We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. — E.M. Forster
Quizzed. Answers for the most common job interview questions.
Bagged. The perfect Minkoff tote for just $99.
Chatter. Small talk tips from people who do it for a living.
Topped. Express has this great ruffled collar shirt and this chunky sweater.
Sober. The Patriarchy of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Cozied. This taupe sweater dress looks perfect for the last months of winter. Also, this Topshop cocoon sweater dress is cool for casual Friday.
Advice. Does having a dream career mean never having a family?
Partied. This lace blouse is perfect for going out. Just add cool earrings.
Fresh. How Anxiety Traps Us, and How We Can Break Free.
Applied. My favorite under-eye concealer brush, and under-eye corrector.
Solo’ed. On not having bridesmaids at your wedding.
Rotated. Bloomingdale’s has gotten into the clothing rental game; it’s called My List.
Puffed. Quick tips for deflating under-eye bags.
Let’s start off 2020 with a discussion about travel. Where did you go in 2019 that you loved? Where do you want to go in 2020? And what did you see, or do you want to see, while you’re there?
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hubby and I went to Quebec City this summer and we loved it! Stayed in an Air B&B in the old part of the city and walked nearly everywhere. Took a biking tour to some falls, saw a free amazing circus (a la Cirque de Soleil) – it was lovely! I cannot wait to go back and see more.
We went to Poland (specifically Gdansk and Krakow) and I can’t stop recommending it enough! All the charm of Old World Europe (sights/history/food), but super clean, super cheap, and no crowds!
I went to London in 2019 and loved it, and am considering Karpathos in 2020. My cousin is getting married there, so I have a reason to go, but we’re not super close, and I don’t necessarily want to combine a trip with my dad & his wife, so I’m still debating.
2019 was low on travel but don’t sleep on Provence in lavender season (roughly late June/early July). I went in 2018 and loved it.
Considering a trip to Croatia in 2020.
In 2019 we went to Scotland (the Borders and Edinburgh), which was fantastic, and I’m amazed I convinced my husband to return to the states. We did some hunting and fishing in the Borders, and then lots of walking, touristy stuff, and dining in Edinburgh. Amazing trip.
In 2020 we’re going to Charleston in March (we go there in March for kayaking and good food most years), staying in a cabin in Highlands, NC in the summer for a week (can bring the doggos), and going to Jackson, WY for Labor Day weekend for hiking, fly fishing and good food (that’s another of our favorite annual or semi-annual trips).
I had a work trip to Chile in Feb that my husband and I extended into a mini vacation, the weather and the wine were both amazing. We also went on a long weekend trip to Maine in the fall, the colors were spectacular.
This year I’m most looking forward to visiting my parents in Puerto Rico and my new nephew.
I do a lot of traveling in my job and have in the past couple of years ‘added on’ to business trips to do a little sightseeing on my own or with friends and family. It’s a little treat….as a mom of young kids I try to reduce my travel time whenever possible, so these extended weekends are a bonus for me.
In 2018 I went to Santorini. By myself. It was amazing! I took a daytime sailing tour around the caldera and booked a lovely sunset dinner in Oia. The cruise was by far my favorite thing about the trip and I met some lovely ladies traveling together and we had a great time.
In 2019 I went to Salzburg and flew my sister in law over for an extended weekend. We loved Salzburg and saw all of the sound of music sights! If you decide to go, take a strudel baking class at Edelweiss cooking school. Also be sure to catch the sunset view from the old fortress (there is a lovely café up there as well where you can get an aperol spritz).
I spent a month this summer volunteering on a small farm in Greece. Every morning, I got to watch the sun rise over the ocean while I worked, spent every afternoon on a secluded beach, learned so much about farming and food and the environment, ate incredible meals, and met the most awesome family. I’d do it again in a heartbeat, even if I wasn’t looking to travel on a budget.
I just came back from a trip to the Czech Republic and Austria in time for the Christmas markets. I adored Vienna (all of Austria, really) and would absolutely return.
One of my travel goals for 2020 is to stay open as to destination — I’d love to visit a long list of places. So instead of a hyper-focus on location, I’m going to visit interesting places that have great travel deals.
Last year my SO and I took a road-trip from our home in MN to South Dakota. We hit Badlands Nat’l Park, Devil’s Tower (in WY), Custer State Park, three caves, former missile silos…it was AWESOME. Badlands was the highlight, what an incredible place!
Our big trip this year is 2-weeks in Europe in June — a few days in Iceland followed by an 8-day bike tour through the Ardennes region of Belgium, with lots of stops at breweries and WW2 sites. I’m also turning 40 in May so I might do a long weekend somewhere with my BFF…not sure yet.
I went to South Africa in March and I cannot wait to go back to Africa for a safari and trips to other countries like Botswana or Kenya.
I went to Belize last year, and it was hands down the best international trip I’ve been on–the perfect mix of adventure and relaxation. Depending on whether you love the beach or the Mayan ruins, you can plan an island or inland stay (I did half and half and highly recommend). The country is beautiful, the locals are friendly, and there’s so much fun stuff to do. It’s just a hop skip and a jump from San Ignacio to Guatemala for a day trip to Tikal if you’re looking to squeeze in an extra country 😉
Iceland. I’ve been to 60+ countries and Iceland was just amazing. Something magical about being out there by yourself without other people next to you. Incredibly calming for my mind. Got a camper van and just drove.
In 2020, I’ll probably end up in a few countries but I’m looking forward to Myanmar!
We went to Jordan in March, truly the most amazing country but my insider advice is to have someone who speaks Arabic fluently (my daughter did a spring language immersion semester there) OR book a tour. IMHO It is much too complicated to do on your own otherwise. I did drive but it is insane. But Wadi Rum, Petra and the other ancient sites totally live up to the hype!
We also did a week in Egypt just after, seeing those sites actually brought me to tears. But we went with a high end, small scale tour, including a Nile cruise. Having an Egyptologist show us the sights and explain it all was the ideal way to experience that country as well. And take wads of dollar bills, everyone wants a tip and it was great to be generous when we were there with everyone who made it a fantastic experience.
I wish Bloomingdale’s included plus sizes in their rental service. Missed opportunity. I would’ve been an immediate customer.
In 2019, my (now) fiance and I went to Nice in September, and Munich/Prague/Vienna in December.
Considering I ended up with a proposal on the Vienna leg of our trip, I’m going to mark that trip as my favorite of the year. We also celebrated our anniversary in Munich and my birthday in Prague, and got to spend some time with my best friend and her husband in Vienna, so it was all around a delightful trip. I highly recommend Neuschwanstein in December – it snowed while we were there, and it was FAR less crowded than it is in summer. We have a tendency to do very unstructured travel, where we plan nothing except where we’re staying and then just wander while we’re there, so all three cities gave us plenty to do without feeling like we were spending too much time in one place. That was a stark contrast to our Nice trip, where we essentially ended up with a standard loop we walked every day for the week we were there.
I’m not sure how much travel we’ll be doing this year with wedding planning, but we’re debating if we want to do a nature trip to Scandinavia with all of the hiking, etc as a honeymoon or normal vacation. We usually try to pick places off the NYT 52 Places list, so we’ll see what pops out this year.
Last year, my husband and I went on our honeymoon to New York City. Lots of fun doing some touristy things, shopping, the one-room Ground Zero Museum Workshop, and Global Citizen festival in Central park; we saw Carole King, Alicia Keys, and Queen. This year, I’m hoping to go on a women-only trip to London for a week.
We started the year with a week in Puerto Vallarta, went to Sedona & Phoenix to visit family and do a healing workshop, then a short trip to San Diego/Coronado and back to Puerto Vallarta for our honeymoon in November. We are going to Germany (Munich, Garmisch) and Austria (Salzburg, Vienna) in March then Maui & Oahu in September. Travel is one of the best ways to make memories and expand your horizons!
Just got back from a 10 day trip to Japan – Tokyo and Kyoto- and could not recommend it more highly. Incredible people, amazing food, and a plethora of cultural and historical sights. Also being able to take the high-speed rail was really cool.
I went to Hong Kong last spring (before the protests) and fell in love with the city. I think its my favorite place I’ve ever been!
We spent Thanksgiving week in Kauai to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary with our 2 kids. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Perfect weather, beautiful beaches, nature, wild and undeveloped landscapes, excellent food, warm and clear turquoise ocean… my eyes teared up daily with the beauty. We adventured each day but never felt rushed. We relaxed but never felt lazy. Each day we saw something new to us (an animal, a flower, a fruit…) The best part – my kids were so happy there, they didn’t fight once!
Work stopped me from doing huge vacations, but my husband and I celebrated our anniversary in NYC in 2019. I’m making up for it with Vegas and Vancouver with girlfriends, and hopefully a family trip to France and Germany!
Best trip in 2019 was to Israel with an old friend and a new friend. The plan for 2020 is Japan this spring to see cherry blossoms.
A little outside the dates, but in winter 2018 we went to Finland (Helsinki and Rovaniemi in Lapland). It was beautiful and such a fun winter trip (and I truly dislike winter)! I highly recommend it. In 2019, we did a family trip to Greece to visit my parents (my family is Greek). While we stayed in Northern Greece where they live in 2019, in 2020 we are going to explore the Peloponnese and Athens (I haven’t been since high school/college). Santorini is of course gorgeous as pictured, as are all of the Cyclades, so your photo drew me in to commenting…In 2020 we will also be visiting Paris for the first time!
I went to Berlin/Dresden for Christmas and it was fantastic. The Christmas Markets are just as quaint and fun as everyone says. I also discovered that yes, America’s public transportation systems are waaaaaay out of date. DC’s metro is especially embarrassing in comparison, since we are the nation’s capital.
In 2020 I’ll be heading to Iceland, and then a few U.S. backpacking trips. I’d really love to do a road trip of the big 5 national parks in Utah, too.
My favorite trip of 2019 was Spain. Madrid was great- just a super livable, affordable city with fun culture and great food. But Seville was the highlight. It’s indescribable to be in such an old city with such rich history. The area I stayed in didn’t even allow cars and much of the city is constructed through Arabic alleyways. There are even Roman ruins there. I felt so rejuvenated. This year I’ll be going to Bruges and Amsterdam in the spring.
We went to Spain this past summer too! Barcelona, Girona and the countryside outside of BCN. Absolutely LOVED the country! There were 11 of us from age 3 months to 75 and we rented villas. Cooked, ate outside in gardens, wandered the streets and saw the neighborhoods and architecture. Can’t recommend it highly enough!
We have always been big travelers, both for business and fun. In 2019 we went to the place where this photo was taken – GREECE! I have wanted to go forever, but other trips had won out each year. We loved it so much that we’ve just booked another Greek getaway this September (in addition to Portugal in May). We went to Santorini (but don’t stay in the main towns, it’s just WAY too crowded and expensive), Crete (Heraklion and Elounda), and Athens. We loved every bit of it – food, people, scenery, weather, everything. We also did a little southern road trip which was awesome and so fun. We flew into Greenville, SC, and drove to Nashville, staying in Asheville and Knoxville along the way. Recommend every bit. Except the extra lbs we came home with! Shoot me a note for more info, would be more than happy to share about either trip!