When I think of all the experiences I had over the course of 2024, several memories stand out that are all linked by the same theme…travel. Over this past year, I had the privilege of visiting three (3) different countries, all of which offered different and exciting experiences.
For the July 4th holiday, my family spent a long weekend in Quebec, Canada, which happened to be my grandparents’ first time out of the country. Quebec, as a tourism destination, is perfect for first-time travelers who are looking for an easier experience since nearly everyone speaks English. It has the old-world charm that feels like a larger European city, and it is easy to reach from most major airports in the United States (where I am located). This trip with my family was quite special since I was able to travel with my grandparents, and it was exciting and inspiring for me to see them navigate a new country for the first time.
The large trip I took in 2024 was to Scotland and the Netherlands to knock off some bucket list cities. We spent time in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Amsterdam. In an attempt to get more of the feel for how the locals experienced these places, we rented Airbnb’s that we thought would amplify the experience most. Our apartments in Glasgow and Edinburgh were quite nice, but as someone living in the United States, the very first thing I noticed I take for granted when not traveling is how much more space our homes have. In some of the places we stayed, it felt like we were right on top of each other.
One of our more spacious accommodations was the houseboat we stayed at in the canals of Amsterdam. Living on a boat was a more comfortable experience than I would’ve imagined, and it was awesome to be able to walk off the boat right into the heart of the city. As cool as I think it would be to live on a boat one day, the number of bicycles in the city was, at times, overwhelming. However, the easiest form of transportation around the city really is a bike, and so almost everyone who lives in Amsterdam commutes this way. My city in Indiana may not be built and designed in such a way as to maximize everyone’s cycling as their main form of transportation. I’m inspired to ride my bike more in 2025 as an alternative to using my vehicle.
On the last leg of our trip, we spent time in the Scottish Highlands around Loch Ness. The mountains and landscape were breathtaking, and we were regaled with stories of British special forces soldiers training in that area due to the harshness of the environment. It reminded me that there are so many places in my own country that I have not yet explored. Overall, traveling abroad left me motivated to travel more amongst my own home as well. So hopefull, in 2025, I will be spending some more time exploring, even if it’s not too far from home.
Nick has over five years of experience in project management and healthcare I.T. In his previous positions, Nick worked in the fields of Consulting and Data Science. Most recently, he was a technical project manager with a health insurance provider and product owner of an artificial intelligence platform used for predictive insights into Medicare markets.
