com in the month of March and be automatically entered to win incredible prizes. 31 winners from every day in the month of March will receive $1.5k towards their next trip booked on TripAdvisor, and 1 grand prize winner will receive $15k towards a getaway of their choice, anywhere in the world, booked on TripAdvisor. Amazing!
Happy hotel booking and traveling, my friends!
What do you guys have planned on the travel front this year?
What’s the #1 place on your travel bucket list right now?
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Please note there are affiliate links in this post.
