*PINCH ME* I live on the West Coast of the US, and therefore, Hawaii is just a short (and now direct) flight away. If you haven’t been ADD IT TO YOUR TRAVEL WISH LIST NOW! You might be tempted to...
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When you’re getting ready for vacation two things most certainly will happen: You’re AMPED to go! You get to see a new place, visit family or friends and have time away from work. It’s vacation, who doesn’t love that?!...
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New Orleans has a spirit that is downright contagious. It’s fly-by-your-seat fun, carefree, anything goes, and embodies the spirit of ‘why not?’ and ‘the more the merrier.’ It’s so contagious that I find myself in New Orleans every few years...
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If you’re traveling solo, or with a group of friends, don’t automatically write of a hostel stay because you’re no longer 22. I’ve stayed in a few hostels this summer, and am reminded about all the pro’s of a hostel...
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I recently returned to Paris for a bit of a refresher on the city, transportation network, neighborhoods, major sights and to find all the quiet lovely streets in between. I have been once before, but it had been quite some...
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If you’re planning to travel with a group of friends, your family, a group of couples, or a new partner —- do yourself a favor and spend some (valuable!) time up front talking about your trip, and not just a “should we...
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I’ve been a traveler most of my life, and will be for the rest of my life. But that DOES NOT MEAN the long-haul international flights get any easier! They are by far the worst necessary evil of international travel. But...
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I’ve been riding a heck of a lot of trains these days. Many, many, many. But I’ve always been an avid rail passenger! I just love to see the countryside from the view of my comfortable train seat. While the...
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It doesn’t matter where I go outside the U.S., if I’m traveling overseas I always purchase travel insurance. ESPECIALLY when traveling in a COVID-19 world.
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If you’re heading to the mountain for your first snowshoe adventure – congratulations! You’re going to have a great time. Well – let me rephrase that. I’m fairly confident you’ll have an amazing time IF you come to the mountain...
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These days I’m booking hotels non-stop. Really. About 10-15 hours a week are dedicated to looking at accommodations for our hosted adventures, travel design clients, upcoming research trips, my own vacations, etc. I’m always looking for the right pocket of the city...
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There are few things worse than stepping off an airplane hangry (you read that right…”hangry” is intense hunger that leads to anger.) Having a grumbly belly from that strange burger wrapped in foil you ate on the plane or the cheese...
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Last weekend I participated in a two-day wilderness first aid training course hosted by NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School.) I signed-up for the course because I was having a growing list of WHAT IF’S keeping me up at night. What...
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I get asked a version of this question “how do you avoid expensive international data plans when you travel outside the US” quite frequently. The short answer is that I avoid these charges by only using the internet on my...
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Even in the most ideal travel circumstances things can still go wrong. Oh and they will go wrong. Trust me. For example…your dream hotel doesn’t meet your expectations, the cab driver gets lost on the way to the airport (yep,...
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So you want to travel but it costs money you don’t have, right? Allow me to help…. First thing first: traveling costs extra money and it can be really hard to save money, especially when you’re already strapped for cash....
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Road trips are great because of the freedom and flexibility you get to spontaneously explore along the way. BUT…they can also be a real drag if your romantic visions of a road trip are squashed by flat tires in the middle of no where, hotels that are all booked, restaurants that close early and the moment you realize you have put diesel in your unleaded fuel tank. This is when you wish you would have spent a wee bit more time planning.
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Portland will forever be my home. It’s the city I’ve lived in and worked in for most of my life. It’s the city that has welcomed me back from various corners of the world and kept me intrigued all these...
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Celebrating Oktoberfest in Munich had been on my bucket list for a long time and it finally got scratched off last year! Oktoberfest is in the same zone as drinking wine in Napa, attending Jazz Fest in New Orleans and...
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OK, don’t judge me, because I know you have all been in this predicament before or at least “heard” of this happening to someone you know. After an afternoon of wine tasting you get home and realize you have signed...
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