As this summer winds down soon, it’s time to swap the office chairs for beach loungers and mountain trails if you haven’t taken a break yet! At CrowdSouth, we know the importance of balancing work and fun to feel refreshed and rejuvenated.
Last year, we gave you a taste of our team’s favorite vacation spots in our Vacation All I Ever Wanted blog by Ashley Boeglin, and this year, we’re back for more! So, whether you’re itching for a National Park adventure, craving an international excursion, or planning family fun, we have some great recommendations! Join us as we indulge in a much-needed break from the daily grind.
First, we’ll start with our international recommendations!
Jason Heflin
Place To Visit: Italy
Recommendation: We love international travel. This year our family explored Italy. On that trip, we spent 3 days in Pompeii. The excavations there started in the 1700s, and are still ongoing today! We recommend bucking up for a guide, as the city is huge and it would be easy to miss some of the more interesting locations.
Rachel Dodge
Place To Visit: Paris, France
Recommendation: I absolutely loved wandering the streets of Paris and getting lost in the charm. While in Paris, you have to hit up all the famous spots: the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral, and the Louvre (Don’t miss the Napoleon III Apartments!). One of my favorite places is the Château de Versailles. It’s breathtaking and magical! Also, If you’re a Phantom of the Opera fan like me, you have to visit the Palais Garnier Opera House. For a change of pace from the city, take a day trip to the Loire Valley, which is known for its beautiful châteaux and vineyards. We loved our time there!
Food Rec: Steak Frites and Crème Brûlée. Visit Angelina’s for beautiful pâtisseries!
Ashley Boeglin
Place To Visit: Europe
Recommendation: If you’ve ever thought about traveling internationally… DO IT! We journeyed through Amsterdam, Heidelberg, Switzerland, Beaune, Paris, and London—each was an adventure filled with canals, mountains, and stunning architecture. There’s so much beauty and GOOD food to be discovered in the world. Get outside of your comfort zone a bit, explore, and enjoy it! My international travel advice? Learn your pleasantries, invest in comfy shoes, take a river cruise, and NEVER pass up a street market!
Leah Cummings
Place To Visit: Southern Spain
Recommendation: After living in Madrid for six months, I can’t recommend traveling around Spain enough, especially to the amazing cities in the south. Southern Spain has a unique charm that’s different from the rest of the country. The food is delicious, and there are lovely streets and beaches everywhere. Some of my favorite cities are Córdoba, Seville, and Granada. If you love beautiful architecture and royal palaces like I do, you can’t miss the Alhambra in Granada!
Not quite looking for an international getaway? We’ve got some recommendations within the United States too!
Chad Webb
Place To Visit: Alaska
Recommendation: : I recommend an Alaskan cruise. We cruised from Vancouver Canada to Anchorage Alaska. We spent a couple of days on the front end in Seattle WA and Vancouver before boarding the boat and cruising up the Alaska coast taking a few stops in different small Alaskan towns. When we ended in Anchorage, we spent an extra three days exploring Anchorage and drove up to Denali National Park. You never know when you may get up to Alaska again, so I would highly recommend Denali, it was pretty amazing!
Shelby Wheeler
Place To Visit: South Dakota
Recommendation: I would recommend visiting Badlands National Park in South Dakota. It’s unlike any national park we have been to, it feels like you are in a different world. We treated it as an adult jungle gym and climbed around, but you can also just drive around and see the different views at all the pull-offs. You may also see some wildlife. While you’re there check out Mt. Rushmore nearby – it’s not worth a trip alone, but if you’re near it you’ve got to check it out! Also, you will see a million signs for Wall Drugs – definitely worth a stop!
Ashley Boeglin
Place To Visit: Hilton Head, South Carolina
Recommendation: Surrounded by the sea pines, I can’t think of a sweeter place to unwind and build sandcastles than Hilton Head Island. We love the laid-back atmosphere, the fresh seafood, and walking to Coligny to grab a Dirty Monkey from the Frosty Frog. It’s the perfect vacation mix
of relaxing and fun. If you visit, treat yourself to the shrimp and calamari from Dockside and you won’t find a better beachside bite than Stu’s!
McKenzie Wood
Place To Visit: National Parks
Recommendation: My favorite vacation spot is national parks! So far I’ve been to Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Great Smokey Mountains, Olympic, Mount Rainier, and North Cascades. They are each so unique and beautiful, I would recommend them to anyone!
By Leah Cummings
Social Media Account Rep