12 trips in 12 months! As someone who always wanted to travel more, Brittni Mehlhoff (founder of Paper and Stitch), set out to travel at least one new place every month for an entire year. Find out where she went (and get all the travel guide), whether she completed her goal, and how you can do your own 12 trips in 12 months challenge. #travel #12tripsin12months #travelinspiration #tropicaltravel #internationaltravel #ustravel #beachtravel

Updated! Scroll toward the lesser for all the cities I visited for the entire year of the serial and some quick commentary on each spot.

When this twelvemonth started, I took some fourth dimension out of that first week or then to really remember nigh what I wanted to accomplish in the next 12 months. And one of the things that kept popping up was a (huge) desire to travel more in the upcoming year – with Jeff, with friends, etc.

After our trip to Europe last yr, I finally realized that my demand for travel is more than just a desire to get abroad to regroup, recharge, etc. Although that'southward cool too. The real reason why travel has become so important to me comes down to i discussion: inspiration!

So…long story brusk, I've decided that this year I'll be hopping on a plane…

or road tripping someplace new at least once a calendar month for all of 2017! Each month volition be a new trip(due south) – whether it'due south a long weekend or a week-long run a risk.

Exploring a different land / state / continent contributes immensely to feeling inspired for future work and life in general. And that kind of inspiration isn't actually something you can recreate without actually getting out of your condolement zone (in my case the metropolis I'thou currently living in) and doing the damn thing.

I've already crossed the kickoff month off the list, with a quick trip to Charleston this weekend with Jeff and a Texas trip earlier in the calendar month. And with February through April pretty much planned out already as well, I but have viii more months of travel to programme. Keen at all! Any suggestions for me on where I should go? If so, let me know.

I'll exist sharing more details virtually each trip every bit they whorl out, and with each trip I'll also be sharing a travel guide of sorts also, just like I've done in the past…starting with a cool girls guide to Charleston! Allow me know if there are whatsoever travel guides you'd similar to see or suggestions for amazing places to visit. I'm pretty much upward for annihilation and I'd love to book a few places that you lot suggest, if I can.

Update! Everywhere I Went for the 12 Trips in 12 Months Series

Now that the 12 trips in 12 months series has wrapped upward, I wanted to share all the places I visited in one central spot, so you lot can check out all the travel guides and go the scoop on how it all went down. The original programme was to go on as many trips equally possible with Jeff merely for fun. Since he was working a 'normal' job with limited vacation time though, I chop-chop realized that some months, I would have to become on the trips past myself. Some of those trips were to see family unit and friends for fun and others turned into piece of work trips that were more often than not business. BUT I did it! Some months I traveled way more than in one case and some months I ended up in a urban center I had already been earlier, but again…I did it…traveling at least once EVERY single calendar month for an entire yr.

Toward the cease, information technology started to get a little taxing, I'll be honest. Overall though, I was proud that I was able to accomplish the gist of what I set up out to do. It may have ended up a tiny fleck unlike than I planned, but it was a yr that I'll never forget and I accept and so many memories from it that I'll take with me e'er. Funny enough, in Jan right after this series had fully wrapped up, I found out I was pregnant (our long overdue pregnancy declaration is here in example you desire to read information technology) and I was And then happy that I had done so much travel before getting pregnant. I felt like I had done and then much in the twelvemonth prior that I wouldn't feel similar I was missing out at all to slow downward during my pregnancy and stay home more (though I did however travel a decent amount before Hayes was born). Anyhow, here's the full list of where I went for this yr long series…

January

Charleston, South Carolina: I had never been to Charleston earlier this trip and information technology was a surprisingly cool fashion to kick off the 12 trips series. I found so many cool shops and cute restaurants with Jeff on this trip and put together a travel guide hither: the cool girls travel guide to Charleston.

Ben Wheeler, Texas: A weekend at The Wilde Firm.

February

White Sands, New Mexico: This was a quick trip to celebrate the wedding of our dear friends Ashley and Jared from Sugar and Cloth. They were married in White Sands and Jeff officiated their wedding ceremony. If you lot've never been to White Sands, I highly recommend it…I've never seen anything like it before or since. Only a completely magical identify.

March

New York City (Lower East Side): Wasn't in New York as well long for this one…it was a business concern trip for an event I was co-hosting with 3M. The timing was funny because it was during a snowstorm, but it was a fun trip and I managed to squeeze in some cool spots around the Lower Eastward Side to make a travel guide of the places I loved most.

Austin, Texas for SXSW: I didn't do a travel guide for this one. But I have a trivial proof that I was at that place…speaking at Create and Cultivate Austin.

April

Chattanooga, Tennessee: Plainly at that place are lots of outdoorsy things to practice in Chattanooga…but I didn't do any of them. Haha. Instead I spent my time doing everything on this listing: the non-outdoorsy travel guide to Chattanooga, TN.

May

Catalina Island, Dominican Republic: What a magical place to boat to. It'due south soooo pretty (and photograph-worthy) with clear h2o, absurd cliffs, and white sandy beaches.

Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos: In May, we went on a cruise and visited several islands, one of which was Turks and Caicos. K Turk was a cruise end that literally docks right in that location at the beach. But we jumped in a car and found an astonishing remote beach that fabricated us feel like we were the only ones around.

June

Richmond, Virginia: I was surprised by how much I liked Richmond. The vibe was absurd and easy, the shops were good, the food was good…yous can bike around a lot of the city. And also…the hotel we stayed at was soooo skillful. All the details and the total guide can be constitute here: cool Richmond, VA travel guide.

Chicago, Illinois: Quick work trip! I did an issue with KI Furniture and Pallas Textiles at Neo Con in Chicago. There wasn't whatsoever time for exploring, just I love Chicago.

Providence Canyon (just outside of Lumpkin, GA): This identify is about two hours outside of Atlanta, so definitely off the browbeaten path. But WOW…if you lot're a nature lover, and yous live in Georgia, you should really bank check it out. I went dorsum for the second time a while back, this time to assist out with a photo shoot and shared some more photos here. My only proposition for visiting would be…Maybe don't go during the oestrus of the summer months unless you Honey to sweat because it's quite the hike to go down there and back up.

July

Harbour Island, Bahama islands: A quiet beach trip with friends. Nosotros walked effectually the island (it's pretty small so you tin can pretty much walk everything by pes – or take a golf cart), hung out on a sand bar, went cliff jumping (very memorable), and floated in the puddle.

Round Peak, Texas: This was a piece of work trip / retreat with friends and fellow bloggers. And I shared a handful of things that we did on the trip (including hanging out with horses) here: Things to do in Round Top, TX.

August

Winter Park, Florida (office of the greater Orlando, FL area): I lived in Orlando when I was a teenager and Winter Park is by far the all-time office of the greater Orlando surface area. We had a quick stay in Winter Park for the 12 trips series and I was able to put together a travel guide with some really great shops! It's a pretty charming little place.

September

London, England: I didn't share a travel guide for London when I went for the 12 trips series Merely I did share ane afterwards the tertiary time I visited London that is mode more than in-depth than I would have been able to share before. You lot tin can read my city guide here: Cool London Travel Guide. London is ane of my fave cities…and it is Jeff'south absolute favorite city (he would move there in a heartbeat if we had a chance to).

Paris, French republic: Nosotros needed up in Paris for a couple of days to pause upwards our stay in London. Information technology was kind of a last-minute matter…simply we stayed in the most amazing hotel. I did a travel guide for Paris the first time we visited (a year earlier the 12 trip serial), so I didn't do one for the 12 trips visit but everything is still relevant now. Here'south the Paris guide I wrote: Absurd Paris Travel Guide.

October

Los Angeles: Piece of work trip! I was in LA filming for a project I did with Evite and and then spent a couple of days with family and friends.

Las Vegas, Nevada: I didn't become effectually to a travel guide for this i considering I was really only there for a quick piece of work trip. Simply it still counts, correct? I hope so! I'm going to exist honest, toward the end of the yr, travel started to feel like a piffling bit of a burden. And I realize it'south a total privilege to be able to travel and FAR more privileged to start to think of it equally a brunt…but I wanted to be honest and share what I think feeling at the fourth dimension. Being away from home so much takes a cost after a while, particularly for a homebody like me.

November

Austin, Texas: Looks similar I went to Austin a few times for the 12 trips series and didn't realize information technology until I started putting this final recap together. We were here this fourth dimension for Thanksgiving with my brother and it was a pretty laid back trip. We managed to clasp in a agglomeration of shopping withal though, don't worry. Haha.

December

Jacksonville, Florida: Sure, nosotros've been to Jacksonville countless times considering we used to live there and Jeff's family is notwithstanding at that place. Just I'm including it in the 12 trip series because we were in Jax in December and while information technology wasn't a place nosotros had never been before, nosotros went none the less. I put together a pretty extensive travel guide for Jacksonville as well, with lots of cool spots that y'all wouldn't look to find there if you've never visited: absurd things to do in Jacksonville, FL.

And that sums up the series! I left out a couple of trips from the list that weren't really relevant…mainly some additional trips to Houston and Jacksonville. Simply everything else is in there. When you add it all up (including the miscellaneous stuff), I went on more xx trips in 2017. Which felt like A LOT, only it was worth the take chances.

If y'all have any questions near the 12 trips in 12 months series or are planning something similar of your own, I'd dear to hear from you. Feel free to exit any questions you have below.