The Ideal Trip
What's your Ideal Trip?
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The Best Destinations of Every Year: My Annual Top 5
Top 5 Destinations of 2019

This year, I visited/re-visited some of my favorite destinations with my favorite people (but, added a few new spots to explore in each location). 

My Top 5 for 2019:

  1. Scottsdale, AZ
  2. Overland Park, KS
  3. Kansas City, MO
  4. Salt Lake City, UT
  5. Sedona, AZ

Check out photos and videos of these places (and many, many others) on Instagram at TheIdealTrip!
Top 5 Destinations of 2018

This year was focused on exploring new, surprising sights (both big and small) with four generations (yes 4) of family travelers!
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My Top 5 for 2018:
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  1. Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
  2. Lanai City, Lanai, Hawaii
  3. Houston, Texas
  4. Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Mexico Cruise
  5. Shoshone, Melba, and Twin Falls, Idaho (Shoshone Falls; Mammoth Cave and Shoshone Bird Museum of National History; and Cleo’s Ferry Museum and Nature Trail)

I hope you will enjoy happy travel adventures with family and friends in the new year!
Top 5 Destinations of 2017

​2017 was the Year of the Small Towns for me. I sought out the quiet, hidden, and remote places I find so appealing. The tiny cities below were ideal.

My Top 5 for 2017:
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1. Bisbee, Arizona
2. Tumacacori, Arizona
3. Tubac, Arizona
4. St. Joseph, Missouri
​5. Hannibal, Missouri


I hope you seek out your own little piece (peace) of paradise in the new year!
Top 5 Destinations of 2016
 
I traveled nationally and internationally in 2016. I experienced a wide variety of open lands, bustling rivers, expansive seas, small towns, and major cities of the world. Below are my best of the year.

My Top 5 for 2016:

1) Viking River Cruises' Rhine River Cruise
2) Amsterdam and Kinderdijk, The Netherlands
3) Cologne, Germany
4) Paris, France
​5) State Route 1 Highway, California


​I hope you will explore this big, beautiful planet more in the new year!
Top 5 Destinations of 2015
 
At the conclusion of a wonderful travel year it is very difficult to narrow a lengthy list down to just a few destinations. I explored many great regions and found some to be particularly special and surprising due to their unique nature. I have included those special places here.

My Top 5 for 2015:

1.  The Blues Highway (starting in Memphis, Tennessee, and ending in Vicksburg, Mississippi, including live music in Clarksdale and a stop at Po' Monkey's Juke Joint in Merigold).
2.  Boston
3.  Lincoln, New Mexico
4.  Marfa, Texas
5.  Chicago, Illinois


I highly encourage you to explore these wonderful areas yourself!
Top 5 Destinations of 2014
​

I explored many wonderful regions of the United States this past year. Below are my favorites and highly recommended areas to visit.

My Top 5 Destinations for 2014: 

​1) Montgomery & Muscle Shoals,  Alabama
2) Baton Rouge, Louisiana & Plantation Alley
3) Natchez, Mississippi & the Natchez Trace
4) The Pocono Mountains
5) Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania

Wishing you  many happy travels in the New Year!
Top 5 Destinations of 2013

I was very fortunate to travel across the United States and Canada this year. Below are my top picks of the many destinations I visited in 2013. I highly recommend these destinations and hope you get a chance to visit them, too.

My Top 5 Destinations for 2013: 

1.       Hawaii
2.       Door County
3.       Quebec City
4.       Montreal
5.       Kansas City


I am wishing you many happy travels in the future!
Top 5 Destinations of 2012
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​
As another year comes to a close today, I am making my recommendations for the best destinations of the year. Below are five of my favorite destinations that I visited in 2012. 

My Top 5 Destinations for 2012: 

1.   Savannah, Georgia

2.   New York City, New York
3.   Las Vegas, Nevada
4.   Carefree, Arizona
5.   Monument Valley


Please read about each of these destinations here at The Ideal Trip.  I hope that 2013 will bring more happy travels!!
Top 5 Destinations of 2011
As a travel writer, I am often asked about my favorite places to visit. This is always a difficult question to answer since I enjoy so many types of destinations for differing reasons. I have a list of favorite beach getaways, the best big and little cities to visit, best cruise destinations, best spas, and many more.  I like to share these recommendations and trust that others will like them, too.  It is a real challenge to identify just a few of my favorite places to visit, but I will attempt to do so. As 2011 comes to a close today, I am making my recommendations for the best destinations of the year. Below are five of my favorite destinations that I visited in the past year.

My Top 5 Destinations for 2011:

1.       Venice, Italy
2.       Monte Carlo, Monaco
3.       Sedona, Arizona
4.       New Orleans, Louisiana
5.       Chicago, Illinois


I hope your year has been filled with wonderful travels and that 2012 will bring more happy adventures!
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