2017, Year in Review
In our first year of marriage we made it a point to make up for lost time in our 5 years of long distance and traveled to 8 countries over the last 12 months, with a few domestic trips peppered in as well.
Banff, Canada
We kicked things off in 2017 taking advantage of Canada's National Park anniversary. Banff is gorgeous all times of year, though definitely a sight in the winter. We made this trip in early March, the week before moving!
Madrid & Barcelona, Spain
This was a test trip to see if 4 days in an European country was enough time. Of course the answer is.. not really.. but certainly a beautiful time of year to visit. May 2017.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Personally I like to take any opportunity to visit a city within the United States. We're a country full of diversity and culture it can sometimes feel like another country driving just 6 hours away.
Taiwan
This year we chose the hottest, muggiest season to visit Taiwan. In June we went to visit my grandmother who couldn't make it to our wedding. We made our way through Taichung 台中, Kaohsiung 高雄, Cijin Island 旗津, Tainan 台南, and of course Taipei 台北. Amazing, fresh seafood, and of course a great time with grandma!
Boracay, Philippines
Every few years, Stacey will travel back to her home country in the Philippines, her home city just about 2 hours outside of Manila. During this period we'd usually take some sort of quick trip to a neighboring island, and this year we went to the resort island Boracay. The unbelievable sunsets and beautiful water offsets the hoards of tourists on the beaches.
Dover, Vermont, USA
Last year we made a cabin trip for our friend Emily's birthday. This year was no different, and took a trip a bit further north to Dover, Vermont. This year the fall foliage started a bit later, but we were still rewarded with amazing scenery and beautiful hikes.
London & Oxford, United Kingdom
For the anniversary of our first year of marriage, we took 10 days to do a quick Eurotrip. We started the trip in London, and were honestly surprised by how much we enjoyed the city! The food and fashion certainly compete with New York..
Paris, France
Paris also took us by surprise. We groaned at our choice to only stay in this city for 3 days. We tried to make the most of it, but there are just so many iconic Parisian landmarks to see.
Brussels & Brugges, Belgium
We chose to swing by Brussels because there was a quick train out of Paris, and a direct train back to London from Brussels. We quickly realized that Brussels may not have enough to do for 3 days, so rented a car and drove up to Brugges, sometimes referred to as the "Venice of the North."
Reno & Lake Tahoe, USA
Jon's college friends, having not had a reunion in quite some time, chose Tahoe as many of his friends are on the west coast. Luckily for us, flying into (and staying in) Reno, NV is extremely affordable. So we flew into Reno, spent the night at Atlantis Casino & Resort, then headed up to South Lake Tahoe. Beautiful, restful time with some old friends.
