2017 was the year of travel for me. Back in January I was in Ireland for three weeks with my friend Catherine (as well as Amsterdam for a day or two). In April, I went to Vancouver, Canada for my birthday. In August, I was in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with family and then in December I visited Ireland, Switzerland, and Italy with my friend Sheila. Out of it all, What was my favorite place?

Easy.

The Aran Islands on the West Coast of Ireland.

I already wrote a whole post about my day on Inishmore (which you can read here), but I felt like it needed another one just so you could all really understand how much I loved it.

The island itself was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, but what made Inishmore my favorite place I visited in 2017 was the feeling I got during the trip. It was like I was free. My heart was light, my skin clear, and my anxiety took a backseat for once. Sure, riding the bike up and down the hills was hard, but it didn’t bother me. Nothing did, and that was the best gift the world could have ever given me.

During that day, I was able to forget about everything bothering me for a good 12 hours. I got to sit at the edge of a cliff and wonder at the majesty of the world. I ate one of the best lunches I’ve ever had in my life. I bought a ring (that I subsequently lost a week later). Catherine and I pet a dog outside the tourist shops whilst buying postcards and tokens from Irish Mythology.

The whole day was perfect, and you don’t get many days like that.

Honestly, my three week long vacation in Ireland was the best trip I took this year as a whole–and possibly in my whole life. While I was grumpy and stressed for most of it, I got to explore new places in my favorite country and that alone was worth it. It was my last little bit of freedom after college and before starting my fist full-time job.

Now, here’s to 2018, and hopefully exploring more of this stupidly massive world.

What was the best trip you took in 2017? Doesn’t matter if it was just to the park down the road, or across the world, I’d love to hear about it!

It’s almost time for 2017 to end, and I don’t know about ya’ll but it’s been a very weird year. I had some very good months, and some very bad ones, but it all went by so fast. I’d also like to say a quick thank you to every one of you who have visited my blog this year. You’ve made my life a little brighter, and I’m glad you all seem to enjoy my posts 🙂

Thanks for Reading! See you in 2018!