My Best + Worst Vacations

If you’ve been around here for awhile, you will know that I am a big, big fan of vacation! When I saw that Andrea of Momfessionals was doing a travel link-up – I was 100% on board! To travel is to live. Forever and ever, amen. So today I’m breaking down all the places I’ve been – love it or list it style. Just kidding, but I do really love that show. Without further ado…My Best + Worst Vacations!

So let’s start with all the places I have loved…

1. Thailand. If you’ve read here for any amount of time whatsoever you will know that the time Dane and I spent in Thailand is time I will cherish forever. The culture, the people, the food, the sights…gah! All of it was just so magical. Dane had just returned from a super long training exercise and I had been through a ton that year. That trip was just what the doctored ordered. We often say that we would love to retire in Chiang Mai!

2. San Francisco. For my mom’s 50th birthday, instead of a party, we all went to San Francisco and I made a mental note that I wanted trips, not parties, forevermore. Though don’t get me wrong, I love a good party 😉 We toured around the city, visited Alcatraz and then went north to weave in and out of vineyards and wineries for a few more days. It was a trip to remember and we always talk about how much fun it would be to go back!

3. Italy. I’ve been to Italy six times so I guess you could say I enjoy it a little bit 😉 The best part is that Dane has never been (except when I FaceTime-d him in from Afghanistan during cooking school), so I have one big reason to go back! It’s one of my favorite places in the world, because there is so much to see and do, it’s nonstop hustle and bustle and oh-dear-heaven…THE FOOD! The best part is that you just walk everywhere and burn all that deliciousness off until it’s time to eat again. No complaints here!

4. Hawaii. Yep, we live here and yep, these are still some of our favorite beaches, hikes and eateries in the world. Simply put? It’s hands-down one of our favorite places to be. Each and every time we go to a new beach while on vacation, we wind up comparing it to the turquoise waters and white sand in our own backyard. Call us spoiled, but you just can’t beat life in Hawaii! We have had both friends and family visit, which is like a vacation in itself for us getting to go around the island or island hop to show them all our favorite places.

5. Seattle. Dane and I have both traveled to Seattle a handful of times separately and we finally got to go together a few years ago. It. Was. Magic. The food, the views, the insane amount of walking – we love it all. I know Seattle is considered the rainiest place ever (or something like that), but honestly – I will take it! For what it’s worth, it’s never rained during any of our visits.

And yes, this is 100% the free cheesy photo from atop the Space Needle! HA!

Other favorite trips include: New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, State College, PA (go Penn State!).

It’s super duper hard to narrow down all the amazing places I’ve traveled and loved. There are honestly only a few that are ‘thanks, but no thanks’ for me and even then – I’m still happy I went! But, my post title would be a lie if I didn’t include the places I haven’t been crazy about, so here we go:

Costa Rica. People rave and rave about it, but we were pretty disappointed. One of those – happy we went, don’t need to go back type of places. We headed there for our honeymoon and it just…fell flat. The best day we had is pictured below where we hired a private driver to take us hiking, to waterfalls, etc.

Orlando. We went for a wedding and had an extra day to play tourist. I think when you’re little and you visit Disney World is seems so magical and awesome, but as adults we kind of looked at each other like “holy crap, this place is insanely expensive! How did our parents do it?!” Kudos to all you parents out there braving those parks for the sake of your kids, you’re the real MVPs.

On tap for the rest of this year we have Boston, Martha’s Vineyard, Indonesia, Taiwan, Scottsdale, a few staycations here in Hawaii and one pending trip TBD over Thanksgiving (now taking suggestions!).

What is your favorite vacation destination? And why?! Give me all the details!