Well, hello there! Believe it or not, this blog is still alive and kicking. But we had to go on a hiatus this year after COVID-19 hit, so there were trips cancels this year, and the big abroad trip left for another year. Hence, my little travel blog has been quiet this year because, well, we couldn’t do much traveling. But instead of looking backward at things that were out of our control, let’s look forward to what might be. With a vaccination for the virus now being rolled out, let’s hope that 2021 gets back to a somewhat “normal” year.
I was looking back at my travel wish list from 2020 before writing this post. My hope for 2020 was to go abroad and take a road trip through England and Scotland. I’m still dreaming of rolling green hills and quaint country villages. So let’s make it happen, 2021.
In that spirit, I’ve compiled a new list for 2021. The change that you’ll notice most is that I decided to compile two lists – One for the States and one for abroad. Why? Well, if 2021 is still a weird one, we might be limited yet on where we can travel. So, I wanted to go through the exercise of where I’d like to go to the United States yet, as I record to reflect on whenever I’m feeling the travel urge. And hopefully, you can reference it now, too.
So like me, for those of you who have been daydreaming of that first big trip back, I’ve rounded up two 2021 travel wish lists to inspire your next journey.
Here’s my top 10 US travel wish list (in no particular order):
- Alaska:
- Anchorage
- Denali National Park
- Fairbanks
- Juneau
- Hawaii:
- Kauai
- Na Pali Coast
- Montana:
- Bozeman
- Helena to Great Falls
- Glacier National Park
- Utah:
- Zion National Park
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- The Great Salt Lake
- Maine:
- Kennebunkport
- Camden
- Acadia National Park
- Bar Harbor
- Oregon:
- Crater Lake
- Cannon Beach
- Deschutes National Forest
- Smith Rock State Park
- Willamette Valley
- Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
- The Carolinas (cheating, I know):
- Asheville
- Driving the Blue Ridge Parkway
- Hilton Head
- Arizona:
- Sedona
- Grand Canyon
- Havasupai Trail
- Michigan:
- Mackinac Island
- Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
- Georgia:
- Savannah
As always, it’s so hard to condense a list down to ten places. I could have easily added Vermont, New Hampshire, and upper New York, but let’s get through some of these other ones first.
Here’s my top 10 abroad travel wish list (in no particular order):
- Portugal + Spain
- Seville
- Lisbon (it’s a sister city to San Francisco!)
- Porto
- Thailand + Mynamar
- Phuket
- Bagan
- Phi Phi Islands
- Switzerland
- Lauterbrunnen
- The Jungfrau Region
- Lugano
- Lucerne
- England + Scotland
- Lake District
- Cumbria
- Edinburgh
- The Cotswolds
- Ireland
- Dublin
- Causeway Coast
- Cliffs of Moher
- Germany
- Bremen
- Cochem
- Rothenburg ob der Tauber
- Italy
- Lake Como
- Tuscany
- The Dolomites
- France
- Normandy
- Colmar
- Strasbourg
- Loire Valley
- Dordogne valley
- Canada
- Quebec City
- Alberta
- Banff National Park
- Spirit Island
- Japan
- Kyoto
- Nikko
- Koya-san
- Okayama
As you may have noticed, my abroad list hasn’t changed too much yet. I’d still love to see all of these places before starting to add some new options. I did, however, add Japan back to the list. I’ve been inspired lately by the country’s natural beauty and aesthetics.
So what’s at the top of my list? As I mentioned earlier in the post, I’m hoping to take that road trip to England and Scotland as my next big trip abroad. But within the States, I’m hoping to get to the Carolinas and Maine in 2021. Let’s hope all of this goes to plan, as I have a feeling planning for travel next year will still be a little tricky.
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Let’s go places,
Sarah
Psst! Make sure you never miss a blog post. Stay up-to-date by subscribing to my newsletter and following along on Instagram. And if you’re looking for help on your next travel itinerary, remember that I’m here to help!
Do you have any suggestions for trips to take this year? Share your favorite places in the comments section below.

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Thanks for sharing, here’s to hoping the Canada – U.S. border opens up next year so we can explore each other’s countries! 🇨🇦 🇺🇸
Yes, fingers crossed! 🙂