2024 End-Of-Year Summary & Sneak Peek 2025
Published December 29, 2024
Another year of travel has come and gone. That means it’s time for my annual review blog post! This year was honestly a little rough, especially towards the end. I got to embark on some amazing journeys through the spring and summer, but I was pretty bogged down with work through the fall and winter. Nonetheless, I powered through, and I am very grateful to finally have a holiday break!
With that said, I have some exciting plans for 2025, including some big changes in store for the second half of next year. Long story short, I’m planning on moving abroad again. The “Sneak Peak 2025” portion of this post will go into more detail about when, where, and why!
This is my fifth annual end-of-year reflection post. If you’re curious what I did in previous years, be sure to check out some of my older posts in this yearly wrap-up series!
Below are some shortcuts to the sections of this post. Click or tap any of them to jump down to the corresponding section!
2024 Review
2024 Stats
- Countries Visited This Year: 3
(Mexico, United States, The Bahamas) - New Countries Visited: 0 😢
- US States Visited This Year: 12
(Illinois, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Florida, Minnesota, Maine, Indiana, Washington, Oregon, Virginia, Washington D.C., Maryland) - New States Visited: 1
(Minnesota) - Flight Segments: 20
- Train Segments: 2
1. Guadalajara, Mexico (Jan)
The beginning of 2024 was a blast because I rang in the New Year in Guadalajara! I lived in Mexico City in 2018, but I never traveled to Guadalajara when I was based in Mexico’s capital. This was my first return trip to the country since then, and it was a joy to be back!
Guadalajara is not necessarily known for international tourism, but that’s partly why I chose this city over so many other enticing spots in Mexico. There were so many cathedrals, museums, markets, and other attractions to explore! Guadalajara is great for experienced travelers who have already been to some of Mexico’s more popular destinations such as Mexico City, Cancún, and Puerto Vallarta.
2. Charlotte, NC (Jan)
For MLK Jr. weekend this year, I ventured over to Charlotte. This was a very nostalgic trip for me because the “Queen City” is a destination I got to know pretty well while I was living in South Carolina from 2017 to 2018. Charlotte was only about a 90-minute drive to the north.
On this 2024 trip, I went back to all my favorite restaurants, breweries, and neighborhoods. Charlotte’s craft beer scene is a major reason to visit, but the city also offers a wide variety of attractions, from the NASCAR Hall of Fame to the street murals in NoDa and the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Uptown.
3. Kenosha, WI (Spring)
This small town right across the Illinois border in Southeast Wisconsin is the perfect day trip from Chicago. It’s so pretty and quaint, especially because of its prime location on the shore of Lake Michigan between Chicago and Milwaukee. I visited a number of times in 2024, and plan to visit as much as possible in 2025!
4. Virgin Voyages Cruise out of Miami, FL (Apr)
My friend Ismael (who I travel with every year) and I embarked on this cruise during spring break season, and it was definitely the centerpiece of my travels in 2024. We flew down to Miami, where we boarded the Scarlet Lady. I had done one cruise before this (a Viking River Cruise in Europe), so I was incredibly excited to see how a Caribbean ocean cruise would compare!
Virgin Voyages was an incredible cruise line that I’m officially obsessed with. On this voyage, we made two stops: one in Cozumel, Mexico, and one in Bimini, The Bahamas. Cozumel was honestly a little underwhelming, but we did have overcast weather that day. In contrast, Bimini was absolutely gorgeous.
Regardless of Cozumel being a little grey when we were there, I enthusiastically recommend Virgin Voyages to adventurous travelers, first-time ocean cruisers, and folks who love amazing food! The culinary experience was the highlight of the entire trip. Virgin steers clear of standard buffets, instead offering some premium dining experiences that don’t cost extra.
5. Milwaukee, WI (Apr)
I visited Milwaukee for the first time in 2023, but I went back in 2024 with a friend because it’s such a fun city for eating, drinking, and exploring on foot! This is another destination in Wisconsin I plan to revisit in 2025.
6. Minneapolis, MN (May)
For Memorial Day weekend, I booked a trip to Minneapolis. It had a familiar Midwestern vibe, but still felt pretty culturally distinct from Chicago. This relaxing, late-spring trip left me feeling like there’s a lot more to see in the Twin Cities than I originally anticipated.
7. Portland, ME (Jun)
Ismael and I kicked off summer by spending a week in Portland, Maine. The last time I was in Maine, I was in elementary school, and I don’t remember much. Portland’s geography fascinated me, with the city’s historic downtown located on a peninsula surrounded by small islands and rocky bays.
During this visit, we took a few ferry rides to some of Portland’s outlying islands. The boat offered excellent views! My major complaint about Portland is that it was so expensive. I sort of assumed that since it’s a small city, Portland would be relatively cheap. I think with lots of seasonal visitors from New York and Boston, that just isn’t the case.
8. Indiana for Independence Day (Jul)
Visiting extended family in Indiana for the 4th of July has been a tradition of mine ever since I moved to Chicago, so that’s what I did this year. The fireworks show that the city put on was one of the best in recent memory!
9. Washington State & Oregon (Jul)
I have a summer birthday, so I did two trips this summer that were loosely “birthday adjacent.” The first of those was a Washington and Oregon road trip with my parents. We drove from Seattle down to Tillamook along Oregon’s Pacific coast. The dramatic coastline here was a perfect birthday treat, and I loved walking around some of the towns in the region, especially Astoria!
10. Washington, D.C. & Virginia (Jul)
After visiting the West Coast for my first birthday trip, I flew to the East Coast for round two! I met up with Ismael, who lives in the Washington metro area. We explored some neighborhoods, ate a ton of amazing cuisines from all over the world, and walked around the city’s most famous monuments.
11. Two More Seattle Trips for Weddings (Jul & Aug)
I know, I was constantly back and forth between Chicago and Seattle all summer. I did it a total of three times, but it was worth it! That’s because I went to two weddings: one for my friend Stephanie from college, and one for my brother Michael and his wife Niki! I loved every moment of both magical wedding days!
12. Chicago, IL (Fall)
Once fall rolled around, I really stopped traveling and started working a ton. I played tourist in my own city of Chicago a bit by trying a few new restaurants, but even this was pretty minimal. I didn’t really travel this fall and winter because I had to save up for an extended trip I’m planning for the first few months of 2025! Read on to see where I’m headed.
13. Indiana for Thanksgiving (Nov)
My one trip in the fall of 2024 was a drive down to Indiana to spend Thanksgiving with my extended family. I’m so glad I got to see my cousins, aunts, and grandpa! I also ran my very first organized event in many years. It was a good way to offset the delicious but heavy meal we enjoyed later that day.
14. Seattle, WA for Christmas (Dec)
I’m finishing up this year in Seattle, where my parents live! Even though I didn’t technically spend all of my childhood in Seattle, I generally consider it my hometown. Last year I spent Christmas with my extended relatives in Indiana, so I’m glad I got to spend it with my immediate family this year.
During the break, I’m catching up with old friends from high school and college, returning to some of my favorite restaurants and bars, and trying some new spots around town as well. Of the many fun activities we did, seeing a live play was definitely one of the most memorable!
Looking Forward to 2025
1. Philippines (Jan)
My new year is starting off with a bang: I’m headed to the Philippines directly from Seattle! I’ve never been there before, so this will be the 44th country I step foot in. I am beyond excited to spend almost a full month in this tropical paradise, especially at this time of year.
My friend Ismael is joining me for the first half of this trip, and the second half will be me on my own. We’re going to spend some time in famous destinations such as Manila, Cebu, and Palawan. We also booked a few days on some off-the-beaten-path islands.
2. Bali, Indonesia (Jan & Feb)
After spending most of January in the Philippines, I’m heading over to Bali for a week or so. Along with the Philippines, Indonesia is a country I’ve not yet visited, so it will be my 45th. I know Bali is an extremely popular tourist destination, but I have a friend who lives there. I’m hoping he’s able to provide some itineraries for lesser-known spots on the island, not to mention truly local cuisine.
3. Australia & New Zealand Cruise (Feb)
Just like in 2024, I have one big cruise planned for 2025. This will be my third, and I’m so excited to see what Princess Cruises is like, especially in this part of the world! This cruise will also be the longest one I’ve been on, at well over ten days.
My family and I are embarking on this trip to spend some quality time together now that we’re all grown and my brother is married. I have personally been to Australia twice, but none of us have been to New Zealand before. I’m so excited to explore a country for the first time with my loved ones!
4. Mexico City, Mexico (Mar)
For my spring break trip this year, I’m planning to head to Mexico City. As mentioned above, I used to live there, so I’m aiming to stay in my old neighborhood. When I lived in CDMX (as it’s often abbreviated), I never really blogged about it! Instead, I blogged about other cities in Mexico. That’s why I want to visit this time! I really want to feature this incredible city and my old neighborhood a little more prominently on Caffeinated Excursions.
5. Montreal, Canada (Summer)
If you happen to go back and read my “2024 Sneak Peek” I wrote last December, you’ll see that this was a trip I hoped to do in the summer of 2024 with my high school friend group. We ended up postponing it a year, so we are committed to making it happen in 2025!
I hear that Montreal is absolutely magical in the summertime. We’ll almost certainly base our trip around the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal and/or the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, two long-standing music festivals that put on weeks of performances and parties.
6. Big Changes Coming...
Ok, so here’s the big news. I plan to move to Asia in fall of 2025. This isn’t that surprising; I’ve lived in five different countries (the US, Brazil, Vietnam, Mexico, and China) since my college days, and I’m about ready to move to a new one. I’ve been based in Chicago for about four years now, and I want to move to either Japan or Thailand. (I’m really leaning towards Thailand.)
I’ve worked in the field of education and/or English as a second language (ESL) since 2019. It’s work that I love, and although pay is not always phenomenal, teaching does give ample time off to travel. I’m ready to bring my skills back to Asia after last living in Vietnam in 2019, where travel is more affordable than it is in the US. I’ve loved living in Chicago, but found that I can’t afford to travel nearly as much as I’d like to. I want to be able to do at least one weekend trip per month, and I think Thailand would be an ideal home base for that.
Plans for 2026 and Beyond
By the beginning of 2026, I want to be settling down in a new city in Asia. From the time I graduated college in 2017 until 2021, I moved almost on a yearly basis across multiple states and countries. It was exhilarating but also exhausting. Chicago was the first city I’ve actually spent multiple years in, and I’m glad I did. Chicago has its ups and downs, but it is a city that you could explore for a lifetime and still have things left to see and do.
I’m saying all of that to emphasize that wherever I end up next fall, I want to stay there for a while. I know that Bangkok and Tokyo both offer endless cultural and culinary experiences, neighborhoods to explore, regional transit to the rest of their respective countries, etc. I am very much looking forward to immersing myself in a new city and becoming a local expert.
Over the next few years, Caffeinated Excursions will become an Asia-focused blog. And if I end up in Thailand or Japan, this blog will also become a niche travel resource for one of those two countries. It’s bittersweet to be leaving the US next year, but I definitely feel like it’s time. I miss the hustle and bustle of Asia and the relative affordability of travel over there.
Thank You for Supporting My Travel Blog!
If you’ve read this entire post, I want to thank you for being a part of my travel blogging journey! Whether you’ve supported Caffeinated Excursions since its inception in January of 2018 or you’ve just come across this blog for the first time, it means so much to me to have a community of people who click my links to see what I’m up to! I can’t wait to bring you all some top-notch travel content over the next two years and beyond!
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This post was published on Dec 29, 2024
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Love this! Can’t wait for your next post!