giraffe manor

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<p>I was talking to a friend the other day and said it was hard to believe that I went to <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/category/europe/ireland/">Ireland</a> at the beginning of this year. It feels like it was 10 years ago! After our chat, I was inspired to take a look back at my year in travel and thought I&#8217;d share it here with you!</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img onerror="this.onerror=null;this.src='https://mostlysolotravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/image-not-found.png'" src="https://mostlysolotravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/waterford-castle-ireland-2-jpg-1024x771.webp" alt="stay in an irish castle" class="wp-image-3496"/></figure>



<p><strong>March</strong> &#8211; <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/7-day-ireland-itinerary/">Ireland</a></p>



<p>I kicked off the year with a trip to <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/category/europe/ireland/">Ireland</a> with my friend Claudia. We tossed around several ideas for this late winter/early spring trip, initially thinking about a beachy escape, but found cheap flights to Ireland and pulled the trigger, despite it being the off-season! The trip was a blast! Yes, it was chilly and a bit damp, but we really only had one day of serious rain. We slept in castles, we drank a lot of <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/storehouse-dublin-guinness-jameson-distillery/">Jameson</a>, and had a blast!</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img onerror="this.onerror=null;this.src='https://mostlysolotravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/image-not-found.png'" src="https://mostlysolotravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/what-i-spent-in-vegas-004-768x1024.jpg" alt="dita von teese show in las vegas" class="wp-image-3754"/></figure>



<p><strong>March</strong> &#8211; <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/48-hours-in-las-vegas-what-i-spent/">Las Vegas</a></p>



<p>Later that month, I did a long weekend escape with my friend Danielle to see the Dita Von Teese show that was running in Vegas. The show was fantastic, I gambled (and lost) a whopping $20, <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/koolsville-tattoos-las-vegas/">got a $10 tattoo</a>, and ate so much delicious <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/best-foods-in-las-vegas/">food</a>!</p>



<p class="is-style-info"><strong>2024 By The Numbers<br></strong>Flights Taken: 28<br>Countries Visited: 4 (Ireland, Kenya, Tanzania, and Qatar, all new to me!)<br>States Visited: 6 (North Carolina, Nevada, and New York, all states I&#8217;ve been to before. Tennessee, Arkansas, and Alabama, all new-to-me states.)</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img onerror="this.onerror=null;this.src='https://mostlysolotravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/image-not-found.png'" src="https://mostlysolotravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eclipse-2024-002-768x1024.jpg" alt="2024 eclipse trip" class="wp-image-3799"/></figure>



<p><strong>April</strong> &#8211; <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/eclipse-2024/">Arkansas</a></p>



<p>In April I visited two new-to-me states, starting with Arkansas! My business bestie, <a href="https://www.katiemaequilts.com/">Kate</a>, and her family rented a huge AirBNB for the <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/eclipse-2024/">eclipse</a> and when they invited me, I couldn&#8217;t say no! It was a fun getaway where I saw absolutely nothing of Arkansas other than while we were driving!</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img onerror="this.onerror=null;this.src='https://mostlysolotravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/image-not-found.png'" src="https://mostlysolotravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/weekend-in-memphis-9-768x1024.jpg" alt="visiting graceland in the rain" class="wp-image-3856"/></figure>



<p><strong>April</strong> &#8211; <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/weekend-in-memphis-itinerary/">Memphis</a></p>



<p>For the Arkansas trip, I flew into and out of Memphis, so I had to spend some time in another new-to-me state, Tennessee! My solo weekend in <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/weekend-in-memphis-itinerary/">Memphis</a> was filled with good food, Graceland, and a whole lot of history! While it was never a destination I knew I needed to visit, I&#8217;m so glad I did!</p>



<p>I also visited North Carolina in April for a family wedding. It was a quick family-filled weekend where I took basically no photos!</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img onerror="this.onerror=null;this.src='https://mostlysolotravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/image-not-found.png'" src="https://mostlysolotravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Heroes-and-Villains-3-768x1024.jpg" alt="Heroes and Villains" class="wp-image-4336"/></figure>



<p><strong>May</strong> &#8211; <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/heroes-and-villains-the-art-of-the-disney-costume/">Birmingham</a></p>



<p>In May, I went on a little workcation to Alabama to visit Kate and see <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/heroes-and-villains-the-art-of-the-disney-costume/">Heroes and Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume</a> at the Birmingham Museum of Art. It was a quick trip and we did some photos for her business and some future planning for our businesses. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img onerror="this.onerror=null;this.src='https://mostlysolotravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/image-not-found.png'" src="https://mostlysolotravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/giraffe-manor-1024x1024.png" alt="giraffe manor" class="wp-image-5025"/></figure>



<p><strong>July</strong> was my biggest travel month for the year with a solo trip lasting 15 days where I visited: <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/what-its-actually-like-to-stay-at-giraffe-manor/">Kenya</a>, <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/category/destinations/africa/tanzania/">Tanzania</a> (including <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/category/destinations/africa/tanzania/zanzibar/">Zanzibar</a>), and ended with a stopover in <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/16-hours-in-qatar/">Qatar</a>. I also had a very cool layover and stayed at the historic <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/travel-back-in-time-with-jfks-twa-hotel/">TWA Hotel</a> in NY. I will never stop talking about my <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/category/travel-type/safari/">safari</a> trip and time spent at <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/what-its-actually-like-to-stay-at-giraffe-manor/">Giraffe Manor</a>!</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img onerror="this.onerror=null;this.src='https://mostlysolotravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/image-not-found.png'" src="https://mostlysolotravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/singer-oceanfront-resort-beach-1024x683.webp" alt="singer island, florida" class="wp-image-9896"/></figure>



<p><strong>August</strong> &#8211; <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/48-hours-in-singer-island-where-to-stay-what-to-do-where-to-eat/">Singer Island, Florida</a></p>



<p>In August, I collaborated with Matador Travel down in South Florida and spent a few solo days on <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/48-hours-in-singer-island-where-to-stay-what-to-do-where-to-eat/">Singer Island</a>. It&#8217;s so funny to me how I&#8217;ve lived in Florida for almost 20 years and there are still so many parts of the state I haven&#8217;t seen! Singer Island was a great little beach getaway that I will happily revisit in the future!</p>



<p><strong>October</strong> &#8211; Italy (except not)</p>



<p>In October I was supposed to spend a week solo traveling in Italy. Instead, I spent a week in bed with a nasty case of Covid. Let this be a reminder that <a href="https://safetywing.com/nomad-insurance/?referenceID=justlors&;utm_source=justlors&;utm_medium=Ambassador">travel insurance</a> is your friend!</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img onerror="this.onerror=null;this.src='https://mostlysolotravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/image-not-found.png'" src="https://mostlysolotravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/st-augustine-night-of-lights-016-1024x768.jpg" alt="st augustine christmas night of lights" class="wp-image-10033"/></figure>



<p><strong>December</strong> &#8211; <a href="https://mostlysolotravel.com/christmas-in-st-augustine-florida/">St. Augustine, Florida</a></p>



<p>Winter in Florida means fantastic weather, but the fact that it&#8217;s so warm can mean it can be challenging to get into the holiday spirit! I headed to St. Augustine, Florida for a quick solo holiday-themed getaway, and visiting the city&#8217;s Christmas Market and seeing the historic downtown lit up for the holidays was just the dose of holiday cheer that I needed!</p>



<p>I was blessed by a (mostly) wonderful year of travel in 2024 (I&#8217;m looking at you, October) and I&#8217;m looking forward to all the fun that 2025 has to offer! I&#8217;ve got four trips on the horizon and I can&#8217;t wait to share the adventures with you!</p>



<p><strong>If you like it, put a pin on it!</strong></p>



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