It’s the end of the year, which means a time of reflection. I’ve always believed that travel isn’t just about the places I go, but the people I meet along the way. And throughout these past twelve months, I’ve encountered and befriended many inspiring and wonderful people, who have helped make this exceptional travel year even more special. Truly, I have much in which to be grateful.

In 2014, very little time was spent in my beloved Texas. I visited seven states, eleven countries, and four continents. I had several repeat destinations, including six trips to Paris and two trips each to Bordeaux, Switzerland, Brazil, Colorado, and San Francisco. By the middle of March, I’d already accumulated 42,196 air miles, so I figure I am close to 100,000 miles for the year. I just can’t be bothered to add all that up. However, here are a few more of my 2014 travel-related stats:

23 different airports

46 flight legs

11 trains

2 buses

6 ski resorts

4 apartments

55 hotels

 

Given all the miles I’ve covered in 2014, I’m glad to have an ample amount of photos to help jog my memory. A creature of habit, my photographic eye tends to gravitate toward the same themes. It’s the same song, different verse, if you will.{See 2013’s recap} Thus, here are some of my favorite travel photos from my 2014 Instagram stream.

 Agua

“Water is the driving force of all nature.” –Leonardo da Vinci

The English Channel as seen from Mont Saint-Michel in France

A river runs through Megeve, France

Private pool and the Pacific at Imanta Resort in Riviera Nayarit, Mexico

End of the day on Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

A look at Lake Geneva from Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues

A water highway in Venice, Italy

Food

“Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.”–Mark Twain

Apple strudel in Innsbruck, Austria

 Empanadas in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Fruit salesman in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Sweet bread in Salzburg, Austria

Apple tree in Normandy, France

Black truffles in St. Moritz, Switzerland

Forest for the Trees

“Trees are earth’s endless effort to speak to the listening heaven.”–Rabindranath Tagore

Cook pine tree in Lana’i, Hawaii

Shoe tree in Nevada, USA

A Sunday afternoon in Tuileries Garden in Paris, France

Behind the Palace of Versailles in France

Trees surround Lake Austin at Lake Austin Spa Resort in Texas

Rise and Fall

“Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered for they are gone forever.”–Horace Mann

Sunset in Florence, Italy

Texas Hill Country Sunset

Sunrise on the Hawaiian Island of Lānaʻi near Four Seaons Mānele Bay

Mexican sunset at Four Seasons Punta Mita

Sunrise at Hotel Vernet in Paris, France

Sunset in Rome, Italy

Sunset in Salzberg, Austria

Sunset in St. Moritz, Switzerland

Monumental

“Monuments are for the living, not the dead.” –Frank Wedekind

The famous La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Mont Saint-Michel in France

Night falls on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France

Arches and angles at the Louvre in Paris, France

Basking in the glow on the Spanish Steps in Rome, Italy

The iconic Rialto Bridge in Venice, Italy

Foundation Louis Vuitton in Paris, France

Elevation

“This mountain, the arched back of the earth risen before us, it made me feel humble, like a beggar, just lucky to be here at all, even briefly.” –Bridget Asher

Aspen, Colorado

Davos, Switzerland

Million Dollar Highway in Colorado

Summer in Chamonix, France

Zermatt, Switzerland

Langkawi, Malaysia

St. Anton, Austria

Zermatt, Switzerland

The Iron Lady

“I ought to be jealous of the tower. She is more famous than I am.” ― Gustave Eiffel

 Animals

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” ― Anatole France

Lipizzan horse in Vienna, Austria

Macaw in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Horseback riding in Lānaʻi, Hawaii

One of the many cats of La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Goat in the Tuileries Garden in Paris, France

Spider spinning a web in Normandy, France

One of the many dogs of Lagoa in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Lizard in Tuscany, Italy

Grazing horse in Santa Fe, Texas

 Raise a Glass

“Here’s to alcohol, the rose colored glasses of life.”–F.Scott Fitzgerald

Cucumber margarita at Imanta Resort in Riviera Nayarit, Mexico

Pure class in a glass at Four Seasons George V in Paris, France

Caipirinha in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Champagne at Hotel Vernet in Paris, France

 Big Wave brew with a view at Four Seaons Mānele Bay on Lānaʻi, Hawaii

Tropics meets the mountains in Megeve, France

 Mojito magic at Four Seasons Langkawi in Malaysia

Now it’s time to look forward to 2015. I’ve got big things brewing on the travel front. Plus, I never know what’s going to pop up. Follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for my real-time travel updates. And please leave your Instagram name and let me know what your 2015 travel plans are in the comments.