After an epic year of travel in 2016, I think 2017 may be a bit more mellow with more local excursions than international flights. But there are a few places I have in the back of my mind that I’d love to  make happen this year, some domestic and some international. I really want to get outdoors this year and get active. So all the places I’m thinking are definitely outdoorsy kinds of places to do outdoorsy kinds of things.

Where to go in 2017

National Parks

I really want to get some good camping in this year and spend some time outside exploring nature. Our National Parks are amazing and there are still so many I haven’t seen yet, that a National Parks tour seems like a must do this spring and summer. I’d love to do a road trip going from Joshua Tree to the Grand Canyon, then to Bryce Canyon, Zion and Arches, then up to the Grand Teton and Yellowstone, then to Glacier, and over to Olympic, then down the coast to ending at Redwood National Park. With the exception of Zion (I only spent a day there, so does it really count?), these are all parks I’ve never been to before. I do have some old favorites that I’d like to hit up too, like Yosemite, Sequoia, and Death Valley, but I think those would have to be separate trips.

Around Lake Tahoe

With our recent move to Tahoe, I really want to get out and explore the area. I’ve been coming up here to snowboard since college, but have never really seen more than the ski resorts, but I know there’s a lot more too it. From the north shore to South Lake and over on to the Nevada side (Lake Tahoe straddles the border of California and Nevada) there is a lot of gorgeous scenery to explore both in the winter and in the summer time.

Colorado

I just want to snowboard honestly. I’ll be going a lot in Tahoe, but it’s fun to mix it up and try someplace new too. I’ve always wanted to snowboard in Colorado because I’ve heard that the snow is amazing there, so I think this is the year to check out!

Canada

I feel like Canada is kind of a hot (but, like, literally cold) destination right now, it seems like I’ve been seeing tons of gorgeous pictures of bright blue lakes and snowy mountains lately. There are amazing National Parks like Banff, Jasper, and Pacific Rim to enjoy some nature. And for even more amazing nature there’s Niagara Falls, and you can see the Northern Lights! Canada is like a beautiful nature overload and I’m all for it!

French Polynesia

So I think I’m going to need to go somewhere warm at some point this year to defrost from all the snow. French Polynesia is a group of island in the South Pacific that includes Tahiti and Bora Bora, so about as far from snow as you can get. To be totally honest, lying on a warm sandy beach with a book might be one of my favorite things, but there is amazing diving and surfing there too, so I definitely want to get in on that.

As you can see a lot of the traveling I want to do this year will be fairly close to home, but that’s just fine with me. I think it’s important to travel, but also to explore your home country, state or city too, because you never know what kind of amazing things could be right in your own backyard!

Where do you want to travel to this year? Have you already started planning? 2017 is going to be awesome so get out and explore!