We’re two weeks into 2023, and almost every blogger has posted about the amazing places they plan to go in the next 12 months. Their plans include exotic locations, ultra-lux resorts, and first-class flights with all the caviar and champagne you can consume.
I’ve been working on our travel plans for the upcoming year, and I have to admit they’re pretty boring. Not that we’re not planning an amazing year, but it’s not the stuff that viral TikToks are made of.
I must note that our first trip of the year will be a special “birthday” trip to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia with flights on Singapore Airlines and overnight at Changi Airport. It’s our biggest trip in almost 10 years, and I’m super excited about it. But after burning all of my PTO time from work, the rest of our trips will most likely be short or long weekend getaways. As it looks, we’re returning to several places we’ve visited over the past few years. Since we liked them so much, even with restrictions in place, we’re looking forward to seeing them in their “normal” state.
New York City
Photo by Marcus Herzberg on Pexels.com
We already have our first trip to New York/New Jersey planned. It’s a quick weekend trip to see some shows, but we’ll switch it up and stay in New Jersey instead of Manhattan. This makes it easier to visit family for a while and also fly through Newark Airport.
I’m sure we’ll visit at least 1 or 2 more times during the year to see more Broadway shows.
Asheville, NC
We visited Asheville in the winter of 2020 to see The Biltmore all decked out for Christmas. We loved our time in the city, even if we spent most of the evening times freezing while eating outside under space heaters.
While we’ll be headed back at the same time of the year, maybe this time we won’t have to worry about eating outside.
Pigeon Forge, TN
What can I say? We’re a sucker for tacky tourist towns. Not to mention, it’s the home of Dollywood, which is one of our favorite themeparks.
This time we’re headed there in the summer which means we might even get to check out the waterpark. We’re even considering staying at the DreamMore Resort.
New Braunfels, TX
What year would be complete without at least one trip to the Texas Hill Country?
While many people head to the ocean to recharge, we head to the river. Whether it’s our long-lasting love of the Schlitterbahn Waterpark or going for a float on the Comal River, our Texas trips always recharge our batteries. Maybe that’s because of all the barbecue we eat while we’re there. Or it could be our trips to Buc-ee’s.
Denver, CO
Why are we headed to Denver? Two words, Casa Bonita.
The Mexican theme restaurant made famous by South Park that closed and went into bankruptcy during the pandemic, only to be purchased by the creators of the same show is set to reopen in May.
We’re not going just to see Casa Bonita. We have friends in the area, and this will be a group outing.
Trips TBA
We have a few more trips on the schedule. Some will be solo trips, one of which will be Sharon visiting a friend in Pennsylvania. Since we’re only two weeks into the year, who knows what the other 350 days of 2023 will bring?
Final Thoughts
Besides our blowout trip at the beginning of 2023, most of our travels for the rest of the year seem rather boring. We’re mainly visiting a bunch places we’ve already been. Why do that when we could be traveling around the world?
Unfortunately, not everyone can travel wherever they want, whenever they want. Most of us are tied down by work and family obligations. For those who can go wherever they want, I envy that freedom. However, I wouldn’t trade my life for anyone else’s.
Sure, I can only take one big trip every 2-3 years, and we feel guilty if we leave our dog in “camp” too often.
Whatever your means of travel, be it by car, camper, train, cruise or by plane, the most important thing to remember is that there is no wrong way to explore. We learned that over the last several years. Whether we were spending time at a cabin in the Georgia mountains or visiting the Florida Panhandle, we appreciated that we were visiting somewhere different.
You don’t have to visit Bhutan, Dubai or Bora Bora to call yourself a traveler. You can visit Charleston, Niagara Falls and Wisconsin Dells if that’s what you prefer. Your Mileage May Vary.
Since we’re back to more usual travel patterns, we’re going back to places we know. Once we hit those locations, we’ll head to some places we haven’t been. However, we’re going back to Iceland because that trip was awesome.
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2 comments
Better than me! I have a single 2-night trip to Maui/Big Island/Kauai (still haven’t decided) on the schedule for the year.
It’s the advantage of having a job where all of your vacation time needs to get cleared in advance. It forces you to make plans. It also prevents you from being spontaneous.