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My 2016 Travel Recap!-The Sophisticated Life

by Nadeen
November 19, 2019
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2016 Travel Recap! Cuba, New York City, Sedona Arizona, Miami Beach, Santa Barbara California, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Myrtle Beach South Carolina....

2016 Travel Recap! Cuba, New York City, Sedona Arizona, Miami Beach, Santa Barbara California, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Myrtle Beach South Carolina....

I cannot believe another year of travel has already come to a close! For my 2016 travel recap I thought I would share with you blog posts and summaries of my travels this year. After ringing in the New Year in one of my favorite cities-New Orleans-I took the first two months of 2016 to plan out my year of travel. Looking back at my blog post on my 2016 travel bucket list, I am pleased to say that I accomplished my goals. My mission since completing my pediatric residency has always been to see at least one new place every year. That has moved on to visiting at least 1 new international destination every year as well as at least 1 new domestic destination. As a full time physician, I have to take medical board exams every few years and this year was one of them. Although I spent a few months studying (and yes I passed-YEAH!!), I was able to take 8 trips this year! As you will see from my 2016 travel recap, I visited 2 new international destinations-Cuba and the United Arab Emirates. I also visited 4 new domestic destinations-Sedona, Arizona, Santa Ynez Valley, California, Catalina Island, California and Asheville, North Carolina. I took trips with and created lasting memories with my husband, friends and family. It was an amazing year of travel! If you missed any of my blog posts during the year, here is your chance to read them in my 2016 travel recap!

March: Cuba: Our first trip of the year was unforgettable. We felt a part of history in the making. Before all the recent nonstop airfare deals to Cuba from the United States and flocks of Americans arriving on the island, my husband and I made our way to Cuba through Cancun, Mexico. We landed in Havana the same day President Obama was departing. We were also there the week the Rolling Stones performed. There was so much excitement and anticipation in the air. I am pleased that my travel guides to Cuba have helped so many people navigate their way to and around the island!

  1. Plan a Trip to Cuba in 10 Easy Steps 
  2. 10 Cuba Travel Tips: Know Before You Go
  3. How I Spent 7 Days in Cuba
  4. A List of Delicious Havana Restaurants & Bars
How To Spend 7 Days in Cuba! A full travel itinerary with stops in Havana, Vinales Valley, Cienfuegos and Trinidad!
The famous prehistoric mural in Vinales Valley.

April: New York City: I spent a fun weekend with my family in the Big Apple to celebrate my nieces’ birthdays. I spent part of my childhood in the New York City area and I have enjoyed sharing all the great experiences there with them.

Family Travel: New York City with Teens!

New York City with Teens! Spend a full filled weekend in NYC with teenagers! Read about things to do and where to eat!
With my family in Times Square

June: Sedona: FINALLY! I can’t tell how many years I have had Sedona, Arizona on my bucket list! It was amazing to finally see the red rocks and explore this unique America city. I highly recommend it.

How To Spend A Fabulous Weekend in Sedona! 

How to Spend a Fabulous Weekend in Sedona!

July: Miami Beach: A girls’ weekend getaway! My cousin got married this year and she chose South Beach as the location for her bachelorette getaway. I lived in the Miami area for 8 years but I used this opportunity to visit my favorite restaurants and try out some new ones.

4 Must Try Miami Beach Restaurants 

August: Southern California: This was a busy trip! California is my favorite state so I visit at least once a year. On this trip I visited Venice Beach, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Valley, Catalina Island and attended the LA Food & Wine Festival in Santa Monica.

  1. 2016 Los Angeles Food and Wine Festival
  2. How to Spend 2 Days in Santa Barbara 
2016 Los Angeles Food and Wine Festival Lexus Grand Tasting Recap!
The Lexus Grand Tasting Tent at The LA Food & Wine Festival
How to spend 2 days in Santa Barbara!
At The Mission in Santa Barbara

September: Myrtle Beach: In September I had the opportunity to visit Myrtle Beach for the first time since I was in college! I spent my time discovering hidden gems for the sophisticated traveler including my favorite foodie picks. My husband and I also celebrated our first anniversary there!

  1. 8 Must Visit Hidden Gems in Myrtle Beach SC
  2. Myrtle Beach Restaurant Guide for Foodies!
  3. Wine Tasting in Myrtle Beach: La Belle Amie Vineyard
Murrells Inlet in Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach Restaurant Guide for Foodies
Brunch at Croissants Bistro
La Belle Amie Vineyard
La Belle Amie Vineyard

November: Dubai and Abu Dhabi: After a brief overnight stop in New York City for Halloween, we took the long flight over to Dubai! We spent 5 days exploring Dubai and Abu Dhabi and it was definitely an interesting experience. Although it is very modernized and areas very touristy, I enjoyed learning the history of the area, dipping in the warm Arabian sea, going on a desert safari, visiting Old Dubai, the souks, the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi AND the food was delicious!

How I Spent 5 Days in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

December: Asheville NC, The Biltmore Estate: Our last trip of the year was a road trip to Asheville, North Carolina from Atlanta. I have also had The Biltmore Estate on my bucket list for quite some time. I am a history buff and this estate was built by the Vanderbilt family in the late 1800s. Christmas at The Biltmore House has been a tradition since 1895! It was lovely experience.

Christmastime at The Biltmore Estate

Christmastime at The Biltmore Estate in Asheville North Carolina! Includes a tour of the famous Biltmore House built in the 1800s by George Vanderbilt!
The Biltmore House on The Biltmore Estate

I hope you have enjoyed my 2016 travel recap! I also hope it has inspired you to visit some of these places! So, what is in store for my travels in 2017? In just 3 weeks I will be taking my first trip to Thailand! I am very excited! I will be visiting Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket. In March I will be heading back to South Africa to visit Johannesburg and Cape Town. You may recall I traveled there in the fall of 2015 and fell in love with the country. I look forward to exploring it further. In April I will be traveling back to California with my husband (I told you it is my favorite state lol) He has a conference in San Diego and although I have been there twice it has been a very long time. It will be good to get back there and also visit Temecula Wine Country. Speaking of wine, although this 2016 travel recap only lists my travel posts, be sure to catch up on all my food and wine posts from 2016 as well!

To keep up with my travels for 2017 be sure to subscribe to the blog and follow me on social media. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest.

What was your favorite trip of 2016?

 

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Nadeen

Nadeen

Dr. Nadeen White is a "Blogger by Day, Physician by Night". She is an award-winning travel blogger, Amazon bestselling author and speaker. The Sophisticated Life Blog covers affordable luxury travel, culinary travel and wine. Her domestic and international travel guides gets people to the destinations of their dreams. So, if you are living the sophisticated life or desire to do so, this is the blog for you!

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Comments 6

  1. Alan Cuthbertson says:
    6 years ago

    Great list of places visited. I can understand Cuba being a highlight. We plan to visit this year before it changes too much. Thanks for sharing.

    • nadeen says:
      6 years ago

      Thanks for reading! I am sure you will enjoy Cuba!

  2. Janene says:
    6 years ago

    I love this recap! I completely forgot you guys did New Years in New Orleans. Geeze, 2017 is going to be amazing! Can’t wait for the Thailand post and another South African one!

    • Nadeen says:
      6 years ago

      Thank you! It was fun!

  3. Krista says:
    6 years ago

    I was in Cuba in March as well! It was so much fun! My favourite part was visiting Havana! So beautiful! Sounds like you had a lot of great travels this year and many more to come 🙂

    • Nadeen says:
      6 years ago

      Hi Krista! That is great that you were able to visit Cuba as well! I am looking forward to going back. Thanks for reading!

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  • Welcome to Chicago! The Chi. Chi-town? What comes to mind when you think of Chicago? 
This may be my shortest reel yet but it captures a lot of my quick trip to Chicago over the Holiday weekend! 

1) an amazing stay at the new luxury hotel 🏨 downtown @thelasallechicago part of the @marriotthotels Autograph collection
2) The architecture cruise 🚢 on the Chicago river. It’s such a great way to learn the history of Chicago! 
3) a visit to Millennium Park to grab new pics by Cloud Gate AKA “the bean” 
4) Pictures by “The 🦩Flamingo” the red sculpture 
5) Dinner in Hyde Park at the Black-Owned restaurant @virtuerestaurantchi congrats to @cheferickwilliams for his James Beard award for best chef Great Lakes!
6) Dinner @hugosfrogbar with the insane macadamia turtle ice cream cake! 

I didn’t get any deep dish pizza 🍕 this time but my husbands favorite @parrishu70 (he’s from Chicago) is @giordanospizza and I still need to get to the top of the @willistowerchicago 

Have you been to Chicago? If so what are your favorite things to do there?

#chicagotravel #downtownchicago #visitchicago #chicagoeats #chicagorestaurants #milleniumpark #cloudgate #chicagobloggers #luxurylifestyle #blacktravelfeed #blackwomentravel #blacktravelgram #traveltuesdays
  • 🤣🤣. Just a reminder to still #maskup 😷and use your hand sanitizer and don’t travel if you are sick!

I have been traveling/flying about twice a month and I’m still surprised how many people are not wearing masks. People, kids, children, babies are still getting COVID-19 and being hospitalized for it. 

Get vaccinated, get your boosters. There is no guarantee that new strains won’t pop up. 

I am cautiously optimistic and I’m looking forward to finally doing more international travel but I plan to still take precautions. 

But can we talk about how funny and cool 😎 this @usher meme and performance is?!! Has anyone seen his Vegas show? Decades later and he is still an excellent performer! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

#instagrammemes #usherraymond #covid19memes #blackdoctorsmatter #blackdoctorswhitecoats
  • Happy 4th of July 🇺🇸🇺🇸weekend from CHICAGO!!
Did you really go to Chicago if you didn’t get a picture of “the bean” Actually called Cloud Gate. 
But on a Holiday weekend why was I still shocked 😳 to see lines to enter Millennium Park?!! 
A lot of content creators get up at sunrise 🌄 to get pictures without crowds and get those “Instagram vs Reality” shots. I don’t have that lol I only have the REALITY shots because I am a night owl and nocturnist and I can never get up early! 
Thank goodness the line went fast and I got my pics in 20 minutes although with lots of people in them. 

I have been here several times before but when I come to Chicago I ❤️ seeing it and capturing new pics. It’s like going to Paris. I always have to go by the Eiffel Tower. Like duhhhhh

#cloudgate #cloudgatechicago #milleniumpark #4thofjulyweekend🇺🇸💥🇺🇸 #4thofjuly2022 #happy4thofjuly🇺🇸 #blacktravelmovement #blacktravelfeed #travelnoire
  • ***MIAMI Save for your next trip to Miami Design District! 
We had the most delicious Mexican food @tacombi 
A lot of the restaurants in this area were pricy and had long lines but Tacombi is a casual Mexican eatery with Art Deco decor and savory authentic eats! 
Try the 
 🍉 margarita 😋😋
 🥑 chips & guacamole 
🌮 Baja crispy fish
🌮 Chicken tacos 
🌮sweet potatoes 🍠 and black bean 🫘-so unique!
🌽 corn esquites 

Thanks to @key2mia and @blacktravelsummit for picking such a delicious restaurant for the tour! 

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  • It’s still June 30th in Chicago and I couldn’t let the month end without saying #happypridemonth🌈 
To all my LGTBQIA friends and followers #loveislove🏳️‍🌈
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Equal rights for everyone. 💞 

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  • 📸📸📸 @iamslepton did his thing during the @key2mia tour during @blacktravelsummit 
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