Believe it or not, I’ve been planning for a rest in 2024 for many years. Back in 2020, when I started consulting, the company I was with had a big project that was going to wrap up in 2023 or 2024. I knew that work would dry up then and it would be a perfect time to take a rest. And as I expected, it did. But I had planned for it, so I was ready. I used that time to travel with my kids and family and build memories they will never forget. But it was also the year I recognized I need to start to take some time for myself. My kids are growing up and don’t need me as much. And it was time to branch out and find myself again. I did that with solo trips, less time working and more time to myself. I had a full 2024, but it was a year that was needed.
Travel Round-Up
January
My daughter and I did our annual mother/daughter Girl Scout trip to Camp Bothin. It’s a wonderful tradition, and it’s been amazing to watch how my daughter grows up yet continues to love this trip. We had a slight hiccup this year when it turned out the girls’ room had a nest of wasps that sent them sleeping in the adult room on the floor in the middle of the night. But even though it was yet another rainy weekend, we all were able to enjoy it. I’m sad because 2025 is the first year I won’t be attending Bothin since I’m attending an event that weekend. But my daughter is excited about going solo and enjoying it with her girl scout sisters.
February
In February I did my first real solo trip in a long time. I decided to attend the 2024 Women’s Travel Fest hosted by Alex from Travel Fashion Girl. It was hosted in Playa del Carmen, so I got a chance to leave the country, enjoy some time on the beach, and really get to connect with a bunch of women who have the same interest I do. I had a rough start, with accidents causing me to be late the airport and almost missing my flight, backups at immigration in Mexico, and a bus to Playa, but I met an amazing group of women at the Cancun airport and we became fast friends and connected. I got to attend sessions on travel and my content creation and writing. I participated in a sound healing ceremony that I honestly entered skeptically and ended feeling light and like something truly had released as I stood dancing with all my newfound friends. I entered the healing waters of the ocean manifesting my dreams and went out all night with the Latinas dancing like I hadn’t in years.
March
My husband was invited to speak at a conference in Savannah, Georgia, a city we had visited as a young, engaged couple years ago. My husband convinced my mom to come out so I could join him and we could have a romantic week away without the kids. We walked the river walk and ate oysters while looking over the river. We took a boat cruise on the Savannah River and drank Hurricanes. We went on a food tour and ate food from Paula Dean, fried chicken and finished off with peach cobbler. And we managed to eat one night at The Olde Pink House, a famous restaurant in Savannah that we ate at years ago. We got Fried Green Tomatoes, amazing scallops and fabulous cocktails. While my husband was in the conference, I did a walking tour and visited the home of Juliette Gordan Low, founder of the Girl Scouts. But mostly it was nice to just spend some time away with my husband without the hustle and bustle of the kids and their demanding schedules.
April
April brings Spring Break and we decided to spend it in Las Vegas with the kids. We had gone in August 2023 and I saw so many activities I knew the kids would like to visit with them. We got a resort just off strip without a casino but we visited almost every day. We went to a Cirque du Soleil Show, saw Postcard from Earth at the Sphere, visited OmegaMart at Area 15, spent a day at the Lazy River in the MGM Grand, and ate at all the amazing restaurants up and down the strip. We also did a full day trip to the Grand Canyon. A bus picked us up from Treasure Island, took us to the Grand Canyon West, where you can walk on the famous skywalk. We got to do a little hiking on our own and see the amazing and majestic canyon on our own. Then we were taken to the Hoover Dam where my husband talked the kids’ ear off about what an engineering marvel it is. On our last day in Vegas, we rode the High Roller and saw all of Vegas from up high. The kids loved the trip and wanted to go back. Who says you can’t take kids to Vegas?
May & June
This year, my oldest was graduating 8th grade from a charter school they have been at since kindergarten. This Charter school network doesn’t have a high school so all the kids were going to different schools. To celebrate, the 8th graders do an annual trip to Washington DC and New York City. No parent chaperones are allowed, just school staff. It’s an amazing experience, the kids show how grown up they are. They fly as a group on a red-eye flight and hit the ground running They go all over Washington DC seeing the monuments and museums. On the third day they drive on a bus to New York City where they see the top of the Empire State Building after visiting the Capitol in the morning. They were lucky that the show they watched was The Outsiders, which had been related to a final project in their History class. All the kids loved the show and were thrilled. My oldest still talks about this trip, and my daughter can’t wait to go in 2026.
Meanwhile, I was in New Jersey at the same time to attend the Latino Travel Fest. This year it was in Elizabeth, New Jersey. I got to join Creator Day, and go on a walking tour of the city, and visit some of its famous Cuban eateries. I had lived in New Jersey for 25 years of my life, and I had no idea the history behind Elizabeth and all it had to offer. I was floored. I love this conference because I get to meet so many travelers that are like me. Generally, first generation whose parents came to the US and are surprised or trying to understand our desire to travel and see more of the world. I got to meet up with friends from the internet and conference circuits, while meeting new friends I now keep up with on Instagram. I’m excited to be attending next year in Chicago.
I flew home and then just about two weeks later, I was once again on a plane, this time with my kids, back to New Jersey. We went to New Jersey to visit my family, but quickly rented a car and went on a week-long East Coast Road Trip. We went to Connecticut to see my godparents, and show the kids quaint, classic New England. We went to Hartford to watch my cousin in an improv show, then headed to Boston to visit my other cousin and his husband. We stayed with them while I showed the kids the city. We walked the freedom trail, feeling the history we were immersed in. I watched the delight on their faces as they ate lobster rolls and clam chowder. And we had a robust debate on the best cannoli’s – Mike’s or Modern’s. We spent a few hours exploring the Boston Museum of Science, before walking the halls of MIT to see where that science is often created. My daughter decided she could see herself there.
After Boston we headed up to New Hampshire so I could show them my alma mater, Dartmouth. I signed up my oldest as a prospective student, and we took a tour and learned about the new programs they have, and I learned all about the many changes there have been since I graduated (over 20 years ago 😬). I enjoyed reminiscing and showing the kids where I “grew up”, but my oldest confided that they didn’t see themselves there. That’s ok, Dartmouth shaped me, but I am aware my kids are very different.
We finished out the trip driving down to Poughkeepsie, where we visited Val Kill, Eleanor Roosevelt’s estate, and then ate at the famous Culinary Institute of America. My sister worked for years at the Franklin Roosevelt estate and Val Kill always held a special place in my heart. Her “cottage” is actually cozy. It’s covered in different furniture that encourages you to sit. It has a small dining room with chairs crowded around, where you can see a party sitting talking and laughing like friends. And the walls are covered in pictures of people and places. It feels lived in and a place you want to be. My kids agreed it’s the best historic house they have ever seen.
July
After New Jersey, we came back for about a week before we headed as a family to our epic three week trip to Eastern Europe. This was THE big trip we had planned for the year and the one we were using to belatedly celebrate my husband’s 50th birthday. We all flew to Warsaw, Poland were we emersed ourselves in Polish and World War II history. We did walking tours and learned about how Warsaw changed from the war, and with communism. We learned about the spirit of the Polish people and you could feel it as you walked the street. We learned how to make perogies and ate so many more.
Next stop was Krakow. It was a short stop because the main plan was to use it as a jumping off point to visit Auschwitz. However, that is not what happened. We visited Auschwitz, and it was as overwhelming as you expect. But we also discovered the beautiful history of Krakow. We took a walking tour and learned how long and deep the history was. It’s so different than Warsaw that had been destroyed in the war. Krakow was mostly unharmed and so you could see medieval walks, renaissance castles and churches, and even the medieval cathedral where Pope John Paul II had been archbishop. We took it light here since Auschwitz had been so heavy, but I wish we had spent more time in this city.
The next stop was Prague, which is just a beautiful city. You feel like you are walking into 18th century Europe, with its Baroque architecture and cobblestone streets. But walk into “New” Prague, and you see a mix of Baroque, Art Nouveau, Communist era and even modern buildings, sometimes all in one street. There was plenty of great food and history, and even modern art. We got to see a number of ancient synagogues that survived the war and were used to teach you of the Jewish history of Prague. Prague was an extremely walkable city and my favorite part was simply getting lost in the back streets of Old Town, checking out the shops, the food stands, and sitting for a beer as we watched the people go by.
The last stop was Berlin. Berlin was such an international city. We ate all different types of food because Berlin brings people from all over. We did a walking tour of the city (as we do almost every city) and saw how Berliners remember the war and the occupation. It’s interesting seeing the clear distinction between West and East Berlin. We stayed on the East side, just a few blocks from Checkpoint Charlie. We saw much of the remnants of the wall, and how the city has changed since the fall of the wall. We went to a museum on the wall and got to watch a video of the wall falling. I was full of emotions watching and remembering. I was taken back to being ten years old, sitting in the living room and watching it on TV. My mom said it was time for bed but my dad said “No. This is history. They need to watch this happen”. I felt the same emotions all over again.
On the last day of July, my husband and oldest boarded a plane back to California. My daughter and I instead headed to the train station for the last part of our journey.
August
Part of why we ended up changing our trip to Eastern Europe was because my daughter and I are huge Swifties. When I couldn’t get tickets in the US, I decided to do what all the other travel friends were doing, I got tickets to see her in Europe. I bought tickets to her “Warsaw Night 2” show over a year ago. My daughter and I joined a swarm of Swifties taking a bus and train to Warsaw. We stayed in a hotel that clearly knew it’s audience with an Eras Tour photo set up and a friendship bracelet making station. And we got to see our favorite artist live in the greatest concert ever. We sang our hearts out, danced almost all night, and cried tears of joy and happiness. It was a long time coming.
Fall
Believe it or not, after this trip, we pretty much stayed home. With my oldest joining high school, and my daughter involved in more dance and musical theater, our fall was full of activities leaving little to no time to travel. After our summer travel, we all needed the rest.
Personal
Personally, our family went through a lot of changes this year, as I alluded to above. The biggest was the switch from two kids in the same school to one entering high school. It was grueling at the end of last year and beginning of 2024 as my oldest applied to a variety of private and public charter schools. They ended up valedictorian of their 8th grade class, which we are so incredibly proud of. They are attending a fantastic charter school twenty minutes away from the house and thirty minutes in the opposite direction of their sister’s school. And two schools meant two different schedules. Plus, high school is different. Classes are harder, there are more activities in different places. And it was in a new place with people they didn’t know. It was a lot of change at once. Then, to complicate matters, we took advantage of the free program Community College program California has. In California, if you are approved by your school, you can take free courses at your local community college that you can transfer to any UC or Cal State school. Our oldest was approved due to his academic past, and took a Film As Literature class, which they loved. They ended their first semester of high school with straight As and an A- in his college class. But more importantly, they had their 15th birthday full of new and old friends and seemed to be adapting well to the change.
My daughter decided to add more dance and a musical theater class this year. It has my schedule a little hectic as I often find myself in the car for hours as I go between the two schools and do different activities. It’s exhausting but I am happy to see them happy. And I am reminding myself, in a year, my oldest will be driving and take some of this off me…
Professional
This has been an interesting year professionally. In my Consulting work, I decided to take a sabbatical. I took off from April to August. I wanted the time to travel with the kids this summer, and I wanted some time to help my oldest get ready for the transition. I was glad I got the chance to take this time off. I was able to come back refreshed and ready to jump back into work. I was also offered a contract with less hours, which has let me have the flexibility to work more on my blog and book, and deal with the uber driving duties I seem to have to develop thanks to the kids.
I attended two in-person conferences this year, but I also attended several virtual conferences. Then, I decided to throw my hat in the ring, and presented a few. I was able to present at the Bougie in a Backpack October Virtual Conference. This led to an invitation to present at the DIY Trip Summit coming up in January. I’m presenting about planning a multi-generational trip to Europe. You can still get your free ticket, or upgrade to First Class to get a download of all the presentations.
Finally, I had a goal of doing three podcast interviews this year, but I ended up at two, which I’m still proud of. I spoke with Andrea of Wandr Working who I met at the Women’s Travel Fest and was on the Bougie in a Backpack podcast talking on my conference topic, Traveling with Growing Kids.
Again, this year, as I worked on my book, I struggled to keep up on publishing blog posts. But my blog still continues to provide good content and attract more attention as people are back to traveling. I had a 240% increase in views this year from 2023, and an almost 260% increase in unique visitors. My social media grew as well as my engagement and finally started to do something with my email list. I’m spending some time in early January to set up my goals and plans for 2025 and I’m excited to build on what I’ve developed so far.
Book
As you know, I spent much of 2023 writing the manuscript for my memoir, a book about raising young travelers. I spent the first half of 2024 re-reading and editing every piece of the book and looking for an editor. I was not able to find one and I knew the book was too long. I took a break while traveling over the summer, but in the fall, I hired a professional editor to do what is called a developmental edit. This is when they read the book and provide detailed feedback on how to make the book better. This isn’t “put a comma here” feedback. This is “re-write this chapter, refocus here, cut this” editing. To be honest, it’s brutal and can be emotional. I took some time to read and take in the feedback, and have been slowly reading, editing and re-writing. To be honest, this process is taking much longer and was much more emotional than I expected. I had hoped to self-publish by the end of 2024, but right now I think it’s looking for more like mid to late 2025. But I have not given up. I am still writing.
I also decided to work on my first paid guide. I am using a website, content I have, plus maps and other content I’ve never shared to put together a paid guide. I’m hoping seeing a little success here will encourage me to continue on the harder book, but the passion project. Stay tuned for more.
2025 Plans
As we enter 2025, I am looking forward to taking some time to refocus and move forward with plans for the future. We have finally settled into our new realities and figured out how to make it work with the different demands. We have a “light” travel year planned. So far, we are planning:
- Disneyland with the Girl Scouts in February
- Hawaii in April
- Chicago for the Latino Travel Fest in June
- Comic Con in San Diego in July
- New Jersey in August (?)
- India in December
I’m looking forward to refocusing on my book and my travel guides. Getting to writing more blog posts, and spending time with my kids making memories. Life is changing and transitioning and I’m excited to see how they continue to change. Thank you for being here and following along. Hope you continue to come along for the ride.
* Starred Photos taken by Atma Photography
Edited by SKS
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