2025: Year of Travel in Review – Always Lost & Elsewhere Bound

My blog has been on a bit of a hiatus recently, but I love looking back on what adventures each year holds. So here it is, my token post of 2025! Below are my five favorite destinations from the year, plus five highlight experiences and a collection of photos from each trip I’ve taken. Cheers to another year full of travel in 2026! (And maybe a bit more blogging…?)

5 Favorite Destinations of 2025

New Zealand
We spent the beginning of 2025 enjoying New Zealand’s southern hemisphere summer and in general fell in love with Aotearoa! This trip we covered a lot of ground and got a good idea of where we would like to spend more time in the future!
England
England holds a special place in my heart because it was my first European destination and my second trip out of country at the ripe ole age of 18. It was so exciting to get back to England 15 years later, and even more exciting to be there for a purpose. I took two weeks worth of culinary classes at the Ashburton Cookery School, and quickly fell in love with Devon and the artsy Ashburton scene!
California
While I spend a decent amount of time in California, this trip included lots of new experiences! We camped in Channel Islands National Park, went to our first LA Broadway show to see The Cursed Child, and made it up to Santa Barbara for a Jason Isbell concert. It was a great week!
Hawai’i
Hawai’i has become a Thanksgiving tradition. We rotate through which island we visit each year, and this year we returned to my favorite: Kauai. And honestly, this year felt different than our trips have in the past. We’ve had an intense couple of years, so Hawai’i this year looked a lot slower and less touristy this year. Honestly, it felt like exactly what we needed.
Coldfoot
For as long as I’ve lived in Alaska, there’s still a lot of it that I haven’t seen! I’m always excited to get out and explore new corners of my home state, and this trip was no exception. We flew up to Fairbanks, then took a tiny plane to Coldfoot and were shuttled back along the Dalton Highway.

5 Highlight Experiences of 2025

Attending the Ashburton Cookery School in Devon, England
This trip came about from a bit of a wild hair and was such a fun solo jaunt. I flew into London, then caught a train southwest to Devon. Once in Ashburton, I stayed at the most wonderful B&B while attending a week-long class in patisserie and then another week-long class focused on breads. The classes were intense but amazing, so much so that I’d love to go back.
All Around Ashburton
While my culinary classes were an all-day affair, exploring Ashburton outside of class was just as much fun. During the evenings and on weekends I got to explore Dartmoor National Park, take in an amazing local arts scene, meet lots of wonderful brits, and even experience a centuries-old bread and ale festival. When I asked about a floral installation at a local gallery, there just so happened to be a workshop the next day with the artist! When I hiked over to Buckfast Abbey I accidentally ended up attending my first organ concert. Who was playing? Well the world-renowned organist who played at the queen’s funeral and the royal wedding, naturally. Needless to say there were a lot of serendipitous moments wrapped up in this trip that made it that much sweeter!
The Nature of New Zealand
Aotearoa is a truly wild place. A few wildlife highlights during our visits included visiting kiwis in Queenstown’s Kiwi Park, seeing a Kea in its natural alpine habitat in Fiordlands National Park, wandering through glowworm-lit caves in the Waipu caves, and a lupine-filled stroll in Mount Cook National Park.
Visiting Home Sweet Home
I got to attend an anniversary party for the Honors College I attended at IUP to kick off the summer, and it included lots of time to catch up with old friends and reminisce. I’ve been fortunate to visit the Pittsburgh area a lot in the last couple of years because of my college roomie bestie. With her decision to leave the area for a more southerly residence, it was fun to have one last big bang of a visit before Pittsburgh falls off my frequently visited list. We took a metals class at Contemporary Craft, made macarons at the Macaron Bar, ate our weight in pierogi, and sketched our way through the Carnegie. It was an awesome end to an era.
Alaskan Experiences
As much as I love traveling, it’s always fun to play tourist in my own state, too. Winning a flight-seeing tour to Coldfoot was the perfect excuse to hop up to Fairbanks for a weekend! My husband and I also celebrated our birthdays with a weekend in Juneau, which is always a favorite.