This year is ending, and it has been a very eventful year. It started off strong with a Caribbean Cruise to several different countries and an epic trip to Hawaii. There were plans for Mexico that were thwarted by the shutdown linked to the COVID pandemic. It left the world in uncertainty and travel on hold. There were incredible international restrictions and even state to state restrictions depending on surging COVID numbers. Initially at the beginning of the year before the pandemic we had a fear of running low on vacation hours since so many incredible trips were planned within the first few months. Never have I ever been happier that I got to do some of those trips before the pandemic struck. My travel plans were changed but you cannot shake the travel and exploration bug out of me regardless of the pandemic.
I began to deeply explore my own state more than ever before. Maybe it was a blessing being a newer resident to Maryland, but it opened me to seeing parts of the state I had never explored before. Admittedly, as the year progressed and with lower numbers of COVID I also made a girl’s trip to Asheville and drove the Blue Ridge Parkway. Also, during the lower transmission rates, I managed to visit some family. Almost all my travels after the pandemic hit were via car to minimize exposure to other people. But my travel itch was growing stronger, and I simply longed to get away on a plane. I weighed my risks and followed the COVID restrictions and booked my ticket. I also took my first flight trip to Colorado in October to meet a fellow travel friend with similar cabin fever to me. It was incredible as the flights handed out sanitizer wipes and were trying to keep passengers as safe as possible.
I really struggled with knowing that traveling causes spread of infectious illnesses and the balance of just needing to do my passion and to travel and relax and enjoy myself. In a world of such political and health concerns I found myself not wanting to share my travels with friends or family or on social media for fear of judgement and criticism. There were multiple trips I went on without even telling anyone. The joys of talking up an upcoming trip went out the window as people were so scared to leave their houses. Conversely, I also had some friends and family that totally took advantage of the cheap flights and travel packages without fear or regard to COVID. And there I was somewhere between with wanting to be safe and my extreme wanderlust.
In the end, I tried to be as safe as possible but not give up on my extreme passion for traveling. As things by the end of year were looking more promising as the vaccine was being introduced and I was hopeful to add some more air travel and possibly an international trip back into the mix. The restrictions on travel definitely left me feeling deflated on an already challenging year but on looking back I truly did a lot of great travels pre-pandemic and through the pandemic though different as they might have been.
By the end of 2020, I decided to commit finally to a resolution I had been always been toying with. I really wanted to start a travel blog of all the travels I had been on thus far and to capture all the travels going forward. I figured in the light of the limited travel this would be a great time to rehash on some incredible experiences if I couldn’t actually be out doing them myself due to the nature of the pandemic. I knew it was going to be a huge undertaking because not only did I know anything about blogging but also, I knew I would have to really dig deep into my travels to rediscover what I had done and find useful information I could impart on potential readers. Having lived in several places with multiple moves, I knew my pictures and journals were scattered throughout my belongings and I would have to uncover and rediscover some of my previous journeys.
It typically takes a lot of convincing and eventually an actual commitment to leap into a dream. Very similar to when I took a year off work to travel, I had talked about it for years before it became an actuality. This blog would be the same. Having thought about it over the course of this year, I finally signed up for my very own website and created a social media account for my new travel persona. In 2021, I would start this new dream and chapter in my life. The year 2021 was to be a new year with a lot of promise and change.
countries visited
Barbados
Grenada
St. Martin
Dominica
US Territories
Puerto Rico
US Virgin Islands
USA States visited
Hawaii
Colorado
Connecticut
Maryland
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Virginia
West Virginia
Washington D.C.
Iconic Travel & State Parks Visited
Īao Valley State Monument HI
Mākena State Park HI
Road to Hana HI
Garden of the Gods CO
Maroon Bells CO
Blackwater Falls WV
Silver Sands CT
McAfee Knob VA
High Rocks Wytheville VA
Annapolis Rock MD
USA National parks visited
Catoctin MD
Great Falls MD
Assateague MD
Great Sand Dunes CO
Delaware Water Gap PA
Smoky Mountain National Park TN
US Virgin Islands NP
Haleakalā National Park HI
San Juan National Historic Site Puerto Rico
Blue Ridge Parkway NC, VA
Maryland State Parks Visited
Patapsco Valley
Calvert Cliffs
Deep Creek Lake
New Germany
Swallow Falls
South Mountain
Casselman River
Maryland travel spots visited
St Michael’s
Cambridge
Deep Creek
Baltimore
Assateague
Great Falls
Annapolis Rock
Fredericksburg
