Sometimes one winter getaway to a tropical paradise just isn’t enough. This winter, I have two amazing tropical trips back-to-back. Literally, they are back to back as I am home for five days between. So I decided for the purposes of the trip introduction to combine them into one, my Tropical Winter.

The journey begins with a week on Kauai, the last of Hawaii’s “main” islands I have yet to visit. (I define the main ones as Kauai, Maui, Oahu, and the Big Island of Hawaii.) I will be at a resort near Kapa’a, on the eastern coast of the island, and have attached a map of Hawaii below with Kapa’a marked.

Kauai is known as the garden island, and I am excited to explore some of the features of this lush tropical paradise. While most of my specific activities will wait to fill in until I get there, I do know some things I definitely have to see. Hanalei Bay is at the north end of the island and I’d love to kayak there. Poipu Beach sits at the south and seems like the perfect place for relaxation. And while I may not get to the amazing Na Pali Coast unless I go by boat (or helicopter), I do want to see some of the mountains and canyons that lead to it.

Beyond that, I intend to eat as much poke as my stomach will accept, to drink tropical drinks, gorge on pineapple, and enjoy the slower pace of life in Hawaii. It will be my fourth trip to the Aloha State, and each has been incredible.

After a quick few days back in Los Angeles, it is off for my annual January trip to the Caribbean. This year, the destination is not an island, but the city of Cartagena, Colombia. You can see the map below for its specific location in the country.

Cartagena has one of the best old walled cities in the Americas, and my two weeks in the city will include at least three or so visits there from my Airbnb along the beach. I will also visit a mud volcano, spend a night in the Rosario Islands off the coast, and soak up some more winter sun.

As for specific things I’d like to write about while in Cartagena, I am hoping to do stories on coffee, on Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and on Colombian biodiversity. Plus other things as they come up, of course! Sometimes the best articles are the ones totally unplanned.

I realize how lucky I am, that I am able to leave the admittedly not harsh winters in Los Angeles each year for warmer climes. And I realize as well that it can sometimes seem a bit braggadocios that I write about it here for those who are not able to do so. That isn’t my intent, and I apologize if it comes off that way. My goal is to have experiences that will hopefully inspire others to take some time and try to see new places and to learn new things. And even if circumstances don’t allow travel for you at the moment, I hope that learning is still possible and welcome.

In all, I will be gone about three weeks, but with those few days between for laundry and re-packing. You can, as always, follow along for daily photos on my Instagram. Articles will be a bit behind, probably starting sometime the second half of March, and running through May or so, depending on how much content I am able to produce.

I hope you enjoy the trips even half as much as I plan to!