Hmmm…reading that last sentence again, it sounds like I’m going to pay for you all to go to Jordan with me. And while I would LOVE for that to be the case, I will do the next best thing by organizing the trip so all you have to do is throw your hiking shoes and bathing suit in a bag and join me.

I am planning a 10 day/9 night trip to Jordan along with Experience Jordan Adventure tours. I knew I wanted to go back to Jordan after my too brief 2-day trip there in 2017. The more I spoke about wanting to return to Jordan, the more people I found who had similar travel goals. So why not put my travel planing skills to use and arrange a trip?

I am looking for up to 12 people to come with me on this amazing trip. For more details on the trip itinerary and to reserve a spot, visit my new website “There’s So Much to See In…”

So Austin, Texas and Jordan: that’s a good start, but where else are you looking to travel in 2019?

Colombia

If you read my blog regularly, you know that my annual goal is to visit at least 4 countries per year (and most years I far exceed that goal). You will also know that last year I challenged my self to get to either Morocco or Colombia in 2018 as those two countries had been on my “must visit” list for years. Turns out Morocco was the winner last year (a country I truly fell hard for) so 2019 I will make my way to Colombia. So many cities in that country tempt me to visit, but I think I’ll at least get to Bogota, Medellin and Cartagena. If anyone has any suggestions for smaller beach or mountain towns in Colombia for me to check out, please let me a comment below.

Japan and China

Every spring I get an acute case of Sakura Fever, aka the Cherry Blossom Blues. In Southern California, we are blessed with many beautiful plants and flowers throughout the year, but come late March/early April, I want nothing more than to see the cherry blossoms in Japan (and eat and drink all of the foods that suddenly show up with special cherry blossom flavors – Kit-Kats, teas, sake, ice cream, chocolates, etc.). So if all goes well, I’ll find myself in Japan in late March/early April. And if I’ve traveled that far, I’d love to make my first visit to Shanghai as well. Two birds, one stone.

England

Of course no year of travel is complete without a trip to London. Though it will likely be my 2,000th trip there (OK, I’m exaggerating…maybe), I always find something new to see. Plus who knows what kind of craziness I’ll find in London town given the pending Brexit decision in March.

Morocco

My new love affair with Morocco is not a fleeting one. I do believe that my first visit there this past year was the start to a long term relationship. Within a week of being there, I realized this is a place I’d come back to over and over again. Both for the love of the bustling cities and the quiet of the small towns.

A villa I stayed in just outside of the beach town of Essaouira may be my new annual retreat. A place with views to the ocean, lots of quiet nooks to get writing or reading done, plenty of rooftop space for capoeira training, gorgeous pools, home cooked meals and an onsite hammam for spa treatments. And did I mention the two cute dogs that live there…one of which was pregnant at the time of my visit, so hopefully the pups will still be there when I return. I am not kidding when I say I can see booking an annual stay here to inspire my creative endeavors.

This is the cubicle view I want to have

Latvia

Last but not least, the recent announcement of the first Women in Travel Summit (WITS) in Europe has me looking for flights to Latvia. I have been to 3 WITS conferences so far (Chicago, Irvine and Quebec City last May) and while I’m disappointed to have to miss the one in Portland, Maine in May, the chance to go to Riga, Lativa is making me feel a bit better about things. Whether I’ll be speaking or volunteering or participating as an attendee, I definitely have this on my travel calendar for November.

What? No Formula One Races this Year?

Oh silly me…I forgot to mention travels for Formula 1. One of my stretch goals last year was to get to Baku, Azerbaijan for their grand prix. As I wrote that post back in January 2018 (I was much more on schedule back then) I figured I had little real chance of making it to Baku.

Happy to report that thanks to a good stash of credit card miles and a good friend who encouraged me to go with her, I did make it to Baku for one of the most exciting Formula 1 races I’ve ever seen.

This year, I have my eyes on the Mexico City Grand Prix in October. It’s not quite as big a stretch as Azerbaijan was in 2018, but Mexico City is one of my favorite cities to visit. And did I mention my search for the best margaritas? Then the races in Sao Paulo in November would give me a great excuse (other than capoeira, friends, samba and caipirinhas) to go back to Brazil after a 3 year hiatus.

And What About the Blog?

I cannot tell a lie. The fact that I am publishing my annual “Year Ahead” post on the final day of February shows you that I’m a bit behind of my editorial calendar (doesn’t that make me sound professional when I say “editorial calendar”?). But a slow start out of the gate, doesn’t mean that I have to stay at the back of the pack.

Between my 2018 end of the year travels and the trips I have in my sights for 2019, I’ll have plenty of material for the blog. Plus I am working on a few brand partnerships, with international and local Los Angeles businesses, so there’s plenty to write about. Now I just need to stay true to myself and get the writing out.

Some of you may have also noticed that I launched an eCommerce website called “Theres’ So Much to See In…” I’m proud to say that I built it myself with my own little brown hands (an accomplishment that took me pretty far outside of my comfort zone). It is just starting out, but my goal is to provide you, my readers, with both branded merchandise and curated, small group trips. My first trip to Jordan is showcased there for now and please look for more products to come in the next few months.

I will wrap up here so I can get this posted before we head into March. How are your 2019 travels plans shaping up this year? Will you join me in Jordan? Or perhaps catch me at a Formula 1 race? Of course, you can always come find me in Los Angeles between trips. Happy 2019 travels to you all and let me know the answer to the question: Where are you going next.

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