#60by50 #100by70

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Wow - what a great year for checking a few countries off my bucket list!  Two new countries, and two previously visited ones.  

New Zealand and Australia were amazing destinations.  Having already been to New Zealand, I got to relive highlights from Waiheke Island, Auckland, Christchurch - and make new memories attending a dog show, lure coursing, and going on an all-day wine tour  near Christchurch.  Australia - bucket list trip activated!  Sydney is a fabulous city and I loved the Harbour Bridge Climb, attending Sunset Boulevard at the iconic Sydney Opera House, taking the ferries , shopping, and an all-day tour of the Blue Mountains.

July 2024 work travel slowed down a bit, and I had an open week.  Using Google Flights I searched for any destination out of Denver and found a great deal to Athens,  Greece.  I booked it and a few weeks later a friend said she'd join me.  LFG!!  Update: We had a fantastic time - so relaxing once we got to the islands of Mykonos and Santorini.  Both lovely and different islands.  It was such a chill trip filled with good food, great friendship, and beautiful sights.  

I received some upsetting news in November '23 that I needed yet another surgery.  Well, I'm on the other side of that now and one way I've found to cope is to book travel!  My dear friend and I are super excited to go to Portugal in March!  An added country for 2024, and a very welcome one at that.  Sometimes all it takes is booking that ticket and taking that leap.  Let's GO!!  Update: Portugal was amazing - and I could see myself living here.  Easy to drive around, we visited Lisbon, Sintra, Porto, Vinho Verde, and the Duoro Valley.

In January my Maldivian dream came true!!  After being postponed in 2022, we set out to our getaway to the Maldives which included stops in Munich and Dubai along the way.  It was a restful, relaxing, and laid back trip, aside from all the flights and travel, which is what I enjoy.   The Maldives are exactly how I pictured it would be from all the research.  The over-the-water bungalow was amazing and the resort was superb!   

In October, my dear friend and I ventured to Egypt and had an unforgettable trip!  It was worth the long flight, including a scary train ride, many car rides, and some fabulous sunsets. 

January brought a unique and unplanned trip to the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago.  Initially, we had planned a bucket list trip to India and the Maldives with a couple friend of ours.  But, United kept canceling the SFO to BLR flight on which we'd booked a screaming deal at $683/pp and received free upgrades to Polaris both ways.  With continued travel restrictions to India due to the pandemic, we felt it best to postpone are deal of a lifetime and bucket list trip.  (Note: we were using Marriott points for the over-the-water bungalow, so this was indeed a very inexpensive trip aside from food and activities.)  Canceling that left me uninspired, so Matt came to the rescue, finding first class tickets for a mere $380 round-trip to Trinidad.  He took care of the hotel in Trinidad and the house rental in Tobago, while I took care of the flights.  

My annual girls trip to Greece was postponed due to work and illnesses in our respective families.  We are hopeful to try again in 2023!

November brought an incredible trip - all Matt's idea - to Argentina and Uruguay. The impetus for the trip was a magazine feature on unique hotels that drew him to Jose Ignacio Uruguay.  From there, we built the itinerary around that.  

Finally made it out of the country in April to Panama!  Check out my blog posts about my adventures: the good and the ugly.

Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar - what a phenomenal adventure

Peru - dream come true!

Norway

The Philippines

Sadly Portugal in May is postponed due to COVID-19

No big surprise, Ireland/Scotland in Sept/Oct are postponed as well

And the biggest bummer of all...Peru November is postponed 

Vancouver

Beijing, China

Czech Republic 

Austria 

Slovakia

Hungary

Croatia

Slovenia

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Singapore

Bali

French Polynesia: Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora
Brussels, Luxembourg, The Netherlands
Portugal
Morocco 

Japan
Thailand
Cambodia
Norway (x3)
Ireland
Germany

Norway & Sweden
New Zealand & Fiji

Russia                         Belize                                  Mallorca

Iceland                        Cayman Islands               Bahamas

Spain                           Jamaica                             Jamaica

United Kingdom      Haiti                                    Honduras

Costa Rica                  Finland                              Mexico

Italy                             Germany

Canada                       Mexico

Antigua                       Bermuda

Dominican Republic