Every year, I say that it’s going to be hard to top the last year’s travels, but somehow we always find a way to do so. This year though, it truly might be impossible. In 2016, we visited Paris, Athens, Santorini, Mykonos, the Cappadocia region of Turkey, Istanbul, Nashville, Louisville, Bogotá, Alaska, and New Zealand. While 2017 doesn’t have quite the quantity of travel, I am certain that the quality will be just as incredible.

As usual, I am so excited for our summer travels and very thankful for a job that provides me with plenty of vacation time to feed my need for travel. This summer, we have one major international trip and one major domestic trip booked, along with a handful of weekend visits with friends and family, weddings, and other events. So without further ado, our 2017 summer vacations…

Our international trip this year is a Scandinavian adventure. We will begin in Stockholm, Sweden where we plan to visit some museums and see the city by boat. Our inevitable stumbling over the pronunciation of Swedish words should be quite entertaining.

Next up is Oslo, Norway. There are a few museums that intrigue me, such as the Viking Ship Museum and the Kon-Tiki Museum. I look forward to exploring some of the parks, neighborhoods, and shops of the vibrant Norwegian city. And again, our attempts to pronounce Norwegian words will certainly be humorous!

After a few days of city exploration and Scandinavian cuisine sampling, we will be traveling to Bergen, Norway and beyond to spend some time in nature exploring the fjordlands and doing plenty of my favorite activity: hiking!

Our domestic trip this year is to Northern California and Hawaii. I am very excited because I haven’t been to Northern California since I was a child and have never been to Hawaii. To begin, we will spend some time checking off our San Francisco tourist bucket list: the Golden Gate Bridge and Presidio, famous neighborhoods, and of course, quintessential cable car ride.

We will then meet some good friends to spend time on the coast in Santa Cruz for a weekend of hiking, delicious food, and relaxation at the beach.

From there, we will drive to Yosemite National Park for more hiking and wildlife watching. I cannot wait to see the famous sequoia trees, waterfalls, and granite cliffs that have inspired so many nature-lovers.

Finally begins the Hawaii portion of the trip. We will travel to beautiful Maui to unwind with a few days of sunshine and hiking around the black beaches, waterfalls, and volcanoes. Trying local cuisine is a huge part of any travel experience for me, so I’m looking forward to the fresh seafood and delectable fruit of Hawaii!

If you’ve ever traveled to any of these places, I would love to get your recommendations, especially for must-do activities and great restaurants. Please share your experiences and suggestions in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading – I can’t wait to share our 2017 adventures with you!

Featured cover photo via viator.com