My Best & Worst Travel Moments of 2024

2024 was a year of abundant travel, I spent 84 days on the road across 16 different trips.

I road tripped through the Midwest and Utah, spent two weeks in England and Scotland, went camping throughout the summer, and visited The Hamptons and New York City (a few times!).

It was a blast! But of course, with that many days on the road, there were a few mishaps.

Below are my best and worst travel moments of 2024!

Worst Travel Moments Of 2024

Hotel Mishap In London

During my trip to London, I made quite a sizable error. 

I booked a budget hotel during a summer weekend in London. The hotel was in a central location, near where my friends and family were staying (both of their hotels were fully booked, otherwise I would’ve stayed with them). The rooms were small and outdated, but the reviews regarding cleanliness, noise-level, and safety were perfect. I booked.

However, there was a big feature I should’ve checked for before booking this budget hotel: air conditioning. Being from the United States where AC is standard in just about every hotel, this never crossed my mind.

Upon walking into the stuffy lobby of my hotel for check in, I immediately knew I had a problem, it was HOT. And sadly, my room was much worse than the lobby. But I remained optimistic, it would cool off overnight with a window propped… Right? Right !? 

After a sweaty and uncomfortable night of sleep, with window open and fan blasting on my face, I woke up just as hot. So hot, in fact, my bathroom floor was as warm as those at a fancy hotel with heated floors. To really paint a picture for you, my deodorant melted. My bathroom was so hot it literally melted my deodorant (a toiletry I desperately needed, might I add).

I’d had enough, I immediately booked a different hotel for the remaining two nights of my visit. This hotel was just down the street, had spacious rooms, air conditioning, and excellent reviews.  

The hot budget hotel was non-refundable and it pained me to pay for two hotel rooms in pricy London, but it needed to be done.

It was a lesson learned, and honestly, worth the very large amount of money I paid. In a comfortable hotel room, I was able to fully enjoy the trip. I had a fantastic weekend with friends and family, saw some of London’s tourist highlights, wandered through Notting Hill, and I even got to soak in the room’s massive bathtub after the Taylor Swift concert (a game changer for my throbbing feet).

I’ve never messed up so badly on a hotel booking before and hopefully it doesn’t happen again!

Sick In The Dakotas

Not long after my trip to London, I went on a 13-day trip through North Dakota and South Dakota. Unfortunately for me, I got sick about 3 days into the trip.

A nagging tickle in my throat turned into a full-blown problem that required almost constant cough drops. Being sick away from home is far from ideal, but sharing a bedroom and living space with two travel companions while coughing non-stop is…. awful. 

Not only did I feel off physically, but I also felt terrible that I was ruining their trip. 

Luckily though, it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. I didn’t have many symptoms aside from the cough. I never developed a fever or body aches, for example, symptoms that would’ve brought the trip to an early end. And fortunately, the cough was at it’s peak for only 2 days.

After a few days of consuming more cough drops than I have in a lifetime, and while pushing through nagging fatigue, I began to feel better.

Eventually I was even able to do a few hikes in Custer State Park (an absolute gem of a state park in South Dakota, by the way), spend a day in Spearfish Canyon, and see Mount Rushmore.

But little things remained off the table for me, like wine tasting in Hill City, nightly card games, quality time with my cousins, and so on. Extra rest was essential, and as a trade-off, I missed out on moments that are often the most memorable of a trip, which is a bummer.

Check out the complete itinerary at 10-day Dakotas Road Trip Itinerary.

Best Travel Moments Of 2024

Luckily, there weren’t many bad travel moments last year and the positives far out-weighed the negatives. These are some of my favorite travel moments of 2024:

Visiting My 50th State

In September I officially crossed off my 50th state, a huge milestone I’m proud to reach. It was especially fitting, occurring just a few days before my 35th birthday.

At the start of 2024, I had 8 states left to visit: Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Alaska.

I reluctantly scribbled, “Visit all 50 states” on my 2024 goals list, at the time having no idea how I’d actually make that happen.

A few months later, I planned a North Dakota / South Dakota road trip, and shortly after that, a Midwest road trip which would cross off Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, and Kansas.

A serendipitous opportunity landed in my lap not long after this, a travel blogger conference was announced in Alaska. 

Not only had I been hoping to attend a travel blogger conference, but this also allowed me to visit Alaska for less money than it would normally cost. A perfect excuse to visit my 50th state in 2024!

Each of the 8 states were amazing, but I have to say my experience in Alaska was my favorite. I went on a glacier boat tour, hiked a glacier for the first time, rode the Alaska Railroad, and so much more. 

It was a magical way to celebrate my final state!

Road Trip Through The Midwest

While Alaska was an absolute standout, my time in the Midwest was also excellent. I’m constantly amazed by the abundant, underrated beauty found in the United States.

During my 2-week Midwest road trip, I visited Kansas, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, and Iowa. 

Each impressed me in its own way, but the Great Lakes region in particular blew me away. I had no idea how incredible the beach towns of Michigan are, it felt like I was in the coastal towns of the Northeast again. Additionally, Indiana Dunes National Park was stunning and the beaches throughout downtown Chicago were very impressive.

I will definitely plan another summer trip to the region, I especially want to head further north to areas like northern Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

If you haven’t explored the Great Lakes yet, I highly encourage you to do so.

Traveling Through Scotland

In August I spent a little over a week driving through Scotland, exploring the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, before heading to the Scottish Highlands.

I found Scotland to be captivating. I couldn’t help but to drift off into la la land, wondering what it’d be like to spend months or even years exploring this gorgeous country.

The cities were great. The people of Glasgow are especially fun and Edinburgh has stunning architecture and is also home to numerous Harry Potter sites – it’s where J.K. Rolling wrote the books! 

The Scottish Highlands were the star though. The landscape varies dramatically here, in a small region you’ll find towering green mountains, rocky coastal shorelines, huge lakes, and tiny colorful towns. The dramatic terrain reminded me of a cross between Iceland and coastal Maine.

During my short time in the Highlands, I went for a few hikes, saw a ton of sights (didn’t see Nessie though!), had delicious food, and met friendly locals… it’s an incredibly special place. 

Work From “Home” in New York City & Chicago

This year I tried something I’d never done before, work from “home” in a different city. 

Instead of following my usual routine – work from my dining room table, make dinner, relax on the couch, go to bed – I packed up my laptop and headed to a different city.

I spent the days working from a coffee shop and evenings exploring the city.

In New York City I worked from various coffee shops in Brooklyn and spent a day working from the stunning New York City Library. After work, I wandered aimlessly around Manhattan, found new parks in Brooklyn, and even went to my first Yankees Game (which I loved)!

Work from “home” in Chicago followed a similar pattern, working from cafes in Lincoln Park (the DePaul University area had excellent WFH spots), then wandering around Chicago in the late afternoon and evening. 

I ate Chicago dogs, walked along the beach, visited some tourist attractions, and hung out with my cousins. Summer in Chicago is special and I loved every moment of my visit. 

I admit, this approach isn’t nearly as relaxing (or productive) as working from my actual home. But I got to experience both cities in a way I never had before and that was really special. 

I really hope to do something like this again in 2025.

I’m grateful for an abundant year of travel in 2024 and for far more good moments than bad ones. I can’t wait to see where 2025 takes me!

Additional Travel Tips:

• My Best (& Worst) Travel Moments Of 2025
• How I Took 17 Vacations With 10 Vacation Days
• How I Quit My Job And Traveled For A Year
• Everywhere I Visited While Living In New York & Traveling The East Coast