I know we’re already through the first quarter of 2018, but it’s taken me that long to organize our major travel plans for this year. Not that other things won’t pop up along the way, but I usually like to head into a new year with a good idea of our time off/holiday schedules, important events and activities, and the major trips we want to tackle.

My master’s degree threw all of those plans for a loop. I didn’t realize until classes were underway this January that an online program environment doesn’t allow for breaks until the winter holiday. Meaning I won’t have any time off until mid-December. It took me a little while to process that (read: about three months), which is why I’m only now finally mapping out our plans for the year.

Brian isn’t too disappointed in this year’s schedule– he’s been trying to convince me we only need a big trip every other year and that we should spend the off years doing more frequent, shorter-length trips. This year he’s getting his wish!

So far we have a number of weekend and long-weekend trips planned, many in our backyard. We’re heading back to a few places we buzzed through but have been wanting to revisit, and of course, we had to add a couple of new spots to the list! Separately, I’ve been building out some day-trip ideas, especially to the islands in Puget Sound that we never seem to visit despite our good intentions. If ever there was a year to explore those local destinations, this is it!

Our list will continue to grow, but I’m really excited about and looking forward to what we’ve already booked. Have you been to any of these places? Any recommendations?

• Sonoma, California
• Coulee Dam, Washington
• Spokane, Washington, and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
• Portland, Oregon
• Okanogan Valley, British Columbia
• Whitefish, Montana
• New York City, New York
• Montreal, Quebec
• Central and Northeast, Ohio