My Best Travel Moments of 2025

2025 was a landmark year for travel, taking me to seven new countries and to so many new and wonderful destinations.

And it was a year of memorable travel experiences, many of which sprang out of nowhere.

Here are my favorite travel moments of 2025!

Seeing Rachel Zegler Sing “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina” in London

This year, the revival of Evita in London made headlines for an unusual staging decision: Eva Perón, played by Rachel Zegler, would sing “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina” not in the theater, but from the balcony overlooking the people below.

So yes, the showstopper song of the show wouldn’t even be performed inside the theater. The audience would watch it live, but filmed from outside. What the hell?!

But if you know the show or the history, it makes perfect sense. Eva Perón was a woman of the people. She cared for the working class — not the wealthy. That’s why she was so beloved. Of course they deserved the best of her.

I happened to be in the West End close to showtime one night, so I headed down to the London Palladium about half an hour before Rachel was due to come out. Boy, was it crowded there! The streets were full of theater fans eager for a glimpse.

And then Rachel came out — and she sang so beautifully, I was nearly in tears. This song is so moving and Rachel has an angelic voice, perfectly suited for it.

It was absolutely worth being squished in that crowd for 45 minutes to hear Rachel sing. What a moment.

Our Party in Prague

Two years after our wedding, Charlie and I decided to do something a bit crazy — throw another wedding reception. Same destination (Arthur’s Pub in Prague!), same invitees, same details, the only thing would be that we would be celebrating Charlie’s 50th birthday and our second anniversary.

We invited friends from all around the world, and so many of them came back for round two — and plenty who missed round one were able to make it this time!

Well, there were some differences — namely, it was COLD! We had our wedding in May 2023 because May is the most beautiful month of the year in Prague, and it could not have been nicer — warm days with blue skies streaked with puffy clouds. In 2025, May was freezing, gray, and rainy. I was actually wearing my long wool coat that month.

And so the party started off outside but we ended up packing ourselves into the lounge area of the bar, and the bartenders were ON POINT, making endless cocktails, saying to us things like, “You look like you could use a Cosmopolitan.”

All in all, it was so nice having so many of our friends back, sharing our city with them, and enjoying all the good vibes a second time around.

Climbing the Grand Tsingy

When it came to visiting Madagascar, I knew that climbing the Grand Tsingy would be one of the coolest adventures of the trip. But I had no idea that I would have to clip in. I have never clipped into a hike, ever, and I’ve always been vaguely terrified of Via Ferrata-style hikes.

The hike is intense. You need to haul yourself up ledges, put your feet on tiny steps, and there is an actual risk of falling if you don’t step right. You wouldn’t fall to your death, but you might land hard on your harness and break a rib.

You would think that would be terrifying. But to my surprise, there was nothing scary about this hike at all. It was 100% pure exhilaration. I felt so strong and skilled!

Even when I walked across the scary rickety bridge, I only faltered momentarily because it wiggled. Other than that? No problem at all!

Conquering the Grand Tsingy felt like such an exciting achievement, and I’m so proud of myself for doing it so well!

Mardi Gras with Charlie and Nick

Mardi Gras in New Orleans is one of my favorite festivals I’ve ever attended. I experienced my first Mardi Gras in 2014, and it left a bit to be desired — so I was determined to do things much better in 2025.

I wanted Charlie and our friend Nick to love it, too. I knew Charlie would have a good time in New Orleans — but if you’ve ever met Nick, you would know he is MADE for New Orleans.

So yes — I made sure we did things right.

We spent three nights gallivanting on Bourbon Street and got on top of a few balconies to throw beads. We took in live music on Frenchman Street. We wandered among the costume-clad festival-goers and went on an all-you-can-drink mimosa and Bloody Mary riverboat cruise on the Mississippi.

We drank lots of frozen daiquiris and paid far too much for fried chicken at midnight. We headed out to the Garden District to enjoy a parade with the locals. We found a bar with an awesome band and vibe and sang, “Everybody in the bar getting tipsy!” with everyone.

We ate SO much good New Orleans food, the standout being Dooky Chase and their superb barbecue shrimp, which is perhaps the best thing I ate in all of 2025.

But you know what the guys enjoyed the most? Arguing with the doomsday preachers telling us we were all going to hell. (There were a LOT more of them in 2025 than 2014.)

Traveling through 75 Hard

In June, I decided to take part in 75 Hard: a mental toughness challenge. For 75 days, you must do two workouts per day of at least 45 minutes, at least three hours apart, and at least one must be outside. You take a photo of yourself each day, follow a diet of your choice (I did no sugar and no junk food), drink one gallon (3.8 liters) of water per day, read 10 pages of a personal development book per day, and consume zero alcohol.

And you cannot mess any of these things up ONCE, or you’ll need to start over.

I’ve never found it difficult to abstain from alcohol, but I knew planning the workouts and meals would be a challenge while on the road. I had a fairly light travel schedule during 75 Hard, but I still had trips to Germany, Slovakia, and Poland.

And so I rucked on bus layovers in Nuremberg and Poprad, walking for 45 minutes with my heavy backpack on, rather than sitting in a cafe like usual. I packed lunches and ate salads and souvlaki bowls on my concert trips and didn’t touch McDonald’s or chips or Twix bars once. I went a whole summer without ice cream.

I woke up at 5 AM to do yoga and Pilates, and even had a birthday apple instead of any kind of birthday cake or dessert (TBH, that was a bit sad). I swam laps for 45 minutes in the pool at the Grand Kempinski High Tatras, underneath the chandeliers, as kids jumped in the water around me.

But I completed the challenge, and didn’t let my travels be an excuse to indulge. In fact, once the challenge was over, I decided to continue avoiding alcohol and sugar through my Mauritius, Réunion, and Madagascar trip. I succeeded on the booze, but gave in halfway through Madagascar and had a few desserts.

Nowadays, drinking is something I save for special occasions. It’s not part of my regular routine anymore. And I’m very happy for that.

Swimming off the Royal Clipper

There is so much that I enjoyed from my Caribbean cruise with Star Clippers in December, which took us to several different Caribbean islands. But soon I realized that the main character is the ship — the Royal Clipper.

The Royal Clipper is an absolutely gorgeous sailing ship that feels like a throwback. Each piece of it is meticulously designed. And some of the best moments are on the ship, like climbing the mast, or standing out on deck as the sails unfurled.

But for me, my favorite part was swimming off the marina platform in the back of the boat. We would be docked in deep water, but it was the Caribbean, so it was so clear and bright and beautiful.

From here, we could jump in, swim about, lounge on floats, or do a little bit of paddle boarding. All while enjoying the perfect view of the ship, knowing that we belonged here.

Swimming out here on a beautiful day was nothing short of bliss. And it was the most spectacular when we did it off the island of St. Lucia, perhaps one of the most visually stunning islands in the Caribbean.

Cailin’s Birthday Food Crawl in Kraków

When Cailin came over for our party in May, we decided to plan a nearby trip together that would coincide with her birthday. And so we ended up in Kraków, Poland! It was her first visit ever, and my first visit in nearly a decade.

And we ended up having a really great day! I brought cat birthday candles and cat temporary tattoos, which made the day festive, and we spent a day just wandering around, treating ourselves, and enjoying Polish specialties.

There were paczi, Polish donuts (including, yes, one Dubai chocolate donut). There were zapiekanki (Polish French bread pizzas). There were ten strange flavors of vodka in a tasting. Obviously, there were pierogi! And there was also some market-shopping, cocktail-having, and just sitting in cafes and watching Kraków go by.

Another major highlight was taking Premium Class on the Leo Express from Prague to Kraków — a luxury train experience (only six seats in the car!!) for a surprisingly decent price.

Driving in Réunion

I’m not the most comfortable driver in the world — especially when it comes to driving in new regions. I knew I would have to drive on the Indian Ocean island of Réunion, as it’s pretty hard to explore by public transit, so I steeled myself carefully.

But then I found some of the best driving of my life. The roads in Réunion are buttery smooth. To get on the highway, which runs in a ring around the island, you drive through these winding, twisting onramps that seem to go on forever, as you’re surrounded by spectacular volcanic scenery.

And I had the perfect music: as I was listening to Rolling Stone’s top 500 albums of all time, it was time for Daft Punk’s Discovery. Driving those smooth, gorgeous roads while listening to Y2K-era French dance music was perhaps the best combination of driving and music I’ve ever had!

One caveat — I did hire a driver for the drive into Cilaos one day, because I didn’t know how I would handle the steep switchback-covered roads. In retrospect, I could have done it, but it would have been super stressful, and I’m glad I had a guide to show me lots of great photo spots.

But overall, Réunion’s roads were such a joy that I can’t wait to get back and drive them some more!

Becoming a Concert Traveler

I’ve never been much of a concert-goer. But you know what changed my mind? The Eras Tour. I’m not a Swiftie in the least, but lots of my friends are, and they traveled across oceans to see Taylor perform in different cities.

And honestly, that made me think that I should make an effort to see artists I love, even when they’re not coming to Prague.

And so I got tickets to see Kendrick Lamar and SZA both in Frankfurt and Warsaw, and Beyoncé in Paris. These were also the first concerts I ever went to solo.

And was it a good idea? Yes! I had a blast at all three concerts!! I liked getting to turn them into mini trips, and it was so nice just basking in the music and enjoying the community. Being solo made absolutely no difference in my enjoyment (not that that should be any surprise to you).

Next year, I’ve got four concerts on my schedule: Raye in Prague in January, Belle & Sebastian in Berlin in March, Miguel in Prague in April, and Pitbull in Prague in July. And I would LOVE to somehow get tickets to see Bad Bunny somewhere, but those have all sold out several times over.

An Impromptu Dance Party in Morondava

On our last night in Morondava, Madagascar, a few of the girls and I went out to a bar for a few drinks, then decided to see if there was anything else cool open on the way home. Well, it seemed like we were about to strike out…then we found a tiny place right by our hotel.

There wasn’t much inside. Super informal. It was super informal. One man behind the bar. Two young guys dancing.

Yes. We were in.

We threw on some music, turned it UP — especially the Dadi Love song that everyone in Madagascar goes crazy for — and had a dance party that lasted well past 1 AM. An extraordinarily late night compared to the rest of the trip!

I just love that this night came out of nowhere and was SO MUCH FUN.

Relaxing at a Luxe Hotel in Crete

This year, Charlie and I stayed in a few nicer hotels than usual, but one of them stood above the rest: Minos Beach Art Hotel in Agios Nikolaos, Crete. And WOW — I think this hotel might have ruined me a bit.

The rooms were super nice, and felt very private. The breakfast buffet was honestly among the top three I have ever enjoyed in my life. And there were many areas by the water’s edge where you could relax on big beds underneath palapas, and not be surrounded by all the other hotel guests.

We are not lie-on-the-beach people — we might do that for half a day, maybe a full day, but most of the time we’re out and about doing things. But on this trip, I was reminded that grabbing an hour or two by the water’s edge is absolutely worth it in a place like this.

While Agios Nikolaos wasn’t my favorite place in Crete, there are some good things to do in the area, and this is a hotel I would LOVE to return to in the future.

Seeing Tituss Burgess in Oh, Mary!

There are some entertainers who are so special to me, I’ll follow them anywhere. Tituss Burgess is one of those people. I’ve been a fan of him forever, I even met him at a fundraiser he threw, and he couldn’t have been sweeter.

So when I heard that Tituss would be starring in the play Oh, Mary! for a three-week period that coincided with my first visit to New York in five years (!), I knew I had to go see it!

Oh, Mary! is a hilarious, strange, and thoroughly original play by Cole Escola, about the behind-the-scenes marriage between Mary Todd Lincoln and Abraham Lincoln. Abe is dealing with the civil war and Mary is off in her own world, dreaming of becoming a cabaret singer. It is WILD and DARING and SO, SO FUNNY. Tituss, of course, plays Mary in a giant ballgown.

My sister and brother-in-law are huge fans of the show, having seen in multiple times, and they kindly got tickets for the four of us to go together.

We laughed until we cried. I mean, I have no words for this show.

If you have a chance to see Oh, Mary! — GO SEE IT! No matter who is starring in it. Every Mary puts their own spin on the character. I would have loved to see Jane Krakowski play Mary, and my casting wish is for Fred Armisen to play her someday.

Getting mistaken for honeymooners at the cruise terminal

Were Charlie and I excited when we set out for our cruise with Star Clippers? Oh yes, we were. And we arrived at Barbados’s cruise terminal with time to spare, so we grabbed a cocktail and sat down, chattering away about what awaited us.

Two nights later, we ended up sitting with a couple from Wisconsin. “I saw you two in the ferry terminal,” the woman said, “and I thought you were honeymooners.”

“Really?” we said. “We’ve been married two and a half years.”

“You were just being so cute and romantic together. And your nails looked good, so I figured you’d just gotten married!”

It was so nice to get that compliment from a stranger! I guess we ARE cute and romantic. (And if you’ve met me in real life, you know I’m very serious about my nails!)

What was your favorite travel moment of 2025?