My 2023 travel plans (so far!)
Happy 2023, ya’ll!
The year started out a bit rough for me – I was SO sick the first week of the year, the weather in Dublin has been HORRENDOUS pretty much every day, and to top it all off – my dear bike got stolen…
BUT there is a silver lining to the bad luck that has marked the beginning of the year – and that is that I already have 3 trips planned for 2023, and they’re all happening in the first half of the year! It helps me so much mentally to have something to look forward to and work towards. Plus, it’s a lot easier dealing with all this dark and depressing winter weather when you know that spring is getting closer every day, and with it some amazing travels!
We’re halfway into January and I have 3 trips booked that are going to be very different but also super fun in their own way! And now that the flights are booked and everything is official, I’m in that fun in-between stage where I’m just doing lots of research and making loose itineraries. I have a bunch of tabs open on my computer with recommendations of things to see, do, and eat and it’s making me suuuper excited. I love browsing online and getting inspo before a trip – it makes me even more pumped.
So without further adieu, here is an overview of my 2023 travel plans so far!
February 2023: Guatemala
My 2023 travel plans start with a 10 day trip to Guatemala in mid-February! This one is going to be here before I know it, and the fact that it’s so soon is reallyyyy getting me through January.
The flight from Dublin to Guatemala is going to be an absolute TREK (Dublin to London to Miami to Guatemala City), but it’ll be totally worth it. My mom and her side of the family are Guatemalan, so I have a lot of distant relatives, and a few not so distant relatives, that live there. So, my mom, grandma, and I will be meeting in Guatemala city to begin the 10-day tour of this gorgeous country, all while meeting relatives for the first time and exploring a culture that makes up a big part of the fabric of my DNA. Plus, I really need to practice my Spanish. I could not be more excited.
A lot of the trip will consist of meeting up with relatives for lunches, dinners, and get-togethers, but we’re definitely going to make sure to leave time to explore. After spending the first few days in Guatemala City, we’re going to head to the beautiful town of Antigua and then to Lake Atitlán for the remainder of the trip.
Although I’m super excited to explore somewhere new, what I’m most excited for is the opportunity to make these travel memories with my mom and grandma. Although my mom and I have travelled together several times before, this will be the first time in my adult life that I’m travelling with my grandma, and the only time we have ever done a “girls trip” with just the 3 of us!
April 2023: Bordeaux, France
Next on the 2023 travel agenda is Bordeaux, France! A friend and I just bought tickets for the long Easter weekend. We’ll arrive on Thursday afternoon and fly out at about 10pm on Tuesday. The best part? Roundtrip flights were only €84!! I’ve been living in Europe almost 8 years now and I’m still not over how cheap flying within Europe can be.
We only just booked our flight and therefore have only just started planning out what we wanna do, but I think our plan is to stay in the town of Bordeaux on Thursday afternoon and Friday, and then pick up a rental car on Saturday and spend the rest of the time in the Bordeaux region visiting chateaus, vineyards, and seaside towns, all while staying in some cute ass bed and breakfasts and hotels. A VIBE.
Here’s how the itinerary is shaping up:
Bordeaux city
When I Google pictures of the city of Bordeaux, it looks like an absolute dream. The plan is to wander around, pop into shops, try some restaurants, and do a wine tour! Leaving this part of the itinerary very open – all I know is that I want to sit outside cute restaurants/bars/cafes and drink copious amounts of red wine. I’m easily pleased!
Saint-Émilion and Medoc
The vibe for the next few days is chateaus, vineyards, and medieval towns. Ideal, right?
Saint-Émilion is a medieval town about 45 minutes away from Bordeaux, and it looks like a DREAM. Which is probably why it’s also a UNESCO Heritage Village. Of course, we’ll spend some time getting lost wandering the medieval streets of the town itself and checking out local markets. But one of the main things we want to do here is visit the wineries along Saint-Émilion’s wine route. There seem to be a TON of wineries and vineyards to choose from. I absolutely love red wine, so I’m very excited!
We’ll also head to Medoc, a wine region about 45 minutes south of Saint-Émilion. This area seems to be absolutely RIDDLED with cheateaus and again, lots of wine tasting options! Hellllll yes.
Arcachon Bay
If the weather is good, we’ll spend the last day along the coast, near Arcachon Bay. The towns of Le Moulleau and Arcachon are calling my attention, and I definitely want to visit the Dune du Pilat – the tallest sand dune in Europe! I would also love to walk around the “winter town villas” in Arcachon to look (gawk) at all the beautiful houses.
I’m very very excited for this trip! The last time I was in France was Paris in 2018 and I had a pretty negative experience. So, I’m excited to visit a new region of the country and drink copious amounts of red wine (did I mention this already?) All in all, I think I’m going to loveee the Bordeaux region of France.
May 2023: Washington DC and Princeton, NJ
The last of my 2023 travel plans as of now is the good ol’ US of A. I’m in a wedding in the US in late May, so of course I had to make a little trip out of it! I’m flying into DC a week before the wedding and staying with a friend for the week. I’ll be working remotely while I’m there so I won’t be out and about all day every day, but I definitely plan on seeing the iconic DC sights. Plus, now that my good friend lives there, I’ll have the inside scoop on local activities and areas to explore!
Then the plan is to go from DC to Princeton, New Jersey by Amtrak. Even though I’ve taken trains countless times in Europe, this will be the first time I’ve ever taken an Amtrak train. I’m looking forward to seeing how it compares with the train experience in Europe.
A lot of time in Princeton will be dedicated to the wedding, but I should still have about a day and a half to explore. Of course the University is beautiful, and looks like Hogwarts. But the town of Princeton also looks super cute and walkable. I’ll be staying right in the middle of town by the University. I can’t wait to check it out during any free time I have in the middle of the wedding festivities!
That’s it for my 2023 travel plans – so far, at least! I’m hoping to do another big trip in September/October, but no definite plans have been made yet. For now, I’ve got plenty to look forward to with these 3 trips.
