Hey travel bugs! Long time no talk! It’s been a busy year of work, travel, working on my upcoming novel, and a medical procedure that gave me some time to rest and think about priorities.
Last year I got my driver’s license and this summer I’m determined to make the most of my days off by exploring places I haven’t been before and places I’ve been to in the past but haven’t been able to get to for one reason or another. I made myself a list for the “Summer of Exploration,” but my list really stretches far into the fall. Some of these I’ve already checked off, some are fun activities / movies and some are parks I’m planning to return to as I’ve also made exercise a priority…
1. High Cliff State Park, Sherwood, Wisconsin
High Cliff State Park
2. Iverson Park and Bound to Happen Books, Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Iverson Park
3. Firebrand (movie) – June 14, 2024
4. Mosquito Hill Nature Center, New London, Wisconsin
Mosquito Hill
5. Hayman Falls County Park, Shawano County, Wisconsin
Hayman Falls
6. Hartman Creek State Park, Waupaca, Wisconsin
7. Cherney Maribel Caves County Park (Manitowoc County, Wisconsin), Greenhouse Coffee Shop (Kohler, Wisconsin), Lottie Cooper Shipwreck (Sheboygan, Wisconsin)
8. Escanaba/Gladstone, Michigan
9. Navarino Nature Center, Navarino, Wisconsin
10. Devil’s Lake State Park, Baraboo, Wisconsin
11. Door County, Wisconsin (a favorite destination!)
12. Symco Weekender (Event), Symco, Wisconsin
13. Wiowash State Trail, Outagamie County, Wisconsin
14. Rib Mountain State Park, Wausau, Wisconsin
15. Fully Stocked Wine Bar, Shawano, Wisconsin
16. It Rose From the Ashes (my new book!) Releases September 13, 2024!
17. Two Lakes Supper Club, Almond, Wisconsin
18. Fall Trip: Portland Maine, Portsmouth New Hampshire, Salem Massachusetts, Providence Rhode Island, Mystic Connecticut
I’ll be sure to keep you updated on each adventure and catch you up on my spring trip to Charleston, South Carolina in April, a Door County weekend in May, and my travel planning for this fall and beyond! Thank you for taking this journey with me! Safe travels!
Hey Wanderlusters! It’s been a minute. I can’t believe I haven’t even posted about my April trip to Charleston yet. I had an amazing time… but that’s a story for another day. Today I’m outlining my travel plans for the rest of 2023 and 2024.
Fall 2023
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah has been on my list of places to visit for a while and I love the similarities to Charleston, which makes me feel at ease being somewhere somewhat familiar traveling solo. I have some vacation days coming up in September so I’m just starting to get things planned for my trip.
The Rest of 2023:
I have a few more days coming to me for vacation for the rest of the year but with my birthday coming up in August, a festival my family always volunteers at/goes to the week after my birthday, and my favorite holiday (Halloween) coming up in the second half of the year I’m mainly going to be sticking around Wisconsin. I’ll maybe take a beach day up to Michigan or spend a few days in Milwaukee visiting family in the fall but nothing too far reaching.
Spring 2024:
Asheville, North Carolina
Another place I’ve always wanted to see is The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. I debated about a fall trip this year instead of Savannah (then doing Savannah in the spring) but Asheville seems like an area I’ll probably want to rent a car – and I’m trying to talk my mom into going with me – so I want to take some time to get my confidence in driving on my own this summer, fall, and winter once I (hopefully) pass my road test in July.
I don’t have any firm dates for this one but probably April or May 2024.
Fall 2024:
Burlington, Vermont
As much as I love the south (and I do, I really, really do) I’d love to go somewhere in the fall where I can see some gorgeous fall leaves like I see in the autumn lovers groups I belong to on Facebook. I always dreamed of going to Salem, MA but I’ve heard some not great things about how they view tourists in the past year so I’ve sort of scratched them off my list. Alternately, Burlington, Vermont peaked my interest while doing some research for a book I’m writing and quickly made it to the top of my list of New England cities to check out.
Like Asheville, I have no outlined dates for this one but my trips are usually falling in April and in September so mid-to-late September 2024 is likely.
Where in the world does this post find you? What are your upcoming travel plans? Tell me all about them and if you’ve ever been to any of these locations!
I’m still at the beginning of my traveling journey yet. There are so many places I want to go and things I want to see. Today I’m listing 10 Places I Want to Visit Domestically and 10 Places I Want to Visit Internationally.
Domestic:
1. Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is at the top of my list, and actually one of my picks for where I might want to go this fall. It’s competing against a return trip to Charleston, South Carolina though, which I absolutely love so I might have to make it a day trip from Charleston.
2. Salem, Massachusetts
I’ve been dying to go to Salem for years now. I’d love to go in October one year; both for the changing leaves and the seasonal events.
3. Vermont (Possibly Burlington)
Vermont is on my list of New England places I’d love to go. Last year when I was trying to decide where I want to go for my first solo trip, I considered Burlington which looks like an interesting city.
4. The Stanley Hotel (Estes Park, Colorado
As a huge horror novel/movie fan and paranormal enthusiast, I would love to visit the hotel that inspired Stephen King to write The Shining!
5. Maine
From the various tv shows and books I’ve watched and read set in Maine (minus Stephen King’s books 😂) I always thought Maine would be a gorgeous place to visit someday.
6. Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville was on the list of places I was considering for this year’s trip, and even when my mom and I were thinking of driving down it was on our route from Tail of the Dragon to Savannah. I’d love to see and take pictures of the Biltmore Estate.
7. New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is more on my hit or miss list. I’ve always wanted to go there but traveling by myself as a single woman with their crime rate gives me pause. I’d still enjoy the architecture, food, and history though.
8. Las Vegas, Nevada
This is a curiosity for me. I’m not into gambling, so I wouldn’t visit for that reason, but I’d love to see some of the museums and the sights of the surrounding area. I think it would be great for a weekend trip, maybe with my mom.
9. Denver, Colorado
This, backtracking to The Stanley Hotel, would be a great combined trip as The Stanley Hotel is only about 66 miles northwest of Denver. I’ve read a few books set in Denver, and actually when I was a kid our satellite dish would only pick up an ABC channel from Denver instead of our local Green Bay, Wisconsin station and the area always interested me.
10. Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville being on this list is less about me wanting to visit to see Nashville and more because I have friends as well as a half-sister that currently live there that I would love to visit.
Internationally:
I’m still a new flyer so I need to work on traveling domestically for a while before I attempt flying overseas. Some of these are general countries I’d love to visit and others are more specific to things I want to see.
1. Ireland
Traveling to Ireland is higher on my dream list than some of the US locations listed above. It’s so gorgeous and green in photos and I’d love to visit. Plus I can trace my Irish ancestry to the West Beara Peninsula in Ireland and it would be fun to see where some of my ancestors came from.
2. Paris, France
I know it’s cliche. But come on, the food, the fashion, the culture. Paris is a must visit for me.
3. England
I’d love to visit London but I’d also like to see wherever they film my favorite show, Midsomer Murders!
4. Egypt
Someone tell me I’m not the only millennial that was obsessed with ancient Egypt as a kid, especially after The Mummy came out in 1999. I’d love to see the pyramids someday.
5. Iceland
I’ve seen some gorgeous pictures from other travel bloggers of Iceland recently and I think it’s such a photogenic country. Other than what I’ve seen, I don’t honestly know much about Iceland, so I’d have to do some research but it looks like an amazing place to visit.
6. Bran Castle, Romania
Also known as Dracula’s Castle. I fell in love with photos of the castle when I read Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco several years ago and saw pictures in the book. You’ll notice, a lot of the places I want to visit are history based. I find history fascinating, especially dark, bloody history like that of Bran Castle.
7. Madeira, Portugal
I first learned about Madeira while doing research for one of my novels and immediately fell in love with the gorgeous scenery.
8. Santorini, Greece
Show me a girl who was a teenager in the early-mid 2000s who didn’t fall in love with Santorini and it’s blue-domed, white-stone houses after watching The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and I’ll call her a liar.
9. Italy
There’s so much to see and delight in Italy, including fabulous food.
10. Quebec, Canada
I can trace my French ancestors settling into the Trois-Rivières area of Quebec in the early 1700s. I think traveling to Quebec would not only be beautiful, but be a great first dip into international travel before making a bigger jump into traveling overseas. (I have traveled to Ontario as a child, but Ontario didn’t seem all that different than the US, although we only went as far as Sault Ste. Marie.)
What are some of the places you want to visit someday? Have you been to any of the places I’ve mentioned?
Taylor Sees the World 