Growing up, our grandparents all seemed to know where they were when Kennedy was assassinated. I suppose that our generation has two – where you were on 9/11, and I think we will all be able to tell our future generations, should humanity miraculously last that long, where we were when COVID hit.

Where were you at the beginning/middle-ish of March? What did you think the rest of your year had in store and how hilariously quickly were those dreams macerated?

Please excuse any references to things that are not funny being funny, I’m laughing so that I don’t cry.

I was sitting on the floor of the Santiago airport two days away from the beginning of my second Patagonia backpacking trip. Within two days I would be welcoming 16 women to hike with me through the crown jewel of Patagonia – or at least that was the plan.

I

Even though you can find a great road trip just about anywhere in the world, the United States’ wide roads and abundance of open spaces make it one of the best countries to explore by car.

With an abundance of playlists on standby and some snacks on hand, the journey just as fun as the destination. Heading from the West Coast and moving east, here are 11 of the best road trips in the United States:

Hawaii’s Road to Hana

Powerful bodies of water, bamboo forests, and hundreds of twists and turns––that basically sums up the Road to Hana. It’s a must-do for visitors to Maui!

This 64-mile road is no walk in the park, with its fair share of blind corners and narrow bridges. But if you’re careful and selective about which places to stop, you’ll be able to see some of the best of what Maui has

Sometimes life blows my mind a little bit. Just a week ago I was swimming in turquoise water with docile stingrays and reef sharks, and then came home to fall colors in Reno and binging on the Great British Bake Show (and I don’t even bake!), wondering if it was all a dream.

Mo’orea in French Polynesia is the stuff of fairytales, and I believed my very friendly cab driver when she told me that the movie Moana took heavy inspiration from the island.

The land formations are dramatic and jungly, almost like Pandora (Have I peppered this with enough pop culture references yet?), all encircled by a glimmering baby blue bay.

If you’re lucky enough to visit Mo’orea, these are some of the best things that you can do on the island, plus information on how to get there, how to get around, and where to stay:

Swim with

The waves that day had been fierce, the current strong, and the searches had mostly been busts all morning. 

The wild humpbacks we sought are the gentlest giants I’ve ever met – aware of their bodies and dancing through the water so effortlessly, in ways few animals can. 

Captain Onoi’s coffee brown eyes widened as she spotted the scene in the water. It was a rare and exciting opportunity to swim with a mom and calf while she was pursued by a juvenile male, hell-bent on mating. 

Sometimes whales make eye contact and play for hours with us, and sometimes they are too busy to care we are there – this drop would be the latter. 

Onoi put us in perfect position to slip in and see the show. She’s the only female boat captain in French Polynesia and between you and me – she’s the best. Her cascading mermaid

With the end of the year comes a new world of travel possibilities. You can spend December fully embracing the chill of the season, or find a warm getaway if that’s more of your style! Good thing the United States offers opportunities for travelers of all types, with destinations scattered throughout the country.

Starting from the West Coast heading east, here’s a list of the top 21 destinations to visit this December:

1. Joshua Tree National Park, California

Winter is without a doubt the best time to visit the deserts in California. Joshua Tree National Park is one of the best places to visit in the colder months. The park’s temperatures lower on average by December to a range of near 40 degree F overnight to near 60 degrees F by afternoon, which makes daytime hiking and rock climbing infinitely more enjoyable than the unbearable summertime heat.

Deserts make