For pick #18 I wanted to talk about one of my favorite things…traveling! Oh how I love to travel! My traveling life has settled down a lot since having children, but I have an itch to get some more traveling in this year. There’s something about going somewhere and experiencing a different culture or new place that just re-charges the soul. There are still sooo many places in the world I would love to travel to and explore, my bucket-list is long. I would like to hear your input on your favorite places to go as well.
With that, I will start my favorite places to travel list– in no particular order.
#1- Canadian Cruise from Montreal–Quebec–Nova Scotia–Bar Harbor, Maine. First I have to add this was not a place high on my list. My mother was very excited about traveling through Canada and she picked a great spot. This cruise was absolutely beautiful. We went in June, and the weather was great, I had a rain jacket and long pants for some areas. Each area had some amazing sites and architecture but I have to say Nova Scotia was my favorite. Nova Scotia is beautiful and green everywhere. A random fact, it’s an island, and snakes have never been introduced there so there are no snakes…which is a plus for me ha! The homes out on the coast line are breathtaking, and the people had great accents and were very friendly. Many people loved the seafood, but I am not a great judge because I don’t like seafood. I just remember thinking it was a place I would definitely go back to.
#2-Italy– Italy is such a fascinating place to visit. The history and the architecture throughout the entire country was incredible. It’s a country you could spend an entire month in and still have more to see. I did not get to see Venice, which is a place I’d love to get back to. I visited Rome, Florence, Pompei, Siena, and went down to Sicily as well. Rome is amazing because of the colosseum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Cathedral. It’s hard to top Rome’s architecture but the entire country has some amazing areas to visit. Yes it’s expensive and I mainly spent money on food and tourism, but if you save up….Rome is worth every penny. Put it on the bucket list.
#3-New York City-Again, the traveling is endless and you could spend weeks there and not see it all. For me..I took a quick 4 day trip there and packed as much in as possible. Some of my favorites were: Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Broadway Plays, Central Park, Macy’s Department Store (It’s Enormous), & the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. There were so many delicious places to eat, and the city is bustling and it was just fun to walk around and explore the city. A lot has changed since I went to NYC so I would love to go back and see more soon!
#4-Carribean Cruise– I went to the Western Caribbean and loved every stop and excursion that we went on. The Cayman Islands had beautiful snorkeling and we even got to hold sting rays! Cazumel was pretty and I would highly recommend renter mope heads and taking a ride around the island. The price was cheap and it was a great way to explore the area. The Bahamas was breathtaking and the white sand and blue water was perfect for a beach day. And while cruising the Caribbean it’s always fun to be on the boat and soaking in the sun outside. Put the Caribbean on your travel musts!
#5- San Diego-When I think of San Diego I think of the beautiful beach and what a relaxing place it can be. I was also impressed with how many tasty restaurants there are in the San Diego area. There’s a lot to do for adults as well as for kids. Some of my favorites are: SeaWorld, Speed boat adventures, San Diego Zoo, Knott’s Berry Farm & I hope to take my kids to Legoland soon.
#6- Cancun, Mexico– If you haven’t been to Cancun…save your pennies…it’s amazing! I would highly recommend an all inclusive resort because then you can hang out at the beach whenever you want. We also traveled to Chichen Itza and Tulum which is not a far drive and these sites were incredible. We went in August and it was burning up…I literally drank 8 water bottles at Chichen Itza alone! You may want to plan going when it’s not so hot. But I would highly recommend putting Cancun on your bucket list!
#7-Korea–I never had Asia at the top of my list, and now I would go back in a heart beat. I explored South Korea for 2 weeks and it was incredible. The culture and the food was amazing. The people were very friendly and kind, and luckily I had a friend that spoke both languages but most people in Korea know English quite well. I loved seeing the rice fields and the countryside, and we travel to Seoul, Korea and it was the biggest city I had ever seen. The amount of skyscrapers in Seoul was beyond anything my eyes had seen. I ate a lot of rice, and my very favorite dish there was a meal called beef bulgogi…delicious! So if Asia is not on your traveling list…put it on there! Yes it was a long 14 hour flight but it was worth it!
#8-Norway– The country of Norway has a beauty that is hard to describe. It’s very green with beautiful cottages rolling the countryside. The cities are full of history and beauty as well. In a way it felt as though I were stepping back into time because so many of the buildings were hundreds of years old. The many islands off of Norway’s coast were beautiful to see and taking a coastal ride was eye-opening. We were able to take a ferry ride up the coast of Norway and the amount of gorgeous waterfalls I saw was breathtaking. I was able to travel to Norway in the summer which was a beautiful time of year, and it was interesting to see that the sun never goes completely down. There were endless sites to see in Norway and our two weeks in this country was not enough. I would definitely travel back to Norway.
#9-Washington D.C. The possibilities are endless when talking about D.C. because there is SO much to see. Something I loved about the time of year we went was the cherry blossoms were blooming everywhere and it was beautiful. We traveled to D.C. in the spring. Some must do’s while you’re there: Capitol building, George Washington’s home, Lincoln Memorial, Arlington Cemetery and the Holocaust Museum. We took a bus tour which I would highly suggest. We weren’t able to tour the White House but the bus tour took us past it. It was also neat to drive by the Pentagon and the FBI buildings. This city is made for tourist so the food was great! I still have a lot to visit in D.C. so it’s not a matter of IF I go back there, it’s a matter of when:) 
#10-Zions National Park– It’s hard to put into words the beauty of Zion’s National Park in southern Utah. There is honestly such a peaceful feeling while in the park because there is such a strong natural beauty for the world surrounding you. The hikes are amazing and you can do very simple hikes or more advance hikes. Driving through the park is a great way to see the area as well, but you need to try to hike to a look-out area and just take in natures beauty. Zions is indescribable and one of those places you definitely need to visit in your lifetime!
**So there is my list, what would you add?
You are quite the world traveler!