Tracking Trimm Travels: Roundup Review 2018
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It’s that time again. I can’t believe 2018 is already over. It seems like I was just writing my 2017 roundup post and now here it is time for my 2018 roundup! My goal for these annual end-of-the-year roundups is to present highlights of my travels from the year all in one organized place to hopefully give you travel inspiration for the upcoming year!2018 was yet another fantastic travel year. While I visited fewer countries than in 2017, it was still the busier year and just as exciting. Here we go!
Trimm Travels Roundup Review 2018
1. New York City, New York-February 2018
South view from Top of the Rock
After taking January off as usual, I was itching to go and so I kicked off 2018 with New York City! NYC is one of my absolute favorite cities and seems to be the #1 city foreign travelers want to visit in the United States.
I did everything from watching the sunset from the top of Freedom Tower to seeing Hamilton, going to a concert at Radio City Music Hall, walking through Central Park, eating at more than 10 different restaurants, attending a live talk show and even having the 86th-floor viewing deck of the Empire State Building all to myself!
Rose in the 9/11 Memorial North Pool
This NYC trip was extra special to me because it was my first completely solo trip. Now, I’ve been in several cities alone before. I just mean this was the first trip I intended, planned and took completely solo.
And guess what?
I absolutely adored it and NYC now holds a special place in my heart!
Read my New York City posts.
2. Asheville, North Carolina-March 2018
The Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina
Next up was a girls’ trip with one of my best girlfriends to Asheville, North Carolina. I had been to Asheville once before on a flying 24-hour trip to see the Biltmore at Christmas. Needless to say, I was excited to take a few days to properly explore this gorgeous Appalachian town.
Mural at the River Arts District in Asheville
One of my favorite things we did was finding all the mural art and the River Arts District is perfect for this. Also, Asheville is a foodie town so if you love food and the outdoors, it’s the city for you!
Read my Asheville posts.
The next 5 destinations I visited were part of obtaining a lifetime travel goal. In April 2018 (April 20th to be exact), I visited the last 5 states I needed to have been to all 50 United States! My last 5 were Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa. Excited doesn’t even cover it!
3. Minneapolis, Minnesota-April 2018
Spoonbridge and Cherry in Minneapolis’ Sculpture Garden
We landed in Minneapolis, Minnesota at midnight right before the biggest blizzard on record in April (for Minneapolis) hit. This southern girl got schooled on how to really drive in snow that night!
We were actually really excited since we don’t get snow often (and certainly not 13-14″ of it) in Alabama.
Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge, Minneapolis
We happily explored the city in the snow covering 9 miles in 6 hours and we pretty much had the place to ourselves as you can see. We got an extra night in Minneapolis due to the snow and I must say getting snowed in at our hotel connected to the Mall of America was a bonus!
Read my Minneapolis posts.
4. Fargo, North Dakota-April 2018
Outside the Fargo Visitors’ Center
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to spend as much time in North Dakota as I would have liked. I was supposed to have lunch with a friend who moved up there a few years ago. Due to our delay with the blizzard, we weren’t able to meet her and except for a quick stop in Fargo, we drove through North Dakota to get back on track.
So, North Dakota, I still need to explore you!
5. South Dakota-April 2018
We covered a good distance in South Dakota that included a gorgeous day at Mt Rushmore…
a visit to Badlands National Park
and the oh-so-interesting Corn Palace. Yep, a building with exterior murals made of corn. Themed corn, thank you very much. The 2018 theme was weather which we found quite appropriate given the snow in South Dakota and the blizzard in Minnesota!
Read my South Dakota posts.
6. Nebraska-April 2018
Next up, coming in at state #49 was Nebraska. Stops included the post office in Valentine, Nebraska where we mailed ourselves these unique postcards. Aren’t they cute?
Omaha was where we spent most of our time eating fabulous food, going to the zoo, seeing the stadium where the College World Series (baseball) is held and meeting Bob the Bridge.
Yes, the bridge has a name. It’s Bob and Bob has quite a personality as well as his own social media accounts and personalized hashtag!
Read my Nebraska posts.
7. Des Moines, Iowa-April 2018
Iowa State Capitol, Des Moines
And last, but absolutely NOT least, coming in at state #50 was Iowa. I will be honest in that I didn’t expect much from Iowa. I was just hitting my last state.
Let’s just say Des Moines taught me a lesson. Just because a destination isn’t NYC or LA, Dallas or Miami doesn’t mean it isn’t a really cool place. Des Moines was what I call a sleeper hit. You know, the dark horse!
I hiked to the coolest bridge all lit up at night, ate some really fun, quirky food and walked around an absolutely gorgeous downtown.
Sculpture Park was one of the most fascinating attractions I’ve been to in a long time. This particular piece of art captured my attention for quite a while. If you read my blog or follow my Instagram, you know that I love finding the color in life. This building was so colorful and mesmerizing!
Read my Des Moines posts.
You might also like: TRACKING TRIMM TRAVELS: ROUNDUP REVIEW 2017
After spending a few months finishing up the 50 United States and crossing this major item off my bucket list, it was time to go global.
8. Québec City, Québec, Canada-May 2018
Fairmont Le Château Frontenac at golden hour
I started with our neighbor to the north and visited Québec City, Canada where I experienced my very first travel blogging conference, Women in Travel Summit (WITS).
I learned a lot about the business of travel blogging and about French-Canadian history. It is also where I took my first nighttime photography shots with my DSLR. I typically shoot with my travel camera, but I love nighttime photography and it was time to step up my game!
However, the star of the show was Québec’s food scene! I’m a lover of poutine and French food so I was in complete foodie heaven with two food tours from the conference and my own personal one too!
Read my Québec City posts.
9. Morocco-June/July 2018
Courtyard of Riad Dar Anika in Marrakech
In June, I took off for what would be my first of three trips across the pond in 2018. I spent a little over two weeks traveling all over Morocco getting acquainted with riads, waterfalls with monkeys and rainbows and authentic Moroccan mint tea!
One of the highlights of the trip for me was Chefchaouen, the Blue Pearl of Morocco. In addition to its beautiful blue color, the city has a high Spanish influence and I could communicate here!
But by far, my top experience was glamping in the Sahara Desert! I crossed a second major item off my bucket list and it was absolutely amazing and magical. Six months later (at the time of publishing), I still can’t believe it happened!
Read my Morocco posts.
10. Paris, France-July 2018
After Morocco, we flew to Paris, France and spent a week soaking up all things French: food, architecture, language, culture…all of it.
It was actually my second trip to Paris, but my first (8 years ago) was only a stopover from another trip, the weather wasn’t great and we didn’t get to do much.
I fixed that problem as I did everything from the Palace of Versailles to picnicking at sunset with the Eiffel Tower and a night photography tour!
Read my Paris posts.
11. Austin, Texas-September 2018
One of Austin’s many street murals
I took a much needed two-month break in July and August and in September I traveled to Austin, Texas for TravelCon, my second travel blogging conference of the year.
Once again, I learned a lot about this ever-changing business, met up with a bunch of blogger friends who are now IRL (in real life) friends, and ate some fantastic food.
The crowd waiting on 1.5 million Austin Bats to make their nightly appearance (March-October)
Unfortunately, due to a previously scheduled trip, I was unable to stay longer in Austin to really explore it so I have an excuse to come back.
Look for my Austin posts coming soon.
12. Iceland-September/October 2018
Seljalandsfoss, Iceland
So that previously scheduled trip that prevented more time in Austin? That was to Iceland. I took off on my second trip across the pond (well, 3/4 of the way across) to explore Iceland two days after returning from Austin. A trip that was over two years in the making and it finally happened!
I had hoped this little country would live up to all the hype I was giving it, but it did not. It exceeded it!
I even crossed a third major bucket list item off my list with the amazing opportunity to photograph the Northern Lights which is actually difficult to do in Iceland mainly due to uncooperative weather.
I might have cried a little while taking the above photo. But you won’t tell anyone, right? 😜
We started and ended in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland and all the color made me happy!
Read my Iceland posts.
13. San Francisco, California-October 2018
A surprise trip to San Francisco, California happened only two days after I returned home from my epic Icelandic adventure. But I couldn’t turn down spending the weekend with a friend as well as the rare opportunity to spend a day at Facebook Headquarters!
San Francisco skyline from Treasure Island
After a fun time at Facebook, we spent the weekend exploring San Francisco and even made a day trip up to Muir Woods. I didn’t miss an opportunity for nighttime photography here either!
Read my San Francisco posts.
14. Dallas, Texas-October 2018
Dallas, Texas is an annual October trip for me to see my bestie and two godchildren. I have seen and done a lot in Dallas so I managed to make this more of a laid-back personal trip.
Except for night photography. Because I’m all. about. it.
This photo combines my love of nighttime photography with the colors of downtown Dallas and the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, a creation by my favorite architect, Santiago Calatrava.
Read my Dallas posts.
15. Las Vegas, Nevada-November 2018
Las Vegas is also a frequent destination for me in the month of November due to the annual half-marathon held there of which I’m a proud four-time finisher.
However, this trip was a girls’ weekend with my sister and her first trip to Sin City! We bonded over fantastic food at my favorite restaurant Tao, got our inner teenager on with a Backstreet Boys concert and gawked at beautiful fall flower spectaculars such as the one above at the Bellagio.
I also took her to my favorite places to see the best views of the strip at night!
Read my Las Vegas posts.
16. Atlanta, Georgia-November 2018
Next up for November was a 24-hour trip to Atlanta, Georgia. Located less than two hours from my house, Atlanta is a second home to me. It’s basically my home airport as I fly through it EVERY time I travel. I also worked there as an RN many years ago and I’ve worked many film and TV sets there as well.
This particular trip was with one of my best girlfriends and her daughter to see Ed Sheeran in concert at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium downtown. This makes two years in a row to see Ed for all three of us. He’s a pretty fantastic artist!
17. Austria-December 2018
Guys, I got an amazing opportunity to go to Austria just a couple of weeks ago! We went to Salzburg where we fanned out on all things Sound of Music.
We also spent several days exploring Vienna which included meeting a Lipizzaner Stallion and watching them perform with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Oh and I attended my first European Christmas market!
Needless to say, I fell in love with both Austria and European Christmas markets and now have the goal to spend part of every December in the future in Europe.
Read my Austria posts.
2018 saw my first travel blogging conferences, bucket list items such as glamping in the Sahara Desert in Morocco, photographing the Northern Lights in Iceland and visiting filming locations for the Sound of Music in Austria.
Some of these memories I’ve already enjoyed the second time around while writing about them and some I’m getting excited about round two coming up soon!
So, how did I fare in the trip totals category this year? Let’s look…
Trimm Travels Trip Totals 2018
Continents: 3
Countries: 6
States: 11
Cities: 34
Steps: 947,897
Miles Walked: 380.97
Calories Burned: 93,348*
Weight Lost: Maintained **
Airports: 63 total (18 unique)
Flights: 45
Hotels: 28
Airbnbs: 2
Ubers/Taxis: too many to count
Conferences: 2
Months Traveled: 10
Days Traveled: 93
Photos Taken: 21,854***
*Only 53 of the 93 travel days counted due to lost data
**My goal was to maintain which for me is harder than losing
***Excludes cellphone photos. Also met my goal of taking fewer photos this year
My Favorite 10 Blog Posts of 2018
Rainbow Mountain Perú: The Ultimate Day Trip From Cusco
The Best Time to Visit Yellowstone & Grand Teton: 5 Reasons + 35 Photos
Best Time to Visit Philadelphia + 25 Places to See in 4 Days
New York City: My Amazing First Solo Trip + How to Plan Yours
Best Morocco Luxury Desert Camp: Glamping the Sahara with Top Desert
Maine in the Fall: Best Foliage Views + What to See and Do
Things to Do in Chefchaouen: Exploring the Blue Pearl of Morocco
Paris Photography Guide: Best Places to Capture the Most Iconic Photos
Best Things to Do in Essaouira: Exploring a Moroccan Beach Town
The Ultimate Switzerland Itinerary: A 16-Day Swiss Adventure
My Favorite Travel Accessories of 2018
PIN IT!
And that’s a wrap on Tracking Trimm Travels for 2018. As always, thanks for joining me on my journey!
Which of these would be your top bucket list destination? Where would you like to see Trimm Travels cover in 2019? Let me know below!
‘Til next time and next year…
Trimm Travels,
Looks like you had a fabulous year of travel and new experiences. Morocco is on my bucket list, love your photo accompanying it! Glad to hear you enjoyed Quebec City, which is like a mini European city and agree it has a great food scene. Thanks for sharing and enjoy your 2019 adventures!
Hi! Thanks so much-I’m glad you enjoyed it! Morocco is definitely a place to visit so I hope you get there soon! Thanks for reading! 🙂
Wow guys, that is some travels you have got up to this year! I love how much of the states you managed to see whilst also going on some trips over to Europe too. What a contrast in experiences you’ve had through the year! All the best for 2019, we look forward to seeing where you end up!
Hi Nicola-We definitely had a great year and yes, there was a broad variety! Thank you so much and happy travels and to you as well, thanks for reading! 🙂
That’s some travel-full year you had there, across three continents. Back with 21,854 photos and wonderful memories of different experiences! Loving the Morocco snapshots..have to get there soon.
Hi Punita-Thank you! Yes it was a very full year but so much fun! I’m so glad you love the Morocco shots. It’s such a fun country to photograph. I highly recommend going. Thanks for reading! 🙂
Wow! That is a lot in one year. I’m dying to go to Morocco. It’s been on my bucket list for a long time and I can’t wait to mark it off. Next time you’re in Vegas you have to check out Wicked Spoon. It’s all you can eat and all you can drink and the food is phenomenal!
Hi Darah-Definitely get to Morocco when you have the chance. So many unique experiences and a fun country to photograph! As far as Wicked Spoon, where is that in Vegas? Thanks for the suggestion. I’m always looking for them since I go to Vegas often. I will say I don’t usually do buffets because I typically can’t eat enough to warrant the prices but I am intrigued by its name. What kind of food do they serve? Thanks for reading! 🙂
Oh my gosh – what a lot of places you covered! Did you plan any other solo trips like the NYC one?! Love that you got to spend more time in Paris. Like almost everywhere, the more time you spend the better it gets! Morocco and Iceland are on my list.. who knows maybe I’ll get there in 2019!
Hi Alison, I didn’t have any other actual solo trips planned other than NYC in 2018 although I was in Paris a day or two solo and technically went to Austin for a conference solo but I met up with blogger friends. If you get the chance, I HIGHLY recommend Iceland (posts coming this month) and Morocco! Thanks for reading! 🙂
You traveled to so many beautiful places this year! We went to some of the same places on your list 🙂 We are thinking of visiting Nebraska this year as that is where our American side of the family lives. We’ve been to Nebraska several times, but never really properly explored the area as we tend to spend time at home with family and relatives when we are there.
Hi Candy-Nebraska is a cool place. I had no idea Omaha was as big as it was or that it was a decent foodie town. One of my best friends just moved up there so I might be up there when you guys are! Not sure where in Nebraska your family is, but if you visit Omaha, definitely visit Des Moines, Iowa too. It was a total surprise to me and I loved it there! Thanks for reading! 🙂
That is some awesome idea of having a travel year review! I need to do that too 🙂 Hey, but – Wow! What a year you had! From Northern lights to Chefchaouens blue walls.. Impressive! And about Christmas markets – how are the Christmas markets in the states? So different from Europe? Never thought about that..
Hi Ray, yes it was a great travel year and I’m glad you like the idea of the travel review. Can’t take credit for that as I got the idea elsewhere, but it is fun! As far as the Christmas markets, I’ve been to a version of them in the US that are really more one-weekend travel type events like in my hometown where there is a Christmas Village and all kinds of shops, eateries, clothing stories, crafts, etc have booths for 3-4 days over one weekend. I haven’t actually been to a real Christmas market here in the US but I’m planning on checking them out for comparison for sure! Thanks for reading! 🙂
What an awesome year you had, and we got to share it vicariously with you via your posts and photos. Thanks for that! And no, we won’t tell anyone that you cried when seeing the Northern Lights … we fully understand. You simply cannot describe the experience of seeing the lights to anyone, ever. It has to be seen and experienced for yourself. And every time, seeing the Northern Lights is incredible. I’ve seen them many times and feel a tingle, tear and extreme emotion still every time. Therese, when she saw the Northern Lights for her first time, with me in Norway, experienced the classic gasp and knee buckle upon first view. 😉 They are THAT good.
Hi Michael-Thank you for that and thank you for following along! And yes, the lights are THAT good! You’re so right! That was my third time to see them (2nd on that trip in Iceland) but that was the first night that they really came out and danced and were massive and we even got some yellow, pink and purple for a few seconds. They just take your breath away or make you cry! Thanks for reading! 🙂
You’ve had such a great year of travel – I’m truly impressed. How did you manage to visit all these places?
I also started my year off with a solo trip to NYC (and will be doing the same thing this year…next week!). I also didn’t know you went to Asheville this year. It’s high on my list for next year!
Hi Sarah-I saw that! I’m doing another trip to NYC the same dates as I did last year too! As far as how I visited all of those places, the year was a blur! LOL! But so much fun! You will LOVE Asheville. Love it! Gluten-free options galore! Thanks for reading! 🙂
You’ve had quite the year traveling across the world! I love how you tied in personal travel statistics, that’s super creative!
Hi Joshua-Thank you! I realized I was keeping track of them because I was curious and I thought why not publish them as part of my annual statistics? Thanks for reading! 🙂
You know I’m always a fan of yours but this post is off the hook! I loved your approach to it and how simple and streamlined it was. The data at the bottom (miles walked, etc.) was my favorite part since I love stuff like that. And I love how you shared your top posts. Keep on living the dream and making your readers want to get out and see the world. Happy 2019!
Hi Melody-Thank you so much that means a lot to me! I’m glad you like the data…I was curious about it and was keeping up with it and so on last year’s roundup I thought why not post it and so I did last year and then again this year and now it will be part of that post every year I hope! I hope you have a great 2019 too! Thanks for reading! 🙂
Such a great roundup, Heather! I love your photos! In fact, your Asheville posts have influenced my upcoming trip to Asheville next month. The River Arts District is a must. You’ve seen so many places that would never normally hit my radar — like Valentine, NE. I sent postcards from Hell in the Cayman Islands. I love quirky opportunities like this.
I can’t wait to read about Austria. I’m headed to Austin soon, so will have to compare notes when you finish writing about that. I hope 2019 is going to be just as incredible! Happy travels!
Hi Juliann-Thanks so much! Yes, I love quirky stuff like that too! I also sent postcards from Hell in the Cayman Islands and the oldest post office in the US in Philly, etc! Road trips are great for hitting things that are under the radar but a friend of mine who was traveling with me made that find! You will LOVE Asheville and yes, River Arts is a MUST. Austria is also amazing as is Austin. Can’t wait to write about both. Happy 2019 and I hope yours is just as great! Thanks for reading! 🙂
So are you a full-time traveler now? With all that traveling I don’t know how you couldn’t be! I feel like we bonded over Morocco, met in real life in June, was jealous of your Iceland trip – but then again not the getting there part. Then was very very pleased to see how Iceland exceeded expectations, with how over curated it is, it was nice to see that you actually enjoyed your time there. I worry about that with Bali.
Hi Janiel-I would say I am almost a full-time traveler. I say almost because I’m not nomadic and gone all the time. Still and always will be based. I don’t think I would want to be a full-time nomadic traveler. We did definitely bond absolutely! I thoroughly enjoyed Iceland. Already want to go back. Considered it for NYE actually. But I needed to be home to get some things done. I hope you have a fabulous time in Bali. Haven’t been there yet so I’m curious. Thanks for reading! 🙂
Wait, you were in WITS last year? How come I didn’t meet you then! Anyways, QC is my favourite place in Canada – I am hoping to go back next year to explore the nearby region. I loved your Morocco photos – so dreamy!! I can’t wait to discuss with you about our NYC trip!
Hey Cat! Yes, I was at WITS last year! We didn’t meet because we weren’t aware of the other’s existence yet! 😉 I loved QC too but I love the Banff area so much that it’s probably my fave in Canada! Morocco was definitely fun and yes NYC is soon!! Thanks for reading! 🙂
Fantastic review of the year and oh man did you do a lot of travel! Do you do it fulltime? You managed to make it to quite a few places as well and I enjoyed following you throughout the year. My favorite posts were the ones from Morocco – you showed just how colorful it is there and my hubby would just die to photograph it!
Hi Andi-Thank you so much! I do travel and blog full-time but not nomadically if that makes sense. I am married and do have a home base. But otherwise I am full-time, yes! 2018 as a busy but fabulous year! Morocco does seem to be the star of the 2018 show and it was quite colorful and fun to photograph. So glad you enjoyed it, try to make it there if you can! Thanks for reading! 🙂