Here is a list of all of our trips as they appear on this blog. A lot of them I am going back and writing from memory, so not everything has a link yet.
2026
Iceland in June – Pete and I took a bucket-list trip to Iceland for 13 days. We flew direct from Orlando to Reykjavik, rented a 4×4, and drove around the entire Ring Road. We also took the ferry out to the Westman Islands, and finished on the Snæfellsnes peninsula. We had an amazing time, despite some weather and head cold mishaps, and we’re already talking about what we’d like to see if we ever get the chance to go back.
England in May – My daughters and I took a girls’ trip to England to celebrate their college graduation. Neither had visited the country before, so I was excited to share my favorite city, London, with them. They each got to pick a specific adventure. One chose a day trip to Cambridge, and the other wanted to see Les Mis on the West End.
Arizona in February – Pete and I combined some sightseeing and birding with a work trip, kind of the best of three worlds all put together. Our travels took us to Tucson, Phoenix, and Sedona.
2025
South Carolina in December – We visited my parents in Easley just before the holidays.
Disney World in November – For Shelby’s 21st birthday, we all met up for three days at Disney World in nearby Orlando.
Europe in September – Kind of a whirlwind trip, we visited Bayeux, Mont St. Michel, and Paris, France. From there we spent two days in Amsterdam, Netherlands, followed by a visit to see family in Brussels, Belgium. After a trip through the Chunnel, we then spent a few fun days in London, England. It was Pete’s first time to London, and both of our first visits to the other locations. This was my first “real” redemption, where I used accumulated credit card points for our flights, and our hotels in Paris and London.
Cayman Islands in March – A “last hoorah” spring break trip with two of our adult kids, before Peter got married and Shelby finished college. (Skylar spent the week doing mission work in Honduras.) A friend of mine is originally from Cayman, and she helped us decide where to stay and what to do. It’s fun now when I see her share her visits home, because I can picture some of the places.
2024
Rhode Island and Connecticut in October – Pete and I wanted a long weekend getaway to a state we’d never visited, and we also wanted to test out using credit card points for flights for the first time. So we chose Newport, Rhode Island as our base, but we also visited Mystic, Connecticut, famous from the movie Mystic Pizza.
2023
Italy in June – this trip took Skylar, Pete, and me around the country across two weeks. We saw Milan, Venice, Florence, Sorrento (including nearby Capri and the Amalfi Coast), and Rome. Italy was at the top of Pete’s dream destinations, since his family is from Italy (near Venice) and he remembers his grandfather speaking Italian.
Costa Rica in February – we spent a week in Manuel Antonio, and also visited nearby Quepos, Uvita, Domenical, and (briefly) Jaco. Costa Rica is an amazing destination for birds, but we also enjoyed surfing, visiting the beaches, and seeing the monkeys and sloths.
2022
Asheville, NC in August – this was a family reunion trip, where we enjoyed time with my parents and my sister’s family. We stopped for the night in Savannah, GA on the way up. While there we visited several breweries, enjoyed the NC Botanical Gardens, and took a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
2021
New England Road Trip and New York City in July – Pete, Shelby, Skylar, and I visited Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Connecticut, then ending with 2 days in New York City. We drove through Massachusetts but didn’t stop anywhere, as the state was reporting an outbreak of COVID at that time. We enjoyed seeing Church Street in Burlington, visiting the Ben and Jerry’s factory, seeing nature sights, and taking a boat trip out of Boothbay Harbor in Maine.
2019
England – London and Beyond in August – I went with my friend Rochelle to London for a few days, then on to Global Birdfair in Rutland. After that we birded at Cley Marshes, Stiff Key, Flambourough Head, and RSPB Bempton Cliffs. We had our own private guide, John, an excellent birder who is a friend of Rochelle’s (and whom I’m glad to call my friend now too!)
2018
Georgia and South Carolina Road Trip in October – I took my son to GA for a baseball event, then he flew home while I continued on to SC to visit my family.