Our 10 Best Experiences for 2024
- Aly & JT
- Jan 21
- 3 min read
Updated: May 22
Cliche. We know. But everyone has a top 10 list for the year, so why should we be any different? 2024 was a full year of adventures. We started with the second half of last year’s holiday vacation with stops in Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia. Aly planned a surprise trip to Banff, Alberta, Canada for my birthday in June. We jetted off for a spontaneous few days in Alaska in October to beat the never-ending Texas heat. We capped off the year with our annual holiday trip, including Iceland, Christmas in Scotland, and New Year’s Eve in Ireland. Not too shabby for a loop around the sun. With so many places and events this year, 2024 proved tough to narrow down. But we did our best and these are our top 10 highlights...
10. Pop’s Burger - Ljubljana, Slovenia. All the food we ate in Ljubljana was delicious, but Pop’s Burger was better than any burger we’ve had even in the States. So good we ate there twice.
9. Saint Mark’s Cathedral and Doges Palace Tour - Venice, Italy. Walking through the cathedral and palace during the day is something to see, but seeing it practically by yourself is another level. They even shut all the lights off and turned them back on in sections to give the full effect of the mosaics. Today’s leaders could learn a lot from the Venetian government and history back in the day.
8. Italian Cooking Class - Cernobbio, Italy. What a way to start 2024! We met up with our hostess, Debora, who took us to her home in the small town on Lake Como. Over the next 4 hours, we were shown how to make our own pasta, sauce, and Tiramisu for dessert. She and her partner were wonderful hosts and helped us kick off the new year in style.
7. Bled See, Slovenia - From the motorless boat ride to the 99 steps up, and ringing the bell of Pilgrimage Church the day was full of history. Only a few families have paddled the boats across the lake for centuries. If you carry your partner up the 99 steps and ring the bell you’ve found true love.
6. Woodlands Golf Course - Ballachulish, Scotland. You don’t get many chances to play golf in the country where it started. We braved the wet grounds, lost a couple of balls, and broke a club in about an hour walking the lovely course in the Scottish Highlands.
5. The Mooses - Anchorage, Alaska. Our spontaneous trip gave us a full range of wildlife. Seeing the magnificence of a moose in the wild was the cherry on top. Not just one, but three!
4. Hiking - Banff/Canmore, Alberta, Canada. Miles and miles of trails wander throughout Banff National Park. We made it mostly up the East End of Rundle before the snow sent us back down and saw the mountain lakes of Louise and Moraine, and the Grassi Lakes trail. Wherever we stopped was a breathtaking view.
3. Isle of Skye, Scotland. The only way we can describe the isle is prehistoric. The craggy mountain landscapes, cliffs, the countless waterfalls, the small town of Portree, and sheep. So many sheep! Sites like Fairy Pools and Neist Point Lighthouse sent you back to times long past.
2. Sherbrooke Castle - Glasgow, Scotland. Maybe it was just what we needed. Maybe it was the friendly staff. Maybe it was the delicious food. All of these things made our stay at the Sherbrooke remarkable. Hands down our favorite hotel of the trip.
1. Major Marine Wildlife Tour - Seward, Alaska. This took the cake! Luck was on our side for this day. Our tour was so unbelievable people heard about it in Anchorage. A beautiful day of whales, seals, otters, Bald eagles, sunshine, mountain goats, glaciers, the Alaskan coastline, and hot toddies.
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