Greetings from Toronto Austin! While we initially planned to ring in 2025 with family and friends in Canada, ATX Jr. came down with an illness so we’ll be celebrating on the couch at home. So, with all of my travels for the year in the books, it’s time for the 2024 Travel Year in Review.
This is a tradition that I first discovered on FlyerTalk and is my favorite post of the year, it’s great getting to recap all of the flying that happened over the last 12 months and the memories that went along with it.
2024 was a wild year for us. It began as a family of two and finished as a family of three. Pre and post baby we still managed to get plenty of traveling in. Mrs. ATX continues to be supportive of my insane hobby and is often willing to come along for the ride. My stats for the year are below and I encourage everyone to share theirs in the comments!
2024 Travel Year in Review Summary
New Countries (3): Czech Republic, Norway, Sweden
New Airports (8): PRG, BGO, TOS, ARN, SJC, SJD, MFE, SAN
New Airlines (5): SWISS, Wideroe, SAS, Alaska, Spirit
New Aircraft (1): Embraer E195
Shortest Flight: AUS-DAL, 189 Miles
Longest Flight: AMS-AUS, 5,089 Miles
Total Airports: 23
Total Flights: 36
Total Miles Flown: 33,014
2024 Year in Review Highlights
While we had the opportunity to take many amazing trips this year, there are a few that stand above the rest.
Ringing in 2024 at the Sugar Bowl
We kicked off 2024 with a trip to New Orleans to watch Mrs. ATX’s Texas Longhorns take on the Washington Huskies. While the outcome of the game wasn’t what we wanted, New Orleans is always a great time!
An Epic Babymoon to See the Northern Lights
In February, we took our only major international trip of the year. Prior to the arrival of ATX Jr., we decided to take a Babymoon to Europe in the hopes of catching the Northern Lights. We made stops in Prague, Tromsø (where we saw one of the most amazing things I’ve ever personally witnessed), and Stockholm. I’m not usually a fan of cold weather but this was a fantastic experience!
Babymoon Round Two in Mexico
A month before ATX Jr. burst onto the scene, we took a trip with friends to Cabo San Lucas for a long weekend getaway. It was my first trip to Cabo and, while the beaches are more rock than sand, we all had a fantastic time. With direct flights from Austin, this is definitely somewhere we want to return.
Mileage Running for British Airways Tier Points
One of the wildest experiences I had traveling this year was when I convinced a college buddy of mine to join me on a crazy, single day, British Airways Tier Point run to keep our Executive Club status. We ended up flying six flights through five different airports in the span of 18 hours. While most might find this crazy, we had a fantastic time!
ATX Jr.’s First Flight
After a break from traveling for a few months over the summer we headed up to Denver to visit some friends. While a domestic United First Class flight isn’t anything special, this was ATX Jr’s first flight and what would become one of many in 2024.
An Alaskan Adventure to San Diego
One of the things that I wanted to try and do in 2024 was try out some new airlines. One of the major U.S. carriers that I hadn’t yet flown was Alaska Airlines but, I managed to rectify that on a long weekend trip to San Diego. While the hard product isn’t cutting edge, I found the crew to be extremely friendly and I would absolutely fly with Alaska again!
Looking Ahead to 2025
While our travel plans for 2025 are far from final, we already have a good idea of what we’re doing for the first half of the year. While we were supposed to ring in the New Year in Toronto, our first international trip will likely have to wait until March. We are planning a trip to the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, and Turkey with some of Mrs. ATX’s family.
2025 will also be the year that I finally get to Asia. Mrs. ATX and I are leaving the kiddo at home and heading to Japan with some of our Denver based travel friends for 10 days in July. I managed to find award space on Japan Airlines’ direct A350 flight between Dallas and Tokyo so that is one that I’m really looking forward to.
If anyone has any recommendations on the above locations please send them my way! If you’re travelling between now and the New Year, I wish you safe travels as we close out 2024 and look forward to many more adventures in 2025!
Summary
Thank you all for checking out my 2024 Travel Year in Review! We took many wonderful trips and made so many memories along the way. As we look forward to 2025 please share your annual recaps and plans for 2025 in the comments below, andsend me any recommendations for Dubai, Almaty, Istanbul, and Tokyo!
