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2022 was our tenth 12 months on honeymoon, Buddy the Camper’s fifth 12 months within the household, and the 12 months we reached the seventieth nation on our 7-continent journey. Hitting a decade of nomadic residing, we felt a deep sense of gratitude. Again in 2012 we began touring to rejoice our marriage, however because the years have gone on, we realized it’s the native communities and pristine environments that want celebrating. Whereas we’ve all the time been eco-conscious, we wished to be extra deliberate in our route, partnerships, and journey suggestions. As a result of with a little bit of analysis and knowledgeable selections, having enjoyable can be doing good. We created a brand new objective for 2022 (and past)…we weren’t simply going to journey to essentially the most swoon-worthy locations, we have been occurring a quest to search out The World’s Most Romantic and Sustainable Locations. This introduced us to French Polynesia, Costa Rica, Bhutan, Slovenia…and we’re simply getting began! And with each place we accomplice with, we’re volunteering when attainable and giving again 5% of our earnings to the communities and environments that make each so particular.
Listed below are our journey highlights from 2022 (together with some our households don’t even find out about) and experiences we hope will encourage your individual journey!
10 Years of HoneyTrek in 7 Minutes
To commemorate our decade on honeymoon and all of the unbelievable locations, individuals, and experiences which have touched our lives within the course of, we took on the large job of turning 10 years price of movies right into a 7-minute spotlight reel. It took a stable month to edit down hundreds of movies and (with the assistance of an unbelievable editor) finesse our 300 finest clips into one thing that instructed our story. Beginning with leaving our house in New York Metropolis and flying into the wilds of the Amazon Jungle, like the 2 clueless metropolis children we have been, you see our struggles and triumphs as we transfer from South America, Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe, The Center East, Central America, The Caribbean, Antarctica, to North America. The range of experiences made us respect the highs and lows, and understand that there is no such thing as a such factor as a misadventure. Watch the video above for one of the best of HoneyTrek at a look.
HoneyTrek in Folks Journal
Our tenth 12 months on Honeymoon bought a good amount of media attention, together with an interview with Mario Lopez on Access Hollywood and a TV segment on Australia’s biggest morning show, however the one we have been most pleased with was this People Magazine feature. In a publication extra typically reserved for first girls, olympians, and A-listers, we had the possibility to share a few of our favourite tales and tricks to make journey part of extra lives.
Extra HoneyTrek Press Highlights: Expedia’s Out Travel the System Podcast, US News & World ReportWashington Post’s Mansion Global Magazine, Mariposa Gazette, , and The Times of India (together with this media blitz that ensued throughout our go to to Kerala).
Strolling Safari throughout Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
Tennessee Music Blitz
The house of the blues, nation, and rock n’ roll, Tennessee has such a wealthy music historical past. However contemplating its additionally the homestate of half my household, we form of took that without any consideration…till this Could! To put a greater basis, we took Memphis’ Backbeat Excursions, the place a stay musician and main Memphis historian tells the story of this musical metropolis by means of music. We adopted that up with a visit to Graceland to take a look at Elvis’ pad, airplane, vehicles, and a museum to the King of Rock and Roll. The month of Could can be the annual Beale Road Music Pageant, the place 70+ bands from the Mississippi Delta to Ghana Africa got here to get down. Megan Thee Stallion, The Counting Crows, Grace Potter, Weezer, Shaggy, Modest Mouse and Van Morrison have been only a few favorites to grace the stage. (See our Memphis Reel here) Everybody is aware of that Nashville is the house of nation music, however few understand that neighboring Franklin & Leiper’s Fork are the place its nation royalty stay and groom rising stars. Leiper’s Fork could also be a village of solely 650 individuals, however a few of its residents embody Chris Stapleton, Keith City, Nicole Kidman, and Justin Timberlake. Music runs by means of the veins of this city and their outdated nation retailer is a premier venue. We heard about Fox & Locke’s legendary Thursday open-mic evening, the place artists are sometimes previous or future Grammy nominees, and we have been blown away by all 20 acts—be it a teenage woman with an enormous set of pipes or the author for that “Night time Shift” music that’s all around the radio. Down the street in Franklin, the FirstBank Amphitheater has turned an deserted quarry from a trash heap to some of the distinctive and sustainable music venues. We’d’ve seen any live performance simply to expertise this candy new spot, however we had the great fortune of catching the legendary Willie Nelson! Read our blog about the secret music hubs of Tennessee.
Canoeing America’s First Nationwide River and Celebrating its fiftieth 12 months!
Kayaking and canoeing is our glad place and paddling the attractive Buffalo River within the sheer canyons of Arkansas was pure bliss! The Nationwide Park System manages this 95,000 acres of Northwest Arkansas wilderness, full with verdant mountains, limestone cliffs, elk herds, historic villages, and naturally, this epic river. Paddling from Ponca, Arkansas to Kyle’s Touchdown, we plied this attractive 10-mile stretch and hopped out for hikes to a number of waterfalls–together with the tallest cascade between the Rockies and the Appalachians! To high all of it off we stayed at Buffalo Outside Heart’s most romantic mountaintop cabin with a scorching tub to absorb the valley views and numerous stars on this Worldwide Darkish Sky Park. Watch this video on our Buffalo River adventure and examine our full Northwest Arkansas Journey here.
Visiting India Collectively…at Final!
Earlier than we met, Mike and I every took backpacking journeys to India. Its 5,000+ years of civilization and billion individuals of unbelievable range left a deep impression on each of us and it was about time we skilled the subcontinent collectively. Our first cease was Goa, the place we stayed in an AMAZING Nineteenth-century Indo-Portuguese mansion, explored the UNESCO-protected outdated city, and danced on the seashores with tens of hundreds of Indians for his or her seventy fifth Independence Day. Then we hopped an overnight train (which was its own wild adventure) to Kerala. Tucked between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, Kerala is a spot so lovely it’s referred to as “God’s Personal Nation.” Well-known for his or her tea plantations, backwater canals, lengthy stretches of seashore, colonial structure, and harmonious mix of religions, Kerala didn’t disappoint. Watch our video about the ancient port city of Kochi, see our gallery from Munnar tea country, and see our full spotlight reel from our India journey. Irrespective of how seasoned a traveler you might be, India will all the time maintain you in your toes and light-weight up your senses.
Nationwide Honeymoon Day
Honeyfund, the world’s #1 honeymoon registry, had the sensible thought to start out this vacation and guess who they requested to be their spokespeople? They did an enormous press release on the significance of honeymoons, with some fascinating stats on how that preliminary newlywed journey makes for stronger, longer marriages with numerous quotes from HoneyTrek. To additional the celebration and share some journey suggestions, we did an Instagram Reside with Honeyfund and a juicy Ultimate Journeys for Two giveaway.
Masking the Re-opening of Bhutan for Journey & Leisure Journal
A Himalayan Kingdom that has solely been open to the surface world since 1974, and a rustic that measures success by Gross Nationwide Happiness, Bhutan has all the time intrigued us. Including to the thriller of “The Land of the Thunder Dragon,” they took pandemic precautions to a brand new degree and closed their borders for the final 2.5 years. The nation lastly opened to guests on September twenty third of 2022…however by means of a collection of governmental hoops and a stroke of magic, we have been invited in early to point out that Bhutan is again and higher than ever. It was an unbelievable honor to be among the many first vacationers to expertise the “New Bhutan” and cowl the country’s grand reopening for Travel & Leisure. It was tough unraveling the slew of latest tourism insurance policies (particularly when half the conferences have been held within the Dzongkha language!) however it was price all the trouble to spotlight this particular place. For a deep dive into the magic of this nation, read the HoneyTrek blog on trekking to the well-known Tiger’s Nest, flying in the cockpit over Mount Everest, attending a masks dance competition, glamping at 12,000 toes, river rafting previous Seventeenth-century fortresses, sleeping in Buddhist temples, planting timber, sharing tea with nomadic cow herders, and discovering pleasure in one of many world’s happiest nations.
Croatia Energy {Couples} Boat Journey
As a pair who gave up just about all the pieces (home, automotive, job, neighborhood, most possessions, and so forth.) to comply with a dream, we’re all the time looking out for our tribe. Pairs like this may be laborious to come back by, so after we bought invited to a week-long “Energy {Couples}” boat journey in Croatia, we didn’t assume twice. Crusing from Break up to the distant islands of Kornati Nationwide Park and lesser-known seaside villages of the Adriatic, we bought to bond and study from fellow {couples} operating their very own companies, residing nomadic existence, and charting their very own path. To not point out, {that a} private boat trip alongside the Dalmatian coast is one of the best ways to shake the vacationers and see the serene aspect of Croatia.
Bosnia & Herzegovina Street Journey
When our Croatia boat journey ended, we continued our energy {couples} journey with our long-time journey blogger buddies Max and Oksana of Drink Tea & Travel. Certain we may have explored extra of Croatia by land, however we determined to dig right into a lesser-known area of former Yugoslavia…Bosnia & Herzegovina. Flashbacks of the Nineteen Nineties Bosnian Warfare maintain many vacationers away, however allow us to inform you, this nation is a gem! Clifftop castles, craggy mountains, East-meets-West structure, and locals who’re genuinely glad to see you, B & H had us extending our journey for extra. Rethink this vacation spot and add these locations to your itinerary: The open-air museum of Počitelj village, Kravica Waterfall, Fortress of Herzog, the UNESCO bridge and metropolis of Mostar, Blagaj Dervish Monestary, Aleksin Han lookout & the cliffs alongside the Neretva River, and the fascinating capital of Sarajevo. Bosnia & Herzegovina should still have its battle scars, however vacationers who give the nation an opportunity assist them heal.
Crusing from Fort to Fort in Trieste, Italy
After we spent per week crewing a yacht in French Polynesia in fall 2021, Captain Jasna Tuta stated to us “In case you are ever in Italy, you might be all the time welcome on my boat.” We had a lot enjoyable attending to know this fellow world traveler and studying from a grasp sailor that we couldn’t move up that invite! After our former-Yugoslavia journey, we took a particular detour to Trieste to sail from citadel to citadel on her signature tour with an in a single day extension. Similar to outdated occasions, she had us hoisting sails, setting anchors, even giving us turns on the helm. Jasna spent 9 years crusing all over the world however her hometown of Trieste is the place she docks a chunk of her coronary heart. When she’s not educating the blind to sail or writing bestselling books, she’s main journeys between the beautiful Duino and Miramare castles. We watched sundown hit the ocean cliffs, cooked hip-to-hip within the hull, and swapped nomad tales like outdated occasions, to culminate considered one of our favourite weekends of the 12 months.
New Public Talking Gigs: Sustainable Journey
We spoke at 5 journey tradeshows this 12 months, giving talks from “Succeeding as a Digital Nomad” at The Journey Summit in Canada to “Rising Your Enterprise with Influencer Advertising and marketing” on the Glamping Present USA. Although we’re most pleased with the first-ever sustainability panel at The Travel & Adventure Show. We spoke at this multi-city present in San Francisco again in 2021 and after we didn’t see the subject of sustainability being lined in a serious method, we requested if we may be a part of forces with different green-minded journey execs for a panel dialogue and Q&A. Our objective was to tell vacationers’ journey planning and decision-making to decrease their carbon footprint, help native communities, and have a optimistic impression wherever they go. It was such a success that we’ll be bringing the panel to extra Journey & Journey Exhibits in 2023.
Oktoberfest Snowbird Model
We didn’t anticipate fall to be soooo spectacular in Utah. In lower than half-hour from downtown Salt Lake Metropolis we have been surrounded by craggy mountains underneath a blanket of purple and gold. A couple of curves later we pulled into Snowbird, one of many nation’s premier ski resorts and legendary Oktoberfests. Began in 1972 by a yodeling tram-operator and some of Salt Lake’s German immigrants, this competition of beer and mountain merriment simply celebrated its fiftieth 12 months. We joined the Bavarian-style social gathering with hundreds twirling about of their lederhosen, then rode the chair elevate to 11,000 toes for hefeweizens overlooking the Wasatch Vary. Salt Lake Metropolis is so near the mountains, we may have made this a day journey, however as an alternative we checked into the ultra-fabulous Alta Chalets to take pleasure in sundown from our scorching tub and a dawn hike from our entrance door. Watch our reel for this scenic fall drive, must-do beer competition, considered one of our new favourite mountain climbing trails, and an unforgettable weekend getaway.
Skydiving over Yosemite
I used to be all the time on the fence about skydiving, however a scenic flight round Yosemite Nationwide Park that culminates with free-falling over this iconic swath of terrain made me take the leap! Watch us fly previous Half Dome, then backflip from 14,000 toes. For our favourite issues to do round Yosemtie and the inspiring individuals behind them, see this blog.
Glamping Consulting Workshops
After reviewing 200+ boutique lodges and glamping camps all over the world, we determined to share what we’ve realized with rising glampgrounds and assist them create an unforgettable visitor expertise. We began our HoneyTrek Glamping Consulting & Creative Services again in 2020 and this fall it turned a correct side-hustle, conducting 10 programs within the month of November alone with extra to come back within the new 12 months! From current glam camps like Basecamp Resort to an superior regenerative resort that’s brewing exterior of DC, these aren’t simply properties, these are desires that we’re so proud to assist convey to fruition!
England Housesit & Ladies Journey
🥳 For my candy sixteen, my mother gave me journey to London and it opened up my view of the world. So for her milestone…
Posted by HoneyTrek on Saturday, December 3, 2022
Once we take a trans-Atlantic flight, we wanna profit from it (for ourselves and the planet)! So for our current journey to London for World Journey Market, we determined to show a three-day tradeshow right into a five-week keep in Europe…beginning with a housesit within the English countryside! Caring for a 400-year-old thatched cottage and 17-year-old Jack Russell was a bit intimidating at first, however the owners and neighborhood of Winslow made us really feel like household! We adored our time on this historic city…strolling the Excessive Road, purchasing the farmer’s markets, and supporting our native pub (the owners left us pint cash to ensure did 🙂 After they requested if we may additionally care for his or her daughter’s canine, we bartered it for 2 houseguests! It was a daring ask, however my mother was having a milestone birthday and my sister had by no means traveled overseas with HoneyTrek…so a ladies’ journey was meant to occur! They joined us for a couple of days within the cottage, then we went on a street journey by means of the picture-perfect Cotswold countryside (video here), a day journey to the hallowed college city of Oxford, and three days in London for theater, museums, wonderful meals, and mother-daughter-sister-time. With all of the love and household enjoyable, this may occasionally have been our greatest housesit but.
Michelin-Star Eating Throughout Slovenia
HoneyTrek Cares
To indicate our love and help for the great communities and ecosystems we explored this 12 months, we’re proud to have donated to OsaConservation.org, ASCONA’s neighborhood library, Buffalo River Basis, Mariposa Trails, the Yosemite Climbing Affiliation, The Mariposa Neighborhood Basis, Equality Utah, Cottonwood Canyons, The Bhutan Basis and the Harpeth River Conservancy, plus volunteered with The Bhutan Ecological Society, Mariposa Trails, and The Franklin Giving Backyard. Thanks to all these organizations for his or her significant work and for sharing a chunk of your world with us!
What do you assume was the spotlight of the 12 months?
HoneyTrek 2023 Journey Preview
To indicate our love and help for the great communities and ecosystems we explored this 12 months, we’re proud to have donated to OsaConservation.org, ASCONA’s neighborhood library, Buffalo River Basis, Mariposa Trails, the Yosemite Climbing Affiliation, The Mariposa Neighborhood Basis, Equality Utah, Cottonwood Canyons, The Bhutan Basis and the Harpeth River Conservancy, plus volunteered with The Bhutan Ecological Society, Mariposa Trails, and The Franklin Giving Backyard. Thanks to all these organizations for his or her significant work and for sharing a chunk of your world with us!
What do you assume was the spotlight of the 12 months?
- Event of Roses. We’re kicking off 2023 with a correct New 12 months’s custom, the Rose Parade & Rose Bowl soccer sport! This 12 months it’s Penn State vs Utah and Buddy the Camper shall be there tailgating with bells on.
- Xscapers Bash. Every year this neighborhood of younger RVers will get collectively for per week of music, video games, community-building, and information sharing (together with a chat by HoneyTrek!).
- Sonoma County for Valentine’s Day! Sonoma is a powerful candidate to hitch our listing of The World’s Most Romantic and Sustainable Locations so we’re excited to see the inexperienced aspect of California wine nation.
- ITB Berlin. The most important journey tradeshow on this planet occurs each March in Germany and we’re lastly gonna test it out then see what sort of enjoyable we are able to stand up to in Germany and Switzerland.
- Bulgaria Ski Journey. Who’s been snowboarding in Bulgaria? Nobody we all know…however that’s why we’re checking it out. Buddies of ours are contemplating main winter journey excursions there and we’re glad to be there guinea pigs, alongside 20 snow-bunny buddies!
- Greece. There are a pair island teams that are main the cost for sustainable journey within the Mediterranean so we’ll be contemplating these for the listing too, and consuming a number of vegan gyros within the course of!
- Montana Marriage ceremony. Expensive mates of ours are getting married at Bridger Bowl exterior Bozeman so we’ll take this chance to street journey the Rockies whereas we’re within the neighborhood.
Africa. Nothing is formally on the docket but however we’re placing it out to the universe…we’re going again and exploring new nations like Rwanda, Botswana, and Namibia! We wish our listing of the World’s Most Romantic & Sustainable Locations to cowl all of the continents, so Africa is a should and an utter delight.
The place do you assume we must always go in 2023? We all the time love listening to your suggestions!
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