Yes, I know it’s almost a week into April. (That seems to be the theme with my monthly roundups!)
Packing Up
The reason for the delay in my monthly roundup was largely due to the fact that I spent the majority of the month packing up my personal belongings to make way for the tenant who is living in my condo here in Boston during April and May. Not fun, of course, but necessary. Recently, a long-standing client relationship came to an end, which means I’m going to be a little short on cash until I start a new venture early this summer. So I’m going to give nomad life a try, at least for a few months.
Here’s what I’ll be up to:
Planning Ahead
The first trip I’m looking forward to is a getaway with two of my best friends to Asheville, North Carolina, next weekend. Since I turn 40 in May, I’m using it as excuse to take as many trips and see as many friends as possible. Why not, right?
Asheville has been at the top of my travel wish list for years. I’m excited to check out the craft beer and vegetarian food scene, as well as take a hike or two to counteract all of the drinking and eating we’ll be doing. I also think the Biltmore – America’s largest home – will offer some incredible photo opportunities. (And there’s a vineyard there too, so yeah, more drinking!)
Then I head to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the Women in Travel Summit (WITS). It’s my third WITS – I attended in 2015 in Boston and last year in Irvine, California – but it will be my first time in Milwaukee. This year, I’ll be moderating a panel, “Kick your business in the butt: launching, growing, and thriving as an entrepreneur,” and serving as a mentor to attendees who want some advice on their business or blog’s brand strategy.
Next up is a press trip to Warsaw and Krakow, Poland, hosted by LOT Airlines and Visit Poland. I haven’t been to Poland before, and have been wanting to go for a few years – the neighborhood I live in in Boston is called the “Polish Triangle.” Press trips are a great way to see a destination because they squeeze in a lot of sightseeing in a short amount of time.
After spending the first weekend of May in New Jersey to celebrate my big birthday with family, I’ll fly to Cartagena, Colombia. I spent about five days in Cartagena in August 2015 and completely fell in love with it, so I’m thrilled to be returning so soon. Unfortunately I’ll only be there for three nights, but I’m making time to take a Bazurto Market tour with Visit.org partner Fundación por la Educación Multidimensional.
Then on May 11 I’ll board the Nomad Cruise. I’ll be networking, learning and socializing with 150 other digital nomads as we sail across the Atlantic to Lisbon, Portugal. Yes, I’m slightly terrified to spend two weeks on a boat in the middle of the ocean, but I’ve been assured there’s so much going on that I won’t even think about wanting to jump off. (Fingers crossed!)
Lisbon is another of my all-time favorite cities, but I’m only going to spend a night there after we disembark before taking the train north to Porto. I didn’t have time to visit Porto during my previous trip to Portugal, and it sounds like it will be the perfect place to decompress from my long journey. Madrid, Spain, will be my next stop, where I’ll visit a friend I made in India (we also went to Ireland together last year), before spending about five days solo in Barcelona.
From there it’s a little up in the air. I’ll likely need to return to Boston in mid June to get back to work. But then I kick off July with back-to-back trips – Denver, Colorado, for a wedding then Greenfield, Massachusetts, for the Green River Music Festival.
I’m tired just writing all of that! But I’m excited too. And I look forward to having you along for the ride.
One fun outing this month was taking a day trip to New Hampshire with my friends Kristin and Fiona to check out the brewery scene. This was taken at Throwback Brewery in North Hampton, our first stop.
Banner image: In early March, I got to take a VIP tour of Faneuil Hall to learn more about the shopping, dining and entertainment experiences this Boston landmark has to offer both locals and tourists.