At the beginning of 2021, I looked back at 2020 and took inventory of our travels. It wasn’t much of a list, but I still tried to spin the situation positively.
For 2020, I’m using these posts as a historical marker to remind myself that while 2020 was full of disappointment and tragedy, we were still able to spend some time away from home.
Now that we’re done with 2021, I’m back to review the last 365 days and I’m glad to say that we did get back out there. It’s wasn’t a banner travel year like 2019, but all things considered, I’m satisfied with how we managed. The biggest difference is the breakdown of our stays.
Vacation Rentals/Guest Houses
Once again, we spent more nights in guest houses and Airbnbs than we did in any hotel chain. We stayed at this beach condo in Panama City Beach, Florida for 4 nights this spring.
- Airbnbs – 10 nights (2 stays)
- Iceland Guest Houses – 4 nights
Disney Vacation Club
We continued to take advantage of our membership in the Disney Vacation Club in 2021, making three trips through the year. Our longest stay was 4 nights on Hilton Head Island, SC.
- Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort – 4 nights
- Disney’s Vero Beach Resort – 4 nights (2 stays)
Marriott
For the major hotel brands, Marriott took the top spot for two reasons. We needed to use up the accumulated free night certificates and we got a great weekly rate at one of the nicest Courtyards I’ve ever seen, for our trip to New Braunfels.
- Courtyard by Marriott – 6 nights
- Fairfield Inn – 1 night
In addition to our stays, Sharon stayed with Marriott for 4 additional nights during her fishing trips.
- Residence Inn – 3 nights
- Springhill Suites – 1 night
IHG Hotels
We stayed at 2 IHG hotels, including the Kimpton Key West Ridley House.
- Kimpton – 3 nights
- Candlewood Suites – 3 nights
- Holiday Inn Club Vacations – 1 night
Hyatt
We finally made it to a Hyatt because we had three expiring free night certificates. We used them to stay at Gild Hall in New York.
Keahotels
We stayed for three nights at the Skuggi Hotel in Iceland.
TWA Hotel
Before our trip to Iceland, we spent the night at the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport.
Final Thoughts
Forty-two nights spent away from home in 2021. It’s not our best year but better than the year prior. We did an excellent job burning our free night certificates (none of them went to waste) and I only have a few current ones sitting in our accounts. We have several big trips on the books for 2022 and hope to fit in some quick weekends away as time permits.
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