The new year is here and with it comes a new year of travel plans which is one of my favorite things to do. While I love traveling the most, planning trips is second in line. I love learning about different places, researching the top things to do, and planning out the best way to see it all in my own way.
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Top Travel Resources
After decades of traveling, there’s 3 companies I tend to use over and over and recommend to everyone:
2026 Travel Plans
How to Decide Where to Go
When I’m deciding my travel plans for the year, I start with what months I plan to travel. My husband has a “normal” job so we have to plan around his vacation time. One perk of his job is that there’s a celebratory trip we get to go on each year as well. So keeping both of these things in mind, I decide which months we will be taking our own trips.
Since traveling is also part of what I do and how I make money, I like to also add in places I haven’t been in order to be able to share new adventures. Finally, for the past few years, I’ve been doing photo retreats in order to help advance my skills and portfolio, and I am so very excited about the one I’m doing this year.
9 Trips to Add to Your Travel Plans
Without further ado, here’s 10 places I’m adding to my travel plans and what you can expect to learn more about as the year progresses. I hope you’ll considering adding them to your travel plans as well.
Yellowstone in the Winter
First up, I’m heading to Yellowstone in January and I can’t wait. I have been to Yellowstone numerous times but never in the winter and it is meant to be a completely different place. I’m heading there with a photography workshop and I’m ready to learn, photograph, and be extra cold.
If you’re planning your first trip to Yellowstone, be sure to check this post, it will give you a great overview of what to expect NOT in the winter when most people go.
Guadeloupe Mountains & Carlsbad Caverns National Parks
The USA’s National Parks are the best part of the states. Every single one is worth visiting and this year we are heading to Guadeloupe National Mountains in Texas and Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. They are actually only about 30 minutes apart.
Punta Cana
One of the great things about where my husband works is that he gets a few travel perks. One being this trip. I wanted to travels somewhere warm in March because at that time, I’m ready for sun. However, I also wanted to fly on Southwest as we have a companion pass. I’ve never been to the Dominican Republic so this should be fun and relaxing. We will not be doing all-inclusive as I hate those. We will stay in a smaller resort or Air B&B.
Boston & Acadia National Park
Boston is near and dear to my heart as I spent a lot of time there as a kid when my mom would work there. My husband has really only been once but he loved it as he’s very into history. This time, we are heading to Boston for a work trip for my husband and adding on a few days. My plan is to drive up to Acadia National Park because, like I said, our National Parks are the best part of this country.
Costa Rica
Once a year, my husband’s work does a celebratory trip and this year it is in Costa Rica. I’ve never been and I’m very excited for this one. I can’t wait to capture photos of sloths, toucans, and lush rainforests. The only downside to these types of trips is that I don’t get to plan where we stay or when we go. We will be there during rainy season and not in the area I’d most love to go but we will do lots of excursions.
San Diego
Originally, this trip was going to be to Hawaii. Now, I know you may be thinking that this is a big difference but the reality is that Hawaii is very expensive. We are doing this trip with my parents and my sister and her kids. It proved to be way too expensive to get everyone there so we decided to pivot.
I’ve never been to San Diego and it has something for everyone. My husband is excited for a baseball game, the kids still get the beach and we plan to head to one of the National Parks in California. My sisters’ kids have not been to California at all so I’m excited to see it with them.
Seattle & Surrounding National Parks
At this point in our travels we are getting into late summer, August time-frame. Usually this time of year I’m over the heat and ready for cooler weather. That’s why we are traveling to Seattle and nearby National Parks. Are you sensing a theme? We’ve never been to the state of Washington either so this should be a good trip.
Wisconsin & Michigan
Two more states we’ve never been to are Wisconsin and Michigan and the Great Lakes are supposed to be beautiful. Each year we try to do a couples trip with my sister and her husband and this year, we are headed here over Labor Day.
Switzerland & Austria at Christmas
Finally, it’s time for our holiday trip! This year, we are heading to Switzerland and Austria around Christmas. We did the Germany Christmas Markets a couple years ago and were obsessed. Now, we are going to do these two countries around the same time. I’m excited not only for more Christmas markets but for the Swiss Alps covered in snow.
Final Thoughts on Travel Plans
When making your own travel plans, it’s best to start with when you want to go as different places are better different times of year. Then, decide what type of trip you’re looking for because if you want beach, don’t head to the mountains.
