Traveling abroad for the first time is both exciting and intimidating. Travel is an experience for the mind, the body, and the soul and when you embark on that journey by yourself for the first time, there are a lot of feelings, and that's ok. Like so many things in life, the hardest part of taking your first trip alone is leaving. Between the excitement and apprehension, a lot of thoughts infiltrate your mind…not all of them positive. The trick is to embrace them. Confront those fears and keep pushing forward because on the other side of that plane, train, or car will be the first of many unforgettable and meaningful experiences. 

Quick trips can feel limited. Between travel time, settling in, and making decisions, sometimes spending the money on a weekend away doesn't feel worth it. If planned well, you can pack quite a bit in two days, and Boston offers just enough versatility – and walkability – to make it work. While a week in Boston is even better, if two days are all you have, the city is laid out beautifully to make it possible.

Cafe culture is strong in Savannah. With dozens of coffee shops and casual spots to grab a bite, it’s easy to forget about the city’s spectacular dining scene. Both are worth checking out, but if you’re grabbing a coffee, it makes sense to add a little book browsing while you’re at it! Aside from our top cafes and coffee shops to visit in Savannah, we’re also spotlighting three bookstores that are not to be missed. We hope you left some space in your luggage because it’ll be impossible not to leave with a new book or two. 

Savannah is known for many things, but the dining scene deserves more recognition. With farm-to-table concepts,  elevated low-country cuisine, and Australian-owned hotspots, Savannah has a diverse culinary scene with James Beard Award-Winning chefs and kitchens using recipes passed down from generations of grandmothers. From Asian fusion to traditional Southern comfort food, there’s something for everyone, no matter how adventurous (or not) they are dining out. We wish we had more time to dig into Savannah’s culinary scene, but until then, here is a short list of our top places to eat in Savannah.

Nothing beats a hot cup of cocoa by a roaring fireplace while wearing comfy sweats wrapped in a blanket. Add a good book during a heavy snowfall, and it’s about as perfect a day as it gets! Invented by the Danish, “hygge” simply means cozy, and it’s how we should all winter. According to the official Visit Denmark website, “hygge means creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people…Perhaps hygge explains why Danes are some of the happiest people in the world.” Inspired by this way of life, we’ve put together 8 destinations to visit this winter to embrace a hygge vibe for a well-deserved break. 

One of the things to look forward to the most with a new year is all the new trips there are to plan. Twelve months are a blank canvas to fill with destinations, escapes, cultural immersion, and memories. Whether you prefer to go on grand adventures scaling mountains and reaching high peaks or cozy, slow travel leisurely walking down old, historic cobblestone streets, dipping in and out of bookstores and cafes while getting to know the local people, a new year is a new opportunity to fill as many moments as possible with curiosity and enriching experiences. We'd love to take off for hundreds of places in the world, but these eight are currently at the top of our minds.

There are cities filled with so much history that they might as well be walking time machines, like Boston. Other cities, like Washington D.C., certainly have history but memorialize it more than anything. In fact, the nation’s capitol has over 160 memorials. So, while Boston has the past oozing out of every brick and cobblestone, D.C. is more of a testament to days gone by. That’s not to say D.C. doesn’t have sites with historical impact. Most cities have stories to be told if you know where to look, and in the Capitol, that’s in old, iconic buildings. 

Visiting Paris for the first time is exhilarating. There’s so much to do that it’s easy to overestimate how much time you have to explore. The first thing to remember is to be realistic while planning. For example, the Louvre is enormous. If you think you’ll cover it in a day, think again because not even a week is enough time to see everything. Second, manage your expectations. Most people don’t realize the Mona Lisa is about the size of a large textbook rather than a giant canvas. Just like any other city, do some research before leaving. While spontaneity makes for grand adventures, having a reasonably sketched-out plan never hurts, especially if you have a laundry list of things you want to fit in and a budget to keep to.

Savannah is a bucket list item for many. People are drawn to the haunting yet enchanting beauty of the Spanish moss, the abundance of ghost stories, and the celebratory atmosphere of River Street. As one of the oldest cities in the United States, Savannah’s roots run deep, and it has seen every significant milestone in the country’s history since the Revolutionary War. Named one of the “friendliest cities in the US” by CondeNast Traveler, it’s no surprise people are drawn to this Southern beauty and continue to return year after year.