2017 has come and gone, and it’s time to start thinking about the year ahead.  2018 looks to be another big year of travel for us, with a good mix of international trips, national parks trips, and a great golf getaway or two sprinkled in.

Where are you planning on traveling to in 2018?  We want to hear about the trips you have planned, so make sure you leave us a comment in the comments section.  Where ever you plan to go in 2018, we wish you a very fulfilling, safe, and healthy year of travel!

Machu Picchu

This has been a big bucket list item for us for years, and we are hoping to finally pull the trigger on this trip this fall.  Machu Picchu is simply magical.  There is no better way to describe this beautiful, ancient city nestled in the mountains among the clouds.

It will be our first time to South America, so that has us pretty excited as well.  The beautiful places, as well as the unique cultures, has us excited to start exploring this wonderful continent.  It is fitting that Peru, with Machu Picchu as its main attraction, should be the first country in South America that we visit.  There are several places in South America on our bucket list, which we hope to share with you in the coming weeks, so I am sure we will be back more than a few times.

We hope to post some of our travel planning process for this trip online to share with you.  It will be the first time that we actively incorporate our trip planning process into this blog in real-time, so we are very excited about that.

Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands is another destination that has been high on our bucket list for years, and we are hoping to parlay a visit to the islands on our trip to Peru and Machu Picchu.  Those that have been following our blog know that we are huge animal lovers, and the Galapagos Islands offer some very unique wildlife viewing opportunities.

We hope to take a 4 or 5 day Galapagos cruise, which we feel is the best way to explore these remarkable islands.  We will definitely share some of the details on this, as well as other aspects of our trip, as we begin the post about our trip planning process.  We are a bit wary of seasickness, but there are ways in which we can mitigate that risk.  Besides, the lure of the Galapagos and the amazing wildlife that lives there is just too great.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

We have been to southern Utah to visit national parks about a half dozen times in the last ten years, but for some reason, we have never made a stop at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.  Given recent news concerning the monument being reduced in by nearly half, we feel like we need to get out to Grand Staircase as soon as possible.

There are so many incredible hiking and photography opportunities in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, so we are sure that we’ll have some great photos and hiking tips for you when we return.  It’s just mind-boggling how beautiful this area is.

Cabot Links Golf

It wouldn’t be a year of travel for us if we didn’t go on some sort of golf adventure.  This year we are very excited to play Cabot Links golf course in Nova Scotia, Canada.  This course looks incredibly gorgeous and should be a great challenge.

While we are in Nova Scotia, we also plan on checking out Cape Breton Highlands National Park, as it looks beautiful as well.  There is some beautiful coastline in the park that we hope to explore and the hiking trails are calling our names.

Marine Wildlife Rescue and Whale Watching in Southern California

Over the past few years, we have been trying to do our part in volunteering to assist with marine wildlife rescue in California.  We will be continuing to do that this year with a trip to the Channel Islands to assist with some marine rescue, and hope to fit some whale watching in on our visit this year.  We hope to be able to share some amazing stories and videos with you when we return.

Isle Royal National Park

We have spent years visiting the national parks throughout the United States, but have yet to visit two parks that are very close to home for us.  One of those parks is Isle Royal National Park in Lake Superior, just off the coast of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Isle Royale is famous for its wolf versus moose interactions and is a park that we are very anxious to explore.  On the way, we plan to make another stop at the beautiful Painted Rocks National Lakeshore to do some more kayaking and hiking.  It should be an amazing trip and one that we are looking forward to.

Voyageurs National Park

The other national park that is relatively close to home for us, but we have yet to visit, is Voyageurs National Park in Northern Minnesota.  Known as the Boundary Waters to locals, because it sits on the border between Minnesota and Manitoba, Canada, Voyageurs National Park is beautiful.

We plan to do some great kayaking and camping in this beautiful park and hope to take some amazing pictures and video that we can share with you.

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