Chelsea Ensel, Senior Account Executive

Since I usually take about 2-3 big trips a year, COVID has allowed me to truly assess where I want to visit as things start to open back up. My dream trip would be a train ride starting in Kiev, going to Minsk, then up through the Baltic states stopping in Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn, with a final stop in Helsinki. The below three cities have been on my mind for the past few years, and they will be my go-tos when restrictions fully lift!

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

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No less than two weeks after COVID struck NYC hard did I have a trip to Albuquerque planned. I still have intentions of going to see the petroglyphs, hike around inactive volcanos, and maybe even stop by my first ever honky-tonk. The brewery scene is supposed to be one of the best in the country, and I’ll need some top-notch tacos and Native American cuisine to soak it up with.

NAPLES, ITALY

My mother’s family came from a small town on the outskirts of Naples, and I have always wanted to visit and pay my tributes. Aside from seeing the small village of Montesarchio, a quick trip to San Marzano sul Sarno would be a must to taste fresh-from-the-soil-of-Mount-Vesuvius San Marzano tomatoes.

MINSK, BELARUS

Minsk is a soviet-era architectural lovers dream – some of the last refuges of Stalinist architecture can be found throughout the city, juxtaposed by the hip artistic crowd who fill the local coffee shops and galleries. For an escape from the hustle and bustle of city life, there is the Belovezkskaya Pushcha National Park, a UNESCO heritage site with free-roaming animals and old-growth forests.