10 Places I'm Thankful I've Visited & Why to Put Them on Your Bucketlist

Happy Thanksgiving! This episode I will be sharing 10 places that I’m grateful I’ve visited! For each city, I’ll share highlights and favorite foods!

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There are so many amazing places to see in the world. Here are some of my favorites and what to do and eat in these locations!

Salzburg, Austria

• Salzburg is truly magical. It is surrounded by beautiful mountains and full of history.

• I also love The Sound of Music, and this is where it takes place! We took a Sound of Music bike tour with our family and it was amazing!

• Visit Mozart’s birthplace and learn more about him.

• When our family visited, we got the Salzburg passes, which have tons of stuff to do around the city. The bus is included as well.

• I recommend spending 2-3 days here.

• Food: Schnitzel! It’s breaded and fried pork and it’s delicious! Mozart balls are a fun little treat.

Krakow, Poland

• If you want to hear all about visiting Krakow, check out this podcast!

• Visiting Poland was a pleasant surprise the first time we visited! It is so charming! 

• Gorgeous town square, cobblestone streets, and WWII sites are everywhere.

• There are great half day adventures from the city.

• The Salt Mines are so cool and worth visiting! There are beautiful rooms carved out of salt.

• Visit Auschwitz. This is a sad and terrible place, but worth visiting to become aware of what happened here.

• Food: Pierogis! These are delicious dumplings filled with meats and cheeses.

Singapore

• This was the first place I ever visited in Asia.

• Fun fact: No chewing gum allowed! If you have more than 2 packs of gum. You can be convicted of gum smuggling.

• English is one of the 4 official languages of Singapore. This makes getting around easy.

• Visit Gardens by the Bay. These are gigantic tree-like structures in the area surrounded by beautiful plants.

• Take a bike tour of the city.

• The whole city is very clean and safe.

• Food: There is a street vendor called Hawker Chan that has a Michelin star! It’s at an outdoor street market. We loved the chicken rice.

Costa Rica

• There are many direct flights to Costa Rica from the West Coast of the U.S.!

• If you love to be outdoors, this is a great destination for you.

• Things to do: river rafting, rappelling down waterfalls, visit volcanos, swim in hot springs, go to a soccer game, visit Manuel Antonio National Park.

• It is so beautiful and lush everywhere!

• Food: Pineapple here is AMAZING! This is the best pineapple I’ve ever had. We also loved the Gallo pinto, which is a rice and bean dish. This was served with eggs for most of our breakfasts.

Copenhagen, Denmark

• Our family loved visiting Tivoli Gardens amusement park. It is so fun and charming. Walt Disney actually based a lot of Disneyland off of this park. It’s essentially a European Disneyland with some crazier rides. There are also very chill, classic amusement park rides.

• Visit the Little Mermaid statue. Based on the Hans Christian Anderson story.

• Walk around town! The city is so charming! The main area along the river has houses that are all different colors, which is so cool to see.

• Take a tour through the rivers.

• Food: Smorrebrod! It’s basically an open-faced sandwich that is typically on rye bread. It is topped with different meats, cheeses, and veggies.

New York City

• I have been here all different times of the year, and it’s always great. I love the energy of the city!

• Spend time in Central Park. You can take a walk, rent bikes, rent boats for the lake, or take your kids to play at the awesome playground here

• For museums, we love the Natural History Museum, MoMA, and the Guggenheim.

• Visit the 9/11 memorial and museum. Depending on what you want your children to see or what they understand, you might want to do some research before bringing young kids.

• Visit the Statue of Liberty. We got to go up into the crown!

• Watch a Broadway show! This is always a highlight! Pre-buy tickets if you’re set on going, but you can also buy tickets same-day for half price.

• Food: Cookies from Levain Bakery! They are so yummy! Banana pudding from Magnolia Bakery. Also try a bagel and cream cheese! It just tastes better here.

San Diego, California 

• This is a classic family vacation spot for us, and even for my family when I was growing up. 

• Be sure to spend time at the beaches! Just take time to relax.

• Walk around The Del Hotel. Even if you aren’t staying here, it’s fun to see.

• We also like to stay in Oceanside or Carlsbad, which are just north of San Diego. 

• Places to visit: Zoo, Balboa Park, and Sea World are fun!

• Food: Eat donuts at The Goods. They are SO good! I don’t usually care for donuts, but these are so delicious.

Durango, Colorado

• This city is so fun to visit with families!

• During our visit, we drove from Durango to Silverton on the “Million Dollar Highway”. It almost felt like the Swiss Alps! It was so beautiful and fun!

• This is a great destination for outdoor adventures.

• We floated the river with our family and friends, and it was a great time. 

• This is a great place to spend time in the mountains and recharge outside.

• Food: Most of the food here felt pretty basic for the U.S., and similar to what we’d eat at home. We love fudge, so it was fun for us to try fudge at the small shops we visited.

Nashville, Tennessee

• If you love music, this is the city to visit! And no, it’s not JUST country music! There is so much music history in this city.

• In the evenings, bars will have live music downtown, and it’s so fun! Be aware that kids won’t be allowed in the bars.

• Tour the Roman and learn about all the people who have performed here!

• In the summer, they have an event called “Summer on the Green”, where there are outdoor concerts, and all you have to do is bring a blanket to chairs to sit and listen.

• The Country Music Hall of Fame and the Johnny Cash Museum are very cool as well.

• Food: Nashville Hot Chicken. We loved Hattie B’s Hot Chicken! They have delicious chicken and classic Southern sides.

Grand Canyon

• The Grand Canyon is in my home state, Arizona, so I’ve been able to visit quite a few times.

• There are trails that just go around the rim that have great views and would be good for hiking with kids.

• We have done many hikes here, some very long and others shorter. If you have any questions about hikes at the Grand Canyon, please message me on Instagram!

• We have also rafted the river through the canyon.

• Where to stay: We like to stay at El Tovar Lodge! It has a classic lodge feel right by the rim. Yavapai Lodge is more basic, but also a good location and food available.

• The views here are unmatched! 

• Food: You’re not going to come here for the food haha. Anything tastes good after a lot of hiking. El Tovar has a nicer restaurant that we like.