Trip planning while on my way to Minneapolis for a LDW getaway ✈️

Has anyone been to the Caucasus? Would love some hidden gems/recommendations for #Armenia #Azerbaijan and #Georgia!

Sorry for being MIA - holiday/end of year craziness got the best of me.

But 2025 is off to a great start…just got back from a little warm weather escape to the Bahamas 🇧🇸

Now back to the cold temperatures & real life 😞

#TravelAdventCalendar Day 8 - #CaboSanLucas #Mexico

Traveled to Cabo during Covid in November 2020 because Mexico was one of the few countries still open for tourism.

Did a little scuba diving, sailing, and ATVing in addition to just resting and recharging.

#TravelAdventCalendar Day 7 - #Tunis #Tunisia ✈️🗺️

Spent a long weekend in Tunis in October ‘23 after a 2-week trip to Morocco.

Relaxed beachside but still managed to visit Carthage & Dougga.

My favorite part of the city is the Sidi Bou Said neighborhood—so quaint & charming!

I try to make most of my bigger/luxury purchases in Europe. Gives me an excuse to plan a trip or layover and save some money!

I definitely wanna go back and explore North Wales and the coast!

#TravelAdventCalendar Day 6 - #Cardiff #Wales ✈️🗺️

Spent a couple of days in the Welsh capital in Aug ‘24 & it didn’t disappoint!

I’d recommend booking a bike tour - it was the highlight of my time there.

And you can spend hours meandering through the shopping arcades, bar hopping, and eating!

#TravelAdventCalendar Day 5 - #Cartagena #Colombia ✈️🗺️

My second trip to 🇨🇴 but my first trip to CTG in May ‘23.

It’s a quick trip from the US if you’re looking for warmth and humidity. The bright colors of colonial buildings, delicious food, amazing coffee, and creative cocktail scene are a bonus!

It was a fun day trip from Zürich—definitely recommend going if you have some time to kill!

#TravelAdventCalendar Day 4 - #Vaduz #Liechtenstein 1 year ago today ✈️🗺️

Planned a day trip to the micro state for a friend’s birthday & checked off another country.

Enjoyed the beautiful scenery, strolled through the capital, visited the postal museum & had lunch at the princely wine cellars 🍷

#TravelAdventCalendar Day 3 - #Bratislava #Slovakia ✈️🗺️

Extended a trip to Vienna to visit the Slovakian capital this April. A day is enough to sightsee but I’m glad I spent the night because the cocktail scene is quite impressive.

My favorite was Mirror Bar - the presentation of the drinks was 👌🏽

#TravelAdventCalendar Day 2 - it’s pretty cold in DC so here are some snaps from my trip to #Aruba in Jan ‘24.

While it was sunny and warm I was underwhelmed. It’s overrated, expensive, and I think there are much better options out there.

What’s your favorite #Caribbean island? ✈️🗺️

Also, since we’re talking about #Frankfurt, here’s an early Christmas present I bought for myself there 🎁 Another #Rimowa to add to the collection…the Hybrid Cabin Carry-On & harness. My favorite luggage brand! The European pricing + VAT refund make it so advantageous to buy abroad ✈️🗺️

Have you been to the one in Chicago? It’s super fun!

I haven’t been to the Prague one but they’re all magical 🎄

It was amazing! It was my first real safari and now I think I’m addicted. I’m already thinking about where I wanna go next 😏

December 1st - starting off the #TravelAdventCalendar strong with a Christmas market.

These pics were taken this week on an unexpected, but fun flight delay in #Frankfurt #Germany, which coincided with opening day of the market.

I love Europe around Christmas 🎄 - have you been to any markets? ✈️🗺️

Back from my trip to Africa 🌍 —will post about #Tanzania after I sort through all of my pictures.

Since it’s December, I thought it’d be fun to post a different country/ city every day leading up to Christmas.

A travel advent calendar if you will! Join along & tag me so we can share inspo!

Raves about #Ethiopia & why you should visit ✈️🗺️:
•limited travelers mean you have a lot of attractions to yourself
•Ethiopian airlines is well-connected, making it easy to visit as a stopover on your way to other parts of Africa
•adventurous & spontaneous plans are exciting
•inexpensive!

Rants about #Ethiopia & why you shouldn’t visit ✈️🗺️:
•service, food, & hotel standards require you to temper your expectations, not for high maintenance travelers
•limited current resources for trip planning make it a challenge, have to be spontaneous
•some places don’t accept cards max cash is king

I didn’t see recent/current info online—below is what you can expect to pay for a 1 night trip to #Lalibela #Ethiopia ✈️🗺️

Notes:
• There’s only 1 flight in/out—you have to spend the night
• Hotel Maribela is the nicest hotel, but there are cheaper options
• Tour price includes the $100 entry ticket

I started planning the trip 2 months before going. 1 tour operator responded that they aren’t offering tours & some others didn’t respond. I ended up planning my own itinerary. I waited until I got to Addis to hire a driver/guide & book hotels for Gondar/Bahir Dar because I couldn’t arrange prior.

Tourism hasn’t bounced back after Covid because of the current conflict. I saw both government (north of Gondar) and rebel forces (south of Gondar), but never once felt unsafe. The great thing is that we had most of the tourist sites to ourselves, only saw other travelers in Lalibela.

Ohhh I’ll definitely be reading this…I’ve been curious about what there is to do/how to travel around

So much to see! And I feel like most people to the south for the tribes/coffee since the ongoing conflict in the north deters a lot of people from visiting.

Go for it! Other than Lalibela, you’ll hardly see other tourists and will have a lot of sites to yourself!

OK…if I was given the opportunity to “redo” my trip to #Ethiopia and keep most of the same itinerary, this is what it would look like.

I would completely cut out the Lake Tana boat trip—not essential. This would save 2 nights to maximize time off/travels elsewhere.

My #Ethiopia itinerary ✈️🗺️:
1) 21:20 ADD arrival
2) Addis Ababa
3) AM flight to Lalibela, PM sightseeing
4) Lalībela
5) AM flight to Gondar, PM castle tour
6) Day trip to Simien Mountains
7) Drive down to Bahir Dar, Blue Nile Falls in PM
8) AM Lake Tana boat tour, PM flight to ADD & overnight

While I can’t provide a women’s perspective, I’d be happy to share my thoughts on safety. Stay tuned!

Would anyone find it helpful/interesting if I posted about my musings on #Ethiopia? Maybe my itinerary and what I would change, raves/rants, cost breakdowns, and/or just general commentary…✈️🗺️