Favorite Moments : Australia, New Zealand + Bali

November 30, 2015

When we get back from a trip, I always love to look back at the moments that were our favorites, that meant something special, moments that perhaps defined the very best of this particular travel experience. This trip was full of really high highs and really low lows, but more on the lows tomorrow. Today, here were my very favorite moments from our trip through Australia, New Zealand and Bali!

Dawn at the Sydney Opera House

Our first morning in Sydney, we awoke to gray skies and a cool breeze (which was a relief after 100 degree weather there the day we arrived). Our flight to New Zealand left that morning, but we wanted one more chance in the early dawn light to wander the grounds of the Sydney Opera House when no one was around. We had seen it from afar the previous day but that morning at dawn we wandered all around the famous landmark up close and under the stormy gray clouds, all alone with hardly anyone else, we took in such a famous landmark and watched the world light up around it.

Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

While driving from Christchurch to Queenstown in New Zealand, we made our first stop at Lake Tekapo. I had seen photos from here and it looked beautiful, but little did I know exactly how insanely incredible it would be. We were driving for a few hours when we knew we should be coming up to the lake. I kept saying to Nick, “Where is it? We should be there!” And suddenly, we turned a corner and there it was: the incredibly bright teal water of this beautiful spot. I’ve never seen a natural spot on this planet with water that color, it literally looked like someone had photoshopped it, completely vibrant teal. Add to that the gorgeous lupin flowers that grow around this area and views of mountains in the distance, it was stunning!

Ubud Rice Terraces in Bali

One of the top things we wanted to see in Bali were the famous rice terraces. We hired a private driver to take us up to Ubud for the day (since we were staying in Seminyak on the coast) and upon asking for them to take us to the famous Tegalalang Rice Terraces, they suggested a few more off the beaten path stops as well. And I am so glad they did! We stopped in Kiliki at a few different rice fields and got to wander around them with no other tourists around, just out in the fields while the farmers tended to their rice. Getting to see the rice, wander around the greenery and smile at the farmers was such an incredible experience.

Spice Forest at the Outskirts of Ubud

Another spot that our driver took us to outside of Ubud was Bali Pullina, a spice forest. Even though I hadn’t heard of this place before, it ended up being one of my very favorites stops on the trip. This place grows a whole bunch of spices, coffee and other stuff within a little jungle of a forest in the outskirts of Ubud. As someone who loves to cook and bake, spices are my thing. I was in awe the whole time seeing nutmeg and cinnamon and cocoa growing in person, taste-testing their spices in homemade drinks like chocolate coffee and lemon tea. Add to that their view way up high over a rice terrace and it was basically my perfect afternoon in Bali! Needless to say I loaded up on Balinese spices from them before leaving that I can’t wait to cook with at home!

Great Ocean Road, Australia

Our very last day of the trip, we arrived at 7am into Melbourne on a red eye flight fro Bali. Also at this point, we were both knee deep in a horrible cold we picked up in New Zealand and we felt horrendous. Particularly after an overnight flight, we arrived in Melbourne feeling pretty awful. After grabbing some tea and a quick breakfast we rented a car and headed for the Great Ocean Road. We knew before hand we wanted to do this our last day in Australia, instead of exploring the city of Melbourne and I’m so glad we did. Even though we felt awful most of the day, the sites we saw on the incredible Great Ocean Road more than made up for it. Incredible sea vistas, koala bears in the wild, kookaburras along the side of the road and incredible landscapes with exactly what you want Australia to look like. It was a long day but so incredibly fulfilling and ended up being one of our favorites of the trip!

How to Save Money on Travel : Perks for Bloggers

November 27, 2015

One of the most common questions I get from people who want to travel is how to save money on travel so that it’s more affordable. So in this week-long series, we’ll be covering all parts of travel and how to save money so that you can travel more and spend less!

As bloggers, we spend a lot of time writing about our experiences. And travel bloggers in general, well, we write about our travel experiences. That includes everything from flights to hotels to activities and places in general. And a lot of time goes into planning posts, getting all the information correct, editing photos and the list goes on. So as a travel blogger, you actually have way more power than you think because you’re putting your opinions out there to thousands of people. So if you’re a blogger, here is how to save money on travel that offer perks specifically for bloggers!

Email hotels when planning your trip.

Before I book any hotels myself for a destination, I make a short list of hotels I’m interested in and I send them an email. (I went over this in more detail in this post if you’re interested.) 9 times out of 10, hotels want to work with you and they will offer you complimentary stays or at media rates which can be drastically lower.

Media discounts.

As I mentioned above, many hotels will be willing to offer you a media discount to stay at the hotel and review it on your blog. I make sure to mention exactly what they’ll be getting in exchange for that media rate. For example, make sure you are clear on what you’ll be doing for them. I offer a review on my blog plus social media coverage on Instagram and Twitter while we are staying there. That way you’re covered with what you’re doing and the hotel is clear as well.

Work with travel brands or companies.

I’ve worked before with clothing companies that will send me an item or two of things like gloves or leggings, which then I feature in photos while we travel. Collaborations like that are great for both parties because you’re getting something for free and the brand is getting recognition when you write about it. Another way to do this, which I haven’t ventured into yet, is working with travel companies or tourist boards which will either pay you to review or a place or offer you free options while you’re in a destination.

Mention you’re a blogger.

No matter where I travel, at hotels that I pay for, I always reach out and mention I’m a blogger ahead of time. Most of the time, they’ll upgrade you or offer you some special things to get a better review, so it doesn’t hurt to reach out. This is also great for activities, send an email and just mention you’ll be visiting and would love to review their service. You’ll be shocked at how willing places are to work with you!

How to Save Money on Travel : Activities

November 25, 2015

On top of hotels and flights, activities while traveling can often really add up in price. After all, you’re in that destination to see it and enjoy it, so you want to make the most of it and experience things while there. But there are a few different ways out there to really cut cost in this area of travel.

Groupon

Seriously, what did we do before Groupon? While most people just use it for around their homes, it’s actually really valuable for travel too. I see things come across on Groupon all the time for places we’ve been to cut cost on activities. So subscribe to all their email chains and keep an eye out for anything related to your destination.

Research

Probably the biggest way you’ll save money. Do your research. Don’t just book the first thing you see. A lot of times people will look up an activity at their destination and just book the first thing they see instead of looking at all the options available. If you do your research and look further, it’s very likely that you’ll find a better deal.

Instagram/Recommendations

One of the best ways to save money on activities at a destination is to get recommendations from people who have been there. Often they will have options that will save you money or things not to do in a place. I like to watch on Instagram and as people I follow go to a certain place, I’ll screenshot their locations or recommendations. This a great way to find local food with a lower price tag in a place too!

Car rentals & Transportation

Sometimes a big expense on a trip can be car rentals or transportation while in a destination but I hardly ever pay for car rental anymore on trips! Using points for car rentals is a great way to cut a lot of cost and because they generally don’t take a ton of points, it’s easier to use for things like this than flights which take a lot of points.

For transportation around when not renting a car, look at all the times and see if you can do an early or a night train or private driver, often in the off hours things will be cheaper!

How to Save Money on Travel : Hotels

November 24, 2015

Hotels or accommodation can also eat up a lot of your travel budget and it’s often one of the first places people try to cut by staying at lower end hotels to save money. However, there are a lot of tricks to use to stay at nice hotels without the huge price tags and here’s a few ways to do that:

Loyalty programs with chains.

Do you like a specific chain of hotels that have hotels around the world? Then you should definitely be part of their loyalty program or sign up for their credit cards. Personally, I prefer boutique hotels over chains, but I know that the hotel chains like Mariott or Starwood have amazing credit card programs and loyalty accounts that can save a lot of money.

Accumulate free nights with hotels.com.

I’ve been a fan of hotels.com for over 5 years now and I can’t even tell you how many free nights we’ve gotten over those years. It’s still, in my opinion, one of the very best hotel loyalty programs out there. Basically every 10 nights you get a free night through hotels.com that’s the average price of the other 10 nights you’ve stayed. For us, that usually works out to be about $250 for a free hotel night. It’s super easy to use and apply to hotel stays anywhere in the world. Another great thing about hotels.com that I love, is that the majority of the hotels on the site offer free cancelation, which means it’s really easy if your plans change and you do it all on the website with no hassles.

Travel off season or to places with great exchange rates.

Traveling off season can cut your hotel cost almost in half or more. We try to do most of our traveling during the Spring and Fall/Winter so that we don’t pay the huge costs of travel during the Summer when everyone else is traveling and everything costs double the amount.

Another great way to save on hotels is to travel to places with great exchange rates. For example, in Sydney on this current trip we’re on, we stayed at the Four Seasons in Sydney with views of the Opera House for a really reasonable price because the USD to the Australian dollar is a great exchange rate right now. So places like that are a great way to splurge on nice hotels without the hefty price tag.

Stay in less touristy areas.

If you’re willing to get away from the touristy areas of places, often times the price tags drop dramatically. There are still a lot of hotels out there that are in great areas, they just might be a bit off the beaten path. Look at your schedule and see if that will work for you, often times if it does, you’ll be able to save a ton of money on accommodation.

Look into AirBnB and other home share sites.

If you prefer the apartment or renting houses route when traveling, sites like AirBnB have some incredible rates. We stayed last year in an apartment in Paris for something like $150/night on the Ile St. Louis, which if you know Paris, is in the center of everything! Very rarely will you find hotels for that price in the center of Paris and you can find deals like that and even less when you rent houses or apartments instead of hotels.

How to Save Money on Travel : Airfare

November 23, 2015

Airfare is often the biggest expense for a trip, particularly if you’re traveling far from home. Even economy tickets can really add up fast, so if you can save a lot on airfare, that cuts out a huge portion of your travel expenses. Here’s the best ways I recommend saving money on travel with airfare:

Build and then use your credit card points and miles.

If you know how to do this, it’s a huge money saver! But it does take some research and getting the right information in order to really take advantage of points and miles. The first step? Getting the right travel credit cards and loyalty programs for you. I love the Alaska Air Visa, the Sapphire Visa and the BA visa for credit card points and perks and I stay loyal to American Air and Alaska Air and their worldwide partners when I fly. That way, I rack up all the points I possibly can. The next step? Using those points you accrue. Airlines like American Air don’t take that many points to fly all over the world and I always check Sapphire’s rewards website before booking anywhere else to see if they are requiring less points, which a lot of times they are. Shop around and then book on the points that are most worthwhile for you.

To give you an example of using points and miles, we are flying from Seattle to Heathrow in April for $5 and back home from Athens, Greece to Seattle for $200 on American Air in business class the whole way! Miles and points can be an incredible cost saver so do the research and use them! My favorite website to help with research and understanding the systems better: The Points Guy!

Take advantage of low cost carriers like EasyJet, IcelandAir, Norwegian and Wow Air.

Last year we flew from Gatwick to LAX for something like $200 one way on Norwegian Air. When I booked it, I couldn’t quite believe the price but low cost carriers like Norwegian are popping up more and more in the US to travel abroad. Wow is offering $99 fares from the East Coast to Iceland and soon will be setting up shop in LAX too. Iceland Air also offers great fares to head to Europe through Iceland and beyond and EasyJet is an amazing low cost carrier all throughout Europe. Often times though these carriers don’t show up on search engines like Orbitz or Expedia so you have to know about them. But if you look around, you’ll find them easy enough and be amazed at the low fares!

Do the research.

Whether it’s for using your points and miles or researching low cost airlines or which dates to fly, make sure you do the research. The best way to save money on airfare is to look at all the options and then watch the prices for a few weeks to see them fluctuate. Often times prices will go up during peak booking hours and then go back down at off times, so watch the prices and then jump on a moment when they are low. Also check monthly airfare calendars on airline websites since it will show you the cheapest days to fly.

Fly on off days.

Though there is some debate on this, I still find flying on off days (like Tuesdays and Thursdays) or at off times like really early in the morning or late at night can really help save money on airfare. This totally depends on the airline and the frequency of that route, but if it’s a route that’s traveled a lot, this can often really help. Opt for the 6am flight (even though it’s super early) to save a little bit more money. Of maybe opt to fly home on a Monday rather than a Sunday when everyone is traveling. Often times it won’t be a ton of money saved, but every little bit helps!

I Don’t Want to Live Out of a Suitcase

November 20, 2015

Not long ago I came across this quote, “Travel does not exist without home…if we never return to the place we started, we would just be wandering. Home is a reflecting surface, a place to measure our growth and enrich us after being infused with the outside world.” – Josh Gates

Let me start this by saying that I’ve had this post in my queue for months. I wrote it back in the early Spring but never seemed to feel like I had gotten across quite what I was trying to say. This post isn’t meant to discourage anyone from traveling the world, as I myself have a long standing love affair with travel. But in essence of that, what I’m trying to get across with this post is that having a home is a valuable thing too. I think all too often in the travel blog community we push the idea of travel so hard that we often overlook the value of building a home and a career in a place that you love just as much as travel.

It often seems like every other travel blogger out there is giving up everything they own to travel the world out of a suitcase. It seems in many directions I turn, this is the only option laid out for those of us that want to see the world, that want to experience all that travel has to offer. The thing is, it’s definitely not the only option and I wish that was more promoted in this industry too.

I travel a lot (and love it) and yet it’s that feeling I get when we’re on the plane home that still gives me butterflies. I look forward to coming home to Portland, to my apartment and my kitchen and our memories in photos all over the walls. I look forward to seeing my “regular” people on errands and socializing with friends. I look forward to coming home to my work, to my passions and to my everyday routines. That feeling of love for my home and my home city, is one that is absent from a lot of blogs out there in the travel blog community. You don’t have to pack up your life and leave everything and everyone behind to see the world. It’s possible to have a steady home (wherever that may be) and a career and to travel.

The thing is, seeing the world is great. It’s truly a spectacular experience. Travel will change you. It will open your eyes and your mind and your heart. It will offer experiences that nothing else in the world can. Travel is incredible and I urge everyone and anyone to do it, as often or as little as you can. I am the biggest proponent of travel and I will always push for it, for myself and for others. But the one thing travel can’t teach you is the feeling of a home. It can’t teach you the joy in the everyday things like grocery shopping and cooking in your very own kitchen. It can’t teach you the fulfillment in small projects to improve your home. It can’t teach you the bliss of moments laying on your very own couch next to someone you love and watching stupid tv shows on a Friday night. So at the end of the day traveling the world full time without a home to call your own might be wonderful for some, but without a home you adore to come home to, is it worth it? I’m not entirely sure, but for me, I know it wouldn’t be.

How to Make Blogging Easier

November 19, 2015

I hear a lot “how do you still post 5 times a week even with other jobs and when life is crazy all around?” The truth is, though it might seem this way on here, my life is pretty crazy as of late. With running my business, my day job as an interior designer and teaching part time, often I don’t even have time to look at my blog daily. But I always manage to post five times a week because I’ve done it long enough now, that I’ve figured out a schedule that works for me that I’m able to keep up with even on those days when life is flying at me from all directions. So if you’re wondering how to better fit consistent blogging into your life, here are some tips how to make blogging easier and not so time consuming.

Schedule Posts 2-3 Weeks Out

My secret to “doing it all” is scheduled posts. And I’m not talking about 1 or 2 posts in the queue, I always have at least 2-3 weeks scheduled out. When I have a few hours to commit to my blog, I sit down and write a bunch of posts and then schedule them for the weeks ahead. Granted, I can’t always do this as when we get back from trips, sometimes I’m writing in real time since we’re still working on photos and such behind the scenes, but generally, I at least have titles set up and outlines written for posts that far in advance. That way when life is really crazy and you can’t even look at your site during the day, your blog is running itself behind the scenes.

Switch to WordPress and Use the Plug-In’s

I switched to WordPress from Blogger earlier this year when I transitioned into Land of Marvels and I’m so glad I did. While at first it was a little weird to use, now I can’t imagine not using it. It’s so easy to control every setting of your site and add things as you need. I also love the plug-in’s on WordPress like SEO helpers and such that can really help to push your site farther.

Have a Well Designed Site

This is a huge one! When you have a well designed site that runs smoothly and it’s easy to find things, it makes your life so much easier! There are so many times when my blog is really just running itself behind the scenes of my life and I might not even check it for a few days since everything is running smoothly. Hire someone who knows what they are doing (I love Amanda!) and set up a site that requires very little maintenance and that also has a timeless design so you don’t need to update all the time.

Use a Common Graphic on All Posts

This is something I switched to a few months ago and it has saved me so much time! Now all my graphics for the top of posts are pretty much the same template. I might add a line here or there, or a light background behind the text, but the text itself is the same throughout. It saves me so much time on the backend when I’m putting posts together and it gives a unified look throughout as well.

I’d love to hear, what save you time and makes blogging easier?

Looking for more posts on Blogging?

See our archives here for Blogging posts.

3 Affordable Winter Trips to Europe (and what they cost)

November 17, 2015

I hear a lot “travel is so expensive!” And while yes, if you are just booking the first thing you see or not scheduling your trip according to dates you can travel cheaper, it can be. But here’s the thing, there are tons of locations and flights out there that you can get at relatively low prices. When we first started traveling abroad after we got married, Nick and I would just search Orbitz not really knowing anything about airfare or how to get deals. We always figured on planning about $1,000 per ticket to fly anywhere abroad from the US West Coast. But in all actuality, we rarely pay that anymore and many times we’re getting both tickets for not much more than that. There are lots of ways to save on travel, but good airfare is one of the biggest. So here today, I’ve found you 3 affordable Winter trips abroad (from the US) and I’m telling you what they cost! If you’re looking for a great Winter getaway with a lower price tag, I’ve got you covered!

All 3 trips below are to cities I have personally been to, as I wouldn’t recommend them if they weren’t great deals and great locations!

Los Angeles – London | $644.50/person roundtrip

6 Dec – 10 Dec

Book directly through Norwegian Air’s website. (Tip for flying Norwegian from LA, they fly Dreamliners on this route, so choose the last row of seats on the plane, they have a ton of extra space!)

Fancy a Winter escape in one of the world’s most beautiful cities? I know that a lot of people shy away from visiting London in the Winter but hear me out… it’s actually one of my favorite times of year there! The crowds are smaller, the shops and streets are all decorated for Christmas and what better way to escape the rain than to sneak into a pub and enjoy a warm plate of fish and chips? And with fares like this, I’d jump now!

Another great thing about this… you get to fly into Gatwick which lets you miss the craziness of Heathrow! Once you arrive, grab a spot on the Gatwick Express which will transport you right at Victoria Station in London.

Need a hotel recommendation? Here are my fave spots to stay in London.

Boston – Paris | $359.35/person roundtrip

14 Jan – 21 Jan

Book directly through Wow Air’s website. (Tip for searching for the best deals, search in full month mode so you can see the best fares!)

As the famous quote from Audrey goes, “Paris is never a bad idea.” I whole-heartedly agree and for $359 a person, if I lived on the East Coast, I’d be there all the time! This flight from Boston to Paris via Iceland is a fantastic option for a trip to Europe. I haven’t flown WOW Air yet (I can’t wait until they set up shop in LAX next year) but really with this fare, you can’t really go wrong! I would suggest however doing carry on only to save on fees and to make sure and read the fine print to make sure you don’t have a lot of added extras on their fees.

But Paris in January? Incredible! Hardly any crowds, a chance at snow in the City of Light and the perfect excuse to bundle up and eat macarons along the Seine. The other great thing about this fare, once you get to Paris, you can hop on a train for not much money and get pretty much anywhere in Europe or take a cheap EasyJet flight onto another warmer destination!

Need a hotel recommendation? Here are my fave spots to stay in Paris!

Philadelphia – Rome | $935.48/person roundtrip

12 Jan – 20 Jan

Book directly through British Airways’ website.

Looking at a Roman holiday? Here’s a decent deal from the US to Rome! While it’s not the cheapest of the three options it’s on British Airways, which is one of my favorite airlines. Even in economy, your going to get better service, food and an all around great experience. The other great thing about this? Coming back, it’s a direct flight which means no stop overs and can save you a lot of travel time! Take the chance to wander the ancient streets of Rome, meandering around the Colosseum and the Pantheon and eat as much gelato as you want!

Need a hotel recommendation? Here are my fave spots in Rome!

*All of these fares were found on 11 November.

What Every New Traveler Needs to Know

November 16, 2015

Travel is beyond a shred of a doubt the best thing you can do for yourself to broaden your horizons, to educate yourself and to see with your own eyes this world that we inhabit. It’s life-changing, mind-blowing, breath-taking and surreal to travel and visit places that we read about in books, to see the stunning beauty of this planet we call home, to stand in front of the landmarks that we dream of, and to take it all in, moment by moment.

But we all start somewhere and after years of traveling and seeing a lot of the world, it’s also important to remember what it felt like to just be at the beginning of the journey of travel, so here’s what every new traveler needs to know before you embark on the journey of a lifetime.

Open Your Mind and Your Eyes.

There is no point in traveling if you aren’t going to take everything in like a sponge. Traveling will open your mind and eyes to things you never even thought about. Don’t judge. Take it all in and process everything you learn as you go. Remember we’re all in this together and while other places might do things differently, that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Don’t shelter yourself to not see everything, take it all in and leave having your mind and spirit opened.

Feel Every Moment, the good and the bad.

Travel won’t always be amazing; you’ll have incredible moments and you’ll have not so amazing moments. You’ll have good days and bad days, but one thing I’ll always believe in is feeling every moment as much as you can, good or bad. Feel those moments when you are falling so deep in love with a place that every fiber of your being is tingling, or those moments when you see the Taj Mahal as sunrise, beneath a blanket of fog and you suddenly realize you are actually standing there in India, in the midst of such a unique experience you can hardly believe it. Feel those moments. But also take in the moments nothing is going right, when you luggage is lost or you take a wrong turn and are horribly lost. Those moments define us just as much as the good ones, so make the most of them too.

Embrace the Unexpected.

Travel is all about the unexpected, and without a doubt, no matter how much you plan, things will come up that you weren’t expecting. Embrace that. Some of my best moments traveling happened when we decided to take a turn that we had no idea where it went or when you randomly decide to get up at 3am and drive out to a waterfall in Iceland amidst the Midnight Sun. Embrace those unexpected things that come up, they will be the memories you remember most.

Take Chances.

Maybe you choose an exotic destination over a more common one or maybe you decide to book a flight a week before it leaves. Whatever it is, take chances.

Don’t Let Fear Control You.

We all get scared. Even after all these years of travel, I still get a flutter of fear before that plane takes off or when I book a trip that is a little outside of my comfort zone. The goal is to not let that fear control you, don’t let it influence your decisions, don’t let yourself be driven by it. Fear is good, it helps us know what scares us, but use it as a guide and not the driving factor. Travel puts us outside our comfort zone and that can be scary, but if you let go of that fear, you’ll embrace everything deeper and find that you are stronger than you think.

Go beyond the guidebooks.

Guidebooks are great. I use them myself. But to a point. You’ll never have the tiny alleyways of Amsterdam in the guidebooks or the off the beaten path restaurant in Siem Reap, Cambodia that served me one of the best meals of my life. Use the guidebooks for research, but then let yourself explore on your own and allow yourself to get lost, to see what the guidebooks don’t show us, to get off the beaten path and have a journey unique to you.

Rest.

Travel is exhausting. Jet lag, time changes, long flights, there is really no way around the tiredness. Except to take care of yourself and rest too. When we travel, we might be out from 7am (or earlier if we go out for the sunrise) until 7pm at night, but I’ll be in my hotel room bed by 8pm and sleep the whole night. Don’t book yourself so full that you don’t get a good night’s rest. You’ll see everything more deeply if you’re rested.

Understand What You See that Isn’t Right.

There are still many places in our world that allow horrible things to happen around us. Women are treated horribly in many places, children are forced to beg on the streets, poor men are stuffed together in hot buses with no air conditioning. I’ve seen a lot of horrible things over the years of traveling. I’ve seen wealth disparity that shock me, I’ve seen rights of some be completely overshadowed by other for no other reason that gender or social class. Travel is about understanding our world, about seeing the things that are sometimes hard to see, about seeing what you can do to make a change or a difference, and then to understand that what you see isn’t right. We might not always be able to do something in the moment, but we do have our voices and we can voice what we see and know that it isn’t right.

Don’t Compare.

You’re traveling to see something different, to see how others live around the world. So don’t compare. Everything is unique for a reason, people do things differently all around the world, that doesn’t mean anybody is better than anyone else.

Keep a Wild Heart.

The mark of a traveler; no matter how much I travel, my heart gets wilder. Keep that passion, that drive to see more, to meet more people, to feel more moments. That wild heart, that passion, that’s what will drive you, what will push you to understand the world and this incredible planet that we are so lucky to call home.

Pray For Paris

November 14, 2015

I hardly ever post on Saturdays but in light of the horrific attacks on Paris yesterday, I felt the need to write at least something here. If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you’ll know that I adore Paris. Paris for me is something of a second home, a place that I return to every year, a place that means very much to me. And as I heard the news coming out of Paris Friday afternoon my time, I was quite literally sick to my stomach. The senseless and completely illogical killings that occurred in the City of Light, and all acts of terrorism around the world, are beyond incomprehensible. It’s sickening that in this world we still have those who would kill and hurt others in the name of their beliefs. It’s sickening that in this world we still have events unfolding like this.

And yet in the darkest of hours, we see people come together. We see loved ones hugging each other closer, we see groups of good, honest people stand together against the evils in our world. It is that strength we must bring now, that strength that must push us forward. Because at the end of the day, we are stronger than the evils that would try to divide us. At the end of the day, we are one world, there are no borders and we are all human. At the end of the day today, we pray for Paris.