30 Best RaulersonGirlsTravel Photos of 2020 (Year in Review)

At the end of every year, I share my favorite travel photos with you. This year I didn’t travel as extensively as I would have liked. But, when I did travel, I made the most of my trips. I only took a couple of flights within the United States early in the year; most of my travels were by train and car. Embracing slower travel I spent longer times in each place, which allowed me to truly enjoy time with my friends. The following images are the 30 best Raulersongirlstravel photos of 2020.

New York City

In January, I went to New York City for a travel conference and stayed a week longer to hang out with my best friend, Jennifer. We had a blast exploring New York City in its entirety, from the food, the Broadway shows to all the tourist spots. Including a couple that I have never been to before. I’m a bit bummed not to visit New York in January 2021 as the conference went virtual. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get back to New York in 2022.

Chicago

In February, I went to Chicago for another travel conference. While I was there I was able to meet up with a couple of my friends. I spent my time touring around the conference with my friend, Bisa. And after that I spent time with my friends Andrea and Paul. Andrea was performing in Disney on Ice and I was able to watch her perform it before COVID shut down the rest of her performances for the year. She did a fabulous job as multiple characters in the show, including Nala seen above.

Arizona

I spent three months working as a horse ranch hand on my friend’s Janet and Ian’s farm. This was the first time working with horses instead of riding them, and I couldn’t have been happier. The horses were a joy to be around, and I would take breaks from writing to go and stand by the fence and chat with them. And, of course, to sneak them a treat or two. But, my true passion while I was there was photographing these magnificent creatures. I loved expanding my portfolio to include animals with portrait photographs. And a big thanks goes out to Janet and Ian for hosting me during the crazy COVID months and taking photos of me with their beautiful animals.

Illinois

When I wasn’t elsewhere, I stayed with my mom and step-dad for the rest of the year. It was challenging, to say the least, being a grown-adult and having to come back home because the rest of the world has shut down. But, we made the best of the situation. As my mom and Lou are immunocompromised, I helped as much as I could by getting groceries and running errands. When the weather was nice, we went for walks around the neighborhood. The rest of my time was spent writing in my office, either outside or inside, depending on the weather. The cool thing is that when I worked outside, I had plenty of animal visitors that didn’t mind getting their picture taken. I also spent quite a bit of time exploring Illinois, taking road trips, and finding new places to write about. Some of my trips were to Springfield, Casey, and Collinsville.

Michigan

Taking trips back to Michigan has been wonderful to reset me and my goals. Each time I have accomplished more with my writing that surprised even me. Plus, it allowed me to spend time with my girlfriends who I miss dearly. And allowing me precious time to spend with someone special. In addition, you can’t beat being in Michigan during the fall or basically any time of the year if you ask me.

South Carolina

I took a weeklong trip to South Carolina to visit my Aunt, Betty. She took some time to help me explore new parts of the country to gather content for writing articles and photographs. We explored so many areas in and around Greenville. Some of my favorites were Caesars Head, Bald Rock Heritage Preserve, Poinsett Bridge, and Wildcat Wayside Falls. There is so much to see and do here that I want to go back and explore deeper.

North Carolina

Taking another day trip, my aunt and I went to explore parts of North Carolina. We saw a waterfall after waterfall, which I loved, loved, loved. Put me anywhere around water, and I’m happy. Plus, we explored an area that is becoming dear to me, learning more about my heritage and where I came from. We spend a day exploring Cherokee, North Carolina, spending time touring the village shops, exploring the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, and spending the early evening chasing down up-close photos of Elk, and no, they are not photoshopped.

This year has been a trial for everyone, some good and some bad. I have been fortunate not to have gotten sick and still spend time with my loved ones. I know not everyone has been as fortunate as I have. I’m grateful that I have been able to do a limited amount of local travel and still be safe. And by doing this, I have been able to write and publish articles on multiple sites, making my dream as a freelance writer come true this year.

2020 has been filled with smiles and laughter with friends for me, even though the craziness we found ourselves in this year. I hope you were able to enjoy this year as well, wherever you have been keeping yourself.

I hope you continue to follow me on this journey next year, and hopefully, I will have more places to write about.