Travel brings power and love back into your life

Rumi Jalalud-Din

Apparently this travel blogging challenge went around a few years ago and I never saw it. The challenge was to pick a spot you’ve traveled to for every letter of the alphabet. This is such a fun way to remember your travels and sometimes challenge your creativity, so I knew I had to try it.

Here are my picks for every letter of the alphabet and a fun memory from each place!

A is for Alaska

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Visiting Alaska in January made me realize I’d never known what the world “cold” meant until then. It’s still funny to me recalling what it felt like to have my nose hairs freeze. Alaska is also hands down one of the most gorgeous places on the planet.

B is for Budapest

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My boyfriend and I traveled here on our first international trip together. We ADORED exploring the city and all it has to offer. To this day, we haven’t loved traveling anywhere else together more.

C is for Charleston, South Carolina

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I got to explore Charleston with one of my best friends/college roommate. We spent the day exploring downtown, markets, eating our way around the city, and even did a high ropes course for a little touch of adventure.

D is for Denmark

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We had a 19-hour layover in Copenhagen at the end of a long and “what can go wrong, will go wrong” type of trip. We spent the few hours we had at the Carlsberg Brewery. We were lucky enough to visit when a gourmet chef was preparing sandwiches and I had the best cider of my life AND a horse-drawn carriage ride.

E is for Entreveaux, France

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I always love visiting my aunt and uncle in France. They always know incredible spots to visit and Entreveaux was nothing short of incredible. The river was flowing like crazy over the bridge to the Medieval town and the hike to the top gave us views all the way to the Mediterranean.

F is for Florida

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I’ve spent more time exploring underwater in Florida than I have on solid ground. Scuba diving in the Keys was such a cool adventure and we saw lots of wildlife from barracuda to lobster, sharks, and turtles. I also got to visit Disney for the first time my sophomore year in college which was really fun!

G is for Ghent, Belgium

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I visited Belgium to see friends I had made when working in Pompeii. I loved exploring the city and gorging myself on chocolate.

H is for Hadrian’s Wall, England

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This trip was insanely cool for me. I had just moved to England and my course had all of us take a trip to explore the Roman history of the area. We hiked along several miles of the wall and I loved every second of it.

I is for Ireland

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I’ve been twice now and have always had a fantastic time. From city adventures in Dublin to exploring lesser-known areas, Ireland never disappoints in beauty and the opportunity to discover something new.

J is for Jamaica

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My first cruise ever had me come down with Norovirus, but I did get to explore waterfalls and eat a fantastic locally-prepared lunch before I got sick.

K is for Key Largo, Florida

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I got my Open Water SCUBA certification in college and had the opportunity to travel to Key Largo to get my Advanced Certification. That’s where my love of wreck diving started and diving with sharks was one of my favorite experiences ever.

L is for Leicester, England

Leicester is the town where I moved when I moved to England to get my master’s degree. I lived there a little over a year, met incredible people who I’m still friends with today, and had one of the best years of my life. I got to explore so much of England and Europe on my own and with friends.

M is for Meow Wolf, New Mexico

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As a person who isn’t a huge fan of traditional art museums, I fell in love with this innovative and interactive art exhibit. My boyfriend and I got to crawl through spaces, explore trippy rooms, and were just transported into a whole other fantasy universe.

N is for Nice, France

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Nice is one of my favorite cities on the planet. My aunt moved there several years ago and I’ve been lucky enough to visit several times. I have great memories of taking long runs along the beach and up a massive amount of stairs. More memories of practicing French and buying food at local markets. It’s just a very welcoming place to live and it’s one of the most gorgeous.

O is for Ollantaytambo, Peru

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Lots of people barely explore here as it’s the train stop for Machu Picchu. My friend and I spent a good amount of time exploring all the way up the top where the temple ruins were and along the bottom by the irrigation system. Peru is so underrated as a destination and I loved that we got to travel to so many places people overlook.

P is for Pompeii, Italy

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In 2010 I joined an archaeological field school in Pompeii. I camped at a campsite near the base of Mt. Vesuvius and got to explore the ruins by day and help the archaeological excavations and recordings happening there. It’s still a surreal experience that I got to do this.

Q is for Quebec City

I only have physical pictures of Québec because I went in the 8th grade and only had a disposable camera. I remember walking up and down the narrow streets and stopping at some of the small cafes before we spent a day trip hiking in a forest nearby.

R is for Rio Grande, Puerto Rico

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For my 31st birthday I planned a trip to PR. It was nothing short of fantastic. From a semi private beach to hiking in the rainforest to kayaking at night through a bioluminescent bay to eating delicious food, it was one of my favorite trips with some of my favorite people.

S is for Spain

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Barcelona was one heck of a trip. Minus getting my camera and money stolen on a beach I had an amazing time adventuring around a country I’d never been to before. I loved seeing Gaudi’s architecture, especially the Sagrada Familia. Our bike tour through the most famous parts of the city was another highlight.

T is for Tipon, Peru

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I had never heard of many places in Peru before I started planning a trip there. Tipon is one of those places. It needs to be on the top of more lists. The views of the valley are incredible. The engineering of the irrigation system are mind blowing. The site is insanely preserved and there were almost no other people there when we visited.

U is for USA

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I struggled to find something for this letter, can you tell? I haven’t explored very much in my own country, but lately we’ve been fixing that. My most recent trips were to New Mexico and California which I saw for the first time. We have road trips planned to New England and I am excited to see where we’ll go next.

V is for Vienna, Austria

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Vienna wasn’t one of my favorite places, but I’m glad I saw it. The architecture was so grand, but my favorite memory from visiting was attending a film festival. We got pretzels the size of our heads and had so much fun wandering the pavilion.

W is for Watkins Glen, New York

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We’ve always stayed in the same home whenever we go and that’s what makes this trip truly special. The farmhouse is amazing, the food is incredible, and the owner is the nicest person ever. Our dogs love visiting the house and all of the wineries around town. Hiking is always on the table and we’ve never had a bad time.

X is for Xlendi, Malta

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I stayed for 3 weeks on the small island of Gozo, which is the second largest island of Malta, for an anthropological field school. All of us explored the island on foot or with the help of the bus. I got to scuba dive under the famous arch before it fell and met some incredible people who also loved to explore and have mini adventures each day.

Y is for York, UK

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York is such a cool place and so underrated. The Viking museum was unlike any other I’ve ever visited and the chocolate festival was one of the best parts of the trip. I wish I had more than half a day there, but I’m looking forward to going back!

Z is for Zip Lining in Virginia

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It took me forever to find anything remotely close to the letter Z. I had to google attractions and places that start with Z and sadly I’ve done none of them, SO you get this adventure. Zip lining is so much fun! I’ve been a few times now in Williamsburg and we also got to climb around a high ropes course before we zipped to the next section.