Another year is coming to an end, which is really hard to believe. I feel like time is going by faster and faster with each passing year. That being said, we had some great trips this year! As in years past, we still believe it is possible to travel big without quitting our normal 9:00 to 5:00, and showcase this through By Land and Sea. This is made possible by careful planning, and by utilizing weekends, holidays, and the occasional work trip to maximize our vacation days.

Where We Went This Year

Las Vegas, Nevada

Rome, Pompeii, Naples, and Florence, Italy

Panama City, Panama

Denver, Colorado

New England road trip to Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York.

Aruba

Los Angeles and a west coast cruise

Additionally, I went to Newport Beach, California for a conference and my hubby went to northern Montana for work as well.

As mentioned above, we plan trips over weekends and holidays, schedule flights with evening departures/returns, and try anything else we can do to maximize time. We were able to use minimal vacation days again this year by planning this way. As I’m able to take time off work in one-hour increments, it’s always important to save up vacation time where possible – so if I only need two hours off, I’ll only take two hours. Just like with money, little savings here and there adds up to bigger end results.

Transportation and Accommodation

As the blog name suggests, we travel By Land and Sea, and every method in between! We hit the open roads, the friendly skies, the deep blue seas, and some long and winding tracks. We also stayed at some wonderful places this past year. Our accommodations ranged from luxury, mid-range, and economy hotels to an Italian convent. One thing that was noticeably absent in our accommodations this year was staying at an all-inclusive resort. We had stayed at several of these during years prior, but in the end of 2016 I swore them off for a year. Guess what… didn’t miss them one bit!

Favorite Experiences

I really can’t pick a favorite thing we did this year as everything was great. This year was very different and brought a lot of great experiences our way.  If I had to pick a few top highlights, I’d include the following favorites:

• Wasting the days away in charming Casco Viejo, Panama.
• Soaking up the atmosphere in Piazza Navona in Rome, listening to street music, smelling roasted chestnuts, and people watching.
• Getting up close and personal with the rushing waters of Niagara Falls.

By Land and Sea

During the year, I’ve done quite a bit of work on my blog as well. I switched to self-hosted, redesigned the entire theme, changed my posting schedule, branded my content, and am continuing to build my network. There still seems to be a list of things I’d like to do for By Land and Sea, and I’m excited to see what I’ll be able to learn and accomplish moving forward. As with last year, it will be my goal to continue to develop my site and get great content out there.  Keep your eyes out for even more destination specific posts coming out in the next year!  And, I’d like to thank everyone who supports my blog and blogging efforts.  I truly enjoy your comments, shares, and the communities I’ve been able to join.

We are looking forward to our exciting 2018 travel year as well! At this point, we already have two trips planned, as well as several more ideas which are being thrown out there. I’m anxious to see what the year brings!

How was your last year of travel!?! Share in the comments below!

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