I’m introducing a new seasonal roundup series here on the blog! I’ve really missed doing my monthly recaps that we did during our 12-month trip. It was a really fun way to share some more personal stories, laughs and highlights all in one concise place. So, I’m going to do 4 seasonal roundups broken up into 3-month periods. Winter (December, January, February), Spring (March, April, May), Summer (June, July August) and Autumn (September, October, November). Additionally, I’ll continue to do my annual roundups. So, without any further ado, I’m going to kick this new series off.
SUMMER 2019 TRAVEL ROUNDUP
PLACES VISITED:
MISSOURI (various day-trips), ARKANSAS, FLORIDA, COLORADO, NORTH CAROLINA + COSTA RICA!
TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS:
AN ANNIVERSARY HIKE: Matt and I have taken a hike or hiking trip to celebrate each anniversary. This was our third and to celebrate, we did one of our very favorite hikes in the Ozarks: Big Bluff. It was a perfect way to celebrate together and have a mini-getaway outside.
AIRBOAT RIDE IN FLORIDA: My family took week-long road to Florida to celebrate my grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary. One of the activities we did all together was taking an airboat ride. I wasn’t especially looking forward to this, thinking it was just going to be a boat ride on a lake, but it was fast, fun and beautiful! We saw a couple of alligators and got our adrenaline going as we skimmed the lake surface for an hour or so.
GETTING MY WITCH ON: I got to ride the new Hagrid’s Motorbike ride at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter this year and more than anything else, I finally got to get to here with my mom – our love for Harry Potter has been shared since the beginning. I got to get my witch on and down a few butterbeers!
WEDDING FUN IN KC: We spent two days in KC with all of Matt’s best friends, one of which was tying the knot. Matt made an awfully dapper groomsman. Plus, we got to hit some breweries and fun restaurants around wedding festivities. Speaking of the wedding, it was the funnest wedding I’ve ever attended. Tim + Abby sure know how to throw a party! We danced all night long!
SEEING GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV AT RED ROCKS (AND MORE COLORADO FUN): Gregory Alan Isakov is an absolute favorite musician of Matt’s and mine. We used his music all through our wedding and this was our third time seeing him live. It was amazing to get to see him perform surrounded by nature. We also got to see my uncle in Denver, hike at Garden of the Gods and drink a good amount of fun craft beer.
SEEING ALL THE NATURE IN COSTA RICA: From rainforests to volcanoes and waterfalls to beaches, we saw so much beautiful nature and in so many different ways. Costa Rica is a perfect destination for any nature lover.
QUALITY GIRL-TIME: It had been over four years since Stacey and I traveled together, just the two of us. It was long overdue and it was so much fun getting to explore and connect with her… The fact it was in Costa Rica was an added highlight!
PLANTING A TREE IN COSTA RICA: I’ve started better focusing on sustainability this year and Stacey and I got to partake in a sustainable travel activity on our last full day in Costa Rica – we planted a tree! We have a beautiful rosewood tree that will be transplanted in the Blue Zone of Guanacaste (she’s growing a little bit more in the pot we planted her in before going into the ground.) It was a really special thing to do in honor of our girls trip – we even have the coordinates if we ever want to go visit her… I’ve named her Rosie, no big deal.
SEEING DEAR FRIENDS + DRINKING BEER IN ASHEVILLE: Asheville is always going to be a major part of our lives. Matt and I met while living there and some of our dearest friends are there now. So, we were very lucky to get out there for a few days end of August/early September. A highlight was definitely getting to see our beloved friends, re-visit the brewery where Matt and I had our first date and a few other ones too!
LAUGHS + MISHAPS:
HAVING TO GIVE OUR DRIVER DIRECTIONS TO OUR HOTEL: While we were in Costa Rica, Stacey and I booked private transfers from one destination to the next. Our third transfer took us about an hour longer than it should have because the driver would pull up directions on Google Maps, look at it, cancel it out and keep winging it. I eventually plugged Rio Perdido in to GoogleMaps on my own phone, and gave him step-by-step directions to the guesthouse.
LOCKING OURSELVES OUT OF OUR ROOMS ONLY TO BECOME INFAMOUS: Basically, immediately after checking into our little jungle home, we locked ourselves out. So, we make the small trek back to the lobby, giggling at our ridiculous-ness we explained that we were locked out. We were golf-carted back to our rooms and Stacey trying to make small-talk asked if there were snakes out there. The guy was startled, thinking she had seen a snake and sort-of jumped to the side. Then when she clarified her question he emphatically answered, “YES!” We were dying laughing when we got back into our room. From that moment on, when we walked into the lobby for a meal or an activity he shook his head at us, giggling and said, “Quince…” (our room number was 15). It was so funny and so ridiculous.
SUMMER TRAVEL FAVORITES:
FAVORITE PLACE WE STAYED: Tabacon Hot Springs + Resort – This was just truly the height of luxury. Stunning rooms + the natural spa experience of the beautiful geothermal river that cuts through the property! READ MORE HERE.
FAVORITE SITE: La Fortuna Waterfall – this 230 foot waterfall is a stunner and I’m so glad we visited! Read more about it HERE.
FAVORITE MEAL: Our Anniversary dinner at The Order – Matt and I had a beautiful anniversary dinner at The Order which is the restaurant at the base of Hotel Vandivort – the gorgeous downtown Springfield, MO hotel where we spent our wedding night. It was so tasty!
FAVORITE DRINK: Sexirita from El Mangroove – It was basically a passionfruit margarita, but it was sooo tasty!
FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Zip-Lining Through the Costa Rican Rainforest – This was one of my absolute favorite activities I’ve ever done. I love adrenaline-junkie stuff so we did the extreme coarse that included zip-lines, hanging bridges, rappelling, a tarzan swing and even more; it was a blast!
FAVORITE FREE SITE: Garden of the Gods – This is the closest to my beloved Southwest I’ve been in years and Matt’s first taste of the red rocks that are beckoning out west. I loved getting outside with my hubs again!
QUICK HIGHLIGHTS AT HOME
For those who missed the announcement, Matt and I bought a house this spring. Because of this we’re sharing a lot of moments at home in the Ozarks. I wanted to share some of our highlights from being home – some of which are still travel-inspired, but many of which are just fun things we’ve been doing while settling into home-ownership instead of a more nomadic life.
DECORATING OUR HOME TOGETHER: Matt + I both love, love, love to decorate and it’s been extra fun finding places for souvenirs that we picked up along the way. From paintings to pottery and random, funky little knickknacks.
MAKING MOROCCAN MINT TEA (and more) FROM OUR GARDEN: I’m a crazy plant lady. Like, truly crazy obsessed. We’ve had so much fun planting a garden of veggies + herbs, putting in landscaping beds and covering our deck in beautiful flowers.
GETTING LOADS OF FAMILY + FRIEND TIME: The people we love in Missouri – and having so many of them here – are what made Missouri “home” for us. So, we had a wonderful time seeing them and Matt’s wonderful parents even got to come stay with us in August for almost a week!
SUSTAINABILITY WINS
I’ve not used a single-use grocery bag since July first. Not even one! I’ve always used reusable bags, but I wasn’t always good at remembering them. I’ve made a couple of changes that make it so much easier to remember. I have at least two reusable bags in my car at all times. I also unload them and immediately put them into my car afterward. The one time we forgot a bag, we simply re-loaded the cart and went bag-less. I’m so proud to be over 2 months into this and going strong! It’s something I should’ve done a long time ago, but better late than never, I suppose!
3 MOST POPULAR BLOG POSTS
My top three posts published this summer were all over the place, but all three are posts that I was very proud of, so that always makes me happy to see those posts be viewed! You can read them by clicking on the photos above or the titles below.
TOP THINGS TO DO IN HEIDELBERG, GERMANY: Heidelberg is a beautiful and special town to me. It was a highlight on both of my trips to Germany. In this post you’ll find the best things to do, great places to stay and so much more!
WHY I WON’T HOLD A SLOTH IN COSTA RICA… OR ANYWHERE: Over the last few years traveling sustainably + ethically have become more and more important to me. Before going to Costa Rica, I wrote a post on the ethics of holding a sloth in Costa Rica and why I won’t ever do it, as much as I would love to hold one of those little cuties!
LONDON ON A BUDGET – 38 AMAZING THINGS FOR UNDER £10: Budget travel has been a big part of my blog because I love for people to understand that it doesn’t have to cost a small fortune to see the world. In this post I highlight a huge number of activities, sites and more to experience for £10 or less!
MOST POPULAR SUMMER INSTAGRAM
View this post on Instagram
What was your favorite travel memory or highlight from Summer 2019? I’d love to hear your favorite moments!
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1 Comment
Meghan
September 29, 2019 at 3:31 pmLove the roundup, Paige. And I’ve loved seeing your IG pics of your new home too!