The 5 most memorable trips we’ve taken
/Every year we sit down and discuss our yearly goals together and every year “Prioritize Travel” is on the list.
This is one that defies the SMART test.
It’s not specific. Its definitely not measurable nor is it truly achievable. It isn’t timely either. It does, however, pass the relevant test.
As a goal, “Prioritize Travel” is relevant for us because we want to live a memorable life. We value traveling for all the memories we have made. It has even taken priority over things like buying a home.
A financial advisor would probably hate us for not owning property and traveling as much as we do.
But as cheesy as it sounds, we know we are living a life that will make us rich on memories.
You can hear more about how we manage to travel while working full-time over on our I Do, We Do podcast. But for now, check out our 5 most memorable trips… as told by Ashley.
Orlando 2014
Orlando was such a special trip for us. We aren’t amusement park junkies or Disney obsessed, so it’s a little odd on this list. This was the first trip we took on our own since our honeymoon in 2011. It hold a special place in my memories because I look at this trip as the one that kicked off our travel bug. I had just graduated with my MBA and this trip was a celebration of that. We didn’t have much money to spend on this trip. We did Disney one day. But I actually remember very little from our Disney World day. What I remember most was the feeling like we could relax. The pool (shockingly) had few kids and was the perfect place to relax. We rented a pontoon boat and fished on the large pond at our resort. We’ve never been fishing together before, not have we done it since. We didn’t catch a thing but we laughed and laughed about nothing.
Three musts in Orlando:
Tahoe 2014
This trip was so special because it was my first time to see snow. Yes, it snowed like every other winter growing up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. But it was unreal to me to see a foot of snow fall before your eyes. We did not ski out of fear our out of shape bodies would come home broken. But we still laugh at me trying to sled. The altitude sickness was rough and we were out of breath from simply going up the one flight of stairs in our cabin. The snow was so intense one day, Billy was nervous to drive out of our step hotel entrance. Luckily, we had gone to the store and had food for the day. Billy grilled us steaks while I sat in the hot tub and drank champagne. We built mini-snowmen adored with hats from our alma maters.
Three musts on Tahoe:
Oahu 2015
On our first trip to the islands, we managed to cram all the things a trip to Hawaii should have. A Luau. A private tour of the Kualoa Ranch to see the great sites and locations of various LOST filming places. We went on several breathtaking… and heavy breathing inducing hikes like Diamond Head for an epic view of Oahu. And TWO trips to the Dole Plantation to consume as much Dole Whip as we possibly could.
Three musts on Oahu:
Kauai 2016
Our favorite of the Hawaiian islands, easily. It was also the first of many trips we would go on with my sister. We can’t wait to be returning to the island in late 2018 with her and her soon-to-be husband. The Na Pali Coast is still the most beautiful thing we have ever seen. But we made a lot of laughs on this trip that really made the next 2 months of her living with us in our one-bedroom apartment more comfortable.
Three musts on Kauai:
Rome 2018
This was my first intercontinental trip. And I panicked about being in such a small space for such a long trip. Like bawling the first 30 minutes of the flight. It was awful, but I would do it all over again for all the great memories made. Wine cheaper than bottled water at every meal and tricking Billy’s parents into a second or even third bottle at dinner. Seeing the old beauty of some many old Catholic churches was awe-inspiring. But Palm Sunday Mass with the Pope is the memory that will last a lifetime. The part that made it so memorable was the emotions of Billy’s mom at Mass with the Pope. To experience that feeling with her was something I will never forget.
