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.

The Truth About Traveling : When A Bunch of Little Things Go Wrong

November 12, 2015

We’ve all had those trips where major things go wrong: flights are canceled, hurricanes detract our travel plans or we’re sick or have an emergency and can’t go, etc. And those are horrible and can ruin a travel experience. But on the other hand, there are also some trips when a bunch of little things go wrong which can add up to really upsetting a trip as well. Such was the case for us our last day in Mexico.

To recap…when we awoke on our last day in Mexico, we were hoping to head into Cabo San Lucas to experience both towns of Los Cabos during our stay (we had gone into San Jose del Cabo the day before) and had asked for late checkout the afternoon before. The concierge assured us it would be fine and if it wasn’t, he’d call us Sunday morning. So we got up and went to the pool, then to breakfast. By the time we got back to the room is was about 10:30 and we hadn’t heard from him, so we called the front desk to confirm it was alright. Well, either he didn’t arrange it or tried and couldn’t and didn’t let us know. Long story short, we were left scrambling to shower, get ready, pack up everything and be checked out by noon to then have 4 hours to kill before we needed to leave for the airport. That started the day off.

Then as we were checking out, the hotel was charging us for breakfast each morning (which by the way was $75 per day, another issue I had with the hotel), and we had been told that was included in our rate. So after a little back and forth, they finally took those charges off and we headed to the taxis to head into Cabo San Lucas which we didn’t like. Keep in mind at this point it was about 100 degrees with humidity and we were completely drained from the heat and the experiences of the morning. Then we came back to the hotel and after waiting about 20 minutes for our ride to the airport, I had my phone in my right hand and tripped on a stair and went falling forward, landing on my phone, which is turn cracked the whole screen.

Finally upon landing in San Francisco (on our “direct” flight to Portland, which is another issue we had with Alaska Air on this trip, that because you fly the same plane from Cabo to San Francisco and then on to Portland, they call it “direct” but don’t tell you when you book that you actually have to get off the plane going both directions and wait a few hours), we got off the plane to find that our boarding passes didn’t work at the TSA precheck security line (since they said Cabo to Portland and didn’t mention San Francisco), so we had to go back through the normal long security lines and then proceed all the way down to the end of the terminal for the plane we had already been on.

At the end, I realized that a bunch of little things going wrong can end up really adding up and ruining a day or a whole trip. It’s one of those things that you can’t control and just have to make the best of it, but at the end of the day, you have to realize that that’s travel and that’s life. Nothing is ever going to go right all of the time, which makes us appreciate it when it does. But it’s also better to be prepared for everything that could go wrong. By the time we were on the flight bound for Portland from San Francisco, we were laughing at all of the things that had happened that day, partly due to being exhausted but also knowing that we were home bound and tomorrow is a fresh start. So when everything is going wrong, just take it in as best you can and look ahead to better times.

Parting Thoughts on a Mexican Long Weekend

November 11, 2015

To somewhat finish up my Mexico posts, I wanted to stop for a moment and reflect on our long weekend in Cabo. In the end, sadly we left not loving Cabo with its never ending hotels and Cabo San Lucas’ bar culture. It was incredibly hot while we were there which drained us even further and we had some issues on the last day leaving which didn’t end the trip well either. But such is the truth about certain places we visit, we might not love them, we might not fall in love with them, we might have issues.

Not every place we visit is going to be perfect for us, but the goal is to walk away understanding the place, understanding maybe why we didn’t connect or why it affected you a certain way. I didn’t love Los Cabos, but on that same note, I did fall in love with a lot about Mexico as a country. I loved the passionate kindness from the locals, the bright exotic colors everywhere, the gorgeous landscape, the overall feel of the country. Those things I loved and it actually made me want to explore other, more authentic parts of the country in the future.

I think that perhaps had the weather been cooler, had we not had so many issues, perhaps our visit would have been different. But such is travel, things always don’t go according to plan, places don’t jive well with your travel style or the weather isn’t what you expected. So with all that we experienced on our long weekend in Mexico, I took away from it that while Cabo may not be a place we return to, I would love to return to other parts of the country and take the things I loved about Cabo and experience those in other places in Mexico, to celebrate the beautiful country that it is.

The Food of Los Cabos

November 10, 2015

Nick and I were looking forward to the food in Mexico for months before our trip. Honestly we would literally discuss it non-stop how excited we were for the food on our trip to Cabo. Then we went and experienced both food in both Cabo San Lucas, San Jose del Cabo and at our resort and we were a little disappointed to be honest. As people who love Mexican food, we felt pretty overcharged for not the best food, however that’s not to say we didn’t have good food at all, it’s just that it didn’t really live up to the hype we had created. I will say though, I did have the best fish taco of my life in San Jose del Cabo at a place called Ten tu Tacos and kept ordering more because they were so good. So I guess the moral of the story is: you win some and you lose some with food while traveling, but one thing is for sure, the food was really photogenic. So the food of Los Cabos in picture form…

Headed to Mexico?

Take a look at the rest of our archives on Los Cabos here!

Around the Ezperanza Resort Los Cabos

November 9, 2015

After arriving home from Mexico and looking back through the photos that Nick took, we realized that because most of our time was spent at the resort, we had a lot of great memories and photos from the resort itself that I couldn’t fit into my hotel review post. So, to really show off the true beauty of the Esperanza Resort and its location on the Sea of Cortez, it’s definitely worth a second post.

Because this trip was one that we stayed at the resort for most of the time, we spent a lot of time wandering the grounds, taking in the hundreds of candles that they light at night, the cacti of every shape and size, and the vista views over the Sea of Cortez. From the beach to the infinity pool overlooking the ocean to the architecture, the resort itself was a true experience.

Headed to Mexico?

Take a look at the rest of our archives on Los Cabos here!

Love Her, but Leave Her Wild

November 6, 2015

Today Nick and I have been married for five years. Five years of pure joy, exotic adventures, emotional highs and lows, separation and spending every minute together. We’ve weathered our fair share of storms in our first five years of marriage and ten years together and while you won’t hear me say marriage is easy every minute of every day, it’s definitely a pretty incredible thing to walk through this life with someone beside you, with someone who understands you, who knows you sometimes better than you know yourself.

I’ve always had a wild heart, I’m a dreamer. I think big, I go for the unattainable and try to make it work. I often need to be reeled in and I truly believe in this world that you can do whatever you set your heart to. I think with my heart, oftentimes, to the detriment of my head. I feel really deeply and I connect to people and places often differently than other people I know. But at the heart of everything, I am a dreamer.

So when I met Nick, I had this fear deep down that love might make me compromise what I want out of life, of being put into a box, that it might hinder my need to see the world or to dream my biggest dreams or to jump at something when I believe in it. I was afraid, and was for a long time in my life, that love might make me fit into a mold that I never wanted to fit into. Yet, now ten years later and after five years of marriage, I realize that I never needed to be afraid of that. I never needed to worry that Nick would try to take all those things from me, I never needed to worry that he would try to make me something I’m not. I never needed to worry because in our love, he’s always embraced my independence, my wild heart, my passion for things that others might not understand. And at times in our relationship, he’s embraced those qualities to his own detriment and I can’t ever thank him enough for continuing to believe in me, to embrace the parts of me that are perhaps sometimes difficult to love. He has always pushed me to keep the dreamer in myself, to hold onto all that I believe in and all that I am. He’s taken my wild heart in his and pushed me to always keep it strong.

Our life together hasn’t always been perfect, it’s had rocky periods and it’s had moments when we both wondered what we got ourselves into. And I’m sure there are some in our lives that wondered what Nick was getting into when he married me, that I was never going to be the hometown girl that moved back home and had a family and a house in the suburbs. But five years later, all I know is that no matter what others might have thought, the man I married has always let me dream, let me chase my passions, has allowed me always to be myself and in that, if that isn’t love, I don’t know what else is. Love, true and real love, is embracing each other for what you are, to push the other person to be themselves above all else, to embrace their own wild hearts.

And so today on our fifth wedding anniversary, all I would like to say is thank you to my husband. Thank you for always letting me stay who I am, for loving me even when my heart was pulling me in a direction you might not have fully understood. Thank you for ten years of amazing love, for believing in me, for believing in my forever wild heart.

“Love her, but leave her wild.” – Atticus

What You Need to Know for Travel to Mexico

November 5, 2015

Before our trip to Mexico a few weeks ago, I spent one Saturday afternoon googling “travel tips for Mexico.” I’d only been once before when I was in High School with my family and obviously back then, I wasn’t the one doing any of the planning or preparing, I was just along for the ride. So this time, I wanted to find out basic tips for preparing for our trip. I was shocked at how I couldn’t find a true, just general tips post online. So, after returning from our trip, I wanted to put my own true travel tips for Mexico post out there on the internet, so if you’re looking to head that direction, here’s what you need to know for travel to Mexico.

You can use American Dollars or Pesos.

At least in Cabo, everything was quoted to us in US Dollars, much to my disappointment. Usually when foreign places quote in USD, it means they cater to a majority of Americans and usually their conversion gouges you a little, so whenever possible, pay in the local currency. (This is the same in Europe by the way, when you pay by credit card and they ask if you want it in dollars. Say no and pay in the local currency, you’ll get a much better exchange rate.) We had pesos with us on this trip, so we always asked what the amount would be in pesos, but have a quick idea of the conversion so you don’t get ripped off.

Don’t drink the water and be careful of where you eat.

This is an important one and one to even follow at the resorts. We stayed at a really well known, high-end resort and we still got sick when we got home. So whether in town or at the resorts, don’t drink the tap water and be wary of ice when served it at restaurants. As well, be careful of where you eat and what you order and make sure to bring some sort of medication with you in case you do get sick while there.

Bring bug spray and sun block.

For me, this is a really important one. With Mexico’s heat and humidity, that brings a lot of sun and a lot of bugs. The first night there I didn’t put any bug spray on and was getting eaten alive at dinner outside. The following two days I coated myself both days and had no issues, so don’t forget this! Also, make sure to apply sun block regularly, the sun and heat is quite intense so protect your skin.

Bring clothes that breathe well.

My outfits ended up being ok, but to be honest, I wasn’t at all prepared for how hot Mexico was in mid-October. The heat and humidity completely wiped me out (it was about 104 one day we were there on the heat index). So be aware of what the weather will really be like whenever you travel to Mexico and pack clothes that breathe well. I had a couple things I packed that I actually never wore because they were thicker fabrics and I literally couldn’t even handle wearing anything other than light cotton since it was so hot and we were sweating profusely.

Taxis are safe in resort areas, but still take caution.

In Cabo, we were told that taxis are safe in both San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, though if you venture further away from resort areas, take caution. A lot of places in Mexico are still not super safe for tourists, so just be careful and be aware of your surroundings. Also know a decent sense of direction, so if you are headed in the completely wrong direction you’ll know right away. We had one taxi driver taking us back to the resort from Cabo San Lucas that started going in a weird direction away from the highway. I asked him what was going on in Spanish and he then replied that because there as a big bike race (which there really was), that part of the highway was closed so we were catching it in a different spot. At least then, I knew what was going on. So with that, on to the next….

Know a little bit of Spanish.

I took Spanish all through High School and College and while I haven’t used it in a while (other than our trip to Spain earlier this year), I can get by with somewhat broken Spanish when I need to. I can understand a lot more than I can speak, so when traveling to Mexico, it’s a great idea to either brush up on your Spanish skills or learn a little. I was pretty surprised that even in such resort towns, a lot of people still didn’t speak great English, so it was really helpful to know a little Spanish.

Ignore the pushy sales people + tourist traps.

Particularly in Cabo San Lucas, you’ll encounter a ton of pushy sales people and tourist traps seemingly attacking you on the streets to use them for whatever it is they are selling, just ignore them and keep walking. Restaurants will yell out at you to come in, ignore them or say “No Gracias.” If you feed into them at all, they will come on even harder, so ignoring them is the best way to handle it.

Headed to Mexico?

Take a look at the rest of our archives on Los Cabos here!

Where to Stay in Mexico

How to Make Blogging Easier

Schedule Posts 2-3 Weeks Out

Switch to WordPress and Use the Plug-In’s

Have a Well Designed Site

Use a Common Graphic on All Posts

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

Los Angeles – London | $644.50/person roundtrip

Boston – Paris | $359.35/person roundtrip

Philadelphia – Rome | $935.48/person roundtrip

What Every New Traveler Needs to Know

Pray For Paris

The Truth About Traveling : When A Bunch of Little Things Go Wrong

Parting Thoughts on a Mexican Long Weekend

The Food of Los Cabos

Around the Ezperanza Resort Los Cabos

Love Her, but Leave Her Wild

“Love her, but leave her wild.” – Atticus

What You Need to Know for Travel to Mexico

You can use American Dollars or Pesos.

Don’t drink the water and be careful of where you eat.

Bring bug spray and sun block.

Bring clothes that breathe well.

Taxis are safe in resort areas, but still take caution.

Know a little bit of Spanish.

Ignore the pushy sales people + tourist traps.

Travel

Life

Favorite Destinations

Travel Reviews

Schedule Posts 2-3 Weeks Out

Switch to WordPress and Use the Plug-In’s

Have a Well Designed Site

Use a Common Graphic on All Posts

Los Angeles – London | $644.50/person roundtrip

Boston – Paris | $359.35/person roundtrip

Philadelphia – Rome | $935.48/person roundtrip

“Love her, but leave her wild.” – Atticus

You can use American Dollars or Pesos.

Don’t drink the water and be careful of where you eat.

Bring bug spray and sun block.

Bring clothes that breathe well.

Taxis are safe in resort areas, but still take caution.

Know a little bit of Spanish.

Ignore the pushy sales people + tourist traps.

Disclaimer