2024: The Travel Year in Review

In January 2012, I kicked off a tradition on this blog: my annual travel recap. Whether I blogged daily that year or barely squeezed in a post every six months, and whether I published that recap on time or procrastinated until June, I’ve managed to keep the tradition alive. Check out all of my previous annual recaps here.

Despite how quiet I’ve been on this blog lately, believe it or not, I had every intention of publishing this year’s post on time! Then January 1st hit. First, I was knocked flat by a brutal cold. Next, L.A.’s horrendous wildfires had us in full-blown crisis mode for weeks: my family evacuated, we then got evacuated ourselves, and much of the area I grew up, including my childhood home, burned to the ground (we’re safe now!). On top of that, the United States’ political climate has been bleak, to say the least. So it hasn’t been a banner year so far, but things can only get better from here, right?

While these distractions delayed this post by several months, if there’s ever a time to focus on the good, it’s now. And 2024 brought a whole lot of good, especially within the realm of travel. Better late than never, here’s everywhere I traveled in 2024.

January

Like many years, my travel calendar started off slow. I stuck to Southern California in January but kept busy with local adventures like an Eagles concert with my family, a Warner Bros. Studio Tour, and pet-sitting one of our favorite dogs.

February

February brought my first trip of the year: Portland, Oregon! Longtime readers know I’m no stranger to Portland because my boyfriend Truman’s parents call it home. This was a relatively short trip just to visit family, but we also met up with my friend and sophomore-year roommate, Deirdre, who had recently moved to Portland’s suburbs. Catching up with Deirdre, her husband, and her parents and meeting her baby for the first time made for a meaningful reunion.

February also brought my family heartbreak when we lost my funny, loving, and vivacious uncle Art to cancer. My dad and I took a day trip to the snowy mountain town of Running Springs, California, to spend time with some of Art’s immediate family.

Though north Orange County doesn’t really count as “travel,” I have to give an honorable mention to the fabulous Knott’s Boysenberry Festival media party in late February. As a former Knott’s Berry Farm ambassador, I always look forward to these events and can’t wait for this year’s party on Thursday!

March

I didn’t travel in March, but we did host Truman’s parents when they visited L.A., which gave us an excuse to play local tourists. A highlight was celebrating Truman’s dad’s birthday at Musso & Frank, an L.A. institution dating back to 1919. That month, my mom and I also cheered on UCLA’s women’s basketball team in the first two rounds of March Madness at Pauley Pavilion.

April

While not travel-related, one big adventure I embarked on in April 2024? Teaching myself the banjo! I’ve kept this link on the downlow for long enough, but if you want to check out my April-June journey of learning the basics of both the banjo and TikTok, I documented it all here.

Later that month, I took a break from banjoin’ to return to Portland, Oregon, this time to house-sit while Truman’s parents traveled to France. We lived like locals for a week and a half, catching up with friends and hopping between an endless array of cool bars and restaurants. We also took a day trip to Tillamook and the Oregon Coast for some windy but breathtaking views and heavenly cheese tasting.

May

We had barely unpacked from Portland when our friends Jo and Ari—whom I met in Sydney and with whom I have since reunited several times around the world—came to L.A. Together, we took off for a weekend in Mammoth Mountain, California, where we were hit with a massive blizzard. Yes, in May! We embraced the cozy weather on day one with board games and a frosty visit to the hot tub, then took advantage of the clearer skies on day two to explore some hot springs.

A few weeks later, to celebrate my birthday weekend, Truman and I hopped on the train to Oceanside, California. We spent a relaxing weekend enjoying beachfront lunches, wine flights with live music, and the overall charm of this quaint seaside town.

June

In June, we celebrated my mom’s belated birthday with the family’s Northern California contingent (my sister and her boyfriend) and the Southern California contingent (my mom, Truman, and I) meeting in the middle in Bass Lake, California. There, we shared a beautiful mountain cabin and spent a fun-filled day boating on the lake.

July

July’s first “trip” was our least travel-y staycation yet: a getaway to a hotel literally half a mile away from home to celebrate our seventh anniversary. There, Truman and I lounged by the pool, anxiously followed every moment of a certain mid-July breaking news event, caught a ride on the hotel’s charming trolley to Universal CityWalk, enjoyed delicious dining, and dangled our feet in the hot tub while watching a poolside screening of Jurassic Park. Despite having only traveled mere blocks, this felt like a real vacation, one that I hope to repeat annually.

Later that month, we flew up to Lummi Island, Washington. Lummi may sound familiar to my readers, as it’s been Truman’s family’s annual vacation destination for roughly a century (no exaggeration!). Though I spent much of the trip working remotely, it’s hard to complain when your office is a cabin on the water, with sunsets, gin and tonics, and Olympic viewing each evening, plus scenic hikes on the weekend.

August

The Lummi trip stretched into early August, and that wound up being my only trip that month. Local August highlights included watching tons of Olympic coverage, hiking, celebrating National Potato Day with a potluck, and attending Knott’s Scary Farm’s preview event and media party.

September

Having visited Mexico twice last year and once the year before, you’d think we’d had our fill. But thanks to two different pairs of friends, we returned for more in 2024! First, our friends Jo and Ari invited us to visit them in La Peñita de Jaltemba, a beach town an hour north of Puerto Vallarta in which they spent several months pet-sitting. Despite the heat and humidity, we loved exploring a town that most tourists never think to visit, sampling street food, and visiting the nearby towns of San Pancho and Lo de Marcos for beaches, a turtle release, and some of Jo and Ari’s favorite bars.

When we visited Mexico City in November 2023, we couldn’t stop raving about it to everyone we knew, including our friends Jessica and Nichole. Together, we began toying around with the idea of a group trip there, and we materialized that trip in September! Truman and I flew from Puerto Vallarta to Mexico City, spent a few days working remotely, and then were joined by Jessica and Nichole for an extended weekend of tacos, pastries, history, and architecture. I could easily go back to Mexico City every year, and I love that we managed to visit twice in ten months.

October

We weren’t back in L.A. long before we set off on our next international adventure: Italy! Truman’s parents had planned an extended tour of the country and invited us to join them for the final leg. Truman and I began in Florence, where we spent an eventful day wandering. Then, we met his parents for a few days’ stay in the medieval hilltop town of Orvieto, which overflowed with quaint charm, delicious food, and fantastic local wine. Over the next few days, we took memorable day trips to Montepulciano, Siena, and Bolsena, all of which gave Orvieto a run for its money.

Before heading back to Florence, a convoluted series of train and bus rides landed us in San Marino. Country-counting is a bit controversial, but I was thrilled to visit my 78th new country, and San Marino was a fascinating one to add to my list. With its capital (also called San Marino) perched high above the rest of the country and surrounded by Italy, San Marino is known for its panoramic vistas. So when we arrived to dense fog, we worried we might not get the true San Marino experience. Nonetheless, roaming around the deserted, misty old town streets by night was magical. Fortunately, the next morning, the fog lifted, revealing some of the most spectacular views I’ve ever seen.

November

After those two overseas excursions, we spent the rest of 2024 close to home. Local November activities included a beach bonfire, sporting events, visits from family members on both sides, and a low-key Thanksgiving with a friend.

We wrapped up the month by celebrating Truman’s birthday with a staycation at the 97-year-old Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and dinner at the 105-year-old Musso & Frank Grill.

December

December was all about feeling festive in L.A., catching up with friends, and spending the holidays with family. With all of our friends opting for a quiet New Year’s Eve, we ended the year in our usual thirty-something fashion: on the couch, in cozy robes, accompanied by the drunken wit of Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen.

Balancing full-time work with insatiable wanderlust has been a challenge I’ve been happy to tackle, and I struck a good balance in 2024. A handful of domestic vacations, two international adventures, and plenty of meaningful moments near home made for a year I can already look back on with nostalgia. 2025 has brought its fair share of challenges so far, and I have yet to figure out travel plans, but I look forward to whatever this year brings!