I started off the year with a road trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. I hung out with family, ate plenty of shrimp, beignets and gumbo, collected lots of beads, and even snagged a coveted coconut at the Zulu parade.

Me collecting beads at Mardi Gras

Thanks to a $178 glitch fare on Etihad Airlines, I touched down on the Asian continent for the first time with visits to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. I rode to the top of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper, wore an abaya for the first time, and toured the magnificent Grand Mosque. This was my first foray into the Middle East and it surprisingly had me yearning to see more.

Burj Khalifa

Me at the top of the Burj Khalifa

Me in an abaya at the Grand Mosque

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

I also returned to the Motherland thanks to the Etihad glitch, with visits to four countries in southern Africa. I attended the Cape Town Jazz Festival, hung out on Durban’s Golden Mile, visited Nelson Mandela’s childhood home and final resting  place, drove the Panorama Route, and delighted in the animals at Kruger National Park in South Africa. I rode the infamous Sani Pass, went pony trekking, and stayed in a village in the mountains of Lesotho. I saw the Fish River Canyon, went sand boarding for the first time, and climbed a 260-foot sand dune in Namibia. And I trekked to Mantenga Falls and Ezulwini Valley in Swaziland. It all made me love Africa even more.

Table Mountain views, South Africa

Mantenga Nature Reserve, Swaziland

Fish River Canyon, Namibia

The highest pub in Africa, Lesotho

I stayed stateside over the summer, with visits to Navajo country and the Big Apple. I shot plenty of pictures at Antelope Canyon and Lake Powell in Arizona, but photographs just don’t do them justice.  The entire area is nothing short of beautiful and amazing.  If you haven’t yet been, you ought to. I also made a quick run to Brooklyn and was able to take in the Atlantic Antic Festival. As always, I marveled in the frenetic pace and the diversity of New York.

Upper Antelope Canyon

Upper Antelope Canyon

Lake Powell

Mountain views in Page, AZ

I ended the year with a visit to Cuba – the one place I’ve wanted to see for years, but never thought I’d be able to due to the US embargo. As a lover of Afro-Cuban music and salsa dancing, Cuba was everything I hoped for and more. I pray that the thawing of US-Cuba relations will lead to increased prosperity and opportunity for the Cuban people, who are some of the nicest folks on the planet.

El Morro, Santiago de Cuba

Rumba at Callejon de Hammel, Havana

Rumba at Callejon de Hammel, Havana

Me and a 1953 Chevy

I haven’t yet finalized my travel plans for 2016, but Machu Picchu, Thailand and East Africa are all on my radar. I’ll also be writing more and sharing more travel deals and trip planning tips. Here’s to wishing you a Happy New Year and more passport stamps in 2016.

The post Farewell 2015, Hello 2016 first appeared on The Travel Sista.

Already, 2015 is looking to be another great year. On Christmas I snagged two amazingly cheap airfares on Etihad Airlines, which will allow me to strike off some biggies on my bucket list. In February, I’ll be visiting Dubai with friends (my first foray into Asia and my 5th continent). In March, I’m headed back to South Africa, where I will volunteer for one month (while also taking in the country’s beautiful sights and the Cape Town Jazz Festival). Hopefully, while I’m there I’ll also go white water rafting for the first time. I don’t know yet what the rest of 2015 holds, but I plan to make the best of it. I hope you too have another year of beautiful moments, treasured memories, and all the blessings your heart desires. Cheers!

Where did you go in 2014 and what do you have planned for 2015? Share your comments below.

The post Happy New Year first appeared on The Travel Sista.