Since I didn’t board a plane, stay in a hotel or leave my home state of Colorado (I can hardly believe it as I write this!) in 2020 – the TBK Editors’ picks look a bit different this time. There are no epic travel experiences to share – it’s closer to home and a bit more personal.
After coming off a banner year with Travel by Kris…the past few years filled with lots of travel – 2020 was… like for so many – a bit of a punch to the gut. I tried my best to embrace the slowing down and being home for an extended period of time.
ESCAPING TO BOOKS
I’ve loved reading since I was a kid – but with some newfound free time in 2020 I devoured and escaped in stories! Even though my feet were planted in Colorado – in the pages of those books I traveled all over the world and met many new people! 😉It took a bit of the edge off my wanderlust!
SUNFLOWER FIELDS AT DIA
My husband and I have always wanted to visit and photograph the sunflower fields near Denver Int’l Airport. Being only 90 minutes from home and a socially distanced outing – this was the perfect year to do it! Even though we weren’t alone (this has become a popular spot) – seeing the vivid yellow fields, planes flying overhead and the sun setting over the Rocky Mountains was just the small escape needed for a day!
MY HUSBAND BECAME A U.S. CITIZEN (!!!)
This was definitely the highlight of 2020! Almost 7 years from filing the initial forms for his green card and mounds of paperwork…and proof… and endless waiting – Stefan now has dual citizenship! Our future travels together will be so much easier! An added bonus was it was just in time to vote in his first presidential election.
SPENDING TIME WITH FRIENDS
As Colorado became the go-to driving destination for a socially distanced road trip – I was able to connect with visiting childhood friends. I loved the bonus time with two of my favorite families and sharing this vacation destination I call home. Texts, phone calls, zooms, and “play dates” with my girlfriends also kept me from feeling isolated in a crazy year!
EXPLORING ON NEW HIKES
With my husband and I already both working at home full time – it became even more important getting out of the house! We ventured on short road trips to walk new trails… near Walden and Twin Lakes were 2 of our favorites where we hiked to alpine lakes and wandered through a historic resort.
EMBARKING ON MORE DAY TRIPS
Even after living in Colorado for so many years – there are still many areas I’ve yet to go. In 2020 my husband and I spent many hours visiting new places. A few highlights were the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center, historic downtown Pueblo, and St. Elmo ghost town. Sometimes in my quest to experience far off lands – I need reminders of all the things close to home!
PRIORITIZING HEALTH
As so many were and are affected by Covid-19 – I’ve tried to put extra effort into taking care of myself. As this is always a priority in my life…in 2020 I put even more emphasis on getting out in nature as much as possible (which isn’t difficult living in Colorado 🙂 )!
REDISCOVERING THE LOVE OF MY HOME STATE
2020 was my 30th year living in Colorado! Even though I live in (IMHO 😉 ) the most beautiful state in the country – I hate to admit… after so many years the novelty has worn off at times. Instead of complaining about the too long of winters living at 9000 feet – 2020 was the year I learned again to appreciate all that Colorado has to offer. There’s no other place I want to call home!
APPRECIATING THE LITTLE THINGS
Am I the only one who feels they spent half the year grocery shopping and cooking?! 😉 I vow to never take going out to eat for granted again! 🙂Or socializing… or hugging my friends… or going to a concert… or flying on a packed plane… or not wearing a mask in public…
ACQUIRING NEW HOBBIES
Toward the end of the year my husband and I acquired a couple new hobbies – XC skiing and drone flying. As embracing winter was one of our goals this year – both fit into this! Technically the drone flying is more Stefan’s hobby – but I do scout locations and we’ll be including new aerial footage in future TBK videos! With the XC skiing – we’re burning a lot of calories, breathing fresh air and taking in the mountain views!
I’ve already listed my top 10… but I can’t fail to mention my family. Seeing my daughter a few times over the last months were some of the best highlights of 2020 (a couple surprise visits made those even more special!). I’m also grateful for all the extra time I had with my hubby and pup over the past year! Daily schedules, walks and Netflix are more fun with those 2! 🙂
Even though I embraced the slowing down for a year – my wanderlust is still alive and well! I can’t wait to hit the road, check in at the gate, and cross things off my bucket list! 🙂
I’d love to hear your “top 10” from 2020! Staycations, road trips, day trips, lessons learned… highlights of your year – please share! 🙂
Until the next adventure – bon voyage!
Kris
