Looking Ahead to 2013 Travel

Many years from now, when I think back to 2013, maybe when someone offers me a bottle of wine – although I prefer beer – I will say, “Oh yes, that was a good year.” What I already have planned for travel, and what remains up in the air for possibilities, is sure make it a good year regardless of what else is likely to occur. And so, now that I’m done looking back at 2012, I will look ahead to the New Year and everything it has to offer…

WASHINGTON D.C.

I am wasting no time to get out of the gate, heading off to my nation’s capitol practically no sooner than when the ball drops to welcome in 2013. It’s been nearly 30 years since I’ve traveled to see Washington D.C., as well as many other country’s capitols – Beijing, Berlin, London, Paris, Cairo, etc. – in the meantime. And so I think it’s finally time for me to venture back to see it and learn more about the history of my own country. It seems only logical, at least to me, that if I’m traveling to experience and learn about all of these different countries and cultures, I should maybe know a little bit more about my own.

MINNESOTA

Who in their right mind would go to Minnesota in January? It’s cold, likely snowy, and overall cannot exactly be described as pleasant. Well, this guy, that’s who. Why? Because the greatest college hockey rivalry of all time – Minnesota versus North Dakota – will be held on my friend’s birthday. And seeing as he has season tickets, and asked if I wanted to go to the game, I agreed before even allowing him to finish inviting me. As a college hockey fan, particularly of the University of Minnesota, I’m more than excited to head back home for this game, as well as to celebrate another birthday with my friend, and see just how many layers I can pile on in order to stay warm.

LANAI, HAWAII

Hawaii was good to me this past year. Very good. And it is beginning to feel like another home, one which I could not be more excited to continue to explore after amazing 2013 trips to the islands of Molokai and Maui. So, not even taking much time to stop back home in Colorado after my trips to Washington D.C. and Minnesota, I’ll be jetting off to see the island of Lanai on a Lanai Visitor Bureau trip. It is one of two Hawaiian Islands which I have yet to visit – the other being Kauai – and one which has interested me a great deal for a very long time, even well before my first ever visit to Hawaii on a trip to Oahu. Why exactly? Well, you’ll just have to keep reading in 2013 to find out as I write about my adventures on the island.

PITTSBURGH, PA

I’ll be honest: It feels odd to be excited about a trip to Pittsburgh. After all, it’s Pittsburgh. What’s so exciting about it? Well, the NCAA Frozen Four hockey championship is what’s exciting. I’m a huge college hockey fan, as I mentioned above, and with my team – the University of Minnesota – on a tear this year, I’m hoping they make it to the Frozen Four. Then I’ll be there to cheer them on in person. If they stumble and don’t make it, I’ll certainly be disappointed, but still excited to head off to the Three Rivers area to see the tournament; I attended the one in Denver a few years ago and had a blast. Plus, I’ll have the opportunity to see a place I have not previously seen – Pittsburgh.

TORONTO, CANADA

The annual North American Travel Blog Exchange (TBEX) conference will be held in Toronto, Canada this June. My ticket for the event is purchased, but everything else is still up in the air. This makes the trip only a tentative plan at this point. I’m hoping to head north, though, and continue to improve my skills as a travel blogger by attending the conference and see some of a city I only briefly stopped in years ago while on a road trip to see the NHL’s Hall of Fame and a few hockey games in the process.

LONDON, ENGLAND

Another tentative trip, just like Toronto, is London, England in the fall. My Minnesota Vikings football team will be playing at Wembley Stadium in the fall of 2013, and so my father and I are planning on crossing the pond to see both them and a friend of mine who lives just outside of central London. I was over this past year to see him and loved it, so I could not be more excited to return to such a magnificent city to see my friend, my football team, and show my father around some of my favorite spots from my trip this past year. I’ll take a little more time in the process, too, since this past trip was only a week long; my father and I are planning on getting out of the city this time around and seeing what life outside of London is like.

Besides the above, I have several other destinations in the works for 2013. I’d like to discuss them, too, as I’m really excited about the opportunity to travel to each of them, but it’s just too early to mention it and jinx anything at this point; everything is too preliminary. My only disappointment in my plans is that I’ll miss out on my adventure with Expedition Trips. I wrote a story this past year asking for suggestions, essentially leaving it up to you the reader to decide, on where I should go next. But unfortunately due to some communication issues, that opportunity is going to be postponed. It’ll most definitely happen since I’m excited to travel with Expedition Trips again after my great Antarctica experience, but it’ll just be at another time. When? Hopefully in 2014, but we’ll just have to wait and see. For now I have a lot to be thankful for and look ahead to in 2013, and for that I’m both excited and feeling blessed.

Here’s to a Happy New Year to you and yours, as well as wishes for many great adventures, experiences, and much joy and happiness in 2013!