Travel & Lifestyle

From Texas to Easter Island

As the year comes to an end, I look back on a full 12 months of travel, both near and far. The highlight of my 2024 travel experience was a trip to Easter Island (Rapa Nui) in Chile, one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world. Closer to home, I explored Texas and discovered its beauty from land and air. Whether this is your first time visiting Go Backpacking or you have followed Go Backpacking at any time over the past 17 years, thank you for being here!

Chile

Explore Easter Island

Dave is at Ahu Tongariki, one of his hottest travel experiences of 2024.
Dave in ahu tongariki

The most exciting trip of the year was a two-week jaunt to Chile, half of which was spent on Easter Island. Kyle and I flew business class on LATAM Airlines from Santiago to Rapa Nui and rented a cozy coastal studio for the first four nights.

Our days were spent visiting various archaeological sites, from the easily accessible moai in Hangaroa to the most important, Rano Raraku, where giant monoliths were carved. We combined a guided tour of the Moai with a rental car to explore. It is also interesting to learn about the Orongo bird-man cult that succeeded Moai society.

At night, people gaze up at the twinkling stars over the South Pacific and enjoy Rapa Nui’s restaurants. We spent our last two nights on the island at Nayara Hangaroa Resort.

Borage Dinner

After Easter Island we returned to Santiago for four nights. In 2012, I visited Santiago for the first time after backpacking through Argentina and Uruguay, so I had the opportunity to serve as Kel’s tour guide. We celebrated our anniversary with a modern Chilean dinner at Borgao, one of the best restaurants in Latin America.

Visit Valparaiso

To make the most of our time in Chile, we signed up for a full-day tour of Valparaiso on the Chilean coast. During my 2012 trip, I spent a rainy weekend at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Valparaiso, but it was difficult to appreciate it due to the weather.

Twelve years later we visited in the same month (May) and the weather was warm and sunny. My chance to do it over was worth it, with the highlight being a guided walk through Valparaiso street art within the historic district.

USA

New York City Spring Break

I went to work with Kyle in New York the next year. We managed to squeeze in some fun experiences, like taping The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and visiting the Statue of Liberty in the morning.

The former requires patience (i.e. waiting in line for hours despite having a ticket). The latter was my first trip back to the Statue of Liberty since I was a kid. Coming back as an adult is long overdue and well worth the cost. Although the weather was gloomy for the first half of the trip, the clouds started to clear before heading back to the ferry and we took some nice photos of the statues and lower Manhattan.

Visit Kansas City

Another of Kyle’s business trips took us to Kansas City, a first for me. Tourist attractions include the National World War I Museum and Memorial, the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, Truman’s childhood home, and the world-class Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. I also took the opportunity to learn more about the KC barbecue scene and published a story on Feastio.

Austin FC (Minneapolis)

Allianz Arena second row seats

One of Kyle’s friends and her husband traveled to Minnesota over the weekend to attend a Minneapolis-Austin FC game. This was the first time I’d seen Austin’s fourth-year MLS team play an away game and we had in-person seats. I love being so close to the action, and I’ve had a few such experiences in football, including a FC Barcelona game in 2008 during my travels around the world, and one in Nashville Gold Cup.

Texas

It’s safe to say that a trip to Texas dominates my 2024 calendar. Closer to home, I made two overnight trips to Fredericksburg (Texas wine country), about 90 miles west of Austin, and twice traveled 90 miles north to Waco. Even further afield, there are three road trips to San Antonio and four road trips to Houston!

galveston

Dave and Kyle near the Galveston Pier; this beach trip is one of his favorite travel experiences of 2024. Dave and Kyle near the Galveston Pier; this beach trip is one of his favorite travel experiences of 2024. Dave and Kyle near the Galveston Pier; this beach trip is one of his favorite travel experiences of 2024.
Dave and Kyle near the Galveston Pier

While I enjoyed great food and great times in all the cities I visited, traveling to new places is what I remember the most. First up is Galveston on the Texas Gulf Coast. This historic port city has miles of beaches and plenty of fun activities no matter what time of year you visit.

Galveston Highlights:

  • Strand Historic District
  • Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Platform and Museum
  • Galveston Naval Museum
  • Galveston Railroad Museum
  • Moody’s Building
  • Bryan Museum
  • Moody Gardens (Aquarium and Rainforest Pyramid)
  • galveston island state park

I also saw the USS Texas, which is undergoing a multi-million dollar restoration and will eventually be opened to the public as a WWI and WWII historical museum. Given how much I enjoyed visiting the USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor, returning to Galveston to visit the USS Texas would be a no-brainer.

Lubbock

Dave and Buddy Holly statue in Lubbock, Texas. Dave and Buddy Holly statue in Lubbock, Texas. Dave and Buddy Holly statue in Lubbock, Texas.
Dave at the Buddy Holly statue

Next, we flew to Lubbock in West Texas to watch the Baylor Bears take on their hometown Texas Tech Red Raiders football game. The college game was a great excuse to explore a part of Texas that neither Kyle nor I had been to before. Like Galveston, I found there was plenty to keep newbies like us busy.

Lubbock Highlights:

  • Texas Aviation Museum (includes an impromptu tour with a pilot)
  • Silent Wings Museum
  • Lubbock Lake National Historic Landmark
  • Prairie Dog Town (although we only saw one)
  • Watch Baylor beat Texas Tech at Jones AT&T Stadium

Two of the more memorable Lubbock restaurants we dined at were Evie Mae’s BBQ and The Nicolett.

south padre island

From Texas to Easter IslandDave poses in the sand dunes of South Padre Island (photo by Kelly Lemons).From Texas to Easter Island
South Padre Island (photo by Kelly Lemons)

Finally, at my request, we vacationed in South Padre Island in South Texas. Kyle grew up in the area and after four years together, I wanted to see it for myself. The week before Thanksgiving was warm and sunny, but the bay waters were too cold for me to go swimming.

Instead we enjoyed a peaceful sunrise walk on the beach and sipped frozen drinks during sunset happy hour. During our time there, we discovered a lot to do on the island, from visiting the Sea Turtle Company to see rescued and rehabilitated sea turtles, to exploring the South Padre Island Bird and Nature Center, to the fishing piers along the south end of the island stroll.

We also ventured off-island to visit the Port Isabel Lighthouse, had barbecue in Brownsville, and visited Boca Chica Beach next to the SpaceX rocket launch facility.

final thoughts

From a business perspective, 2024 has been the most challenging year in my 17 years as a travel blogger. Google algorithm changes starting in September 2023 continue to negatively impact the visibility of My Stories in search results, and thus the number of visitors to Go Backpacking and Feastio. Advertising revenue is down, leading to cost-cutting and a need to travel closer to home.

All in all, however, when I look back on the past year, I am grateful for every trip I was able to take. As long as I live in Austin, it makes sense to continue exploring the massive Lone Star State.

previous annual review

live in texas

  • 2023 – Vietnam, Japan, United States
  • 2022 – Peru, United States
  • 2021 – Bahamas, USA
  • 2020 – a year without travel
  • 2019 – Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Colombia, United States
  • 2018 – Peru, Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Italy, Spain, United States
  • 2017 – Mexico, United States (I did not write a review)
  • 2016 – Mexico, Canada, Peru, Brazil, United States

life abroad

  • 2015 – Colombia, Türkiye, Georgia, Armenia, Greece, Germany, Romania, United Kingdom, United States
  • 2014 – Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Italy, Mexico, Peru, United States
  • 2013 – Colombia, Mexico, Canada, Panama, United States
  • 2012 South America – Peru, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia, Colombia
  • Europe and Asia 2012 – Iceland, Spain, Germany, Indonesia, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, England, Wales, Luxembourg, France, Monaco, Andorra
  • 2011 – Japan, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
  • 2010 – Rwanda, Colombia, United States

Planning a trip? Recommendations for backpacking:

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