As I sit down to reflect on the last year of travel, I also am looking ahead to this new year (and decade!) filled with so much hope. I am hopeful for new things to come…new chapters to be started, new travel destinations to be visited, and the mindset shifts, personal growth, and learning that inevitably come with travel. There are a lot of things in the works for 2020, so with that in mind, I wanted to recap 2019 before I share all that’s to come this year.
I accomplished a lot in 2019 – and looking back on the year, I am honestly so proud of everything that happened this year. There were so many highlights, but my favorites include meeting my boyfriend Daniel, adopting my French Bulldog Pixie, moving to the most incredible new neighborhood, reading and journaling a ton, and traveling to some very memorable locations.
For now though, I want to highlight this last year’s travel destinations, as I didn’t write as much on the blog in 2019 as I would have hoped. I sank every ounce of my creative energy into my day job that often I didn’t have any of that energy left at the end of the day. I’m in such a great spot now where I can put a lot of that energy back into the blog and I am so excited for what’s to come.
My 2019 Travel Destinations.
New Orleans, LA
What started off strictly as a work trip quickly turned into an unforgettably fun trip with a coworker. My coworker Jessica and I went to New Orleans to help open a new retail store for the company I was working for at the time. Jessica showed me how to maximize our time in NoLA and we ended up filling every spare moment of our time with Magazine St. shopping, beignet-eating, rooftop dining, and live music listening. I couldn’t have asked for a better trip with her. We truly made the most of every free moment we had (and even ended up getting ourselves into a bit of a predicament including getting our car towed and almost missing the very grand opening that we were sent to New Orleans to cover…whoops) – whether it meant waking up early in the morning or staying out until the wee hours of the morning. 🙂
Vancouver, British Columbia
The next trip was one that was a long time coming. My best friend Megan, her husband Bryant, his best friend Sean and I had been attempting to make fun trip plans for what felt like forever. Finally, we pulled the trigger one day and booked cheap flights to Vancouver. You know when you book travel plans with people you’ve never traveled with before and it feels like it could be really risky considering everyone has a different travel style and things they like to do on vacation? Well, I was 100% panicked before this trip but OH WOW what a fun time it was. We visited Vancouver in March and it was honestly amazing weather. While on the chilly side, it was sunny and warm enough to spend our days hiking in the mountains and biking through the city. We ate so much good food, rode bikes all around the city, and even saw a Vancouver Whitecaps MLS game! Vancouver is definitely on my shortlist of places to return soon!
Nashville, TN
I kicked off Summer 2019 with a weekend in Nashville for a retreat I was working at in June. One of my forever favorite U.S. cities, Nashville holds such a special place in my heart for its kind people, amazing food, and incomparable coffee scene. I got to take in all of these things during my weekend with Nashville – and it was even better spent with some amazing coworkers. We filled our days with coffee shop hopping, biscuit-eating, and karaoke singing. We also stayed in a huge old house in East Nashville that completely made me rethink things…ummm, let’s just say I immediately started tracking old homes on Zillow, just in case. 🙂
Iceland
The first week of August, my roomie/bestie Kelly and I took off for Iceland – a trip that we had booked back in February without having any clue what life was going to look like in August, but confident that we would make the trip happen no matter what. We spent a week road-tripping around the country, stopping in a different place every night except for once we finished out the last few days of the trip in Reykjavik. After hiking an insane amount, visiting seemingly endless waterfalls, seeing black sand beaches, and eating some of the best stews/seafood EVER, I can confidently say that Iceland is a place like nowhere I have been before and it is truly a magical land. A highlight of the trip was getting to stay in the home of a band member of Of Monsters and Men…SO cool!
Portland, OR
In 2019, I visited Portland five times for work, which also resulted in me getting a really great feel for the city. I had already been pretty familiar with the city, but it was especially great to continue checking out the nooks and crannies I wasn’t yet familiar with. My new discovery of 2019 for Portland is that I am a big fan of Southeast Portland – and would definitely see myself living in the Laurelhurst/Mt. Tabor area if I ever made the move to the PNW. In August, Daniel joined me in Portland and it was so much fun getting to explore the city together.
Seattle, WA
In August, Daniel and I left Portland on a Friday afternoon and took the several hour Amtrak ride to Seattle to stay with Daniel’s sister Allison and her boyfriend Nadav. They treated us to the most incredible weekend of adventuring around the city. We biked, visited the best local shops, hung out by the water, and honestly had the dreamiest weekend I could have ever imagined. I had been to Seattle once before, but I had visited in February so it was gloomy, rainy, and freezing. Visiting in August was a total game changer. We visited Pike’s Place Market and even visited on the perfect day when The Head and the Heart happened to be giving a free concert on the roof of the market. We biked a super long loop around the city and its outskirts, which took us to Ballard Locks, the beach, and Fremont area. It was definitely the highlight of the trip for me!
Kansas City, MO
Daniel and I visited Kansas City several times this fall/winter since that is where the majority of his family lives. From there, we went on to Lawrence for Homecoming at The University of Kansas (don’t worry…M-I-Z all the way baby!!). We also went back the day after Christmas to spend the holidays in KC with everyone! Each time I visit, I am reminded even more just how much I love Kansas City. It’s comfortable, because it has a similar and familiar feeling to St. Louis, but also flaunts an elevated art scene, amazing coffee shop scene, and some of the greatest hometown pride I have ever seen. Seemingly everyone in KC wears a KC hat, shirt, or other branded merchandise to show off how proud they are of their town.
Joshua Tree, CA
I spent the most magical few days in Joshua Tree in November while directing the Spring Summer 2020 photoshoot for Sseko Designs. One of my largest tasks in my position was executing the shoot from start to finish including setting the location, hiring the models, planning the shotlist, etc. The most amazing feeling was getting to work with amazing models, sharing the experience my insanely talented gem of a friend String, and see everything come together and be turned into a stunning final product of a catalog!
Savannah, GA
Daniel and I finished out 2019 strong with a quick long weekend trip to Savannah right before Christmas. We picked Savannah because we were looking for a quick, Southern getaway that would provide a bit warmer weather than we were having here in St. Louis. Savannah has a rich history dating back to the early 1700s, but the fun fact that stood out most during my time there was that Savannah was the only area in Union General William Tecumseh’s path that he chose not to burn to the ground during his Civil War-era “March to the Sea.” The entire city features stunning architecture, oak trees dripping in Spanish Moss, and so much Southern charm!
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2019 was full of so many adventures with lots of exciting new destinations. Life is chaotic and beautiful and I’m grateful for every part of it. Thank you for helping me make 2019 another one full of great memories! Much love and success to you in the decade ahead!
Much love,
Olivia