2025, Can You Believe We're Still Alive? Travels Far & Wide From a Year That We Survived

Well, well, well; w-e-l-l. You know, that’s one of those phrases I picked up somewhere along the way that I return to again and again, but for which the source material is lost to the ages. Where the hell did I get it? Just like the number of licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, the world may never know. But can you guess what the world is about to know? That’s right! The deepest, darkest, most intimate thoughts, recollections, and reminiscences on the year that was right here on All Things Wanderful.

General TravelLogan T. HansenJanuary 6, 2026travel, travelogue, travel blogging, travel guide, travel recommendations, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel ideas, travel writing, travel reviews, travel tips, travel appreciation, travel diary, travel planning, year-in-review, Universal Studios, Universal Studios Hollywood, Jaws, Steven Spielberg, Kai Ryssdal, Marketplace, NPR, Las Vegas, Sin City, Luxor Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Cajun, Beauvoir, Jefferson Davis, Biloxi, To Kill a Mockingbird, Nelle Harper Lee, Harper Lee, Monroeville, Monroe County, Old Monroe County Courthouse, Gregory Peck, Mrs. Teresa' Homemade Treats, Los Angeles, City of Angels, Santa Monica, Santa Monica Pier, Hollywood, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Dodger Stadium, Freehand Hotels, Freehand Chicago, Freehand Los Angeles, Freehand, hostel, hostel stays, Boston, Boston Calling, Harvard, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, All Time Low, The Maine, Cage the Elephant, Avril Lavigne, Fall Out Boy, all-nighter, Disney World, Orlando, Florida, Tron, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Tower of Terror, Guardians of the Galaxy, Expedition Everest, Alice in Wonderland, Euro trip, cheap airports, cheap travel, Canada, Minnesota, Northwest Angle, Alert, Canadian Forces Station Alert, All Things Wanderful, Chicago, Miami, New York, George Washington Hotel, Flatiron District, Bourbon Street, French Quarter, Ruby Slipper, The Natchez, Oklahoma City, Dorothy Gale, Beverly Shores, Michigan City, Gary, Indiana, Michiana, Chicagoland, West Michigan, Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, South Shore Line, Maycomb, Maycomb County, Truman Capote, Confederacy, 2026, 2025, ten-year anniversaryComment

New Orleans: Four Days of Beignets & Foul Play(s) in the Big Easy, Pt. 2

There they went, walking down the street in a straight line, looking like a high school football team warming up before practice with some high knees. There was Andrew, James, Michael, Patrick, Lucy, Bernadette, and, oh my goodness, don’t look now, but it’s Francis of Assisi himself. That’s right: it was Thursday in New Orleans and the saints were marching in. Or was I just hallucinating?

North AmericaLogan T. HansenMay 17, 2025travel, travel blog, travel advice, travel guide, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travelogue, travel writing, travel recommendations, travel reviews, travel itinerary, travel ideas, travel diary, travel blogging, New Orleans, Big Easy, Louisiana, The Natchez, Ruby Slipper, Saint Francis of Assisi, Oklahoma City, Dorothy Gale, The Wizard of Oz, eggs cochon, Dean Martin, Caesars, casino, Titanic, Titanic: An Immersive Voyage, RMS Titanic, Antti Wiljam Sihvola, Finland, Idaho, Bourbon Street, Bourbon Street Drinkery, Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, Lafitte's, Jean Lafitte, Pierre Lafitte, Andrew Jackson, President Andrew Jackson, Battle of New Orleans, War of 1812, Purple Drink, Purple Drank, Sazerac, absinthe, Herbsaint, piano bar, Jason Kelce, Kylie Kelce, Kate Moss, Family Guy, Nicolas Cage, Adam Devine, Tennessee Williams, Jelly Roll, Miami Dolphins, French Quarter, French Quarter Ghost and Murder Tour, ghost tour, Ursuline Convent, Louisiana Supreme Court, Jacques St. Germain, LaLaurie Mansion, Delphine LaLaurie, Madame LaLaurie, American Horror Story, Kathy Bates, AHS, slavery, New Orleans Bee, Dr. Leonard Louis Nicolas LaLaurie, Pierre Trastour, Paris, Creole architecture, Creole cuisine, French architecture, French cuisine, National World War II Museum, World War II, Anne Frank, Campaigns of Courage, Road to Berlin, Road to Tokyo, The Original Pierre Maspero's, Napoleon House, Napoleon Bonaparte, Chicago, Northside Barbershop, Chartres Street, Governor Nicholls Street, Royal Street, Curio, Curio Bistro, beignets, Pierre Maspero's, Felix's, Felix's Oyster House, Hard Rock Cafe, Musical Legends Park, Airbnb, Deep South, Bon Jovi, Livin' on a Prayer, Jon Bon Jovi, Royal House Oyster Bar, MichiganComment

2024, Won't See You No More: Closing the Door on a Year Loaded With Travel Galore

Stop me right now if you’ve heard this before, but, hand to god(s), we had another major, major year here on the blog, shattering records all over the place. I mean, are you ready for these percentages? I don’t know if you are. I think you’re gonna have to convince me. “Uhh, how the heck am I gonna do that?” you ask, staring blankly at your phone/tablet/laptop screen as you read these words. Well, it’s simple, Fred: …

General TravelLogan T. HansenJanuary 8, 2025travel, travel guide, travel guidance, travel advice, travel blog, travel blogging, travelogue, travel diary, travel writing, travel recommendations, travel reviews, travel tips, travel ideas, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel planning, travel photography, travel appreciation, travel junkie, travel logistics, travel bucket list, year in review, year-in-review, happy new year, All Things Wanderful, Anthony Bourdain, No Reservations, No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach, Travel Channel, Sally Field, northernmost point, Minnesota, Northwest Angle, Ireland, England, Cork, Galway, Dublin, London, Europe, European vacation, Eurotrip, Euro trip, United Kingdom, Africa, cheap flights, find cheap flights, airports, Arizona, Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Phoenix, Dodge Challenger, Sleepy Hollow, New York, Hudson Valley, Hudson River, Headless Horseman, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Mitten State, The Mitten State of Mind, Michigan, Michigan travel, Oklahoma, Flint Hills, Kansas, Route 66, Historic Route 66, U.S. Route 66, Hoover Dam, Clark Griswold, Wally World, South Rim, Grand Canyon South Rim, Google Maps, Google, Lake Mead, Mount Rainier, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, Washington State, Crystal Mountain, Crystal Mountain Resort, Mount Olympus, North America, gondola, gondola rides, Iceland, Israel, Jordan, Longmoore Street, Westminster, Airbnb, Blarney Stone, Blarney Castle, Blarney Castle & Gardens, Wicklow Mountains, RMS Titanic, Titanic, Ed Sheeran, Merlin Castle, Chicago Bulls, Limerick, sheela na gig, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Nancy Hands, Nancy Hands Bar & Restaurant, Guinness, Guinness beer, Guinness Storehouse, Hex Girls, Sphynx Tattoo, beach volleyball, volleyball, Chicago, North Avenue Beach, Windy City, Oak Street Beach, Oak Street, beach, beach life, beach day, beaches, Lake Michigan, Barcelona, Barcelona El Prat Josep Tarradellas Airport, Dublin AirportComment

Two Peas in a European Pod: One Week in Ireland & England — Day 7

London had been a trip, as had Galway and Cork and Cobh before it. But we were back in Dublin, where we began (and then ended and began again), and it was finally time to give the Irish capital a proper spin. Thus, on a wickedly windy Saturday morning, we stepped out of the Ashling Hotel and onto Benburb Street, ready to take on the city.

EuropeLogan T. HansenJuly 31, 2024travel, travel advice, travel guide, travelspiration, travel inspiration, travel blog, travel writing, travel recommendations, travel tips, travel planning, travel diary, travel bucket list, travel blogging, Europe, Ireland, Dublin, Ashling Hotel, Ashling Hotel Dublin, Aviva Stadium, England, Leinster, Leinster Rugby, Leicester, Leicester Tigers, rugby, European vacation, National Museum of Ireland, London, Galway, Cork, Cobh, Guinness, Guinness beer, Guinness Storehouse, Nancy Hands, Nancy Hands Bar & Restaurant, National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Easter Rising, Irish history, Asian art, River Liffey, Albert Bender, Willy Wonka, salmon of Capistrano, Guinness Academy, Gravity Bar, Hop House 13, Cooperage Café, 1837 Bar & Brasserie, Arthur's Bar, Brewers' Dining Hall, toasties, Dudley's, Guinness beef stew, Sphynx Tattoo, Hex Girls, Axe Man, Usher's Quay, Tim Burton, Winona Ryder, Beetlejuice, Lydia Deetz, The Beer Temple, Galway Bay Brewery, Dublin City Hall, European Rugby Champions Cup, Champions Cup, Elite Eight, March Madness, Wicklow Mountains, Airbnb, Blarney Stone, RMS Titanic, Titanic, Limerick, Ed Sheeran, Merlin Castle, sheela na gig, Chicago Bulls, Sam Wanamaker PlayhouseComment

Two Peas in a European Pod: One Week in Ireland & England — Day 2

As far as the day itself was concerned, we hadn’t looked up a ton of things to do or really put any kind of concrete plan in place, but one thing that was absolutely, without-a-doubt, no-ifs-ands-or-buts-about-it on the list was a visit to Blarney Castle. There, we’d have the opportunity to climb up to the parapet or rampart or battlement or whatever you want to call it and kiss the fabled Blarney Stone, which is said to bring good luck and eloquence (“the gift of gab”, so they say) to anyone who lays a wet one on it.

EuropeLogan T. HansenApril 19, 2024travel, travel guide, travel advice, travelspiration, travel inspiration, travel blog, travel blogging, travel writing, travelogue, travel diary, travel ideas, travel recommendations, travel reviews, travel itinerary, travel planning, Europe, Ireland, Cork, Cobh, Titanic, Blarney Stone, Blarney Castle, St. Colman's, St. Colman's Cathedral, Titanic Exhibition, Blarney Castle & Gardens, Airbnb, St. Anne's Church, Shandon Bells, Shandon Bells & St. Anne's Church, Ellacombe apparatus, The Bells of Shandon, Francis Sylvester Mahony, Muskerry Arms Bar and B&B, Champions League, Muskerry Arms, England, Himalayan Valley, Vietnamese Woodland, Poison Garden, Druid's Circle, Witch's Cave, Seven Sisters, Horse Graveyard, Simba, garderobe, Medieval castle, murder hole, Fern Garden, Titanic Bar & Grill, Edward Smith, Captain Smith, architectureComment

2023, Won't You Wander With Me? The Final Epistle From a Travel-Filled Missile

The year 2023, with all of its ups and downs, peaks and valleys, and trials and tribulations, has come and gone — as has another 365 days here on All Things Wanderful. So now it’s time to take stock. What caught people’s attention? What fell flat on its face? Were you, the loyal readers of this increasingly-sporadic travel blog, entertained, or at least mildly amused? Did you find the content contained within this digital rambling wreck informational? Enlightening? Perhaps even erudite?

General TravelLogan T. HansenJanuary 7, 2024travel, travel advice, travel guide, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel writing, travel blog, travel blogging, travel recommendations, travel reading, travel reviews, travel ideas, All Things Wanderful, travel diary, travel bucket list, northernmost point, Canada, Great Lakes, Cal-Neva, Cal-Neva Lodge, California, Nevada, Michigan, Little Manistee, Little Manistee River, kayaking, Maine, ghost trains, Key West, Florida, New York City, Big Apple, Chicago, Oklahoma City, Flint Hills, Route 66, Historic Route 66, Fayetteville, Arkansas, Alum Cave Trail, The Sinks, Old Smoky Distillery, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Minnesota, George Floyd, George Floyd Square, Kansas City, Missouri, Crystal Mountain, Crystal Mountain Resort, Seattle, Twin Peaks, Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis, Kansas, Wichita, skiing, Mall of America, George Perry Floyd Square, Ground Zero, The Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn, Rockefeller Center, The Edge, The Edge NYC, NYC, New York, Hall des Lumières, Mediterranean food, Ernest Hemingway, Northern Michigan, Airbnb, Bering Strait, Diomedes, Diomede Islands, Little Diomede, Big Diomede, travelogueComment

2022, a Tribute to You: The Travels & Travails of the Best Year Yet on All Things Wanderful

There are so many cliché ways that a year-in-review post like this could begin. But instead of saying “another year in the books” or “isn’t it funny how time flies” — or even “what do you know, here we are again” — let’s just steer clear of all that gobbledygook, am I right? After all, this is now the sixth year (!) I’m sitting down to write this annual postmortem, and it certainly doesn’t deserve to suffer an indignity like that.

General TravelLogan T. HansenDecember 31, 2022travel, travel guide, travel advice, travel blog, travel blogging, travel writing, travel recommendations, travel reading, travel reviews, travel tips, travel ideas, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel planning, travel photography, travel guidance, travel bucket list, All Things Wanderful, year in review, year-in-review, 2022, Caribbean, British Caribbean, Anguilla, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, Logan's Run, Great Lakes, blogging, Star Wars, Wisconsin, ski trip, weekend trip, weekend getaway, weekend ski trip, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Texas, Dallas, Medieval Times, Stockyards, Fort Worth, Fort Worth Stockyards Historic District, Fort Worth Stockyards, Dutch Caribbean, French Caribbean, Chicago, Detroit Tigers, Iowa, Iowa City, Toronto Blue Jays, Michigan, Michigan football, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, DFW, Austin, The Mitten State, The Mitten State of Mind, Great Lakes State, altitude sickness, high-altitude travel, high altitude, hiking, hiking tips, hiking safety, travel safety, travel safety tips, Say Insurance, Orient Beach, Orient Bay, Orient Bay Beach, Marigot, Jesse Pinkman, Fort Louis, Le West Indies, nightlife, island life, island adventure, island time, day trip, day tripping, daytripping, winter sports, winter activities, skiing, snowboarding, ski area, ski resort, Wilmot Mountain, Wilmot Ski Resort, Wilmot Mountain Ski Resort, Wilmot, Milwaukee, Kenosha, hit the slopes, Vail Resorts, snow tubing, Tahquamenon Falls, Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Chippewa County, Alcona County, Dickinson County, Pine Mountain, Pine Mountain Ski & Golf Resort, The Netherlands, France, Maho Beach, Princess Juliana International Airport, Kamala HarrisComment

This Small Ski Resort in Southern Wisconsin Makes for the Perfect Day Trip From Chicago

If not for winter sports, the chilliest season of the year would be downright, nonstop depressing, but thanks to the ancient man or woman who decided to strap a couple slats of wood to their feet for a simple means of transportation thousands of years ago (allegedly), we have the option nowadays to ski (or snowboard) recreationally at resorts the world over. And thank eight-pound, six-ounce baby Jesus for that, am I right?

North AmericaLogan T. HansenFebruary 28, 2022travel, travel guide, travel advice, travelspiration, travel inspiration, skiing, snowboarding, Wilmot, Wilmot Mountain, Wilmot Ski Resort, Kenosha, Wisconsin, Badger State, winter travel, winter, winter vacation, day trips, day trip, day tripping, daytripping, winter getaway, winter sports, winter activities, Keystone, Keystone Resort, Vail Resorts, Colorado, Wilmot Mountain Ski Resort, Chicago, Milwaukee, Matterhorn of the Midwest, Midwest, Midwestern U.S., ski rentals, snowboard rentals, ski school, ski lessons, ski trip, ski resort, ski style, mountain style, winter style, Ski Hill Grill, Walt's Tavern, Main Lodge Bar, Captain Mike's, Capt. Mike's Beer & Burger Bar, Captain Mike's Beer & Burger Bar, group selfie, travel photography, travel blog, travel blogging, travel writing, photo essayComment

2021 Wasn't Exactly Wonderful, But At Least Some of the Wander Returned

Starting is always the hardest part, isn’t it? Taking that leap, acting on that big idea, staring at the blank page. But after you finally get the ball rolling, a new challenge materializes: keeping it rolling. It’s not enough to simply plant the seed; you’ve got to water it, make sure it has fertile soil to work with, give it a proper amount of sunlight. It can be a lot of work, but then again, nothing worth having comes easy, does it?

General TravelLogan T. HansenJanuary 6, 2022travel, travel inspiration, travelspiration, year in review, happy new year, All Things Wanderful, travel guide, travel advice, travel ideas, travel planning, travel writing, travel recommendations, travel appreciation, travel junkie, travel blog, travel blogging, Denver, Colorado, year-in-review, Cheesman Park, Logan's Run, 2020, 2021, Las Vegas, Detroit, Detroit Tigers, Six Flags, Six Flags Great America, Gurney, Illinois, Michigan, football, football season, College Park, Maryland, Ann Arbor, St. Louis, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Missouri, Northern Illinois, Maryland Terrapins, University of Michigan, Michigan Wolverines, Sooner State, Cessna, Cessna 402C, Chicago, Manistee, Windy City, Cape Air, Manistee County Blacker Airport, Airbnb, vacation rentals, Sin City, New Mexico, Old West, Old American West, Keystone, Keystone Resort, skiing, snowboarding, Centennial State, travel injuriesComment

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