2019 Travel Destination Wish List
Ahhh the clean slate of a New Year. A fresh start! Its a time where personal productivity experiences a natural spike and everyone seems to be wearing an enthusiastic “CAN DO!” attitude on their sleeves.
I often work myself into a tizzy of excitement while contemplating what sort of magical destinations the New Year will bring me. Mexico, Chile, Portugal oh MY! I’ve decide to compile a “2019 Travel Wish List” to highlight destinations I currently have my eye on…
Puerto Rico. I might be cheating a little bit on this one, since I already have a plane ticket booked for this Caribbean destination. I have yet to experience the crystal clear Caribbean waters everyone sighs about and, as a Texan who grew up visiting Texas beaches, I AM EXCITED TO SEE MY FEET IN WAIST DEEP WATER. The island is famous for it’s friendly people, gorgeous beaches, and beautiful rain forest (the only official tropical rain forest in the US).
Sintra, Portugal. Some of my closets girlfriends and I are planning a trip to Portugal this May, and I’m PUMPED to explore Sintra. Sintra is a small town just north of Lisbon (an easy train ride away). It is a magical fairy tale town - to me, it looks like something out of Snow White. Beautiful candy colored castles, lush gardens, deep wells, and gorgeous views.
Gatlinburg, Tennessee. WILDCARD! Yes, I know. I’m going to try my best this year to explore some of my own backyard! Home of the Smoky Mountain National Park, it’s a rent a cabin in the woods and hike until you can see for miles kinda place. I’ve only ever driven through the Smoky Mountains, and it was a GORGEOUS drive. Driving past literal waterfalls.
Lake Tahoe. This has been on my list for a while, and I can’t ever seem to find a weekend that would fit for a visit! Lake Tahoe seems like the perfect balance between outdoor water sports and skiing (because they have both). If I’m going to try and be more active and take advantage of NEETURE’s gifts, this seems like the perfect place to start.
Merida, Mexico. I have a love for all things Mexico. I’ve traveled a little bit in Central Mexico, but haven’t spent much time on the eastern side. Merida is known as the second cultural capital of Mexico (behind Mexico City). It’s close to the beaches, but still has the charm of a small Mexican town without of the sand. Local art, blooming bougainvilleas, sunny weather and delicious foods? SIGN. ME. UP.
Torres del Paine, Chile. Honestly, I’d be tickled to travel anywhere in South America. Chile has such a wide variety of landscapes, that I think it would be impossible to even hit all of the highlights without stay for a month. This National Park has reflective mountain views and even some glacier sightings! I’d love to wake up to those views. If I were to stay and explore more, I’d like to see the Atacama Desert. It’s supposed to be incredible - if Mars had a cousin on earth - this might be it.
And this seems like a good start! (I could keep going for a while…). CHEERS TO 2019! And all of our fun resolutions!