Hotel Review | Holiday Inn Resort, Jekyll Island, Georgia

When I returned from India, someone I hadn’t seen in a while said, “Welcome back from vacation!” Though I know he meant, “Welcome back,” part of me wanted to say, “Vacation?!?!?!?! That wasn’t a vacation!!!!!” I loved India, but volunteering there had taken a lot out of me, and I certainly didn’t feel like I’d been on a beach with a drink in my hand. In Croatia this month, I was working on my laptop in a caffe for a few hours almost every day. Even when I’m not volunteering or working, I’m trying to experience and photograph as much as possible or I’m exhausted from catching a bus or train every two days. A few days after working my booty off in Croatia, I arrived at the Holiday Inn Resort in Jekyll Island, Georgia. For the first time in years, I felt like I was truly on vacation.

Hotel Review | Swissotel Dresden, Germany

I loved being away on my last trip, but traveling wears me out. Not sleeping in my own bed, being uncomfortable on buses and trains, and walking five to 15 miles a day drains me of energy. By the time I arrived in Dresden, I was müde. Luckily, I was staying at luxurious Swissôtel where […]

Hotel Review | Hotel Ruze in Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

The majority of the people I know who have been to the Czech Republic (or Czechia) have only been to Prague. I fell deeply in love with Prague, in fact, I started to look for jobs and apartments there after two days, but I also found a lot I loved in the other Czech town I visited, Cesky Krumlov. Cesky Krumlov is a medieval town designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It might just be the most charming place I’ve ever been and is one of the smallest towns I’ve explored. I joked to my family that it was the size of our neighborhood at home. In this most charming town I’ve ever been, I stayed in the most charming hotel I could find: Hotel Ruze.

Hotel Review | St. George Residence All Suite Hotel Deluxe in Budapest, Hungary

By the time I arrived in Budapest, I was about a third of the way through my trip. In a little over two weeks, I’d stayed in three Airbnbs in South Africa, and two Airbnbs and one hotel in England. I’d only had my own place for two of those nights. I had a blast with my friends, but I was also looking forward to being by myself. While in Budapest, I stayed at St. George Residence All Suite Hotel Deluxe, a luxury hotel on the Buda side of the Danube River.

Product Review | Lo & Sons Catalina Weekender Bag

If there’s one thing I wish I had with me in Myanmar, aside from a personal wifi hotspot, it’s my Lo & Sons Catalina weekender bag. I thought about bringing it and it would have fit so nicely folded up in my large suitcase, but I thought I would just be taking weekend trips and would be able to fit everything in my backpack. Little did I know, instead, I’d be taking a full fifteen-day trip in the middle of my time in Yangon. I didn’t want to bring my full suitcase, because I’d be traveling on small planes, shared taxis, and a small ferry, so I loaded up my backpack and my Longchamp and hit the road. I ended up buying so many souvenirs and snacks and perhaps not packing as well as I did on my first try that it evolved into me carrying three bags around with me, which was kind of annoying.

Product Review | Painless Packing with Vacay Style

I’m one of those people who feels “off” if I don’t have a trip on the horizon. I absolutely LOVE planning my travels, but that’s probably not a surprise to anyone reading this. I’m constantly looking at maps, flight schedules, and my friends’ travel blogs, deciding where to go next. But there’s one piece of getting ready for a trip that I don’t love – packing.

Hotel Review | Langley Resort Fort Royal Guadeloupe

When I told people I was going to the Guadeloupe Islands, the majority of them immediately asked, “Where?” The islands in the French Antilles in the Caribbean are not yet a popular destination for Americans, with most of the visitors from Europe and speaking much better French than I do, but all that could change soon. Guadeloupe was featured as #11 on the NY Times’ 52 Places to Go in 2016, Norwegian Air now offers (cheap!) direct flights from JFK, Baltimore, & Boston, and if that’s not enough to spark interest, the internet will also be reading my posts about the islands over the next few weeks.

Product Review | A Spare Pair for the Air

I was recently contacted by Firmoo, asking me to try their “global optical online store” and thought it would be a great opportunity to get myself a pair of glasses I could travel with, without risking my “good” pair that I get each year from insurance.

Product Review | Trick or Treats? Treats.

One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that there’s a way to travel in between trips, and that’s through food! I often travel in my own zip code in between traveling outside of it by finding a great restaurant with cuisine from a place I’ve never been in my Global Bites without the Flights series. And now, I can also experience snacks from a different country each month with my Treats subscription box!

NYC | A Shining, Shimmering, & Splendid Disney on Broadway Tour

Luckily, Walks of New York’s newest tour brings this part of Times Square to you in a way that isn’t overwhelming – in a way that allows you to see past human Hello Kitty, human Elmo, and human Spiderman, past the equally annoying shoving or stopped-in-the-middle-of-the-sidewalk tourists, and past the excessive advertising. The Disney on Broadway Tour focuses on the history of theatre and performance in New York as well as specific Broadway houses and shows.

Product Review | I Just Made You Say “Underwear”

This particular ad on Tim Ferriss had been for ExOfficio’s travel underwear and I decided to give it a shot myself. I’ve never washed clothes while traveling, choosing instead to pack more than I need and tossing things out along the way. But since I was going to be on the train almost every day of my week-long Switzerland trip, I thought I’d do better with a smaller bag. I packed a pair of ExOfficio underwear to save space, in place of a few extra pairs of my normal ‘wear.

Madrid, Spain | A Rainy Photoshoot with Flytographer

I’ve been a fan of Flytographer’s work for while now, since two of my travel buddies (the World Wanderer and Lola) have had some amazing experiences with them. Flytographer is a company who sources local photographers in over 130 destinations for personal, candid photoshoots of you, your family, and friends, enjoying your travels. My family has not had a professional photoshoot in quite some time (I’m the littlest one):