With 2024 right around the corner, I’m looking forward to upcoming travel and thinking back on my favorite trips of 2023.

In March I traveled to Arizona for the first time, visiting friends who live in Tucson. My husband, two friends and I visited our friends’ new home. While there, we spent time exploring downtown Tucson and hiking at Catalina State Park and Saguaro National Park. The landscape was absolutely stunning, and I didn’t tire of the desert views during our stay. I look forward to returning to explore further.

In April my husband and I traveled to New Orleans with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law. It was the first time my sister-in-law visited, so we made sure to bring her to some of our favorite spots and also check out new places. A highlight of the trip for me was lunch at Herbsaint. It was a restaurant I had been wanting to try for years, and it did not disappoint! My husband and I traveled from New Orleans straight to Charleston to attend the High Water Festival with our friends. We previously attended the music festival in 2019. It was canceled in 2020 and 2021, and we had a conflict in 2022, so we were happy to get back.

We had such a fun time in Charleston for the music festival that we decided to go back for Memorial Day weekend to spend more time with our friend who lives there. We hiked in Congaree National Park, which was on our to-do list for years.

We also spent time at the shore in Ocean City, New Jersey, this summer, visiting friends and family.

So far for 2024 we have three family weddings, all of which we will travel to to attend. The weddings will bring us to Washington, D.C.; Charleston; and Italy. I’m looking forward to what 2024 has in store!

— Katie Skrzek, vice president/digital director