2025 Travel Inspo

Palm Beach, Florida

Rome, Italy

St. Michael's Maryland

Paris, France

Napa, CA

Nantucket, MA

Charleston, South Carolina

London, England

Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina

Portofino/Italian Riviera

Highlands, North Carolina

The photos I took above are from my favorite travel spots if you need inspiration! 

This is my first year in a very long time, likely since I had just graduated from college, where we have no weddings on the calendar. None! We already have one on the calendar for 2026, but there are no weddings this year dictating our schedules, especially our travel schedules. 

That said, we have a crazy amount of freedom regarding where we can travel, but we are also still bound by time, considering my husband has a set amount of vacation days. 

We are itching to go out of the country this year, which requires a more extended trip, so I'm also interested in long weekend domestic trips, where only a day or two of vacation is needed.

Out of the country, we have been considering:

- Venice, Italy

- Trieste, Italy

- Opatija, Croatia

- Lake Bled, Slovenia 

All in one trip. These locations are not that far apart. If you've ever been to these areas, please let me know if you enjoyed them and/or what you'd recommend. We are still in the early planning stages and have not booked anything. 

Outside of that, we just booked a trip to Newport, Rhode Island, which I am excited about. I have never been. It was on my radar because a girlfriend of mine went there for a wedding not too long ago, and she came back and said she kept saying how much Newport reminded her of me and how much I would love it. I looked it up, and wow, how have I never been?! I knew I needed to remedy that, so my husband suggested we plan a trip around my birthday! I'm so excited. So, please let me know if you have any 'musts' for Newport. We are staying at Gardiner House, and I already know I want to eat at the Clark Cooke House, but other than that, I have no idea! Some of you mentioned the mansions and cliff walk, so I put that on my list! 

When it comes to travel, I struggle with the fact that there are places I LOVE to visit, like Charleston, and go somewhat often. But at the same time, I almost feel guilty for going to the same place because there is so much out there! My husband and I keep saying we'd love to return to Rome, but I also tell myself to go elsewhere to explore more, you know? Does anyone ever feel this way?

I asked you two open-ended questions on Instagram, wondering where you'd travel to in the US, given that you had a long weekend to do it. When I asked that, many of you requested the results, and this would be a perfect list to help inspire you if you want to create some fun travel plans this year and beyond. I didn't ask for specific hotels/resorts; I left it open, so the responses are varied. Here were the most popular responses:

- Sedona, AZ

- Dana Point, CA

- Maine 

- Marco Island, FL

- Carmel, CA

- Austin, TX 

- Jackson Hole, WY

- Newport, RI

- Big Sur, CA

- Palm Springs, CA

- New Mexico

Sedona, AZ, was such a popular response. Although I've been to Scottsdale, very few have recommended it, so now I'm curious about Sedona! 

Places I've Been That Were Recommended:

- Key West, FL

- Nantucket, MA

- Charleston, SC

- Palm Beach, FL

- Washington, D.C. 

- Napa, CA/ CA wine country

- Mackinac Island, MI

- Boston, MA

- New York, NY

- South Beach, FL 

- The Hamptons (NY)

- Savannah, GA

- Seaside, FL/30A

Nantucket, Charleston, and Palm Beach were the most popular recommendations overall. I could not recommend them more. They are three of my favorite places in the US. I have a similar blog post about hotels and resorts in the US that were also crowdsourced. It's nearly 4 years old at this point, but still relevant! 

I'd also love to go on some sort of cross-country road trip. I have not explored the middle of the country enough. I've never been to Kansas, Nebraska, Idaho, Wyoming, Oklahoma, and Montana. 

The second question was where you'd travel internationally. There were fewer 'common' responses and more variety and vagueness.

- Paris 

- Switzerland

- Tuscany

- Croatia

- Japan

- Italy

- Austria

- Bermuda

- London

- Spain

- Scotland 

- South of France

- Singapore

- Ireland 

- Fiji

- Iceland 

- Vietnam

- South Africa

- Cotswolds, England 

- St Lucia 

The most common response was Italy. Italy is my favorite place ever, so I understand why that was so common! Many of you recommended locations in the south of France/the French Riviera. I liked that area but prefer the Italian Riviera over the French. I would love to go to Japan or Singapore, but the long flight keeps me from exploring that further. I loathe long flights, and the travel time cuts into the trip a lot, too. But one day, I will get there! I'd also love to go to Austria and do a Sound of Music tour. It's one of my favorite movies of all time. 

Is there anywhere you would add to this list, domestically or internationally?!