It’s the beginning of a new year and I am trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I started Claire Goes Places FIVE YEARS ago! When I published my first entry on here, I had plans to make weekly posts about all of my adventures. I wanted to share itineraries, things-to-do, and reflections for my favorite places near and far.
Fast-forward five years later and my blog ended up forgotten and on the back burner. Grad school and work took over life for awhile and I stopped prioritizing hobbies and creative outlets.
Going into 2026, I’ve found a much better work-life balance and I am holding myself to my new year’s intention to bring creativity back into my life. First step – prioritizing this blog!
Here’s a look at what I’ve been up to since my last post.
When I finished grad school in 2022, my mom and I celebrated with a trip to Ireland. We had our hotel in Dublin as our home base and took day trips via bus and train to see as much as we could in seven days. I honestly thought that finally getting to see a country outside of North America would mean that my wanderlust would be satisfied for a few years. I was wrong. Very wrong. My week in Ireland made me want to travel even more.
After Ireland, I crossed off Niagara Falls and the Finger Lakes from my bucket list. It shouldn’t have taken me as long as it did to get there. Niagara is only a four hour drive from me. Yikes. The important thing is that I DID finally make it though, right?
In 2023, after years of saving Instagram posts and Pinterest itineraries about “The Hawaii of the Atlantic,” I convinced my grandparents to join me for five days in the Azores. My grandpa’s only stipulation was that we had to add Lisbon to our trip so that we could see continental Portugal too – say less, Gramps!
In 2024 I was lucky enough to be able to go on two trips to Europe. The first was to Scotland. The dream was to stay in Edinburgh, but hotel prices were INSANELY high. My mom and I decided on a hotel in Glasgow for the majority of our trip and then one night in Edinburgh. It turned out Taylor Swift was touring in Edinburgh the same week we were there, which explained the cost of hotels. I ended up loving Glasgow and was very happy with how our trip turned out.
The second trip of 2024 was a return to Ireland, this time with my grandma. We loaded our itinerary with things we didn’t get to do our first times in Ireland – for my grandma it had been 29 years. We split our trip between Cork, Galway, and Dublin and made the most of every single minute we had during our 10 days on the Emerald Isle. We even made it to Northern Ireland, too!
My most recent adventure was to Germany, Switzerland, and Austria in 2025. A long weekend to visit my friend who had just moved to Munich snowballed into a two-week trip with my grandparents that covered not only Munich, but also Zurich, Innsbruck, and Salzburg. Innsbruck took my breath away. I hope I get to visit it again, and again, and again.
The past four years have been so much more than I ever dreamed of in terms of travel. I never thought I’d be lucky enough to see as much of the world as I have. There’s still so much more to see and I can’t wait for the adventures to come.
In 2026 I’m continuing to prioritize travel, not just abroad but close to home too. I’ve lived in the Mitten state my entire life and still have a Michigan bucket list that is a mile long. Here’s to fewer weekends binge watching Bravo and more weekends catching flights or going on road trips!
Come back soon for itineraries, guides, and advice for my favorite destinations and experiences!
Check out my latest posts –
Michigan Lighthouses – Marine City to Port Austin
I’m on a mission to see all of Michigan’s lighthouses!
Claire Goes Places 