This annual post is one of my favorites to write – a review of the 2025 year of travel.

It’s a chance to look back at the travel memories for the year. A chance to dream about what’s coming up in 2026. And, when I publish it, it means I’m done with writing work for the year. This is my post about trying to live my best life every single day.

My travels in 2025 included one new continent (Africa), two new countries (Belize, Morocco), and lots of new experiences. There are still posts to come on many of these travels, so I encourage you to subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter here.

I continue to consider this stage of my life as my “season of yes.” I’m saying yes to new experiences, new destinations, and even new foods. So if you have something that I need to say yes to, please get in touch.

Note, however, that this does not mean that I’m saying yes to every business opportunity. I continue to pare down those opportunities to only ones that make me excited about travel. I’ve moved from scaling my business into streamlining my business to give me work-life balance, and I want to be at my desk fewer hours next year.

And, since I’ll be serving as President of SATW (Society of American Travel Writers), I’ll be balancing those responsibilities with my travel.

I managed to check a few things off my bucket list (which is really just a list of 100 things I’d like to experience). I update it every couple years, so it means I need to do that next month. Here’s what I checked off this year:

• Visited Morocco. It was just a one-day stop over in Casablanca (part of a flight with Royal Air Maroc), but we packed the most into we could. Lots to see on a return visit, perhaps next time to Marrakesh.
• Sleep in an Ice Hotel. I modified this one to having dinner at the Ice Hotel, which we did during the SATW Board of Directors meeting in Quebec City.
• Paddleboat cruise. This was an unexpected check off. Our Croisi cruise on the Loire River was on their ship Loire Princesse, a ship with side paddles.
• New countries: Morocco, Belize

Read on for 2025, a year of travel in review.

January

We started 2025 with our traditional stay in Seattle, surrounded by family and friends. We book a suite at a local hotel,the Hyatt Oive 8 is our current favorite, invite family and friends to stop by for charcuterie, wine, and conversation, and then host a dinner at a local restaurant. We end the evening watching the fireworks display off the Space Needle, then tumble into bed. We’ve been doing this for close to 15 years, and we always look forward to it.

Another January tradition is heading to New York City for an annual business event, two days of education, networking, and meetings. We always try to make time for a couple of Broadway performances; this year we only had time for one and saw Gypsy starring Audra McDonald. WOWZA – what a fabulous performance.

Off to Quebec City for business meetings and their Winter Carnival. It was an enjoyable return visit for me, although last time was in the fall, and a first visit for Tony.

There was snow, blizzard-level, and time outside was both freezing and fun. Carnival brings such joyous excitement to the city, and if you can dressq accordingly, it’s a fabulous time.

We’ll plan a return visit during warmer weather.

We finally got around to a dedicated trip to London. Our previous visits were short, one-day or passing through. We saw a great miles valuation in business class and jumped on it, then worked out all the details from there.

We stayed in Westminster at the St. Ermin’s Hotel. It has an interesting spy and cold war history, and we soaked up that ambiance. A bell in the lobby is a holdover from when Members of Parliament would spend time drinking at the bar there. When the bell rang, it meant it was time to rush back to the Assembly to cast a vote.

The hotel was well-located, close to the tube, and we ran ourselves ragged seeing all the sights we hadn’t had a chance to visit.

One of the highlights of our time there, was a tour to Oxford and to visit the Harry Potter studio. We’re fans, although not in the super fan category, and we enjoyed this so much! It was a great afternoon combining the magic of movies with the magic of Hogwarts. Highly recommended!

In late April, I headed to Knoxville, Tennessee, as part of a media visit that also incuded the small town of Sweetwater. Knoxville has a AA-Minor League baseball team, Knoxville Smokies, and it was fun to attend a game in their new stadium.

I’ll have a dedicated baseball post coming soon, giving you plenty of time to plan a baseball-themed getaway.

I spent a long Memorial Day weekend in Charleston, South Carolina, attending an SATW event. Charleston is full of rich history and delicious food, a perfect destination for a getaway weekend.

June

New country time! Off to Belize for a stay at the beautiful Villa Selena on the Placencia peninsula. This private sanctuary has six suites, each one self contained, with a common kitchen, dining, and living space.

This is a perfect spot for a getaway with friends, with lots to do – snorkeling, jungle exploration, hiking, waterfalls – or do nothing at all but relax by the pool or on the beach.

Then it was off to discover another small town getaway, Grants Pass, Oregon. While this is a year-round destination, summer here calls to me here more than winter. I’ll have some great tips for you as you plan your spring and summer travels.

July

Off to Switzerland and France for a trip sponsored by Comte Cheese. Comte is one of France’s most recognized cheese, and its DPC covers the region of France that borders with Switzerland. It was a tasty trip visiting small town, farms, and productions facilities, learning all about Comte.

There’s only a small amount of Comte exported to the United States, so if you find it at your local cheesemonger, scoop it up. If you don’t see it, ask if they can order it. Delicious!

After nearly a week of cheese, I trained it (with a writing colleague) from Geneva to Avignon to begin a week long cruise on Riverside’s Ravel. Riverside is a 5-star luxury experience, with an outstanding food and wine program, butler service, and terrific customer service. Look for a full review after the first of the year as we get ready for Wave Season!

I spent an extra night in Lyon after the cruise. It’s a delightful town and I love to get back there with Tony.

August-September

This is probably my favorite time of year in the Pacific Northwest, so we stuck pretty close to home for most of it. It’s always nice to be a tourist and home, exploring things that you may not have known about.

We spent a long Labor Day weekend with extended family in Long Beach, Washington. We stayed in a beautiful home with an unobstructed view of the Ocean. The home has six bedrooms (two of which are primary suites), a fully equipped kitchen, and all the games, puzzles, movies, and outdoor equipment you could possibly want.

Our days were spend walking the beach, visiting the nearby beach communities, and crossing the bridge into Astoria, Oregon. In the evenings, we kicked back, had dinner together and spent the evenings playing games of cornhole, working on a huge jigsaw puzzle, and star gazing.

We spent a week in Detroit for the SATW Board of Directors meeting and annual convention, going in a day early to catch a Detroit Tiger baseball game. Comerica Park is a great stadium for baseball and we were impressed with how easy it is to access all the stadium amenities. And who knew that we’d be so invested how the Tigers played until we were deepere in the baseball season.

We got to enjoy quite a bit of Detroit outside the usual education and business sessions. For those of you thinking that Detroit it still a downtrodden city, think again. While the city representatives hate to think of it as a comeback revitalization – it is. And it’s impressive.

The downtown core is aburst with city living, hotels, an entertainment district, and a vibe that it’s a great place to be. There’s an impressive line up of museums in Detroit, plenty of outdoor spots for nature, and enough to keep you busy for a weekend getaway (or longer).

Ending the summer season was a trip to Vancouver, B.C., for, of all things, a Pokemon event. We’ve sort of gotten into the Pokemon Go app (Tony moreso than me), and we enjoy playing with extended family. This was a combination getaway for gaming and getaway to spend time with family.

We took Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver. While it took slightly longer than it would take if we had flown, it was a much more pleasant experience. No long lines at check in or security, and we didn’t need to arrive hours before our schedule departure. We’re interested in trying train travel again.

The exchange rate makes travel in Canada a real bargain, so we opted for a downtown luxury hotel, staying at The Douglas. It was a great location and everyone loved it. I still like the waterfront area, but this is a very runner up. Our hotel rate includes a ton of amenities and perks (daily breakfast and a food and beverage credit, so upgrading wasn’t really much of an additional expense.

October

Off to Haywood County, North Carolina, for a site visit for the 2026 SATW Annual Convention. It’s a beautiful part of Appalachia, situated amid the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Great Smoky Mountains, and Pisgah National Forest.

Mother Nature put on a beautiful fall foliage display, one I hope will repeated when we’re there for the convention. The small towns in this area offer so much more to see and do than I imagines, and I’m looking forward to a return next October.

New Continent – Africa! New Country – Morocco!

Our end destination was Nantes, France, and I spent hours pouring over flight prices and point valuations that would allow us to fly business class. Nothing was coming together for me.

I finally found flights that took us SEA-JFK-CMN-NTE and gave us a 24-hour stopover in Casablanca. Surprisingly, Tony said yes, and I then got to work planning what we could do for those hours.

I connect with writing colleague, Amanda Ponzio Mouttaki, owner of Moroccan Food Adventures, for help. Amanda does more than just food tours in Marakesh (where she lives); she can put together a custom tour with a car, driver, and tour guide, that means your schedule. That’s what she did for us, and if you have plans in Morocco, or anywhere in Africa, get in touch with her to see what she can put together.

Our driver picked us up at the airport, took us to Rabat where we met our English speaking guide, and we spent most of the day touring historical sites in the area. We then returned to Casablanca for dinner, a quick loop around the city, and then fell into bed at our hotel. It was a crazy busy 24 hours, we were dead on our feet by the end of the day, and we wouldn’t change a thing.

November

Nantes, France, is an adorable town and we spent three nights there resting up from our quick time in Morocco and jetlag. It’s an easily walkable city (with a fun green line that you can follow to sites around the city), and we logged lots of steps each day.

Then it was boarding Croisi’s Loire Princesse for a cruise on the Loire River. Croisi is the only cruising the Loire River, so if this is on your to-do list, they are the only game in town.

I’m still processing our time on Croisi. It was not at all what we were expecting, and I very much have mixed feelings about it. Stay tuned.

It was time for a cruise of a different nature, with the launch of the new Celebrity ocean ship, Xcel. This special sailing two-night sailing was a non-revenue sailing, with guests representing media, travel agents, and various representatives from the travel industry. It was a time for ship immersion, we didn’t stop in any ports, and with so many new features (restaurants, bars, public spaces), we were constantly discovering something new.

We’re fans of the Celebrity Edge class ships in general, and specifically the Retreat (their suite class “ship within a ship”), and the Xcel fits right into the kind of ocean sailing we enjoy. Look for that review during Wave Season, and get ready to book with all the promotions sure to be offered.

December

Just as we were settling in for a month of not traveling, we decided to make a last minute getaway (and mileage run) to Dublin, Ireland.

While I’ve spent lots of time in Ireland, touring castles, enjoying nature, visiting the Aran Islands, learning about fairy forts, I’ve spent minimal time in Dublin.

We stayed at the Fitzwilliam, adjacent to Grafton Street, and spent three days walking and covering every inch of the city that we could. We saw historical sites, churches and cathedrals, and visited castles. We dined in pubs, corner cafes, and soaked up the holiday decorations. It was quick, a whirlwind visit, and we left much unseen. We’ll get to more on a return trip.

And now we really are home for the rest of the year. The tree is decorated, presents are wrapped, and we’ll spend the holiday season surrounded by family and friends. These are people who I dearly love – who encourage me to dream big, who support me in my travels (and often get to come along), and cheer my successes. They challenge me to be the best me that I can be. I love them all!

May your 2026 find you surrounded by just such friends and family.

See you in the New Year!