Forest Canopies in the Quechee Gorge and Ivy in Hanover, NH

November 1, 2016

I had been looking forward to our New England Autumn road trip for months and the colors and leaves surely didn’t disappoint once there! From Boston to Hanover, New Hampshire, our first stop on our road trip through the North Eastern US, we drove in awe of the colors of the trees around us. When we finally stopped and got out of the car in Hanover, I couldn’t help but smile at all the Fall colors in this tiny cute little town and the leaves falling all around me.

Home to famous Dartmouth College, Hanover is a true North Eastern college town to be sure. With cute little restaurants and shops, the main street is charming, made even more charming by the brick buildings covered in ivy and the Autumn colors lining the area. If in the area, Hanover is definitely worth a quick stop for sure!

After lunch and a quick stroll, we jumped back in the car en route to Woodstock, Vermont when we came across a pull out for the Quechee Forest and Gorge. So we pulled over, parked the car and ventured down the forest trail into the dense forest of changing colors. With leaves falling around us and the rain starting to fall, we took it all in and then headed back to the car. If you’re driving this route, this was a great stop and an easy pull off of the highway!

The Best Autumn Weekend Roadtrip from Boston

October 31, 2016

The New England Autumn is world-renowned, and well worth it. A couple weeks ago we decided to check out this famed part of the US during the Fall and I can’t stop raving about it. The colors were incredible, the scenery stunning and the small towns to die for. So if you’re thinking of doing you’re own Fall road trip in the North East of the US, here is the best Autumn weekend road trip from Boston, a great city to base out of in order to see the most of this part of the country. You’ll roam through the college towns of New Hampshire, the rolling hills of Vermont and the scenic byways of Massachusetts on this feast for the eyes journey! And if you only have a weekend to see it, that’s ok! While you could drive this part of the country for weeks seeing all there is to see, here’s the best way to see the most in a weekend!

Day 1 – Leave Boston bright and early!

Drive from Boston to Hanover, New Hampshire, the home of the famous Dartmouth University and lovely little North Eastern town, complete with grassy lawns and falling leaves.

Stop for Lunch at Molly’s Restaurant and Bar for clam chowder and wood fired pizzas in a cozy pub-like atmosphere.

Jump back in the car and head to the outskirts of Woodstock, Vermont – specifically headed toward the Sleepy Hollow Farm in the rolling foliage covered hills of Vermont.

This breathtaking off-the-beaten-path farm is magnificent in the Autumn, with leaves all around and the colors of the rolling hills looking like an oil painting. Stop for a while and take in the scenery here in the backroads of Vermont, an area that will for sure keep your eyes fixed on all the beauty around you!

When you’re ready to head on, drive the 10 minutes down the hills into Woodstock itself, the most beautiful little town you might ever see. Woodstock, Vermont is quite literally out of a story book, with colonial houses lining the main street, blocks from the town butcher and market. Spend some time here just admiring the best of small town USA, amidst the falling leaves and the Autumn colors.

Once you’re done admiring one of the most beautiful places in the US, jump back in the car and drive over the mountains to Manchester, Vermont. Along the way though, be sure to stop at Plymouth Artisan Cheeses along Vermont Route 4. Pick up maple syrup, Vermont cheddar cheese and homemade apple butter!

After your quick stop to pick up Vermont’s finest artisan products, head back out on the road towards Manchester, Vermont where you’ll stay for the night. On the road you’ll climb in elevation, crossing the Green Mountains and take in the gorgeous scenery of the drive.

Once in Manchester, Vermont, make your way to the gorgeous Taconic Hotel, a Kimpton property in this cute little New England town. Here you’ll stay for the night, cozy in the hotel and eating dinner next to a roaring fire at the hotel restaurant, the Copper Grouse.

Day 2 – Sleep in, then get back on the road bound for Massachusetts!

In the morning on Day 2, take your time getting up and around and enjoy the coziness of the Taconic Hotel, especially on chilly Fall days! When ready, head out of Manchester, Vermont towards Williamstown, Massachusetts.

Stop and wander this cute little town and grab a bit to eat at the Spring Street Market and Cafe, then get back on the road for a scenic drive back to Boston along scenic Route 2.

Along the way, stop and admire the foliage in the hilly windy roads and Windsor Lake outside of North Adams and the views over the Connecticut River outside of Gill. Take your time on the drive back to Boston, admiring the foliage and tiny towns along the way!

While you could spend weeks exploring the Autumn colors of New England, start with an introduction weekend and this is a great itinerary to see as much as you can in a weekend of these beautiful States!

Favorite Moments : Fall in Vermont

October 27, 2016

We got back earlier this week from a long weekend in New England to see the Fall colors in this famed part of the country. And while we spent most of our time in Vermont, we also made stops in New Hampshire and Massachusetts that were beautiful as well. So as we get all our photos edited and sorted from our trip, I can’t wait to start sharing how to take your own Fall road trip through New England as well! Starting today though, some of my very favorite moments from our Autumn road trip through the North East United States!

First Glimpses of Fall Color

As we left Boston early Saturday morning and headed North, within about 45 minutes of leaving the city we started seeing the famed New England Fall colors. Nick and I both kept remarking how different the colors are in this part of the country than we get in the Pacific North West. The New England Autumn is more muted but deeper in color, more jewel toned than the bright reds and yellows we get here in Oregon. We drove in awe of our surroundings the whole trip!

Sleepy Hollow Farm

Just outside of Woodstock, Vermont is a place called the Sleepy Hollow Farm on Cloudland Road. It’s totally off the beaten path and completely breathtaking in the landscape surrounding the farm. We headed off on the one lane road up the hill to get here and stopped every few minutes as the drive up there is so beautiful in itself. And once you’re at the top of the hill, overlooking this beautiful farm, it’s hard not to just stay there for hours admiring the beauty!

Woodstock, Vermont

Of all the little towns we drove through, Woodstock, Vermont was by far my favorite! The houses, the town, the foliage – it’s literally the most beautiful little town I’ve ever seen and I’d love to go back and stay in the town next time!

Our stay at The Taconic Hotel

One of the reasons we made Vermont a priority trip this year was due to the fact that Kimpton just opened a beautiful new hotel in Manchester, Vermont and I really wanted to check it out. In the end, it ended up being an amazing hotel in person!

Travel Tips : How to Book Award Travel

October 26, 2016

I book a lot of award travel, using points and mileage to purchase travel all around the world for insanely low personal cost to me. But I find, when talking to people in my life, they are always unsure in this arena of travel and always remark that they don’t really know how to properly take advantage of this system in order to travel at low costs. So I thought that a video actually showing you how I book award travel would be most beneficial to this discussion so that you can actually see how I do it and how you can too take advantage of some pretty amazing travel benefits right at your fingertips! So, for a video walkthrough of how to book award travel – here is everything I know on the subject to help you book your very own award travel bookings!

And for early access to these types of videos – be sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel for content like this!

The Truth About Traveling : Why You Shouldn’t Just Travel in the Summer

October 25, 2016

Ever notice that during the Summer our social media feeds are filled with people on vacation? It’s really no secret that Summer travel is peak season travel, when everyone heads somewhere for a break. It’s the hot weather, the kids are out of school and it just seems like the time everyone thinks is the best time to travel somewhere and get away. And while I’ve said many times here on Land of Marvels, that’s not my favorite time to travel, today I’ll tell you exactly why you shouldn’t just travel in the Summer and explain why you might want to start going against the Summer travel trend.

Personally, my reasons for not traveling in the Summer and peak season range from not liking the heat, trying to save money and traveling in off season at off season prices, and not loving huge crowds at tourist spots. But perhaps the most important reason in my opinion, why you shouldn’t just travel in the Summer is this – destinations are more real in the off season.

I really believe that travel opens you up to all sorts of things you would never learn had you stayed at home and that travel has the ability to really change you, to see the world in a different light and to expand our horizons, opening us up to new ideas and interesting people. And a lot of that gets severed when you travel in peak season, when there are so many people there, everything becomes a tourist attraction. When you are distracted by the insane traffic or the loud tourists yelling or the locals are agitated because of the Summer craziness. When you travel in the off seasons, when you see places quieter, you can really take it all in, you can really see the locals for who they are, you can explore without the hordes of people and you can really understand a destination.

A perfect example of this is Paris. I’ve been to Paris in all the seasons and the one year I went in July, I was blown away by what a different experience it was to all my other experiences in the City of Light. The crowds took away from exploring my favorite city, the loudness of the traffic and people everywhere was overwhelming. And while I am not discouraging people by any means of traveling in any way – it’s always amazing to travel no matter when you can. But if you’re looking for something more genuine, if you want to see a place for what it really is when the crowds are gone, if you want quiet and introspection, if you’re looking for authenticity when you travel – my best advice to you is this: don’t just travel in the Summer!

The off season can be a time to travel that will evoke all sorts of new emotions in you as a traveler. And instead of looking forward to things you do with Summer travel like the weather and availability, start relishing in things like snowy weekends in the dead of Winter or falling leaves in the rain or early Spring blooms. Those things are beautiful too and well worth the experiences, and on top of that, you may just find that everything about off season travel appeals to you!

10 Reasons You Should See More of the USA

October 24, 2016

Right off the bat, I should mention that this post is mostly geared toward my American followers, but if you’re not, that’s ok too. As an American, I’m learning more and more as I travel that while the rest of the world is amazing, we have some pretty incredible places right here at home in the USA as well. Just this year Nick and I have explored the gorgeous Antelope Canyon, taken in the vast Grand Canyon, watched the sunrise over the beaches of Hawaii, stared in awe at the landscapes of Alaska, and chased Fall foliage in Vermont. And while those were the highlights, next year we’re hoping to explore even more of the USA. So if you had any doubts on how amazing America is, here are 10 reasons you should see more of the USA!

1. The USA has some of the most unique landscapes in the world.

From the evergreen forest of the Pacific North West to the prairies of Middle America to the swamps of Florida to the deserts of Nevada and the fjords of Alaska, the USA is home to some of most unique and incredible landscapes in the world.

2. It’s close to home.

If you’re an American, it can often times be easier to just travel within your own country.

3. It can be cheaper than traveling overseas.

Without having to go long distances, you can find great deals exploring your own backyard!

4. You can see more in shorter distances.

Wherever you head in the USA, there is a lot around every area. It’s easy to base yourself in one section of the country and see a lot in short distances in your surrounding area.

5. There are so many diverse cultures within one country.

The USA is really like many smaller countries all in one. By exploring the USA, you’re opening yourself up to seeing so many different diverse cultures but all within the borders of one country.

6. For whatever type of trip you want, you can find somewhere in the USA that has it.

If you want beaches, we’ve got it. If you want desert, we’ve got it. If you want evergreen forests, we’ve got it. If you want to party, we’ve got it. If you want to escape, we’ve got it. If you want huge sprawling cities or wide open country, we’ve got it. We pretty much have a place for whatever you want in any sort of trip.

7. No need to get the passports out.

While I love traveling abroad, sometimes it really is just easier to not deal with getting out passports, dealing with visas or making sure your cell phone has a foreign data plan.

8. There is no need to take so many vacation days.

While you might need a full travel day on each end of a trip abroad, if you stay closer to home you won’t need to burn so many vacation days!

9. It’s fairly easy to get around.

The USA is pretty easy to get around, whether by car, train or plane so a trip to any place in the US is going to be decently accessible.

10. It’s important to know and see your own country.

While it seems so fun and exotic to travel abroad, it’s so important to see more of our own country and see how amazing it really is!

How to Set Up Your Life to Save for Travel

October 20, 2016

As someone who travels frequently, I often get asked questions about how I save money for travel and how I’m able to afford so much travel. First and foremost, a major reason for that for me is I have 3 sources of income, which I’ll discuss below but by no means am I wealthy or have a trust fund I’m drawing from to fund my travel. I work hard but I’m still able to save for travel and today we’ll discuss how to set up your life to save for travel, to prepare yourself for the realities of how much travel costs and how to set goals to actually make it happen. So if you want to travel, here’s how to start financially!

Have multiple sources of income.

I still have a day job, actually I have 3 to be honest with you. Something that maybe not everyone who reads of Land of Marvels is aware of, I work as an Interior Designer by day. I work for an architecture firm, have my own side business as well and teach part time at my alma mater. In short, I’m busy. But having multiple sources of income also allows me to save more money for travel so I call it a win.

Nick and I both believe in working hard for what you want and both of us have multiple sources of income which really helps us save for travel and other things in our life. If you are wondering how to get more income, get another job to start. It can be a great way to make connections as well as bring in some more money to spend on the things you want!

Set up a separate savings account for travel funds.

One of the things we did really early on when we got married was set up a separate savings account for travel and it’s been one of the most helpful things we did. This way, when we put money in this account, we don’t touch it for anything other than travel. This is a great way to keep the money in there for only travel and not be tempted to pull from it for other scenarios.

We also find it’s easier for this account to put larger lump sums in at a time, instead of monthly transfers so it builds up quicker. So whenever we have larger sums of money, like birthday money or bonuses from work – those usually go straight into the travel account.

Be organized and plan in advance.

One of the reasons we are able to travel so economically is because we plan way in advance. For example, right now in October we have our travel booked and paid for through July of next year. By booking a year or so in advance, you not only get better prices on a lot of travel like flights, you also have that entire time to pay it off. By the time our trips roll around, we don’t owe anything on them other than daily expenses while there which makes it a lot less stressful!

Cut out the unnecessary items and try to lower your bills.

I know a lot of people turn their noses up at this and say that the small amounts you might cut from things like this don’t really add up to that much. But let me give you an example: We just refinanced our townhouse, bringing our mortgage down by about $400 a month. On top of that, I called Comcast (our internet and cable TV provider) and told them I was quitting unless they could drop my bill by $80 – they did. Then we checked our ATT cell phone bill and found a better plan that was $40 a month cheaper. With those 3 things, our bills came down $520 a month! That’s a huge amount that now can go to travel!

On top of that, I clean out my closet every couple months and take my clothes to resale or put things on Craigslist or Ebay that many people would just throw away. The moral of the story is that if you make an effort to lower your bills or cut out unnecessary items, it’s amazing how much money you can save and then in turn, how much can go to travel.

#BloggingDesk : When Your Blog Doesn’t Go Viral

October 19, 2016

As a long time blogger, I think it’s important to touch base on the topic of blogging every now and then and to communicate in our community about where this internet forum is headed. Blogging has changed a lot in the past years, and as someone who started blogging on and off nearly 10 years ago, I can tell you with certainty, this game is a completely different beast than it was a decade ago. In today’s installment of #BloggingDesk, I wanted to touch on what happens when your blog is great and has a following and a direction and everything is great, except one thing. Today we’re talking about what happens when your blog doesn’t go viral.

So take my blog, Land of Marvels, for example (but there are lots of other great examples too!) – I have been blogging on Land of Marvels as a serious travel blog for about 2-ish years. Before that, I had True Colours, which many of you followed, but it wasn’t taken nearly as seriously and it wasn’t all travel-related, so I’m not counting that period of my blogging career for this discussion. In the 2-ish years since Land of Marvels was born, I have grown a large following across many different platforms, thousands of people that follow this blog and that read, comment and play a part in this community I’ve built. I get a lot back from Land of Marvels in terms of working with travel brands across the world and I have had some amazing opportunities come my way through this little blog of mine. So without a doubt, it’s been successful in lots of ways. I love the community here, a place that like-minded travelers can come together and discuss our world. All in all, I wouldn’t trade all of this from Land of Marvels for anything… except that my blog has never “gone viral” if you will. I don’t have millions of followers or insane page views. I couldn’t make this a full time job as of now and my blog hasn’t blown up on the internet and become a success overnight.

And while that hasn’t happened (nor am I sure I really would want it to, but that’s a story for another day), I think it’s worth discussing. Some bloggers become mega-hits, but the moral of the story is that if your blog doesn’t go viral, if your content isn’t seen by millions of people and your Instagram account doesn’t have as many followers as some small countries, that doesn’t mean your content and what you’re doing in the blog world is any less valuable. We need blogs of all sizes, the personal ones we can still relate to that haven’t become a world-renowned business. We need the blogs that capture small audiences, the ones that we connect to and that we value the relationship we can build with the writer. We need the blogs that we know are still really written by the author, not endless writers hired to fill content. We need the blogs that are like small local businesses, ones that we can still enjoy in the quiet that doesn’t have tourists lining up out front – if you’ll go with that analogy.

“Going Viral” is a whole monster in itself. And even at my level, I’ve had my fair share of hateful rhetoric pointed toward me, forums discussing whether or not I’m lying about my childhood in the Middle East (I’m not by the way), telling me I have no idea what I’m talking about, or attacking my character. And I learned early on that I just couldn’t get into it with these people – in short, I couldn’t let myself be reeled in by the haters. So if that’s happening to bloggers in my arena and size, what comes with “going viral,” with having millions of people follow your every move? That’s something I’m not sure I’d even want to deal with to be honest.

So the moral of the story today is this, don’t let “going viral” become your version of success. If your blog blows up, great. If it doesn’t, great. Either way, blogging should still be about connecting to readers, to being confident in what you’re producing and how you’re cultivating an online community. Blogging should always first and and foremost be about you, about who we are as creatives, as travelers, as humans. Don’t let not “going viral” make you feel any less important in this online community, because we need everyone and each blog is just as important as the last for a multitude of reasons.

Looking for more posts on Blogging?

See our archives here for Blogging posts.

Travel Tips : How to Apply for a Chinese Tourist Visa

October 17, 2016

If you follow me on social media, you might remember I had to fly down to San Francisco for a couple days in the past couple weeks to get our visas for our visit to China upcoming in November. As I went through the visa process, I wrote this post sitting in the San Francisco airport on my way back to Portland a few weeks ago so I could make sure and keep all the details straight. We’ll be headed to Beijing and the Great Wall in November and if anyone reading this is thinking about heading to China as an American – just be aware you have to get a visa before your visit and you have to actually do it at a consulate. So without further ado, here are my best tips for how to apply for Chinese Tourist Visa.

1. Find out which consulate general you need to apply though.

The first step in your Chinese visa journey is to figure out which consulate covers your home region. For me in Oregon, the consulate I had to go through was in San Francisco. So visit their website to find out where the consulate general is located you’ll have to apply through.

2. Figure out if you want to go yourself to the consulate to apply or if you’ll use a 3rd party agent.

For us, since San Francisco was the closest consulate for us to apply for our visas, we had a choice. I could go down and do it myself (having to go down once to drop them off and then go back about a week later to pick them up). Or you can hire a 3rd party travel agent to go for you. However, when we looked, it was about $250 for us to use a 3rd party person plus we’d have to send our passports off through the mail to them, which makes me nervous. So we chose to just have me fly down 2 days to take care of it myself. Anyone can drop off and pick up your visas, so I had no problem doing Nick’s and mine, even through Nick wasn’t present.

3. Be sure to have all the paperwork in order before you arrive at the consulate.

I sat with 2 other American women while I waited at the consulate and both of them were on their return trip to the consulate because they had forgotten vital paperwork the first time around. Be sure you read the Chinese Consulate’s website all the way through and confirm you have everything. To be sure, here’s a quick run down of what I made sure to have:

-Valid Passport (signed)

-Copy of passport document page (separate from your passport itself)

-Flight itinerary showing your arriving and leaving from China

-Hotel reservation information in China

-Passport photo (just 1)

4. Arrive early in the day and leave lots of time for your consulate visit.

I arrived at 10:20am at the Consulate General in San Francisco to drop off our visa request. When you arrive you’ll go through a metal detector and be given a number. I waited for a full hour and a half before my number was called. Once I was called, it literally took about 2 minutes with the agent and then I was on my way. I think the trick is to get there early as it’s really busy! But plan multiple hours for your wait time just to be safe. And don’t go on Friday – when I returned to pick up our visas on a Friday, the consulate was twice as crowded as my first visit on a Tuesday.

5. Do not lose the pick up slip they give you at the consulate.

After you hand over your application and passport, you’ll be given a small white slip showing your pick up information. Do not lose this slip! I was talking to the woman next to me at the Consulate who does this often and she said she’s heard horror stories when you lose the slip. So be sure to keep it safe. Typically, normal tourist visas for China take about 4 business days. My slip was scheduled for 3 but be sure to look at the date on your slip to be sure. They will also hold your passport and visa for 90 days, so even if you can’t get back right on the pick up date, no worries.

6. Go back after the date on the pickup slip to pick up your passports with visas.

I flew back down to San Francisco a little over a week after I had dropped off my visas; just confirm you go back after the date they give you on the pick up slip. Once there, head to the “Pick Up” line – no need to take a number. Once in line, it goes pretty quick. To pick up and pay for our visas only took me about 20 minutes, even though the consulate was even more crowded than it was the first day I had been there.

And while we had only applied for a 90 day tourist visa, we were given a 10 year multiple entry visa which is a huge bonus to not have to do this again in the future if we want to revisit China! Long story short, give yourself time to do this process but in the end, it wasn’t too bad!

Traveling to China?

See all of my posts on the country!

Dreaming Ahead into the Future

October 14, 2016

I turn 30 tomorrow. And as with any big milestone, I’ve spent a lot of time in the preceding days to this birthday thinking about what turning 30 actually means to me. Some people hate getting older, some people dread milestone birthdays. For me, I’m actually really excited to be 30. I’ve always felt like somewhat of an old soul, like my age never really fit with my personality. Finally I feel like I’m at a point in my life where my age fits. 30 feels good.

I actually had a different post written for today that I had prepared a while back but when I read it back, it just didn’t feel right. Sometimes I think the tiniest moments can change us, can make us feel something different. And even that post I had written a few weeks ago, within that time period, I somehow feel different. Sometimes life has a way of moving us deeply without us even being truly aware of it. Something in the lead up to this milestone birthday has changed me. And even though I can’t fully put it into words, I feel different.

So as I turn 30 tomorrow, I will relish in the small moments, the insignificant ones, the ones that change us. The ones with people I love, the ones watching the colors change in the Autumn leaves, the ones wandering through my city in the early morning hours or the ones spent doing what I love. The scary truth about life is that we’re not promised tomorrow, we’re not promised 30 or 40 or 50. The most important part of our lives is taking in each and every moment, no matter what age or milestone birthday… in the end, those moments all matter and put together they build a life, they build a person. And at the end of the day, no matter what age, I just want to be someone who helps others, who follows my heart, who stands up for those who can’t stand up for themselves and to fight for what I believe in. At the end of the day, I just want to take in the moments, to live each day, each year on this planet to grow and dream and learn and fully live.

I kept thinking in the months prior that 30 would be this huge thing but in reality, I’ve come to realize that while I’m really looking forward to 30, I’m also so content and fulfilled in my life at 30 that no matter what comes ahead, I’m already happy and age really is just a number. But every milestone birthday is another reminder to take a look at our lives and to fully embrace where we are, who we love and where we are headed. So as I enter a new decade of my life tomorrow, I’ll savor each moment, appreciate the past but constantly be dreaming ahead into the future.

Forest Canopies in the Quechee Gorge and Ivy in Hanover, NH