We are in awe that 2017 is coming to a close! It seems that each year goes by faster than the last. Which is one more reason we continue to maximize our time outside the office!
On the corporate career side, Amanda received a promotion causing the back half of the year to have less travel than we would have liked as she focused on her new role. That’s the juggle of career and travel. We’re hoping that scale is a bit more balanced in 2018.
We still had many travel experiences in 2017 and want to highlight our top 10 travel experiences. We were able to visit 3 countries outside of the USA and several cities throughout. Since this is our second full year blogging, you can read about our 2016 experiences here.
Celebrating Brian’s Birthday in Tokyo
A bucket list trip for Brian has been Japan. He studied the language for 3 years in college and we were finally able to turn that into a reality in 2017!
We had a gorgeous suite at the Peninsula hotel in Tokyo and we celebrated Brian’s birthday with champagne and a small cake one evening after indulging in delicious sushi!
Spending Valentine’s Day in Jail
We had a quirky evening celebrating Valentine’s day in Clifton, TX at The Cell Block.
We literally spent the evening in a restored jail cell in a small town outside of Waco, Texas. It was fun get-a-way and an unusual way to celebrate Valentine’s day!
Extended Work Trip in Las Vegas
As we’ve stated many times, one way we always maximize travel is by extending business trips. This year we had the opportunity to do so in Las Vegas.
We spent the long weekend at The Venetian and was blown away by the dining & drink options throughout the property. Definitely a fun, romantic couples trip!
Texas Bluebonnets in the Spring
In 2017 we celebrated 5 years of being Texas residents.
One of our favorite Texas traditions is taking a road trip to find the infamous bluebonnets in the spring. They are wildflowers that create gorgeous photo settings. We take a road trip out to Austin and stop along the road for our own little photoshoot!
Exploring Banff & Lake Louise
We had the opportunity to go to Canada in May. Another one of the trips where one of us extended a work trip into the weekend.
We had a 3-night stay and split the time between the 2 famous Fairmont properties: Lake Louise and Banff Springs. We left counting down the days until we could return. It was fabulous and even more gorgeous in person than the pictures reflect.
Family Trip in Pittsburgh, PA
We took a rare trip to our hometown of Pittsburgh during the summer. We typically only go over the holidays.
We visited Kennywood Park which is an amusement park with many historic rides. We had so much fun revisiting a piece of our childhood and experiencing it with our nieces and nephews.
NOLA for Easter Weekend
A little tradition we have since moving to Texas is going to New Orleans for Easter Weekend.
It may not seem like a first choice for Easter weekend but we love to experience all the good food, historic sites, going to church in the oldest cathedral in the USA and indulging in Easter brunch!
Austin Food & Wine Festival
After the festival being canceled in 2016, we were anxious to return to the Food & Wine festival in 2017.
As usual, the festival did not disappoint with a wide variety of food and wine sampling throughout the weekend. It is hands down our favorite foodie event!
Romantic Beach Trip to Mexico
We had an impromptu trip to Tulum, Mexico in July. We were in awe of the gorgeous waters!
We took the opportunity to take a day trip to visit the ruins of Chichen Itza which is one of the new seven wonders of the world and it was fabulous! The Dreams resort was the perfect spot for us to stay while we explored the area.
Eating & Exploring in Kyoto
We fell in love with Japan. Truthfully, it exceeded even our highest expectations. The food was amazing and the sites were incredible.
Every shrine was more gorgeous than the next. Additionally, the bamboo forest is everything we hoped it would be. It was so fun exploring and getting lost amongst the rich history of the country.
Overall we had a fabulous 2017 with many great memories created! We want to sincerely thank each and every one of you for your friendship and support this year. Eat Work Travel would not be the same without you and we look forward to providing, more tips and travel inspiration in 2018! With the fresh year approaching, now is a great time to lay out a travel plan to use every second of your paid time off in 2018!
Cheers & Happy New Year
xoxo,
Amanda & Brian
View Comments (9)
What a year! Belated congrats on the promotion...hopefully, you can still work in treatments for that massive case of travel lust you've got there. ;) Hoping to finally get to the Austin Food & Wine Festival ourselves in 2018. Also, great Bluebonnet photo! You know you're a Texan when... ;) Cheers guys, and Happy New Year!
Wow, what a cool year! Your pictures of Tulum and the bamboo forest are amazing! I also love that you spent a night in jail. That is clever and fun.
I hope next year is as great as this one!
What lovely memories you have created in 2017. May you keep creating new ones in 2018.
Looks like you guys have had an amazing 2017! I would love to visit Tulum – it looks so lush. I also love the idea of spending a night in jail! I must look at doing that when we visit Texas! Bons Voyages for 2018!
It looks like you had an amazing year and I wish you a wonderful 2018! Looking forward to reading about your travels next year.
You had such a nice mixture of international and domestic travel. Couple destinations even made me slightly jealous. Japan is pretty high on my proverbial bucket list, but it keeps eluding me over and over again. Perhaps, I get better luck next year. Never been to New Orlean is my biggest regret. Thank you for staring. Happy travels in 2018!
It looks like you had an absolutely amazing year! Banff is one of my favorite areas in the world, it’s just so stunning! It sounds like you did some incredible things all over the world!
Japan is one of my dream destinations. I think we will likely go there this year, maybe in the Fall. I'm seriously thinking about making this happen for 2018! I studied Japanese language for year in night school forreevverr ago because I really wanted to go there. I likely remember very little of it now, but my wanderlust for Japan hasn't decreased at all! Here's to a great 2018 guys!
Being able to visit Japan and Banff in the same year sounds like a great accomplishment. I could definitely use a relaxing and romantic trip to Mexico too.