6 Trips I Want To Take In 2018

Hey all, I hope your week is off to a great start! If you read my post last year about how I actually managed to stick to my travel goals for the year, you’ll know that travel is always more accessible than we think it is. So often we find excuses for why we can’t go somewhere or make a certain trip work, but by setting these goals at the beginning of the year, I feel like I have more of a chance of actually meeting them. Last year, I had a goal of going to three new U.S. cities and two international destinations. I had hoped to visit Chicago, Nashville and a southwestern city (which ended up working out when I got invited on a press trip to Las Vegas) as well as London and Barcelona. I made it to the three U.S. cities that I mentioned but ended up going to Thailand and delaying London. I am going to pretty much keep the same model for this year and just know that I can account for unexpected opportunities to pop up too—like Thailand and Cincinnati did last year. If there’s one thing I can promise, it’s that I’ll make it to London this year!

I’m determined to see as much of the world as I possibly can. I follow the rule that Nora’s family uses because they’ve been pretty much everywhere in the world, where it only counts as a visit if you’ve left the airport. If I was counting countries where I’ve had airport layovers then I could add Sweden and Switzerland to the list, but I will stick to the rule and hopefully get to go back to those places soon. But in the meantime, I'm hoping to check a few other places off my list...

United States

Austin, Texas

I’m so happy that this is the first trip I’ve booked this year, my roommates and I are going in February! Aside from the obvious exciting fact that I share a name with this city, I’ve heard nothing but good things about Austin. On my to do list would be delicious food, amazing vintage shopping, and hopefully some live music. If you have any suggestions about where to stay or what to do, leave me a note in the comments!

New Orleans, Louisiana

I’ve been wanting to check out New Orleans for so long and now that I’ve had a few friends who have gone (including Erika Fox a.k.a Retro Flame, watch her trip vlog here) I definitely have to check this city out. And I’d like a binget upon landing, please and thank you.

Charleston, South Carolina

My friend Sally is from here and I’ve definitely been wanting to check out South Carolina! Last year my mom and I went to Chicago, which I have decided should be the beginning of an annual girls trip (so mom, if you’re reading this...Girls Trip??) and I think that this picturesque little city would be the perfect place for us to spend a long weekend. Also thinking Savannah, Georgia would be nice...we’ll have to do some research and pick one!

International

London, England

I still cannot believe I’ve never been to London!! I think that it is probably the most similar to New York and I am dying to go. As many of you know my jetsetter friend Nora moved there last year and I definitely need to visit her. I’m hoping to make this a big spring trip.

Edinburgh, Scotland

After Nora and I did our incredible winter break trip about a year ago (relive that trip to Amsterdam, Berlin and Rome through my photo diary here) I realized that one of the best parts about going to Europe is how easy it is to travel to other cities, so there’s no reason to not hit up more than one once you’re over there. Edinburgh looks like a literal postcard and I’d love to spend a day or two there while also checking out London.

Mexico or Belize

I haven’t done a lot of research about either of these places yet (hence why only the countries are listed) but I really want to check out more of North America and hit up a Spanish-speaking country considering I’ve still never been to one! Maybe I’ll save these for a beach trip at the end of next year when the weather starts to get chilly.

Whenever I start complaining about wanting to travel but not having the time to, I always have to remind myself, “Girl…you live in New York.” There is SO much to see and do here and I could live here my whole life and still never see everything. So one of my 2018 goals is to also explore more of the amazing city I live in. I wrote up an NYC to-do list at the beginning of last year and still only checked off 2 out of 5 (!!!), so I still have some work to do when it comes to that! Here are some things I want to do in NYC in 2018 that I’ve never done before:

Visit the Guggenheim ✔️
Go to Coney Island ✔️
Rowboats in Central Park
Sixpoint Brewery
Frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity
Helicopter ride over the city
Drinks at The Champagne Bar at The Plaza
Eat at the Boathouse in Central Park

And here are some neighborhoods I love that I want to spend more time in:

Greenpoint✔️
Astoria
Dumbo
Bushwick ✔️
Upper East Side

And there you go! I really feel like the best way to follow through on your goals is to tell other people about them so you feel more accountable in a way. It definitely worked for me last year, so here’s to another year of getting to explore planet Earth!

Where do you hope to travel in 2018?

yours,

Austen

All images via Pinterest