I thought 2021 was the Year of the Ox? But for me, it ended up being the Year of the Sailboat. No matter how you feel about the New Year, whether you celebrate it/set goals or not, it’s a natural time to reflect on life and set intentions for the future. And when I thought back on my year, I realized I had spent a lot of time on boats! I thought it would be fun to put a round up together, reflect a bit, and talk about what’s to come for 2022.
I ended up visiting three new countries in 2021 and did two big sailing trips–none of which I could have predicted at the start of the year. I went on boats alone, I went on boats with family, I went on boats with new friends and old friends. I don’t know if it’s the Pisces in me or the reverence I feel for large bodies of water, but I am clearly drawn to spending my vacation time on boats of all different shapes and sizes.
I recently read a book called Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui, and although it’s about swimming and not sailing, I think it beautifully articulates why we’re drawn to water. There were fascinating stories of human triumph as well as personal anecdotes and musings about water’s therapeutic properties. I always feel refreshed and more vibrant after spending time in/near water, and I can see how that desire has influenced the type of travel I do. Let’s get to reflecting!
Snorkeling in Turks and Caicos
By time February rolled around, I was fully vaccinated and itching to travel/escape the Chicago winter. I headed to the Caribbean for the first time and spent a glorious day on a catamaran with Big Blue Collective. The further we got out to sea, the more I started to feel like myself–the stress of the prior year couldn’t seem to touch me out there (maybe it couldn’t swim). Jumping in and dipping my head below the surface of the water was just the adrenaline rush I needed to snap me out of the anxiety-ridden mindset of the previous year. The cliff jumping helped too. I remember feeling rejuvenated and so grateful– the perfect start to 2021.
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Solo Female Travel in Turks and Caicos
River Cruise in Chicago
After dealing with a few more months of winter, April came with its own set of challenges. But Chicago had started to open up, so I decided to treat myself to a staycation. I knew I wanted to do an architecture cruise on the Chicago River. My brother and I boarded the cruising vessel and were totally fascinated the whole time. I can’t recommend this experience enough even though it’s touristy. Oh, and definitely read The Devil in the White City beforehand– you’ll appreciate the history of the buildings and city even more. There’s an energy and vibe to Chicago that I’ve always loved and can’t get enough of. It was just what I needed.
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A Chicago Staycation for When You Want to Treat Yo’Self
Pontoon in Torch Lake
In July my family and I went on vacation together for the first time in years. It was summer and we were headed to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, which was incredible (I still need to blog about it). I hadn’t heard of Torch Lake until my sister-in-law mentioned it a few months prior. It was meant to be the Caribbean of the Midwest with turquoise water and sand bars–how could we not immediately book a trip? We rented a pontoon for the day, drove around looking at all the nice houses, stopped for a swim, marveled at how clear the water was and how soft the sand was, and even did some tubing. Being stuck on a smallish boat with the whole family could have gone badly haha, but it was so much fun! Life comes at ya fast and things change so quickly. It meant so much to have us all together to unwind for a few days and make memories. God, I love me a pontoon.
Sailing on Lake Michigan
My first actual sailboat of the year came in August when my girlfriends and I spent a long weekend in South Haven, Michigan. We booked a sunset sail with Sailing South Haven which I highly recommend. They do private reservations so it’s just your group on board. I grew up and now live so close to Lake Michigan, so it was amazing to finally get out on it. We got a killer sunset to boot! Some of my friends had never been on a boat before, so it was extra special to get to do that together and share a ton of laughs along the way. (“Do you know what sailing sounds like?”….”Sounds like a verb.” IYKYK) After these two back-to-back trips to Michigan, it very quickly became one of my favorite states.
Yacht Week in Greece
Even though I was looking forward to fall, I refused to buy a pumpkin spice latte until October and I tried to make summer last as long as possible. Spending two weeks in Greece was the best way to have the endless summer of my dreams, and while there, I had one of the best travel experiences of my life. I’d been wanting to do a “yacht week” for years and had my eye on a company called MedSailors. Spoiler alert… they totally exceeded my already high expectations. Mornings were spent drinking coffee and chatting with new friends while we sailed to our first swim spot. Afternoons were spent jumping into the sea, relaxing, reading, sailing more, and soaking up the sun. Every evening we docked at a new place, so I got to explore a bunch of off-the-beaten-path ports I never would have seen on my own. We had dinner and drinks together and spent the nights dancing. I had the most fun I’d had since before COVID, so it was everything my soul needed and more. If my time off allows in 2022, I would not hesitate to book another trip with this company!
Sailing the San Blas Islands (Guna Yala)
I first heard about the San Blas islands in 2014 when I went backpacking in Nicaragua, and they’ve been on my bucket list ever since. On that trip, I met so many travelers who raved about the San Blas islands (most visited in transit from Colombia up to Panama–one of the most popular ways to cross that border). After doing some research of my own and looking at photos, I knew I had to visit too. It only took me 7 years to get there haha. But it was more than worth the wait. I spent 5 days on board a catamaran (with no cell service) sailing around to different islands, sunbathing, swimming, eating seafood caught by local fishermen, showering in the sea, admiring amazing sunsets and shooting stars, stumbling through conversations in Spanish, and just having fun.
If ever I’m feeling down, I try to remind myself that life is a series of highs and lows and that better days are always yet to come (and how exciting is it to wait for one of those perfect, unexpected days you couldn’t have thought up if you tried). I think one reason why I love to travel is because it puts me in new situations, in new places, with new people, where a sort of alchemy happens to create a truly magical experience. And that’s what happened in the San Blas Islands– I had one of the best, happiest days of my life.
Personal Reflections
As this is a travel blog, I wanted this recap to be primarily about travel. But my year was obviously so much more than the trips I took and the seas I sailed. For me, 2021 was all about feeling centered and more settled at home (after the chaos of the previous 2 years), and I definitely feel like I achieved that. I turned 30, invested in myself, got a skin care routine down, updated my wardrobe (a goal for 2021 was to buy a blazer and I bought 2!), moved into a new apartment, spent more time with friends and family, and found happiness in the every day.
It was also a year of keeping big secrets! I knew about an engagement and a pregnancy months before the world knew, and let me tell ya… that was so hard! lol. Tell me your darkest secret and I’ll take it to the grave, but tell me good news and suddenly I feel like I’m developing Tourette’s. I kept my mouth shut both times but man it was hard! I wanted to tell everyone I knew the second I found out.
The Year of the…?!
Shout out again to science and the vaccine for making this year of adventures possible! I’m so grateful for all the time I got to spend with friends and family especially after how isolating and scary 2020 was.
When envisioning what 2022 will bring in terms of travel, I imagine staying a bit closer to home/more US trips. I hope I’ll be able to explore one or two new countries, but for a variety of reasons (an engagement in 2021 means wedding stuff in 2022 plus the pregnancy announcement means I’ll become an aunt in 2022!!!), I’m kind of craving more time at home. 2022 is also shaping up to be a year of plans that were meant to happen sooner but got delayed due to COVID. I’ll definitely still be checking some things off my bucket list! (Anyone want to go to Qatar with me for the World Cup? lol not kidding.)
I also have an exciting new creative project I’ll be starting, and I’m really looking forward to giving it my best shot and keeping up with it all year. Look for that announcement coming soon!
Happy holidays 🙂
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