2019 Travel Recap
Looking back at 2019, one of the biggest accomplishments for me is all of the traveling that I have been blessed to do this year. Traveling has become one of my favorite things to do and something that I seriously look forward to. I love that my life has become more about experiences and adventures than material things because it is those experiences and adventures that we remember for the rest of our lives. In 2019, I was able to travel to 13 different places, some new and some I have been to and know like the back of my hand, but all still a great adventure. Now that 2019 is coming to an end, I wanted to do a big recap of all the travel that I have done during 2019. Having my YouTube channel has also allowed me to video all of the amazing travels I have gotten to do so I am going to have those with each of my trips as well!
I can't wait for 2020 because I have a ton of travel lined up already and some big changes that are going to happen. All of which I can't wait to share with all of you, so stay tuned!
January 2019- Cancun, Mexico
What a way to start off 2019! So we stayed at the Marriott Cancun Resort and we absolutely LOVED IT! It wasn't the fanciest and it certainly wasn't a dump at all but it was perfect. The Marriott Cancun Resort has 6 different restaurants and then the hotel was also connected to the JW Marriott next door that had more restaurants as well. Our hotel had a huge pool with a swim up bar that also had a really decent size hot tub connected to it as well as a kiddie pool! Then of course you had the beach access that had the beach volleyball and soccer nets set up for all guests to play with. On the beach they had these awesome umbrellas and huts that you can sit under which is where we were parked basically the whole trip. The people at our resort were some of the happiest, nicest, and best people in this world and actually really miss how they all live life because they are just so happy!
We ate and drank like kings and had a blast just relaxing on the beach and enjoying ourselves. We rang in the New Year in Cancun with a Moulin Rouge themed party that had live performances and amazing plated food. Wishing I was there right now to ring in 2020.
March 2019- Seattle, Washington
My first ever time to Seattle and first ever time to the west coast. I could not have asked for a better birthday trip because this is a city I had been dying to visit. We were only there for 3 days bit we tore the city up and did all the touristy things of course. We went to Pike Place Market and saw the fish fly, saw the gum wall and tried to not let my hair stick to it, went all the way to the top of the Space Needle and saw all of Seattle, and of course went to the museum of Pop Culture and went back in time with music. Not only is there so. much to do but there is so much to EAT! The food is unbelievable no matter where you go and I can definitely say that Seattle is a foodie city.
We stayed at the W Seattle and it was amazing! The W Seattle has beautiful views from whatever room you are staying in. We were up on the 24th floor and it was incredible to be able to see the sunrise and sunset with all the buildings. The hotel has a restaurant area where you can go for breakfast in the morning as well as an area that almost acts like a night club and on the weekends they have a DJ there. In the area that we were staying there are a ton of hotels and options of places to stay.
March 2019- Boone, North Carolina
Can you believe that this was my first ever time to Boone, NC, and I have lived in North Carolina my entire life (almost 23 years). I went up there for St. Patrick's Day weekend to see my best friend and see where she goes to school, Appalachian State University. I learned that their saying up there is "Everything is within 5 mile radius of each other." Which is super true from me only driving around there for 2 days. The drive up to Boone was beautiful because as you get closer you get to see so many different views of the mountains and up there they have Christmas tree farms and you can see them for miles. Since this past weekend was also St. Patrick's Day, there was a ton going on up there for us to do and Kaitlyn had it all planned. I was introduced to her roommates and a bunch of her friends and got to see her life up there. We went to a birthday party for one of her friends 21st birthday and then the next day was spent celebrating St. Patrick's Day with some drinks, friends, and live music.
June 2019- Carolina Country Music Festival 2019 (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina)
My favorite event and trip of the year! CCMF is always an event that we look forward to as a group because we always have a great time and every year it seems we bring someone new to experience it with us. We still learn something new every year but every year we get more experience and feel like we are getting the hang of it... after 4 years! This year's line-up was out of this world and there was no night that was disappointing. We were worried about the weather because it was forecasted to rain all day every day but we ended up getting lucky and having great weather.
We had some hotel mess but we ended up coming home to where we have stayed for the past 3 years, The Caribbean Resort. I was honestly so thrilled we ended up back there and we had an amazing room with a nice kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 balconies, and ocean view. They treat us so well at the Caribbean Resort and the fact that they have 9 different pools and a shuttle to and from CCMF this year really made it just that much better! And of course as soon as we got to Myrtle Beach we went straight to Margaritaville like we always do. Such a successful trip and already can't wait to go next year!
~Thursday Night (Kick-Off): Alabama, Morgan Evans, Travis Denning, Gyth Rigdon, and Dee Jay Silver
~Friday: Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Randy Houser, Jimmie Allen, Gabby Barrett, Dee Jay Silver, and High Valley
~Saturday: Florida Georgia Line, Dan + Shay, Cam, Gone West, Delta Rae, Dee Jay Silver, and Mitchell Tenpenny
~Sunday: Thomas Rhett, Dustin Lynch, Midland, Rhett Akins, Dylan Schneider, and Dee Jay Silver
June 2019- Paris, France
My first ever time over seas and boy was it a learning curve. Paris was our first stop on our Europe trip and I had done so much research as to what I wanted to see in one of the most historic cities. We of course visited the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, the Arc de-Triomphe, and the Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris. Just walking around the beautiful city of Paris is better than anything you can do and what my dad and I did a lot of. I loved how all along the streets there were these cafes that you could just stop and get a coffee or something light to eat. The time change really did me dirty but after the first night I was ready to go.
We stayed at The W Paris Opera and absolutely loved this hotel! To put it into context, it is like a hotel in the middle of Time Square in New York City because it is in the middle of such a populous and busy area and there is so much around there. The staff was amazing and the room was an absolute dream! We had a balcony window that overlooked the streets as well as this really cool window that let in this beautiful and cool light that made you really feel like it was Paris. So many restaurants and shops around The W Paris Opera which was super handy.
June 2019- Athens, Greece
Speaking of a city with so much history. Greece has always been on my bucket list of places to go and I can guarantee you I will be going back. We were only in Athens for 3 days and what an incredible city it is filled with so much life and spirit. We packed as much as possible into those 3 days as we could and it was awesome. We went all the way to the top and explored Acropolis where we got to see the Parathenon, Theater of Herod Atticus, Erechtheion, Old Temple of Athena, The Temple of Athena Nike, and Propylaia. We also explored the small towns of Plaka and Monastiraki, saw the beautiful Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens, and explored the Ancient Agora of Athens. There is so much to do, eat, and see that you can be constantly going for a week straight.
June 2019- Santorini, Greece
The most dreamy of dreamy places, Santorini, Greece! When you think of Greece this is what you think of with the blue domes and white buildings with the beautiful sunsets. If Athens is the place to be on the go and learn the history, Santorini is the place you go to relax and catch some sun. And that is exactly what we did. We spent most of our time in Santorini and got to see the beautiful towns of Kamari and Fira. Before we even went to Santorini I had done a lot of research on each of the towns because each one is so different and has different things to offer. This stop in Santorini was a lot less of excursions and activities and more of relaxing and exploring as we were going to dinner or just bored. You will definitely eat some of the freshest seafood and there is never a bad view of the beautiful sunsets that you hear about. Highly suggest visiting Santorini if you are going to Greece because it is 10 out of 10!
July 2019- Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina
Every year for about one week, my mom's whole side of the family goes to the beach and there is a lot of fun to go around. This year we were at Ocean Isle Beach again and we love going to this beach because it is just this small beach town. If you don't know where Ocean Isle Beach is, it is 12 minutes away from Sunset Beach, 52 minutes away from Myrtle Beach, and 1 hour away from Wrightsville Beach. I have been going to Ocean Isle, or OIB, for the last 7 years and it is one of the chillest beach towns to go to because it is all very small and local. During the off-season, there are only around a few hundred people who live in Ocean Isle compared to other beaches that have thousands of people. Now during the season, which is typically late May- early September, there are a few thousand people that will be on the island visiting. For me Ocean Isle is about 3 hours away which is not a bad drive at all and has gotten easier over the years with the roads becoming more efficient. There is usually a lot of music, games, and drinks to go around and we all try to have as much fun as possible without all the drama.
August 2019- Atlantic Beach, North Carolina
The last beach trip of the year and to celebrate my mom's birthday, so it was nice to have a last hooray trip! We were just there for the weekend and was lucky enough to suck up those last little sun-rays. We met some new friends and had some old friends come to the beach for the day and we played a lot of ladder ball and had a lot of laughs. But most of all, we made sure my mama had a great birthday weekend and she did! On the way back on Sunday, we stopped in Greenville, NC, home of the East Carolina Pirates, where I went to college for the first 2 years. We stopped there so we could have lunch with some old friends of mine that are some of my closest friends. I was able to see their new house and my dog that I shared with her when we lived together.
August 2019- Atlanta, Georgia (Cumming, Georgia)
When your aunt asks you if you want to come down and show your younger cousins how to do an outdoor concert because you have been to so many, you say YES! I flew down to Atlanta for 5 days and visited my Aunt Carey and her family and had an absolute blast. At the end of the trip I truly was ready to cancel my flight and extend it for a few days. I was of course there to show the girls how to do a country concert like this but I thought if we are going to do this we have to do it the right way. So I bought all of use Dustin Lynch meet and greets and surprised them with it.
The concert we went to was Thomas Rhett's Very Hot Summer Tour and as always he knocked it out of the park! As always Thomas Rhett put on an amazing show and had us singing and dancing all night but everybody else with him was spectacular as well. With Thomas Rhett on this tour was Dustin Lynch, Russell Dickerson, and his dad, Rhett Akins. I wanted to make this special for the girls, so I got us all meet and greets to Dustin Lynch and he is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. I have been very fortunate that every country singer I have met has been one of the nicest people out there! The girls absolutely loved this experience and it was fun to see them nervous like I was the first time that I had this experience. Besides the concert, I just got to enjoy some quality time with my family which is one of the most important things to me! I got to see their daily lives and come along for it as well. I even got suckered into running some farther distances with my Aunt Carey that I have honestly not done in forever but it felt so good and I am glad I can check it off of my training that I have been doing for my 5K!
November 2019- Kalamazoo, Michigan
I was in my dad's hometown of Kalamazoo, Michigan for all of 36 hours because one of my grandfather's passed away. It was enough time to see the family that is up there though and be able to catch up with them. We also got to see some of my uncle and dad's best friend's who are practically uncle's to me because they have been around my entire life! It was nice to be able to support my grandmother during this really hard time.
November 2019- Carolina Country Music Cruise 2019 (Nassau, Bahamas & Princess Cays)
My first ever cruise and it of course had to be the first ever Carolina Country Music Cruise! It was quite the experience and journey and so glad I got to do it with my mama, her boyfriend, Todd, and his daughter, Lilly. Lilly and I did everything together on this cruise, especially get seasick together. The line-up was absolutely amazing with artists playing at different times all over the ship. We had Cole Swindell, Lee Brice, Joe Diffie, Craig Morgan, Chris Lane, Jimmie Allen, Michael Ray, Dylan Scott, Parmalee, Colt Ford, The Davisson Brothers Band, Filmore, Gyth Rigdon, and many, many others.
THE ITINERARY
Charleston, SC -- Day at Sea -- Nassau, Bahamas -- Princess Cays -- Day at Sea -- Charleston, SC
NASSAU, BAHAMAS
I think placing a cruise day as your first full day helps you wash off any stress so that you can be up and ready to go on an adventure. After an extremely relaxing start to the cruise, it was time to explore our first port stop – Nassau, Bahamas. I have been fortunate enough that I have gotten to visit Nassau before, but it had been 12 years since I had been back. Out of the 4 people in our group, 2 of them had never been out of the country, let alone the Bahamas. So it was really fun to see their expressions as we got off the boat and they got to see the turquoise water and the different colored buildings.
We did buy shore excursions to partake in and the excursion that my step-sister and I got was swimming with the dolphins in shallow water at the Atlantis Hotel Dolphin Cay. This even allowed us to have access to the Atlantis waterpark all day while we were there. Now my mama and her boyfriend just got the day access to Atlantis so they were able to be in the waterpark with us and have a great time. What was nice was that night after our full day ported in Nassau, there were concerts up on the main deck where we got to listen to live country music from Cole Swindell and watch the sunset.
PRINCESS CAYS, BAHAMAS
Continuing on in the Bahamas, we made a stop at a place that I have never visited before and can finally check this beautiful place off my list, Princess Cays. It is this beautiful island in the Bahamas that is a major port stop for cruise lines. Now we did buy another shore excursion to go snorkeling but because the wind was so high and the water was rough, they had to cancel it due to the conditions. This turned out to be an okay thing though because got to relax on the beach, wander the island of Princess Cays, listen to live Bahamian music, play in the water, and just enjoy the island. And the palm trees, don't even get me started on how many amazing palm trees there were all over the island.
I can't even describe to you how crystal clear blue this water was. It was absolutely beautiful! I have been to a lot of places and seen a lot of beautiful blue water like this, but it still never gets old and each place is so different. Now because this island isn't big enough for us to actually dock on land, we did a water docking and they then had shuttles going to and from the boat every 15 minutes taking people back and forth. I am going to be honest when I say that I felt totally drunk walking around in the sand because I had such bad sea legs that made me feel like I was still on the boat even on land.
Once back on board, we were greeted with the most amazing golden sunset while we sat on our balcony. It was awesome for me to just sit there and watch it all and watch my step-sisters face, who had never really experienced places like this before. Made me really grateful for all the amazing traveling I have gotten to do and the adventures I have had so far in life.
November 2019- Lake Lure, North Carolina
Up in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina is Lake Lure. My dad and I were up there visiting part of his family for Thanksgiving and we were there at the perfect time to see the leaves change colors and experience that cool fall weather. We like to go up there because it is so relaxing and really a way to get away and relax. My grandparents live in a resort so there are trails that you can go hike, a golf course, mini golf, tennis courts, basketball courts, a beach area, indoor and outdoor pools, and many other activities to partake in. The best part, it is right on the beautiful Lake Lure and you can easily take a pontoon boat out and ride around.
Where have y'all traveled to in 2019? What was your favorite place? Do you have trips booked or in mind for 2020?
As always, thank y'all for stopping by and reading and watching! I will see y'all back here next time!
Love, Dani
