“Hmph- wonder what Sydney was doing this time last year?” I’d caught my bobbing reflection in the subway glass and watched as the thought pulled a smile at the corner of my lips. 6 or 7 years into this blog’s inception, and anything travel related still has the same effect on me. I pulled out my phone and checked out the blog, delighted to see my 2021 Travel Recap at the top. Rereading my old posts stirs up nostalgia, bliss and gratitude— but it also stirs up a variant of disappointment.

You know— carving out time to write has gotten harder and harder. Oftentimes I intend to sit down and journal about a trip or adventure only to get tangled up in the web of life. There’s few things I cherish more than memories of my trips. While snapping (and archiving) albums-worth of pictures has become reflexive during my travels, my writing habits haven’t met as fortunate a fate.

Writing has never felt like a chore- and like fine Italian wine, I think it’s actually more poignant with the passage of time. Rereading prose from past versions of myself is so beautiful and compelling. Journaling about the things that make you happy— travel for me— is really just a delayed gift, a time capsule for future you to dig up and cherish. So as you can imagine, opening my blog and realizing I had neglected to write about another year’s worth of trips was depressing. Journaling immortalizes my memories to my future, forgetful self. How do you let life get in the way of that?

I don’t think returning to my old ways of writing about each and every trip is my goal in this season of life. Truthfully, I’m not even sure it’s feasible. I’ve hacked Instagram to help fill a lot of the travel recap void (I’m looking at you, Instagram Reels). But I do hope to do better when it comes to writing about my adventures, whatever “better” turns out to be. Today, “better” is a 2022 Travel Recap. And hell, that’s a pretty good start if I may say so myself. So, Sydney of 2035, I hope you’re smiling reading this.

From start to finish, here’s a beloved written recap of my 2022 year. And boy, what a year it was!

Nashville, TN | February 2022

In this equation, a brief weekend trip to Nashville was a COVID-era flight credit that was finally cashed in for not one, but two Spirit Airline tickets for the pretty price of $240. Don’t mind if I do. Our stint in Nashville was about 40 hours from start to finish, so jam packed it was. After western hat and boot shopping (and almost caving to the very convincing call of the cowboy hat), Tom and I celebrated our 6 month anniversary at a swanky restaurant downtown. We traded in fine dining for honky tonk bars & PBRs on Broadway— though describing any bar on Broadway by any other descriptor than a country-fied capitalist behemoth feels almost… deceitful?

(Life update: if 1 of these 2 faces looks new to you— meet Tom! We met through our best friends in New York City, and are celebrating a year and a half together next month!)

Ski Trip

Estes Park, A-Basin, Denver, CO | March 2022

In recent years, I have developed a very real ski itch—one of those ever-present, nagging cancers that annoyingly takes up precious mental real estate. The ski itch, at face value, isn’t the problem. The problem is that my ski itch manifests more as a snowboard itch, and absolutely under no circumstances should anyone, EVER, put me on a snowboard. I am a hazard to all of humanity when strapped into a rectangular, full-throttle snow greased engine . While I have somehow lived to tell the questionable tale each and every time I’ve snowboarded, something about the sport keeps me coming back. And so, on this fateful March trip, my best friend Chantel and I flew into Colorado for Snowboarding and hiking in the Rocky Mountains.

The first part of the trip entailed hiking one of the most spectacular trails of my life— I’d say its only rival is the Zion Narrows (more on that later). In March, the Rockies are frosted in a thick coating of snow, adding a fun, albeit freezing, element to your hike. A last minute decision to rent crampons (little spikes for your hiking boots) saved the day and made the hike actually feasible. Without them, we would have joined the masses who made defeated U-turns back to the parking lot after facing near disaster encounters trying to go downhill without brutally loosing their footing and wiping out. The best part of the trail was the lake that had frozen over like a massive ice cube. The winter terrain allowed us to walk across the lake, a luxury not afforded to those who make the trek in the summer. At the end of the trail, we perched atop a slab of rock and sunbathed while we watched daring back-country skiers descend the treacherous mountain in a performance that was equally fascinating as it was precarious.

Our snowboarding portion of the trip at A-Basin proved to be yet another humbling experience for me. If it wasn’t obvious before, there is no denying my hopeless devotion to the idea of being a snowboarder. To my credit, I did enroll in snowboarding lessons on my first day back. My first and most fatal mistake was thinking I was a good candidate for the level 2 snowboarding lessons. You can imagine my teacher’s disdain when I was not only the only one in the class, but content with sitting ass in snow explaining how, yes, I’d done this before, but somehow retained no malleable memory. I had no merit to be standing (sliding) in front of him as a “level 2 snowboarder”. Alas, there I was smiling!

On the bright side, I did graduate from the bunny slopes midway through the morning with only one epic mass chair lift disaster to my name. On the Green Slopes, I was no less of a human grenade— a few gnarly falls mixed with the high altitude had me tapped out by noon. Chantel, the Canadian expert snowboarder that she is, kindly took a lunch break with me. I ate in agony and self loathing hatred, and cheered her on from the sidelines as she hit a few more runs without me. Happy to report, I am still not a snowboarder but am still trying to go again this year ;)

Joshua Tree, CA | April 2022

Finding myself whisked away, yet again, to the west, I hoped a Joshua Tree trip would ring in at a slower pace. We were tent camping after all, which in retrospect, was somewhat of a bold move in April. I’d fancied the idea of camping in Joshua Tree for the better part of two years— when the opportunity presented itself to meet up with friends from Arizona and California, I pounced.

The trip entailed beautiful hiking, aimless wandering through the park’s realm and copious amounts of cheap beer enjoyed by the crackling amber campfire. If you’re considering camping in Joshua Tree, Jumbo Rocks campground is not to be missed. A big travel through-line of 2022 was waking up at the earliest traces of sunrise to watch the sun warm up the horizon and burst into a milky, marbled canvas of colors. This trip, I remember a particularly memorable sunrise– I climbed up one of the towers of “jumbo rocks” and watched the morning light show through the maze of Joshua Trees around me.

Dallas, TX | May 2022

An Annual Best Friend Trip with my best friend and college roommate took me to Texas for the second year running. We ate, drank, and lounged and in turn, filled the BFF quality time reserves to get us through the next long distance stint.

Family Road Trip | June 2022

Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches National Park, Moab, Canyonlands, Monument Valley, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Vegas

I reserve the better half of this post to memorialize this trip, the most epic family road trip of all time. I am here to contradict whatever stigma movies like “RV” fed you to believe about embarking on a road trip with your family. If you take nothing away from this post: let this be your sign to go on the damn road trip with your family!

The whirlwind trip was a cacophony of the best locales the American southwest has to offer. I’m a self proclaimed desert lover- it was a special experience to spend 10 days intersecting my favorite place with my favorite people.

The trip notably kicked off strong— a non-negotiable stop in Vegas’s In-n-Out Burger later, and we were driving through Nevada en route to Zion National Park. We arrived with the afternoon still ahead of us, and squandered no time exchanging hours of daylight for serotonin spikes and outdoor adventure. And fine, if you must know—burning muscles, too. Scout’s Landing trail (the little sister to Angel’s Landing) is not for the faint hearted or physically mortal. In the latter camp myself, our perseverance and screaming lungs paid off with a gorgeous trek and an incredibly impressive vista.

Day two in Zion took us up the river without a paddle— walking sticks and water boots only. The Narrows is a landmark Zion hike, and one I’ll surely never forget. While the initial beauty of the hike is watered-down (no pun intended) by hoards of hikers brought in by the bus-load, the greater the distance between you and the trailhead brings great relief from the crowds. An hour or so in, and I was in water-logged paradise, sloshing upstream like a two-legged water animal.

I was happy we’d made the hike in June; the tingle-inducing temperature of the water felt extra rigid in the deeper, waist-high stretches of the trail. A forewarning for anyone hiking after me? Bathrooms. Go to the bathroom before you embark on your hike. Though if you do make my mistake, sprinting to the trailhead with the current on your side makes you feel as though you have wings. But, still. Go to the bathroom first. I’ll just leave it at that.

We were on to Bryce Canyon next, which was notably the most orange destination of the road trip. Our hike took us through otherworldly “hoodoos”, through a slot canyon, into a quasi desert oasis, and up to a mangled grove of petrified trees. The hike was a concoction of my dad’s recommendations, including some combination of the Navajo Loop, Queens Garden Loop, and a connection from Sunrise Point to Sunset Point.

Before we arrived in Moab for our expedition through Arches National Park, we followed a meandering road that boasted zero cell service in exchange for astounding views. As a car collective, we deemed the drive the most beautiful of our lives. A brief surprise layover in Capitol Reef National Park later and we’d made it to Arches National Park. Impossibly, we found that the arches lacked grandeur against picture’s we’d seen, which opened up the floodgates to complaints about the heat and sun. A second hike extracted some of the indifference by sending us on an uphill battle for our lives, nearly knocking us to our knees by the time we arrived at the impressive Delicate Arch. Any remaining malice towards the arguably overhyped geographical anomalies evaporated after a hearty dinner at Thai Bella, which to this day, I swear is one of the best meals I’ve ever had.

Home base that night was a safari tent, seemingly plucked straight from the African outback. Nestled in the rugged terrain of the desert, our desert safari tent was luxurious by all standards… even the “kids teepee” that my sister and I were relegated to for the night had a certain charm to it.

We found ourselves in downtown Moab the next morning for breakfast and shopping. A stopover in Canyonlands National Park later, we were loaded back in our rental car and puttering away at 75 MPH towards a very cherished desert mecca of mine: Monument Valley. Situated in the heart of Navajo Nation, Monument Valley first crossed my radar in 2020. Covid-19 had rendered any hopes of international travel impossible, and instead, had transported me to the desert in what would become my most impactful trip to date. Monument Valley was one of the stops on that fateful trip, and to this day I’ll never forget the stripped back, simple joys it brought me.

Chasing the same spiritual simplicity and joy, I convinced my parents to book the exact Airbnb from my trip 2 years prior. While I’m not sure my parents would echo my “peaceful” sentiments (as I understand, there was a coyote or two provoking them from their bedrooms, ha!), I felt the same awe in the presence of Monument Valley as I did on my first trip. From the blanket of stars so vivid and crisp you can nearly pick them from the velvety black sky to the mystical “monuments” standing dignified against the majestic desert sunset, life almost feels like an AI stimulation rendered to a dreamy, desert state.

Before halting to a final stop in Vegas for pool days, shows, and gourmet dinners, our colossal itinerary brought us to The Grand Canyon where we bemoaned the crowds and “subpar view”. A self proclaimed fan of The Grand Canyon myself, my pleas to stay until sunset weren’t heard, I somehow got lost from the family for half an hour, and my sister worked up a gnarly sunburn— and so, needless to say, the majority of the car loaded up and departed less than impressed. Flagstaff welcomed us with warm, open arms, and we opened our appetites to local fare, tossing back beers as we watched trains pass through the historic downtown.

Adjacent to Flagstaff, Sedona was a quick morning trip. Since I’ve spent a good deal of time in the Flagstaff and Sedona area, I enjoyed a nice amount of freedom navigating my family to my recommended trails and restaurants. I promptly squandered all trust to guide my family on any desert trail by immediately bringing the gang on the wrong trail, which, you know, isn’t super ideal in the summer or the desert. Tough crowd! We finally navigated to the correct trail (I am good for something after all!) and scaled some pretty serious rocks, giving my poor mama early onset heart failure each time she was required to scramble higher. Sorry, mom :—) The family pics looked great- definitely worth it!

Golden, CO + Chicago IL | August 2022

Everyone has those big bucket list items. For me, one of those was seeing a live performance at Red Rocks. To justify the trip to Colorado’s natural amphitheater for a concert, I knew the artist had to have major appeal. When Nathaniel Ratlieff and the Night Sweats announced dates at Red Rocks, I rallied my best friend Allie and we put a plan in action. If the two of us are good for one thing, it’s making a trip happen. We squeezed in time to catch up with friends from college and enjoyed a peek into the psychedelic realm at the notoriously mind bending MeowWolf immersive art museum.

From Colorado I hopped on a flight to Chicago— a destination that’s become a mainstay since Tom moved in August. The first trip to his new home was nothing short of joyful, filled with friends and a birthday celebration for Tom. We even made friends with the Polar Bear at the Lincoln Park Zoo, who spent about 20 minutes cozying up next to us on the other side of the glass.

Newport, RI | September 2022
Wedding photography was responsible for bringing me to Newport, Rhode Island— and what a pleasant surprise the weekend trip was! Downtown Newport boasts delicious food, great nightlife, and copious souvenir shops. Cliff Walk and Mansion Mile (most notably The Breakers Mansion) are sights so extraordinary you can’t turn away.

I had every intention of getting this post up in one fell swoop, but my executive board (read: my groggy brain and tired fingers) advises otherwise. Don’t be fooled- the last third of 2022 was jam packed: my first international trips since 2020 and bucket-list NYC staycation itineraries. I’m hoping to get this written and posted within the month. Reliving moments and putting atoms of memories into words is such a special gift. I forget how much (time intensive) joy this all brings.

Until then, I offer you an Instagram Reel olive branch to relive the highs of 2022: