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

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

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

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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