It’s been an eventful nearly two-year ride for Swift. Professionally, she reached new heights: Her October 2023 documentary, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (which she produced), became the highest-grossing concert film of all time, and she won two Grammy Awards — bringing her grand total to 14 — in February. Her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, broke streaming records following its April release and remains the bestselling album of 2024. Amid many highs, there were a few notable lows: Last November, a Brazilian fan died of heat exhaustion during Swift’s Rio de Janeiro stop, and in August, she was forced to cancel three shows in Austria over terrorist threats.

She had much to celebrate in her personal life after finding love with NFL star Travis Kelce last summer. Their sweet romance was on full display: The 35-year-old Kansas City Chiefs tight end attended multiple tour stops and even joined Swift on stage for a performance of “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart” in June. “It can be very lonely at the top,” says a source. “This tour was one of the best [for Taylor] because Travis brightened it up.”

So what lies ahead for Swift at the end of this monumental era? With the tour concluding and her milestone birthday coming up on December 13, the singer is now at a crossroads. There are whispers about when (and if) she and Kelce will get engaged and start a family, and Swifties are clamoring to find out when she’ll record her next album (Taylor’s Versions of Reputation and Taylor Swift have yet to be released) and how long it will be before she tours again. Here, Us Weekly’s latest cover story delves into her future plans.

Will She Get Engaged?

After more than a year of dating, Swift and Kelce have talked about the next steps. A second source tells Us that while they’d both “love to be engaged,” it’s a matter of timing, noting that they “aren’t rushing it.” The first source says Swift likes to take things slow when it comes to relationships (her previous romance with actor Joe Alwyn lasted six years before their April 2023 split). “Taylor does feel like Travis is The One, but jumping in is not her style,” says the first source. “That’s just not how she does [things]. Marriage is a big deal, and she wants [it to be] forever.”

The next few months will be a good test for them and mark the first time they’ll be together for an extended period. (The NFL regular season ends in early January, when playoffs begin.) “Taylor plans to stay in and hibernate [with Travis] for a while,” says the second source, noting that they will also spend time in NYC, where Swift has a luxe apartment. “They want to do ‘normal things’ as a couple.” Adds the first source: “Taylor and Travis are eager to spend quality time together because [that’s when] the little nuances about someone’s personality and habits come into play. They will learn so much about each other.”

There’s no question her friends and family are on board with a proposal. Their parents have become especially close: Kelce’s mom, Donna (along with his brother, Jason, and Jason’s wife, Kylie), attended Swift’s October 18 show in Miami; Swift’s mom, Andrea, hit up Kelce’s November 10 Chiefs game. “They’re very intertwined,” says the second source. “[It feels] as if they’ve been a part of each other’s [lives] for years. It’s been seamless.”

Does She Want to Start a Family?

She’s a doting cat mom and godmother to three of pal Blake Lively’s kids, but the first source says Swift doesn’t have babies on the brain — at least not yet. “She’s not considering kids right now because of her career,” the source says, adding, “Taylor and Travis are both so busy.” Besides football, Kelce has branched out into acting with roles in the FX series Grotesquerie and the upcoming Happy Gilmore sequel (he also hosts Amazon’s game show Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?). The second source tells Us the subject has come up, but they don’t have a timeline. “Taylor would love to be a mom in the next few years,” the source says, noting that Swift and Kelce are often on the same page. “They’re very humble and family-oriented. That’s why [their relationship] works so well.”

Is She Taking an Extended Break from Touring?

If anyone deserves some rest, it’s Swift. “Taylor’s exhausted,” says the second source. “She’s excited for some relaxation and downtime.” According to the source, the singer will likely celebrate her 35th birthday in NYC (last year, she toasted with celeb pals, including Jack Antonoff, Gigi Hadid, Gracie Abrams and Zoë Kravitz, and high school bestie Abigail Anderson at downtown hotspot The Box). “She loves a quaint party with her closest friends,” the source says, adding, “Taylor is excited about turning 35. She knows she’s accomplished so much.”

The first source says Swift plans on hosting Christmas with her and Kelce’s families and wants to start the New Year on a low-key, restful note. Then she’ll get to work on a new album and is talking about hitting the road again — albeit on a smaller scale than the Eras Tour — in 2026. “She had such a great experience on Eras. She really wants to do it again,” says the first source. “She loves being with all her fans; it inspires her.” Still, Swift’s not committing to anything just yet. “Things can change. A lot of it hinges on what happens over the next year with Travis,” says the source. “She’s told her team to give her one year to see how things go in her personal life.”

Will She Change Up Her Musical Style?

In her December 2023 Time magazine Person of the Year cover, Swift addressed the fickle nature of fame, saying, “Nothing is permanent. So I’m very careful to be grateful every second that I get to be doing this at this level.” But in a year where up-and-comers like Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan and Tate McRae dominated, while more established acts like Dua Lipa, Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Lopez didn’t fare quite as well, Swift was the exception. “Taylor and her team continually make consistently great pop music,” former Sony Music exec and Managing Director of Strat Americas Seth Schachner tells Us. “Taylor has the goods with hooks and great production and songwriting.” As for whether she should experiment with her sound to stay relevant, Schachner says if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. “I don’t see her changing the production of her sound radically. A Taylor Swift reggae or metal release are not likely scenarios. She’s a very prolific artist. She doesn’t need to reinvent herself.”

Who Will Stay in Her Inner Circle?

Since coupling up with Kelce, Swift has gotten tighter with Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. “Taylor has always been close to Blake, but now they are doing couples things together, like double dates, and it’s helped Travis and Ryan form a bond,” says the first source. (The foursome was spotted grabbing dinner in Manhattan on October 11.) “Ryan and Travis are good friends and chat regularly.” Swift is also embracing her fellow WAGs, including Patrick Mahomes’ wife, Brittany, and Chariah Gordon, who’s engaged to wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. Gordon recently told Glamour that Swift hand knitted a baby blanket for her 7-month-old daughter and called the gesture “so freaking cute and so thoughtful.”

Does She Want to Be More Private?

Gone are the days when Swift went to extreme lengths to hide from the paparazzi and dodged questions about her dating life. “Travis and Taylor are totally in love, and they don’t care what other people think,” a source told Us in September. In her Time interview, Swift admitted she’s become less guarded overall — and it looks like she’ll stay that way. “Yes, if I go out to dinner, there’s going to be a whole chaotic situation outside the restaurant. But I still want to go to dinner with my friends. Life is short,” she explained. “Me locking myself away in my house for a lot of years — I’ll never get that time back. I’m more trusting now than I was six years ago.”

Will She Branch Out in Her Career?

Back in December 2022, it was reported that Swift would direct a feature-length film for Searchlight Pictures based on an original script she wrote (she’s been behind the camera before, directing a 14-minute short film for her hit song “All Too Well” and the video for “Fortnight”). Swift also self-published The Eras Tour Book in November. As with Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour movie — which she released without a studio as the middle man — she’s in charge. And that will likely be the case going with future projects. “Ultimately, I did what I tend to do more and more often these days,” she told Time last year, “which is to bet on myself.”