Looking back, July has been a great month. Although it wasn’t heavy on long distance travel, I still managed to have a few great weekend breaks closer to home. The blog has also done exceptionally well this month, with the most views I’ve had since starting to write sixteen months ago. Here’s what Noelle got into in July.

Destinations visited:

Ocean City and Edgewater, Maryland

Charlottesville and Richmond, Virginia

Reno, Nevada

Favorite destinations:

Richmond, Virginia – Despite growing up 2 hours away, this was my first time ever to Virginia’s capital city, Richmond. In recent years, Richmond has become a hot spot for new restaurants, cafes, cultural activities, and breweries. While visiting, I did a walking tour along the James River and partnered with Richmond Brewery Tours.

Highlights:

July was the best month ever for the blog – This month the blog reached its highest number of viewers yet; thank you to everyone who has taken the time to visit and read!

Partnering with new companies – This month I partnered with Mustang Sally Brewery, Richmond Brewery Tours, and Thanksgiving Farm Winery – look for a post on the winery this week. I had a wonderful experience working with all three companies!

Exploring more of my home state – Last week I drove down to Charlottesville and Richmond, Virginia for a short weekend getaway. Exploring more of my own state has made me gain a better appreciation for the quirky historical cities and beautiful scenery that Virginia is known for.

Challenges:

Lots of personal changes – Nothing necessarily bad, but when a lot of changes in my personal life happen in a short period of time I just have to remember to keep my perspective and not over stress.

Still recovering from my hamstring injury – If you’ve followed my monthly recaps for May and June, you’ll know that I got a grade-II hamstring injury in late May. After doing physical therapy in June, I am doing a lot better than a few months ago. I can walk long distances again and have started using the elliptical at the gym. The road to recovery still has some way to go, but I’m relieved to see progress.

Posts:

Rowdy in River City: A Richmond Brewery Tour – A guided tour experience of three established and up-and-coming breweries in Richmond, Virginia.

How To Survive a Long Haul Flight – After seven flights to Europe and back in the past year and a half, my tips on how to survive long haul flights.

How To Avoid Travel Burnout – Sometimes travel can be exciting… and sometimes it can be stressful. Read how I avoid travel burnout.

Ride, Sally, Ride! – A tour of Mustang Sally Brewing Company in Chantilly, Virginia, and a sampling of their delightful beer.

Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park in Luray, Virginia – Jellystone Park is the perfect activity-filled family friendly camp-resort.

Coming up in August 2017:

August is kicking off with a week-long trip of Nevada exploring the Lahontan Valley and Reno areas. Once I’m back from the desert, a family weekend getaway to Kent Island, Maryland for some quality beach time is in order. I’ve also got plans in the works for the end of the month – so stay tuned!

What did you do in July? Where is your August taking you?