2019 Travel Review

Before I start a New Year with new travel goals and bucket lists, I've found it important to reflect on all of the places I've been the previous year. Placing new memories on top of old ones without properly cherishing already-created experiences diminishes the value of a trip taken. Though I am definitely guilty of letting this happen, I do my best to preserve the things I've seen by documenting my travels through writing, photography, and video-making.

While social media makes it very easy to master recording, setting time aside to actually review what we've recorded becomes lost once our posts achieve a certain amount of likes or views. Before we know it, the reason why we document in the first place becomes more about external validation and affirmation than appreciation and admiration of our new surroundings. That's why making time to reflect on the places we've been by reviewing old photos, writing, etc. (especially the ones we don't post) are key to retaining the memories we work so hard to create. Engaging in practices like these help us cherish experiences, embed memories, and most importantly- remain grateful.

A couple ways I've recorded my memories this year were through travel-mapping and compiling videos from my first solo-trip. While this trip was taken in 2018, it took most of 2019 to condense two months of GoPro footage into 8 minutes of video.

Below you will find a timeline that outlines my travels and a map that records which countries I've visited throughout my life. While the map beneath is obviously digital, there are plenty of decorative ones that you can buy and hang in your actual home.

Travel maps make great conversations-pieces (I have this one hung above my kitchen table) and provide visual reminders of travel histories that can inspire new travel goals. While the map I have is a little pricey, you can find plenty of others that are just as great and customizable (scroll to bottom of page for personal recommendations).

Two of my 2020 travel goals are to scratch more places off my literal and figurative map, and to treasure my previous experiences by sharing more consistently. In the spirit of reflecting and setting resolutions, look out next week for my upcoming post on my annual travel budget, 2020 travel plans, and how I quadrupled my overall travels in the past 2 years!

TRAVEL TIMELINE:

Before 2016: Ireland, Canada, Mexico

2017: Jamaica, Thailand

2018: Costa Rica, England, France, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Vatican City, Greece, Croatia, Montenegro

2019: Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Amsterdam, Puerto Rico, USA (Miami, Upstate NY)

WHERE I'VE BEEN:

WHERE I WANT TO GO:

TOP 4 TRAVEL MAPS:

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