2022 was our tenth 12 months on honeymoon, Buddy the Camper’s fifth 12 months within the household, and the 12 months we reached the seventieth nation on our 7-continent Journey. Hitting a decade of nomadic dwelling, we felt a deep sense of gratitude. Again in 2012 we began touring to have fun our marriage, however because the years have gone on, we realized it’s the native communities and pristine environments that want celebrating. Whereas we’ve at all times been eco-conscious, we needed to be extra deliberate in our route, partnerships, and journey suggestions. As a result of with a little bit of analysis and knowledgeable decisions, having enjoyable can be doing good. We created a brand new objective for 2022 (and past)…we weren’t simply going to journey to probably the most swoon-worthy locations, we had been occurring a quest to search out The World’s Most Romantic and Sustainable Locations. This introduced us to French Polynesia, Costa Rica, Bhutan, Slovenia…and we’re simply getting began! And with each place we associate with, we’re volunteering when doable and giving again 5% of our earnings to the communities and environments that make every one so particular.

Listed here are our journey highlights from 2022 (together with some our households don’t even learn about) and experiences we hope will encourage your individual journey!

10 Years of HoneyTrek in 7 Minutes

To commemorate our decade on honeymoon and all of the unbelievable locations, folks, and experiences which have touched our lives within the course of, we took on the large activity of turning 10 years price of movies right into a 7-minute spotlight reel. It took a stable month to edit down hundreds of movies and (with the assistance of an unbelievable editor) finesse our 300 finest clips into one thing that instructed our story. Beginning with leaving our residence in New York Metropolis and flying into the wilds of the Amazon Jungle, like the 2 clueless metropolis youngsters we had been, you see our struggles and triumphs as we transfer from South America, Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe, The Center East, Central America, The Caribbean, Antarctica, to North America. The range of experiences made us respect the highs and lows, and notice that there is no such thing as a such factor as a misadventure. Watch the video above for the very best of HoneyTrek at a look.

HoneyTrek in Individuals Journal

Our tenth 12 months on Honeymoon obtained a good quantity of media consideration, together with an interview with Mario Lopez on Entry Hollywood and a TV section on Australia’s largest morning present, however the one we had been most pleased with was this Individuals Journal function. In a publication extra usually reserved for first women, olympians, and A-listers, we had the prospect to share a few of our favourite tales and tricks to make journey part of extra lives.

Extra HoneyTrek Press Highlights: Expedia’s Out Journey the System Podcast, US Information & World ReportWashington Publish’s Mansion World Journal, Mariposa Gazette, , and The Occasions of India (together with this media blitz that ensued throughout our go to to Kerala).

Strolling Safari throughout Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Oh Osa! Holding over 2.5% of the Earth’s biodiversity (in lower than one thousandth of a % of its floor space), the Osa Peninsula has been dubbed “probably the most biologically intense place on earth” by Nationwide Geographic! It’s probably the most important wetland ecosystem and mangrove forests in Central America and the biggest remaining tract of lowland rainforest in Pacific Mesoamerica and we had the enjoyment of spending per week right here. Above are a few of our favourite wildlife pics, from Drake Bay to Corcovado Nationwide Park, and our full weblog on glamping and adventuring in certainly one of HoneyTrek’s World’s Most Romantic & Sustainable Locations.

Tennessee Music Blitz

The house of the blues, nation, and rock n’ roll, Tennessee has such a wealthy music historical past. However contemplating its additionally the homestate of half my household, we type of took that as a right…till this Might! To put a greater basis, we took Memphis’ Backbeat Excursions, the place a stay musician and main Memphis historian tells the story of this musical metropolis by way of tune. We adopted that up with a visit to Graceland to take a look at Elvis’ pad, aircraft, automobiles, and a museum to the King of Rock and Roll. The month of Might can be the annual Beale Road Music Pageant, the place 70+ bands from the Mississippi Delta to Ghana Africa got here to get down. Megan Thee Stallion, The Counting Crows, Grace Potter, Weezer, Shaggy, Modest Mouse and Van Morrison had been just some favorites to grace the stage. (See our Memphis Reel right here) Everybody is aware of that Nashville is the house of nation music, however few notice that neighboring Franklin & Leiper’s Fork are the place its nation royalty stay and groom rising stars. Leiper’s Fork could also be a village of solely 650 folks, however a few of its residents embrace Chris Stapleton, Keith City, Nicole Kidman, and Justin Timberlake. Music runs by way of the veins of this city and their outdated nation retailer is a premier venue. We heard about Fox & Locke’s legendary Thursday open-mic night time, the place artists are sometimes previous or future Grammy nominees, and we had been blown away by all 20 acts—be it a teenage lady with a giant set of pipes or the author for that “Evening Shift” tune that’s all around the radio. Down the street in Franklin, the FirstBank Amphitheater has turned an deserted quarry from a trash heap to some of the distinctive and sustainable music venues. We might’ve seen any live performance simply to expertise this candy new spot, however we had the nice fortune of catching the legendary Willie Nelson! Learn our weblog concerning the secret music hubs of Tennessee.

Canoeing America’s First Nationwide River and Celebrating its fiftieth Yr!

Kayaking and canoeing is our completely happy place and paddling the beautiful Buffalo River within the sheer canyons of Arkansas was pure bliss! The Nationwide Park System manages this 95,000 acres of Northwest Arkansas wilderness, full with verdant mountains, limestone cliffs, elk herds, historic villages, and naturally, this epic river. Paddling from Ponca, Arkansas to Kyle’s Touchdown, we plied this beautiful 10-mile stretch and hopped out for hikes to a number of waterfalls–together with the tallest cascade between the Rockies and the Appalachians! To prime all of it off we stayed at Buffalo Outside Middle’s most romantic mountaintop cabin with a sizzling tub to absorb the valley views and numerous stars on this Worldwide Darkish Sky Park. Watch this video on our Buffalo River journey and examine our full Northwest Arkansas Journey right here.

Visiting India Collectively…at Final!

Earlier than we met, Mike and I every took backpacking journeys to India. Its 5,000+ years of civilization and billion folks of unbelievable range left a deep impression on each of us and it was about time we skilled the subcontinent collectively. Our first cease was Goa, the place we stayed in an AMAZING Nineteenth-century Indo-Portuguese mansion, explored the UNESCO-protected outdated city, and danced on the seashores with tens of hundreds of Indians for his or her seventy fifth Independence Day. Then we hopped an in a single day practice (which was its personal wild journey) to Kerala. Tucked between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, Kerala is a spot so lovely it’s known as “God’s Personal Nation.” Well-known for his or her tea plantations, backwater canals, lengthy stretches of seaside, colonial structure, and harmonious mix of religions, Kerala didn’t disappoint. Watch our video about the historic port metropolis of Kochi, see our gallery from Munnar tea nation, and see our full spotlight reel from our India journey. Regardless of how seasoned a traveler you might be, India will at all times hold you in your toes and lightweight up your senses.

Nationwide Honeymoon Day

Honeyfund, the world’s #1 honeymoon registry, had the sensible concept to begin this vacation and guess who they requested to be their spokespeople? They did a giant press launch on the significance of honeymoons, with some fascinating stats on how that preliminary newlywed journey makes for stronger, longer marriages with a lot of quotes from HoneyTrek. To additional the celebration and share some journey suggestions, we did an Instagram Reside with Honeyfund and a juicy Final Journeys for Two giveaway.

Protecting the Re-opening of Bhutan for Journey & Leisure Journal

A Himalayan Kingdom that has solely been open to the skin world since 1974, and a rustic that measures success by Gross Nationwide Happiness, Bhutan has at all times intrigued us. Including to the thriller of “The Land of the Thunder Dragon,” they took pandemic precautions to a brand new stage and closed their borders for the final 2.5 years. The nation lastly opened to guests on September twenty third of 2022…however by way of a collection of governmental hoops and a stroke of magic, we had been invited in early to indicate that Bhutan is again and higher than ever. It was an unbelievable honor to be among the many first vacationers to expertise the “New Bhutan” and cowl the nation’s grand reopening for Journey & Leisure. It was difficult unraveling the slew of latest tourism insurance policies (particularly when half the conferences had been held within the Dzongkha language!) however it was price all the hassle to focus on this particular place. For a deep dive into the magic of this nation, learn the HoneyTrek weblog on trekking to the well-known Tiger’s Nest, flying within the cockpit over Mount Everest, attending a masks dance competition, glamping at 12,000 toes, river rafting previous Seventeenth-century fortresses, sleeping in Buddhist temples, planting timber, sharing tea with nomadic cow herders, and discovering pleasure in one of many world’s happiest nations.

Croatia Energy {Couples} Boat Journey

As a pair who gave up just about all the things (home, automobile, job, neighborhood, most possessions, and so on.) to comply with a dream, we’re at all times looking out for our tribe. Pairs like this may be exhausting to come back by, so once we obtained invited to a week-long “Energy {Couples}” boat journey in Croatia, we didn’t suppose twice. Crusing from Cut up to the distant islands of Kornati Nationwide Park and lesser-known seaside villages of the Adriatic, we obtained to bond and be taught from fellow {couples} operating their very own companies, dwelling nomadic existence, and charting their very own path. To not point out, {that a} personal boat journey alongside the Dalmatian coast is one of the simplest ways to shake the vacationers and see the serene aspect of Croatia.

Bosnia & Herzegovina Highway Journey

When our Croatia boat journey ended, we continued our energy {couples} journey with our long-time journey blogger buddies Max and Oksana of Drink Tea & Journey. Certain we may have explored extra of Croatia by land, however we determined to dig right into a lesser-known area of former Yugoslavia…Bosnia & Herzegovina. Flashbacks of the Nineties Bosnian Struggle hold many vacationers away, however allow us to let you know, this nation is a gem! Clifftop castles, craggy mountains, East-meets-West structure, and locals who’re genuinely completely happy to see you, B & H had us extending our journey for extra. Rethink this vacation spot and add these locations to your itinerary: The open-air museum of Počitelj village, Kravica Waterfall, Fortress of Herzog, the UNESCO bridge and metropolis of Mostar, Blagaj Dervish Monestary, Aleksin Han lookout & the cliffs alongside the Neretva River, and the fascinating capital of Sarajevo. Bosnia & Herzegovina should still have its battle scars, however vacationers who give the nation an opportunity assist them heal.

Crusing from Citadel to Citadel in Trieste, Italy

After we spent per week crewing a yacht in French Polynesia in fall 2021, Captain Jasna Tuta mentioned to us “If you’re ever in Italy, you might be at all times welcome on my boat.” We had a lot enjoyable attending to know this fellow world traveler and studying from a grasp sailor that we couldn’t move up that invite! After our former-Yugoslavia journey, we took a particular detour to Trieste to sail from fortress to fortress on her signature tour with an in a single day extension. Identical to outdated occasions, she had us hoisting sails, setting anchors, even giving us turns on the helm. Jasna spent 9 years crusing all over the world however her hometown of Trieste is the place she docks a chunk of her coronary heart. When she’s not educating the blind to sail or writing bestselling books, she’s main journeys between the beautiful Duino and Miramare castles. We watched sundown hit the ocean cliffs, cooked hip-to-hip within the hull, and swapped nomad tales like outdated occasions, to culminate certainly one of our favourite weekends of the 12 months.
 

New Public Talking Gigs: Sustainable Journey

We spoke at 5 journey tradeshows this 12 months, giving talks from “Succeeding as a Digital Nomad” at The Journey Summit in Canada to “Rising Your Enterprise with Influencer Advertising” on the Glamping Present USA. Although we’re most pleased with the first-ever sustainability panel at The Journey & Journey Present. We spoke at this multi-city present in San Francisco again in 2021 and once we didn’t see the subject of sustainability being coated in a serious means, we requested if we may be a part of forces with different green-minded journey execs for a panel dialogue and Q&A. Our objective was to tell vacationers’ journey planning and decision-making to decrease their carbon footprint, assist native communities, and have a constructive influence wherever they go. It was such a success that we’ll be bringing the panel to extra Journey & Journey Reveals in 2023.

Oktoberfest Snowbird Fashion

We didn’t anticipate fall to be soooo spectacular in Utah. In lower than half-hour from downtown Salt Lake Metropolis we had been surrounded by craggy mountains beneath a blanket of purple and gold. A couple of curves later we pulled into Snowbird, one of many nation’s premier ski resorts and legendary Oktoberfests. Began in 1972 by a yodeling tram-operator and some of Salt Lake’s German immigrants, this competition of beer and mountain merriment simply celebrated its fiftieth 12 months. We joined the Bavarian-style get together with hundreds twirling about of their lederhosen, then rode the chair raise to 11,000 toes for hefeweizens overlooking the Wasatch Vary. Salt Lake Metropolis is so near the mountains, we may have made this a day journey, however as a substitute we checked into the ultra-fabulous Alta Chalets to get pleasure from sundown from our sizzling tub and a dawn hike from our entrance door. Watch our reel for this scenic fall drive, must-do beer competition, certainly one of our new favourite mountaineering trails, and an unforgettable weekend getaway.

Skydiving over Yosemite

I used to be at all times on the fence about skydiving, however a scenic flight round Yosemite Nationwide Park that culminates with free-falling over this iconic swath of terrain made me take the leap! Watch us fly previous Half Dome, then backflip from 14,000 toes. For our favourite issues to do round Yosemtie and the inspiring folks behind them, see this weblog.

Glamping Consulting Workshops

After reviewing 200+ boutique accommodations and glamping camps all over the world, we determined to share what we’ve discovered with rising glampgrounds and assist them create an unforgettable visitor expertise. We began our HoneyTrek Glamping Consulting & Inventive Companies again in 2020 and this fall it turned a correct side-hustle, conducting 10 programs within the month of November alone with extra to come back within the new 12 months! From current glam camps like Basecamp Resort to an superior regenerative resort that’s brewing outdoors of DC, these aren’t simply properties, these are goals that we’re so proud to assist deliver to fruition!

England Housesit & Ladies Journey

Once we take a trans-Atlantic flight, we wanna benefit from it (for ourselves and the planet)! So for our current journey to London for World Journey Market, we determined to show a three-day tradeshow right into a five-week keep in Europe…beginning with a housesit within the English countryside! Caring for a 400-year-old thatched cottage and 17-year-old Jack Russell was a bit intimidating at first, however the owners and neighborhood of Winslow made us really feel like household! We adored our time on this historic city…strolling the Excessive Road, purchasing the farmer’s markets, and supporting our native pub (the owners left us pint cash to verify did Once they requested if we may additionally care for his or her daughter’s canine, we bartered it for 2 houseguests! It was a daring ask, however my mother was having a milestone birthday and my sister had by no means traveled overseas with HoneyTrek…so a ladies’ journey was meant to occur! They joined us for a couple of days within the cottage, then we went on a street journey by way of the picture-perfect Cotswold countryside (video right here), a day journey to the hallowed college city of Oxford, and three days in London for theater, museums, high quality meals, and mother-daughter-sister-time. With all of the love and household enjoyable, this will likely have been our greatest housesit but.

Michelin-Star Eating Throughout Slovenia

Our ongoing quest for The World’s Most Romantic & Sustainable Locations introduced us to Slovenia…and it didn’t disappoint! The primary nation to be declared a “inexperienced vacation spot” and the one one with “love” in its title, we knew it was a shoo-in for our HoneyTrek checklist however what shocked us was the meals! And whereas many areas of the world dazzle with a melange of spices, Slovenia’s method is way easier…keep contemporary. Eating places from the alps to the coast take nice pleasure in sourcing domestically, usually rising or foraging for his or her produce. They perceive how interconnected good meals is with a wholesome atmosphere, they usually work in direction of its preservation with natural farming, beekeeping, and viticulture. They’ve been making wine because the 4th century BCE and have stayed true to their biodynamic traditions and are profitable droves of awards for it. Slovenia is residence to 6 Michelin Inexperienced Star eating places, the very best score for sustainable delicacies, and it was their eco-conscious practices that helped earn them the “2021 European Area of Gastronomy.” And we’ll give Slovenian cooks an additional level as a result of they cooked us their best with out meat or dairy. See how lovely plant-based consuming might be on this gallery of our favourite eating experiences–from harvesting olives earlier than our oil tasting to hand-making plum dumplings with a Michelin-star chef. And for all our Slovenia adventures, take a look at our Instagram Spotlight Reel.

HoneyTrek Cares

To point out our love and assist for the fantastic communities and ecosystems we explored this 12 months, we’re proud to have donated to OsaConservation.org, ASCONA’s neighborhood library, Buffalo River Basis, Mariposa Trails, the Yosemite Climbing Affiliation, The Mariposa Neighborhood Basis, Equality Utah, Cottonwood Canyons, The Bhutan Basis and the Harpeth River Conservancy, plus volunteered with The Bhutan Ecological Society, Mariposa Trails, and The Franklin Giving Backyard. Thanks to all these organizations for his or her significant work and for sharing a chunk of your world with us!

What do you suppose was the spotlight of the 12 months?

HoneyTrek 2023 Journey Preview

To point out our love and assist for the fantastic communities and ecosystems we explored this 12 months, we’re proud to have donated to OsaConservation.org, ASCONA’s neighborhood library, Buffalo River Basis, Mariposa Trails, the Yosemite Climbing Affiliation, The Mariposa Neighborhood Basis, Equality Utah, Cottonwood Canyons, The Bhutan Basis and the Harpeth River Conservancy, plus volunteered with The Bhutan Ecological Society, Mariposa Trails, and The Franklin Giving Backyard. Thanks to all these organizations for his or her significant work and for sharing a chunk of your world with us!

What do you suppose was the spotlight of the 12 months?

• Event of Roses. We’re kicking off 2023 with a correct New Yr’s custom, the Rose Parade & Rose Bowl soccer sport! This 12 months it’s Penn State vs Utah and Buddy the Camper will probably be there tailgating with bells on.
• Xscapers Bash. Annually this neighborhood of younger RVers will get collectively for per week of music, video games, community-building, and data sharing (together with a chat by HoneyTrek!).
• Sonoma County for Valentine’s Day! Sonoma is a robust candidate to affix our checklist of The World’s Most Romantic and Sustainable Locations so we’re excited to see the inexperienced aspect of California wine nation.
• ITB Berlin. The most important journey tradeshow on this planet occurs each March in Germany and we’re lastly gonna test it out then see what sort of enjoyable we are able to stand up to in Germany and Switzerland.
• Bulgaria Ski Journey. Who’s been snowboarding in Bulgaria? Nobody we all know…however that’s why we’re checking it out. Associates of ours are contemplating main winter journey excursions there and we’re completely happy to be there guinea pigs, alongside 20 snow-bunny buddies!
• Greece. There are a pair island teams that are main the cost for sustainable journey within the Mediterranean so we’ll be contemplating these for the checklist too, and consuming loads of vegan gyros within the course of!
• Montana Wedding ceremony. Pricey mates of ours are getting married at Bridger Bowl outdoors Bozeman so we’ll take this chance to street journey the Rockies whereas we’re within the neighborhood.
  Africa. Nothing is formally on the docket but however we’re placing it out to the universe…we’re going again and exploring new nations like Rwanda, Botswana, and Namibia! We wish our checklist of the World’s Most Romantic & Sustainable Locations to cowl all of the continents, so Africa is a should and an utter delight.

The place do you suppose we must always go in 2023? We at all times love listening to your suggestions!