I haven’t written about traveling in a while, mostly because I haven’t traveled in a while…

I got a new job, and I now have half the vacation days I used to have. Which blows, for sure, but I now have a job I like, with coworkers I like, doing work I like to do (some of which involves writing!) and so it seemed to be a sacrifice worth making. (For now.)

But that means being choosy about where I decide to travel to. I really only have the days for one big trip (I used to go on two). In prior years, I would always pair a more ambitious, international trip (Greek Islands, Patagonia, the Loire Valley) with a more relaxed trip closer to home (St. John, Key West, the California Coast).

There are pros and cons to both. Big international trips generally take me to more foreign places, where I see more, learn more, expand my horizons further. They tend to happen with just my boyfriend and me, which is nice. They also generally require more money, more planning, and more stress. Smaller closer-to-home trips are generally more relaxing, cheaper, and require less planning. They also tend to happen with a group of people, be they friends or family, which is nice. But then I crave alone time with my boyfriend, plus I can only lie on a beach for about a day before I get bored and feel the need to do something.

But what does one do when forced to choose between the two? Can anyone recommend a good mix of near yet far, relaxing yet exciting, exotic yet not bank-breaking?

Image of Lake Tahoe from our California trip taken by me, October 2013