2019: Looking Back at a Crazy Year in Travel

2019 was really a nutty year in travel.

The collapse of Thomas Cook leaving so many travelers stranded.

Boeing’s woes with the 737 Max.

The issue with certain resorts in the Dominican Republic that made everyone afraid to go there — which was waaaayyy blown out of proportion.

But there were lots of good things too.

So let’s take a quick look at the year in travel.

The not-so-good

Boeing 737 Max

Let’s get the bad news out of the way.

Yes, Boeing’s 737 Max topped the bad list for 2019.

As well it should.

Anytime there is loss of life, it needs to be taken seriously.

Boeing just recently fired its CEO.

It’s been a clusterf*ck.

There are airlines who were depending on this new plane to add to their fleet.

So the 737 Max now being grounded has sent so many airlines scrambling to adjust schedules.

This means fewer flights and could lead to higher prices.

Keep your eyes on this developing story because it’s not over yet.

Thomas Cook meltdown

This definitely affected more folks in the UK, but it was big news for the year in travel.

Thomas Cook, a British travel company, basically went belly up in mid-September.

Hundreds of thousands of travelers were stranded.

They simply announced — after being in business since 1841 — that they were shutting down their business.

No warning.

It was not pretty.

Dominican Republic deaths

So this was a huge deal as a handful of people died at some of the all inclusive resorts in this Caribbean country.

Travelers were hesitant to go to this very popular destination.

Folks were canceling existing reservations.

It was thought it was due to alcohol poisoning.

But a little known FBI report that came out in autumn said that these deaths were due to natural causes.

So this is one of those bad things that was blown out of proportion.

Please do continue to visit this lovely Caribbean island.

Over tourism

Oy vey!

The year in travel continued to see too many damn people in the same damn places.

2019 saw some destinations starting to implement fees to try to deter people.

I’m not sure this is working.

The other piece to over tourism is folks traveling to places to get that Instagram shot.

The IG effect has increased the number of travelers wanting to re-create what they see from their favorite Instagram accounts.

More over tourism that the world doesn’t need.

I think the upside to all this is there is a greater awareness amongst some folks.

And I think it’s coming from a lot of us in the travel industry.

I’ll get to this in the “good” section 😉!

Flying

Basic economy, less leg room, less ability to recline your seat, long lines at security, nickel and diming you for every little thing.

Yup.

Flying can suck.

The upside is that…

Well, I’m not sure there is one.

As I recently walked into a movie theater to watch the latest Star Wars movie, I said, “The airlines could learn a thing or 2 from the movie theaters.”

My friends laughed.

Nice big, comfy seats that recline and have a foot rest.

I’d love to travel like that versus being packed into a plane like a sardine in a tin can.

Economy class definitely sucks.

My other hope is that they find a way to build more environmentally friendly airplanes — lessen the carbon footprint.

Fingers and toes crossed that things get better.

The good for the year in travel

Traveling with purpose and with greater environmental awareness

One of the true upsides to the year in travel is that more travelers were traveling with more awareness and purpose.

They were thinking about being sure their money was going back to locals and not some big corporation located who-knows-where.

People were eating more locally sourced food at restaurants that emphasized this and shopping at mom and pop shops.

Travelers were more aware of their carbon footprint.

Thank you Greta Thunberg for being a great example of this!

Getting off the beaten path

As I mentioned at the very end of the section on over tourism I do see some awareness growing over this problem.

Travelers are looking to find destinations that aren’t on the main tourist track.

There seems to be a willingness to explore these areas more and more.

And I do think those of us in the travel industry — travel planners and travel writers and podcasters — are helping in this.

First, I have read other articles on the issue of over tourism.

So there are a lot of us talking about it and trying to have a conversation about it.

Secondly, I also think we are trying to offer up solutions for over tourism to our readers and clients.

We are recommending alternative destinations or suggestions of ways to visit popular spots in a more sustainable way.

I am forever talking about going to different destinations than the ones that appear in every guide both here on the blog and to the folks who hire me as their travel planner.

Get off the beaten path and make some travel magic!

My year in travel

2019 was definitely a memorable year in travel for me personally.

So I’ll end this post with a look back at my travels.

And some of my favorite images.

New places in Italy

I visited a few new destinations in Italy this year.

The first was the Piedmont region in Northern Italy.

I spent a week here and fell in love with it.

It’s Tuscany but with bigger mountains.

Hilltop towns meant for wandering, world class wine, delicious food, friendly locals.

Add in some incredible sites such as Sacra di San Michele and Forte Fenestrelle and really, I don’t know why more folks don’t travel to Piedmont.

I also had 4 days by Lago d’Iseo and the Franciacorta wine growing region.

While the weather was rainy, I absolutely love this lake and the vineyards of Franciacorta.

Iseo is smaller than Garda or Como but oh so romantic with its Monte Isola in the middle of the lake.

Charming towns dot the shore and the mountains loom off in the distance.

Franciacorta is Champagne — Italian style.

And it is tasty!

Lastly, I visited the tiny village of Pesariis in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in Northeast Italy.

I discovered this village back in 2016 as I wrote Location Inspiration Guide: A Journey Through Italy.

So I decided to spend a couple of nights in this clock-making town.

What a delight!

Pesariis and the Val Pesarina are true hidden gems.

Visiting new countries

In 2019 I dipped my toe into Croatia — quite literally.

I spent 4 nights in Rovinj which is just across the border from Italy and the wee bit of Slovenia that wedges itself in between.

Rovinj was once under the Venetian empire so it’s quite Italian in many ways, yet very much Croatian.

And it has some of the best sunsets.

Rovinj gave me some time along the water and yes, I did put my feet in the gorgeous Adriatic Sea.

Croatia is amazing and I know I’ll explore more of this wonderful country in the near future.

I spent far more time in Slovenia which I promptly fell in love with.

The word that comes to mind is nature.

It really is about nature in Slovenia.

This is their treasure.

And trees.

So many trees.

And mountains.

Stunning mountains.

And rivers and lakes.

Ljubljana, the pint-sized capital, is a delightful city.

It’s very small and easy to get around.

There aren’t a lot of sites, but the castle, some churches and the Central Market are worthy of time.

Oh, and there are some good restaurants.

But the best time in Slovenia, for me, was the time near Tolmin — in the Soca River Valley — and along the shores of Lake Bohinj in Triglav National Park.

Wow!

The natural beauty of Slovenia is absolutely breathtaking.

Get out and hike or bike or get out on a boat on a lake or river.

And for history lovers, there is a lot of intriguing WWI history here.

The Slovenians are wonderful — fiercely proud and warm and welcoming.

I’ll return to Slovenia for sure.

Re-visiting old friends

I also spent some time visiting places I had been before.

San Vigilio di Marebbe, on the edge of Fanes-Sennes-Braies Dolomite Nature Park, is one of my favorite mountain villages in the Dolomites of Italy.

I stayed once again in Hotel Olympia and I explored the trails around the town as well as the trails in the nature park — which is one of my favorites.

I sprinkled in a couple of new experiences during my time here by staying a few nights in the wonderful Garni Erna (right in town) and by spending 2 nights in Sennes Rifugio.

Spending 2 nights in that hut in Fanes-Sennes-Braies was absolutely amazing!

And the year in travel saw me ticking something off my bucket list — spending multiple weeks in my beloved Castelrotto.

This town, also known as Kastelruth, is so beautiful.

It’s an ideal base for spending time in Alpe di Siusi, also known as Seiser Alm.

I spent 3 weeks here, exploring more deeply.

I hiked a lot of trails in Alpe di Siusi, walked some trails around Castelrotto and took a few drives to some other parts of Alto Adige.

This piece of Italy is so gorgeous.

It’s a destination I’ll return to over and over again because I love it so much. 🥰 

Seeing Alpe di Siusi under a blanket of wildflowers made 2019 incredibly special.

So there’s a list of a look back at the year in travel

There are more things that happened in 2019 for sure.

But I think these are the highlights …. and the lowlights. 😉

What was travel like for you in 2019?

Drop your comment below!