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December was certainly one of my largest journey months in fairly a while, taking me to seven totally different international locations — 9 when you embody France and the Netherlands.
From the seashores of St. Vincent to the snowbanks of Vermont, let’s check out December 2025!
Locations Visited
- Willemstad and Sint Michiel, Curaçao
- Oistins, Bridgetown, Worthing, Speightstown, St. Lucy, Cherry Tree Hill Reserve, Bathsheba, Church Hill, and Welchman Corridor, Barbados
- Union Island, Petit Rameau, Mayreau, Kingstown (St. Vincent), and Port Elizabeth (Bequia), St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Morne Docteur, Victoria, and St. George’s, Grenada
- Fort-de-France, Martinique
- Marigot Bay and Soufrière, St. Lucia
- Portsmouth, Cabrits Nationwide Park, Toucari, Savanne Paille, Morne Trois Pitons Nationwide Park (together with the Emerald Pool and the Middleham Falls path), Wotten Waven, and Marigot, Dominica
- Grand Case, St. Martin
- Philipsburg, Sint Maarten
- Revere, Beverly, Swampscott, and Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA
- Portland, Maine, USA
- Newington, New Hampshire, USA
- Waitsfield, Vermont, USA
PHEW. That was lots.
Highlights
The month started with two extra days in Curaçao. Whereas we had one wet day, we used that to go to the Curaçao Liquor Distillery and the following day, we visited stunning Blue Bay, which was positioned in a gated neighborhood and sort of jogged my memory of The Villages in Florida…however with a spectacular seashore.
Subsequent, we spent just a few days in Barbados. My impression of Barbados? It’s an incredible Caribbean island if you wish to DO ALL THE THINGS. There are all types of excursions — historic, meals, water-based — and tons of nice eating places and bars. Plenty of totally different cities, every with a unique vibe.
I beloved the white sand seashores in Barbados (Dover Seashore was the place we camped out one afternoon) and we did lots of cool excursions, together with the Barbados meals tour, a drive into Harrison’s Cave, and I did a round-the-island tour that gave me a great overview of the island.
And we have been fortunately on the island on a Friday, so we bought to expertise the Oistins Friday Night time Fish Fry, which is a enjoyable evening out with music, camaraderie, and nice meals.
Up subsequent was our Star Clippers cruise by a number of Caribbean islands. Star Clippers hosted me and Charlie for every week on the Royal Clipper, which was a incredible expertise I haven’t stopped fascinated with.
The Royal Clipper is the star of the present. As I talked to the opposite visitors, I realized that everybody right here comes for the ship particularly. It’s so elegant, and retro in the easiest way. Each evening, you set sail and other people go as much as the solar deck to only watch the sails in movement.
This was Charlie’s first cruise ever (!) and my third small ship cruise, after Antarctica and Jap Canada. However being on a clipper ship is a very totally different expertise. You’re feeling such as you’re crusing in Pirates of the Caribbean. Plus, you are able to do cool stuff like climbing the mast and sitting within the internet on the bow.
Our cruise departed from Barbados and visited Grenada, a number of islands in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (that is what drew me to this explicit itinerary), Martinique, and St. Lucia. Each island had one thing I appreciated about it, however I particularly beloved the castaway really feel of the Grenadines and the luxurious great thing about St. Lucia.
Keep tuned for a full submit on the Royal Clipper expertise. There may be SO a lot to share.
Subsequent up was Dominica. I’ll admit that we had a a lot more durable expertise right here than on different islands, which I went into in my worst journey moments of 2025 submit, however there have been some actions we loved, like the new springs of Ti Kwan Glo Cho within the city of Wotten Waven, and the boat journey we took down the Indian River.
Dominica is just not the place for me, however I feel a few of you’ll take pleasure in it, particularly when you love locations which have little or no tourism.
Our ultimate Caribbean vacation spot was Grand Case, St. Martin — a city on the French facet well-known for its culinary scene. There are a LOT of excellent eating places and cocktail bars on this city, together with small guesthouses, excessive finish boutiques, and some small however good seashores.
And to be trustworthy, Grand Case was the proper finish to our journey. We lounged. We ate. We briefly ventured to the resort-filled Dutch facet for a catamaran journey, which was tremendous enjoyable, however confirmed that we massively most well-liked the French facet. Did I point out the grocery shops have French merchandise for French costs?
We’ll most likely return to St. Martin in some unspecified time in the future, because the island is well-connected to each Boston and Europe and makes a great stopover. And you may go to so many islands by ferry from St. Martin/St. Maarten, together with Anguilla, St. Barth’s, Saba, and St. Eustacius.
Subsequent we headed to the States to spend time with my household for Christmas. Three Christmas dinners with varied relations, and journeys to Maine and Vermont! It was so good to spend time with household, although we have been up and down and everywhere!
This was my first time in Vermont in about 20 years — however straight away I fell again in love with the mountains, the small cities, and the quiet ambiance. Charlie’s impression? “New Hampshire is Temu Vermont.” I imply…
And we bought again to Prague simply in time to throw our annual low-key New Yr’s ceremonial dinner with pals.
Challenges
I went into this in depth in my worst journey moments of 2025 submit, however Dominica was a tricky vacation spot for us. Dominica may be very totally different from different Caribbean islands — it’s not a seashore vacation spot, the island may be very undeveloped throughout the board (made worse after extreme hurricane harm in 2017), and the tourism trade is thus at its nascent stage.
The hardest factor about Dominica was the roads — they have been in horrible situation, particularly within the north of the island, and driving them was so terrifying that my coronary heart was in my throat the entire time. And after we overnighted close to the airport in Marigot, we needed to drive throughout to only discover a place the place we might purchase meals. The final place closed at 5:50 PM.
I don’t say this to be vital of Dominica, nor wouldn’t it be honest to check it to more-developed islands. However I feel it’s essential to share what it was like so you possibly can decide whether or not you need to spend your journey coping with stuff like this.
I do suppose it could have been lots higher if we had employed a driver, are available in by ferry quite than by airplane, did excursions out of Roseau, and introduced a stash of protein bars for when there was nowhere to eat.
Rattling, Barbados was costly!! Properly, a lot of the Caribbean is pricey, however Barbados left me aghast at a few of its costs. Significantly when Charlie and I went to a restaurant for one order of waffles, one breakfast sandwich, and two cappuccinos and the invoice was $50 USD.
Having an allergic response to Elf on a Shelf cereal. Yeah, this was so ridiculous it was humorous. The cereal is made with meals dyes that include warning labels within the EU, and my cheeks turned so crimson, I regarded like an precise elf.
What I Watched This Month
Down Cemetery Highway is a creepy British thriller on Apple TV+ starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson. It’s a restricted collection — simply eight episodes — and because it’s based mostly on a guide collection, they’re making a couple of season.
Now, I’ll be trustworthy. This began SO robust, with the sort of cliffhangers that freak you out and make you need to binge straight by. The collection is shot superbly (I really like how a lot cash they throw at Apple TV+ collection), and there’s a lot beautiful UK surroundings on display, particularly in Oxford.
And Emma Thomson and Ruth Wilson are a pleasure to observe, as they at all times are.
However because the collection goes on, it begins to pressure credulity — approach too many plot holes and coincidences. The tone sort of jumps round between seriousness and comedian reduction; it nearly looks like two reveals.
Quite a lot of viewers say that Down Cemetery Highway is the weakest of the writer’s novels, so I’m hoping that they iron out these points within the subsequent collection. For those who love thrillers, UK surroundings, and Emma and Ruth, I nonetheless advocate it, although!
What I Listened To This Month
I’m listening to all 500 of Rolling Stone‘s 500 Biggest Albums of All Time, which I’m having fun with immensely. I’m loving discovering new artists and listening to albums I’ve by some means missed my complete life till now!
In December, I listened to albums quantity 175-163. Solely 13 albums — not nice, however nonetheless one thing. It’s arduous for me to maintain up when on busy journeys like this one.
Favourite Discovery: There are two new albums that I beloved this month — nevertheless it sort of felt like I had listened to them each earlier than, as they each have so many well-known songs!
The primary is the Saturday Night time Fever soundtrack. Clearly an iconic album — it’s one of many best-selling albums of all time, the one disco album to win Album of the Yr on the Grammy’s, and it’s even within the Library of Congress!
And naturally I knew so most of the Bee Gees’s hit songs from the soundtrack. However I completely adored David Shire’s rating for the movie, which is about nearly as good as disco will get. And I LOVE disco.
The second is Billy Joel’s The Stranger. This album is INSANE. How did Billy Joel write so many excellent songs, all of them totally different from one another, on a single album?! “Vienna,” “Movin’ Out,” “Simply the Means You Are,” “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant”?! I knew each single certainly one of them, regardless of by no means listening to the album earlier than!
I really feel like he doesn’t get the songwriting credit score he deserves. He’s completely one of many greats.
For those who’ve by no means listened to the total albums earlier than, begin to end, I extremely advocate you give each a pay attention!
Different Favourite Discoveries: Folklore by Taylor Swift, Murmur by R.E.M., Bridge over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel, At Folsom Jail by Johnny Money.
Favourite Revisited Album: DAMN by Kendrick Lamar. You most likely know by now that I’m a giant Kendrick fan — and DAMN is a particular album to me as a result of it’s a hip-hop album I associated to fairly a bit.
This album is an existential stroll by the thoughts of a person infatuated with demise. He makes a alternative and is both saved or damned, relying on the order you take heed to the songs.
What I really like most is that there are recurring themes about being a artistic on the prime of your sport, the toll it takes on you, and the fixed terror that you just’re going to lose it. That’s what I relate to, particularly “FEEL” and “FEAR.”
“DUCKWORTH” is likely one of the wildest too-coincidental-to-be-true tales ever advised in a rap tune. Oh, and this album was the primary non-classical non-jazz album to win the Pulitzer Prize. How about that!
Favourite Songs: “Manhattan Skyline” by David Shire, “Solely the Good Die Younger” by Billy Joel, “DUCKWORTH” by Kendrick Lamar, “Kissability” by Sonic Youth, “The Solely Residing Boy in New York” by Simon & Garfunkel.
Get the playlist: I’m making a playlist of my favourite songs from the five hundred albums — most one per album — on Spotify. You may take heed to it right here.
Lowlight of the Month: The soundtrack to The Tougher They Come. This was mainly a number of variations of the identical tune, which is a good however not superb reggae tune, and whereas I admit it was influential in popularizing reggae within the US, I do not know why it’s on this checklist.
What I Learn This Month
The Index of Self-Harmful Acts by Christopher Beha (2020) — After predicting each 2008 election end result appropriately and attracting a following, statistician and blogger Sam Waxworth is employed to be a author at {a magazine} and finally ends up getting entwined with a wealthy New York household, every member on their strategy to their downfall.
I take pleasure in novels that target a number of totally different characters all through the guide, having all the things converge on the finish. And this guide was like watching a automobile crash, particularly because you quickly be taught that each one however one character are horrible individuals (although very entertaining to learn).
Total, I couldn’t put it down. And the ending was fairly satisfying.
Depraved: The Life and Instances of the Depraved Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire (1995) — The novel that impressed the musical, Depraved tells the story of Elphaba, a younger green-skinned lady in Oz who was the sufferer of a propaganda machine and became the Depraved Witch of the West.
Guys, I gained’t say I hated this guide, however I disliked it enormously. HOW ON EARTH DID THEY TURN THIS INTO THE MUSICAL?! It’s so totally different, it was like they plucked three small plot factors after which ran in a very totally different path!
However sure. Your complete guide was written in a approach that felt harsh and discomfiting, with some bizarre intercourse stuff thrown in for shock worth. Plus, Elphaba is a depressing individual, whereas Glinda has no persona. You understand how some books you simply need to keep in endlessly? This was the other.
I’m genuinely surprised that this guide grew to become a bestseller. I can see which area of interest fantasy followers would love it, however when you’re not into that…phew. I gained’t be studying the sequels.
Coming Up in January 2026
Every year, I maintain January freed from journey plans and spend the month working. I really feel lots of productive New Yr’s power annually, and I really like using it out.
We’ve been having fun with a prolonged interval of subzero temperatures, which implies that the snow has been sticking round rather more than typical! It’s such a pleasant improve from the standard grey days of January.
And it’s so good to be house after being away for a month, cuddled up with the cats. Murray is sleeping in entrance of my keyboard as I write this.
The remainder of the month will likely be quiet and comfortable.
What was your favourite second from December? Share away!
