2023 travel wrapped
2023 was one of my biggest travel years, so I thought I’d take everyone through it and how I leveraged travel deals and points to make it happen!
january
I spent the first two weeks of January earning my Open and Advanced Open Water Scuba Diving Certifications in Utila, Honduras. Utila is one of the most affordable places in the world to earn these certifications. I chose to do mine at the reputable Utila Dive Centre. For $670 I earned both certifications, 14 nights of accommodation, 4 fun dives, and unlimited snorkeling trips. This would’ve run me four times the price in other places in the world!
I highly recommend adding learning how to scuba dive in Honduras to your bucket list. Utila is an incredibly charming tiny island that I can’t wait to revisit one day! To learn more about my Honduras recommendations click here.
utila dive centre
west end dive resort in Roatan
lionfish carpaccio at Mango Tango
After Honduras, I took a tiny plane over to Belize to enjoy another 2 weeks snorkeling, diving, cave exploring, and swimming in waterfalls! My plans to continue to Belize worked out perfectly. I found that Belize had even more marine life and incredible dive sites, so being able to use my new scuba diving certifications was awesome.
snorkeling with spinner dolphins
taking a tiny Cessna Caravan 208B plane from Roatan to Belize City
exploring ancient Mayan history through the ATM cave exploration
looking for manatees at Jaguar Reef Lodge in Hopkins
eating endless lobster in Caye Caulker
swimming and cliff jumping at Big Rock Falls in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve
swimming with nurse sharks at Shark Ray Alley with EZ Boys Tours
meeting iguanas and toucans at San Ignacio Resort
feeding Sting Rays in Caye Caulker at Iguana Reef Inn
There were so many highlights to the Belize trip I could’ve included about 100 more photos, if you’d like to see everything I got up to in Belize check it out here! I cannot stress just how amazing of a destination Belize is, this is my go-to recommendation for friends and family for their 2024 vacations. Bonus: Belize is an affordable country! Lobster was $15, tours were under $100, and accommodation is basic but affordable.
february
Edin and I took a quick getaway to New Orleans, Louisiana for Valentine’s Day. We had the best time indulging in Southern food, exploring the French Quarter, and experiencing a bit of Mardi Gras! We stayed at the Maison Dupuy Hotel for $90 / night and it was quaint, charming, and charismatic. Perfect for Valentine’s Day!
iconic photo spot in the French Quarter
taking a free tour with tasting at Sazerac House
indulging our sweet tooths at Cafe Beignet
checking out the live music scene on bourbon street
march
In March, Edin, Everest (our dog), and I took a road trip around the Southern USA. We drove all the way from Chicago to Florida, followed by Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri. We camped at National Parks and public land keeping our entire 10-day trip under $900. We find so much joy in traveling this way even with the long hours of driving, sleeping in the car, and inconveniences of camping. The money saved and the excitement it brings Everest is worth it!
Pensacola dog beach west
Big Lagoon State Park campground
Everest being the star of the show
Rosemary Beach, 30A, FL
Florida ended up being an absolute blast to camp! Even though the sand can get messy, nothing beats beach sunsets, campfires in the sand, and watching Everest have a blast in the water.
Alabama and Mississippi surprised us! We thought we’d like Alabama more, however, the strange development of Gulf Shores left us eager to move on to Mississippi, which we loved! Who knew the shores of Mississippi were dotted with picturesque towns that felt more like charming fishing villages than busy beach towns?
Gulf Shores, AL left more to be desired, but spotting dolphins was great!
The Shed, a bbq spot in Ocean Springs had us feeling like we were swamp natives!
adorable oak lined street in Ocean Springs, MS
Ocean Springs Marina
From Mississippi, we had to stop in our new favorite city, New Orleans! We had so much fun in February, we couldn’t pass up stopping at our favorite NOLA restaurant, Lil Dizzy’s, and showing Everest a bit of the French Quarter. We also stayed a night in Breaux Bridge as a gateway to learn more about the history of plantations and get a taste of the Atchafalaya Basin. Our final stop in Louisiana was in Natchitoches.
Everest loved his beignet at iconic Cafe du Monde
camping along the river at Uncle Dick Davis campground
our campground neighbor showing us true southern hospitality by fixing us plates of pork and beans
learning about the complicated history and current issues of plantation tourism
Our last two stops on our road trip were Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas and Gateway Arch National Park, Missouri. Both which may be America’s most unconventional national parks. Hot Springs completely blew us away! Hot Springs National Park isn’t exactly most people’s first choice with the abundance of breathtaking national parks in the US. Although, I’d argue Hot Springs is a completely unique Amercian experience that deserves to be on your travel list.
bathhouse row
natural hot spring
superior bathhouse brewery
St Louis Arch
april
April started with a weekend camping trip at Indiana Dunes National Park.
on the beaches of Lake Michigan
hiking the dunes
Then, I took a trip to Las Vegas to visit family with an impromptu stop in Atlanta, Georgia. I used 2,500 points + $47 to fly roundtrip from Chicago to Las Vegas. Plus got over $700 of value from credit card perks! You can read more about this happy accident here.
hiking in Valley of Fire State Park
art installation at the Bellagio
may
After all the excitement of the first half of 2023, May was a slow relaxing month at home.
Edin and I took a weekend camping trip to Apple River Canyon State Park, Illinois for our anniversary!
foraging golden oyster mushrooms
hiking in apple river
june
June pushed me back into the thick of it with a 16-day trip to Alaska, British Colombia, and Washington. My mom and I found a great deal for an 8-day Alaskan cruise that cost $565 per person. Combined with using United miles to book our flights and Venture Miles to book our Anchorage hotel, what could’ve been a costly trip ended up being great value! You can read more about the cruise deal here.
cruising past Hubbard Glacier in Wrangell-St Elias National Park
hiking to Nugget Falls with a view of Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau
hiking towards Yakutania point in Skagway
exploring the charming streets of Ketchikan
The cruise ended in Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada. Cruising past Haida Gwaii in the Inside Passage was magical. This was the first time I had ever visited the city or province and I was blown away. Vancouver wins in my book for being one of the most liveable cities I’ve ever visited. We stayed one night in Vancouver at an Airbnb for $122. The Airbnb is located in the Rosedale on Robson Hotel (listed by a timeshare owner I believe). Summer rates at this hotel are usually $300/night!
taking a walk in Stanley Park
perusing Granville Market
Richardson Night Market
view from our Airbnb
We extended our trip with 4-days around Seattle & Olympic Peninsula National Park using Turo. Our 3-day car rental was $137 (yes, even in this economy). We chose an awesome homestay Airbnb in Seattle that cost $144/night (accommodation in Seattle is expensive!!) and stayed 2 nights at Ocean Shores Resort for $100/night. Although, if I could go back, I would have splurged on the Lake Quinault Lodge. We took refuge in the lodge during a rainy afternoon after exploring the Quinault rainforest. Our time relaxing and dining in their restaurant was one of the most memorable experiences of the trip.
Seattle Public Market
Lake Quinault Lodge
Hoh Rainforest
Tree of Life, Kalaloch Beach
Ruby Beach
a field of lupines near Ocean Shores
reading by the fireplace in Lake Quinault Lodge
Merriman Falls
july
The highlight of the year was July. Edin and I flew with points to Belgrade, Serbia to get to his family’s home in Brcko, Bosnia. Our flight included a long layover in Amsterdam I was able to explore one of my favorite European cities through Edin’s eyes. We sampled Dutch food, went to the Van Gogh Museum, and took naps in an airport lounge.
We stayed one night in Belgrade to visit the Belgrade fortress and then took a bus to Brcko. For one heartwarming week, we stayed at Edin’s family home. Bosnia has a complicated recent history and our trip brought eye-opening experiences and stories. Being able to explore a country with natives is something I don’t often get to experience, it brings a whole new level of reflection and cultural comprehension. The whole family then road-tripped to Dubrovnik, Croatia with a stop in Mostar and Sarajevo.
Brcko, Bosnia
Gradacac, Bosnia
Jablanica, Bosnia
Mostar, Bosnia
Edin had previously visited Dubrovnik, Croatia and I jumped at the idea to revisit somewhere he loved. In preparation, we made sure to watch all the seasons of Game of Thrones. Dubrovnik has great beaches and the highlight was walking through the cobblestone streets of the Old Town.
near Sveti Jakov beach
Onofrio’s fountain
Sveti Jakov beach
view of Old Town from Banje Beach
After the amazing family trip, Edin and I took a bus to Montenegro. Our first stop was the gorgeous and popular town of Kotor, Montenegro followed by Ulcinj to stay at the backpacker favorite, Pirate Hostel!
view from the Fortress of Kotor
night swim at Kotor beach
daily sunset trip with Pirate Hostel
swimming into a cave on Pirate Hostel’s daily boat trip
august
Our European adventure brought us into August. For the first 2 weeks, we traveled all over Albania and made stops in Shkoder, Theth, Valbone, Berat, Ksamil, Gjirokaster, and Tirana. Highlights included hiking 13 miles of Valbone pass, doing a wine tasting and eating in the backyard restaurant of Lili’s Homemade Food in Berat, and relaxing at beach clubs in Ksamil.
hiking from Valbone to Theth via Valbone pass
Berat’s 1000 windows
streets of Gjirokaster
Ostro beach club in Ksamil
From Ksamil, we took a ferry to the Greek island of Corfu! This may have been the highlight of the trip for me. Every corner of Corfu looks like it was plucked from a movie.
Faliraki Beach Corfu Town
La Grotta
Corfu Town
We took the same ferry back to Albania to trail our way up to Gjirokaster and Tirana, where Edin took a flight back to Chicago.
My solo trip started in unassuming Ohrid, Macedonia, which was an incredible surprise. I made a stop in Skopje before going over the border to Sofia, Bulgaria.
Acapulco Bar
Galicica National Park
Church of St John at Kaneo
Ohrid Old Town
Robinson Sunset House
To make this whirlwind of a trip a reality, we used some miles and points for the flights, but ultimately, we chose European destinations known for their value for money. The Balkans are generally an affordable place to travel and we often had hotels under $20/night and 3-course meals under $30. In full transparency, our 6-week trip cost less than $2,500 per person, which includes every penny that we spent while on the trip.
september
I ended up cutting my solo portion of the Europe trip short to catch the end of Midwest summer. Edin and I took two camping trips, one to Devil’s Lake State Park in Wisconsin and the other to Starved Rock and Matthiesen State Parks in Illinois.
Devil’s Lake State Park
campfire at Devil’s Lake
Matthiessen State park
october
October was spent at home paddle boarding with Everest.
Matthiessen State park
november
In November, I took a quick weekend getaway with a friend to Miami, Florida. It was the perfect time to get out of the Chicago cold that was settling in. Plus, I got the flight for free and $200 off the hotel!
Watr, 1 Hotel
Uma House rooftop pool
Rosa Sky
South Beach
The other getaway we took was to Dallas, Texas for Edin’s birthday! We got an awesome hotel deal for $85 at the Virgin Hotel which included a $160 food credit!
You can read about both trip deals here.
Terry Black’s BBQ
Virgin Hotel Dallas
december
December was spent at home enjoying family time and the holidays.