How to Cure a Travel Craving

January 27, 2015

We’ve all been there…when it seems everyone else in the world is traveling at that moment and your Instagram feed is filled with people smiling and looking gorgeous in exotic places all over the world. It’s seriously the worst, when we’re stuck at a desk or having a bad day and all you want to do is be on a plane headed somewhere far away. So on those days when you’re watching seemingly everyone else traveling and when you have a craving you just can’t quite cure, here’s some ways to help get over the hurdle.

Indulge in Pinterest

Perhaps one of the best websites to peruse when you want to travel, you’ll find so much inspiration and gorgeous photography on Pinterest. I could spend hours scrolling through and when I really need a travel craving cure, this is the place I go.

Watch Travel Movies

Another thing I do a lot when I’m in the mood to travel and don’t have a trip for a while, I dig into some of my favorite movies set in foreign locations. Midnight in Paris, Under the Tuscan Sun, The Holiday, Sex and the City 2 and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel are some of my favorites to take the edge off a travel craving.

Listen to Foreign Music

I’ve always loved foreign music and it’s helped me learn languages better over the years as well, but it’s also a great way to get your mind off a travel craving. Sometime if I’m thinking of Paris, I’ll pull out my French music playlist to at least let me pretend like I’m sitting in a French cafe somewhere working and listening to French music playing on the radio.

Go out to a local favorite Ethnic Restaurant

So much of traveling is about food, so when Nick and I want to feel a little exotic, we’ll head to some of our favorite ethnic restaurants in Portland. We have a Spanish restaurant, a French restaurant, a Persian restaurant and an Italian place, among many others that are pretty legit for the countries they represent. We’ll head out for a fun ethnic date night when the travel bug strikes!

Book a Trip!

And finally, the only real solid cure for a travel craving is booking a trip! Sometimes it’s just necessary, so don’t be afraid to hit that book button after googling airfares for days on end!

Travel Tips : Organizing Trip Bookings

January 26, 2015

Many times booking a trip is the easy part, it’s so much fun to finally know that your trip is happening and pressing book can be the start of something wonderful to look forward to. Though after those bookings are made, it can often be a daunting task to make sure you have all your bookings and itinerary items situated and organized. You might have multiple hotel confirmations, airline reservations, tickets you’ve pre-bought and so much more, so it’s really important before a trip to keep yourself organized. Here are my tips for organizing all your bookings before a trip so that you can make sure you have everything necessary for your travels!

Create a Mail Folder

Whenever I start seriously looking at any trip, I create a mail folder in my inbox to hold any emails related to that specific trip. I actually have an overall Travel folder, with sub folders for each upcoming trip. This helps so that whenever you et an email confirmation for something for the trip, you can just save it in the trip folder and it’s easy to find later.

Create an Itinerary

When I start booking a trip, I also start a Word document with a typed out itinerary, showing which days we’re going to be where, what flight information is necessary per day, where we’re staying on which days and any specific things like pre-purchased tickets for attractions and such for specific days. I mark anything that isn’t booked yet in red, so I know that I need to go back and book anything that’s left later.

Create a Folder on your Computer

Once you start having hard copies of things like confirmations and itineraries, you’ll need a folder on your computer to keep all that information. I follow the same theme as the mail folder, and have a Travel folder in my Documents, then sub folders per trip where I keep everything. I keep flight confirmations, hotel confirmation, other ticket information and any screen shots I’ve saved of places I want to check out in the location in PDF form in this folder.

Print off all your Information a Week Prior to Travel

About a week or so prior to a trip, I’ll go through and print off all the confirmation I’ve saved over the months of planning. I like having hard copies and electronic copies of all the confirmations, that way if for some reason you can’t access it one way or another, there is a backup. Most of the time I never end up using the hard copies, but it gives me more peace of mind to have them.

Always Confirm

When I print off all the bookings before a trip, it also gives me the opportunity to go through and confirm everything. Make sure you have a place to stay for each night, that your transportation from city city while there is booked and as well to confirm things like frequent flier miles are set to your accounts and seat selections. Sometimes I realize when doing this that something is missing an it’s that last check to make sure you take care of everything before you head off on your adventure!

Travel Blogging : Keeping Inspiration

January 23, 2015

I find one of the hardest things with blogging long term is continually finding inspiration. I go through periods where I just really don’t have many ideas for posts or when I’m just totally uninspired to upkeep the site. As with anything, there is definitely burnout in blogging. So when I find myself needing inspiration and a push to keep myself going I employ these tips to help me get through those moments of not knowing for sure where to start.

File Post Ideas Away for a Rainy Day

I find that sometimes I’ll get ideas for posts at random times during the day when I’m doing something else. In those moments I always make sure to write them down and keep a list of post ideas constantly so that when those inspiration ruts hit, I have a list of good ideas to write about.

Schedule Posts Ahead

I’m a big fan of pre-scheduling posts. My posts go live at 6am every weekday morning but most of them are written at least a week or more prior to posting. I’ll take advantage of a free afternoon or a morning in a coffeeshop and write a bunch of posts and schedule them out for a couple weeks. Scheduling posts ahead helps you get through those weeks when you really don’t know what to talk about since you’ve already gone ahead and scheduled posts in advance.

Take Inspiration from Magazines

My biggest inspiration when I’m having a hard time coming up with ideas is to flip through some of my favorite magazines. I’ll take something I see and run with it in a different way. Often times some of my most popular posts come from ideas I’ve taken from magazines, both travel ones and fashion magazines. I’m not in anyway saying to copy a magazine’s idea, but using it as inspiration and putting your own spin on an idea is totally ok!

Take Screenshots of Ideas that Inspire You

I keep a folder on my computer desktop with screenshots of ideas I find randomly throughout my day. Whether it’s a cool graphics idea or a post idea, I’ll screenshot it and add it to the folder. It helps me when I have a bit of an idea but need to build on it.

Take Advantage of Moments of Inspiration

I love to take advantage of times when I’m full of inspiration and let it all come out at one period of time. If I’m feeling really inspired, I’ll sit down and write for hours at a time and schedule a whole grouping of posts for future weeks, that way I’m covered in those periods when I’m less than inspired. When you have so much inspiration coming out of you, use it to your advantage.

Travel Blogging : Running a Business

January 22, 2015

I’ve written a number of posts over the years on the topic of blogging, on tips I’ve come across, advice to those just starting out and a bunch of random topics in between and if you’re curious, you can scroll through those posts here. Lately I’ve had a lot of requests for more of these types of posts and on blogging tips once you’ve reached an intermediate level so this week I want to dedicate each day to a different topic on travel blogging in particular, though all the topics could easily be applied to all types of bloggers. I feel like there is a lot of information out there circulating about how to start a blog and tips to make it grow, but once you are in the game, I wanted to talk about some of the blogging strategies that I’ve used here on my blog and maybe some of these strategies and tips could help other bloggers in their search for how to grow their own blogs. So here is my advice for the bloggers, travel bloggers in particular, that are in that second stage of growing and moving their blogs forward to the next level.

For me blogging is my third job, after my day job and my Interior Design side business. It takes a lot of my time and energy and in return it gives me a lot too. Ever since I started offering ad spots or working with brands, I’ve treated this blog as a business. If you’re making any sort of money blogging and want to grow that income, then it should be treated as a business. I was lucky in that I already had another successful side business with my Interior Design business Reverie, so I knew a little about how to manage a small business but if you don’t, don’t worry, you’ll figure it out as you go along! Here are a few tips I would suggest in growing your blog into more of a business long term if you want to go that route.

Treat it as a Business

I think one of the most important things in moving your blog to that next step is the mindset. Are you treating it like a hobby and posting every once in a while or are you posting a lot and have big goals for your site? I fall into the latter category and am constantly brainstorming ways to move my blog forward and what I eventually want it to be. It’s not my primary focus in life right now so it’s taking longer than some other blogs that it’s their only job, but despite the time period, if you want your blog to grow and succeed long term, then treat it as a business and get your mindset on that goal too.

Keep Track of Expenses

I keep a spreadsheet of all the money I make from my blog. It doesn’t add up to very much per year but it’s enough to cover most of my blog expenses and sometimes a little extra that I can add into our travel funds. But regardless of how much you’re making, keep track of it. I also keep all receipts of expenses that relate to my blog and file them away. Depending on how much I made and how much I spent, that gets molded into my taxes in some way each year and you’ll want to have all your records in order.

Look for New Ways to Expand

I find that I have random ideas come to all the time about ways to grow and expand my blog and I love that part of blogging because as bloggers we can constantly grow and change as we need or want to and that keeps it really fun. In 2015 I have a lot of goals for this site, including a name change (coming in February) and a bit of a different direction (which I’m so excited about) but I also will be keeping the things that people really like and are successful even when moving in a new direction. Expanding your view point of what your blog can be is an important part of growing and moving forward. I’m moving more toward the idea that this site will be an online travel guide and while the blog will still be centerfold, I will be starting to offer more options to help you plan your own travels as the year progresses. I’m really excited to debut the new site so keep an eye out in the next month for that!

Managing the Website

Just the aspect of managing a growing blog can be stressful and take a lot of time. With a successful blog, comes responding to emails, answering comments, creating graphics, taking photos, figuring out what to write about and so much more. I carve out about an hour each morning in my day to answer emails, send out emails, answer comments and work on any upcoming posts that might need a bit more work. Spend the time because without it, parts of the blog will really start to falter.

Invest in Your Work

If you look at your blog as a business, then investing in that business just makes sense. Spend the time, keep it organized and keep it up to date and running correctly. This is also means sometimes a financial investment but as with any business, spend correctly so you end up getting a return investment down the road. If you make your blog important and work to grow it, you’ll end up getting that investment back.

Travel Blogging : Working with Brands

January 21, 2015

This post in particular this week is one I’ve gotten a lot of requests to write. This past year I’ve moved into the realm of working with brands in the travel industry and letting that become a part of my blog and my travel system. This whole scenario can be a hard one for a lot of people and it’s often difficult to know where to start, so in short, here is what I would recommend and the route I took. My blog isn’t big enough yet where large brands are reaching out to me (it does happen sometimes but not as often as I would like) so I took it upon myself to reach out to them and introduce myself and my blog. It’s worked really well for me so far, so here’s the route I took!

Get a System Set Up

Before you start reaching out to companies you want to work with, work on getting a system set up on your blog and in your documentation. I started by figuring out what I was going to offer brands when I reached out to them and decided that I would be offering reviews of hotels or other travel related companies as well as social media promotion. This worked well for me since I had already had a review format somewhat set up on the blog, but I revamped it a bit and used it more as a selling point than I had before. Then I put together a package which shows my following and some pertinent statistics and what I was offering in exchange for working with the company. Then finally I put together a shortlist of places I wanted to reach out to and went from there.

Be Polite but Straight Forward

The next step is emailing the companies you want to work with. I’ve had better luck with small chains or boutique companies as the larger corporations are often hard to get in contact with. I went through each place I wanted to work with and sent them an email asking if they would like to collaborate with me in exchange for something. For hotels, I usually ask for a free night or 2 in exchange for reviews and social media publicity, for airlines I usually ask for a discounted fare and for other brands I’ll ask for either discounts or free items to review and perhaps give away, all depending on what the item is. It’s important to be polite but also be straight forward and let them know what you’re asking for. Know what you’re worth and defend what you can do for them. A nice email though really does go a long way so be nice and excited to work with them and they will be more willing to read it and look into it for you.

Work Your Connections

This point is for a little bit later after you get going and have worked with companies a bit, but keeping your connections strong and using them as you go forward can be really successful. One example of this is my recent collaborations with Kimpton Hotels, both here in Portland and in Seattle. I emailed the local rep a few months back and worked with him on a stay at the Portland River Place hotel. Then a month or so later when we were planning our December trip up to Seattle and Leavenworth, I contacted him again to see if any hotels up there wanted to collaborate and got to work with the Hotel Monaco there was well. When you find a good contact for a company, grow that connection and it will be a constant connection in the long run.

Create Relationships

It’s so important in business to build your relationships with people and vendors. I’ve learned this ten-fold in my Interior Design business over the years but it’s also so true in blogging. You never know when those relationships will help you in the future so building relationships with readers, with other bloggers, and with companies and brands is always important, even if you’re not getting anything in return now, it can come back and pay off a lot in the future.

Follow Through on What You Promise

Perhaps the most important factor in building relationships with brands in blogging is following through. No one will want to work with you if you get a free hotel stay and then don’t deliver what you told them you would. I make sure to post a lot on social media during the actual collaboration and then make sure to write my review in a timely fashion afterwards, usually within 2-3 weeks of when I was offered something. Then be sure to email your contact at the brand with the link to your review or whatever you promised and thank them again for their help and hospitality. Make a real effort to follow through no matter what, you want to keep your word.

Travel Blogging : Building a Community

January 20, 2015

One thing that successful blogs do well is a commitment to building and growing a community. A blog ultimately is about a bunch of people interacting, readers commenting, people offering their own opinions and advice and creating relationships between writer and readers. Every great blog out there has a community, a place where readers and authors connect and a great sign in blogging is when you have an action comment section, with readers commenting and interacting with each other and the author of the blog. I love the community that has grown here on my blog and I’ve formed some great relationships with readers over the years. It’s really important to grow and develop that community because at the end of the day, a blog is really about its reach to a community, to have people that love reading your writing and will spend the time to engage with your writing.

It’s About More than Statistics

I’ve never been one to check my stats very often. I know generally what kind of stats I have on the blog but it’s not a daily or weekly thing that I check. There is so much more to a successful blog than how many views you get because if you get a ton of views but no one comments or engages, then what is the point? I put more stock in having my readers comment on posts, tweet me about certain articles or generally just interact with me. That interaction I think is far more valuable in the long run.

Create a Comment Community

I love the comment community here on my blog and it’s one of my favorite parts of my day to go through and read all the comments and answer back. I make an effort to reply to every comment, even if it’s just a quick response, but it’s my way of keeping the conversation alive. I love it when readers and I will go back and forth on comments for a while, having a discussion and getting to know each other. Comments are an incredible way for us to interact online in a very real way.

Interact With Readers

One of my favorite things is to interact with readers, to hear their thoughts and get to know them. Whether it’s in real life or just over the internet, it’s so nice to meet people through blogging that have many of the same aspirations as I do. I’ve had Twitter conversations, comment discussions, email chains and everything in between with readers over the years and I always love those interactions. It makes for a closer knit blog community when as bloggers we reach out directly to readers and are accessible.

Use Social Media

Social media is one of those things that can be extremely powerful for a blogger. Anymore, a blog without anything else really isn’t going to work. We all want to feel like we know bloggers, we want to see what they do on a daily basis on Instagram, we want to see what they retweet on Twitter, we want to see their trips and their thoughts on Facebook. And to be honest I think it brings us all closer. I love following bloggers I like on Instragram and Twitter, I love scrolling through to see what they are up to or what they are wearing or where they are traveling. It makes us feel like we have a connection to them and in that way, using social media to grow a larger following can be an incredible tool. But be smart with it. I’ve really changed the way I use Instagram in the last year, focusing more on quality of my photos over quantity and I’ve focused it more on my personal life instead of blog stuff since I get a lot of questions on my daily life. This way followers can see where I am and what I’m doing, both when I’m at home and when I’m traveling. Social media can also be a great tool to employ when working with brands, which I’ll be talking about in another post this week!

Building Personal Relationships

I touched on this a bit above, but over the years of blogging, I’ve built some really great personal relationships online. Many of these have turned into real life meet ups all around the world, but even if we haven’t been able to meet in person I really value the personal relationships I’ve built with readers and other bloggers. This part of blogging is really fulfilling because it brings people together on a very personal level.

Travel Blogging : Finding Your Niche

January 19, 2015

Starting out today, we’re going to talk about finding your niche in the blogging world. Now more than ever, blogging is a competitive business. There are blogs out there for all matter of topics and within each topic there are thousands out there. It’s important in this scenario to make sure you’re blogging in the right niche for you and the only way a blog can be successful anymore is if readers want to come to your blog over and over again and if they identify with the niche you’re representing. There are travel blogs galore out there and so it took me a while to figure out exactly what my individual niche is, what I can offer that not many others can but once I did, I saw significant growth in my blog. My individual niche became promoting travel to people who might not necessarily think it possible, to provide inspiration for people living in the States and want to travel abroad often and to promote the amazing things travel can bring to one’s life and how it will change you for the better.

Every blogger needs to at some point as their blog grows, take a look at what kinds of posts are popular and what your readers want and what you want to write about. It’s a process of determining who you are as a person, who you want to be as a blogger and what niche you want to represent. So to go through this process, here are some steps I found useful!

Take the Time

The process of figuring out which niche you fit best into and applying that to your blog takes time. Don’t rush this portion of growing your blog. Take the necessary time to figure it out, do your research and spend time thinking about which niche you want to grow in and what will make you successful.

Do Some Soul Searching

One thing about this blog I’ve found over the years is that there have been numerous instances where I’ve had to do some real soul searching to figure out if it was worth it to continue blogging and if the work and effort put in were really worth it at the end of the day. I’ve had days when comments have completely ripped me apart or when I’m completely uninspired and question it all, but it’s those moments when we can do some real soul searching and figure out what we want, that will only make your blog more successful and relatable to readers.

See What’s Out There

It’s important in any business to see what’s already out there in terms of “competition.” I use quotation marks because I believe that blogging is not really about competing with other bloggers because no one says you can’t read 10 different travel blogs and have each one offer something different, but it is important to know what else is out there in your niche. See how other people are doing it and see how you want to be different.

Determine What You Don’t Want to Be

It’s important as you take intermediate steps in growing your blog to really determine what kind of blogger you want to be in your niche but perhaps more importantly, what you don’t want to be. I have over the years learned some of my best lessons by watching other bloggers do things I didn’t like and learning from their mistakes. Realize what you don’t like in blogs you follow and don’t make the same mistake.

Make Goals to Move Forward

Blogging is a side job, it really is if you’re doing it to be successful. It takes a ton of time and effort (and sometimes money) so treat it as such. Make goals to strive for and follow through. Use your niche to propel you forward in certain goals you want to achieve and try to be the best in that scenario you create.

5 Reasons to Visit Amsterdam

January 16, 2015

While we’re working in Hawaii today, I’m heading back in my mind to a city that completely stole my heart! Amsterdam is one of those cities that you could wander for days, never really getting your fill. With cobblestone streets lined with trees, bridges covered in flowers, cafes spilling out onto the sidewalks and buildings so magical that you wonder if a city like this can really be real, this Dutch haven is a wonderful spot to escape to.

There are so many reasons to visit this gorgeous and historic city, but here are my top 5 reasons why you should book that ticket to Amsterdam!

Where to Stay in Amsterdam

The tall thin buildings that line much of Amsterdam might seem to be standing a little un-straight and they might be hundreds of years old but their charm and whimsy is what makes this city what it is. Canals lined with gorgeous row houses, all different colors and shapes but somehow seamlessly blending together make wandering Amsterdam a wonderfully lovely adventure.

I was somewhat prepared for the bike culture in Amsterdam from hearing about it from friends and coming from Portland where biking is a major part of the city as well, but honestly I’ve never seen a more efficient system than Amsterdam’s, where biking is more popular than almost all other forms of transportation.

Few places in all the world are as charming as the Nine Streets area of Amsterdam. Complete with perfectly tree-lined cobblestone streets, meandering canals and gorgeous row houses, you’ll find yourself coming back and over and over to this lovely area.

I was blown away by the greenery and lush plants all over Amsterdam. Bridges covered in fresh flowers, canals and streets lined with flowing trees, Amsterdam is a feast for the eyes. The city does an amazing job of keeping that whimsical feel alive with fresh flowers and trees almost everywhere!

And for an afternoon walk, Amsterdam doesn’t disappoint with Vondel Park. The vast sprawl of trees, grass, ponds and statues is gorgeous in the Fall as the leaves are changing and well worth a long meander through this large city park.

Traveling to The Netherlands?

See all of my posts on the country!

6 of the Best Travel Tips I’ve Learned the Hard Way

January 13, 2015

I could write an entire book for all the lessons we’ve learned through traveling over the years; there is always a lesson to be learned, but in particular when plans go wrong or bookings disappear or flights seem to never take off from the runway and you’re sitting on there for hours on end. We’ve had our fair share of travel issues over the years and when I stop and think about booking new trips, I always go through my collective memory and run through my list of tried and true lessons to make sure we’re booking the best options and to make our travels less stressful in the long run. So out of all the lessons I’ve learned over the years through mishaps and mistakes, I’m letting you in on my little secrets today… the lessons below are ones I’ve learned the hard way so that you don’t have to!

Have a backup plan for tight connections.

When you’re traveling with connections (which I try not to do if I can) it’s important to have a good or decent backup plan in your back pocket for when things go wrong. Check the schedules for flights from where you’re going to where you need to be so you already know when the next flight will be if your flight gets canceled or seriously delayed. If you have that information, rebooking will be that much easier.

Example: In October when we were heading to Copenhagen from Portland via LAX, our flight from Portland to LA was majorly delayed causing us to miss our connection to Copenhagen (which didn’t have another flight for 3 days after that). If I had done my research, we could have arrived at the Portland airport with enough time to make the previous flight to LA and the whole thing could have been diverted. Now I check each flight options before and after our scheduled one to confirm before we leave.

Book a few days to relax.

I often have a problem overbooking on vacation. I have so much planned out for us to see and do that I end up totally overwhelmed, tired and often sick. I have learned over the years it’s well worth carving out at least a few days of your trip just to rest and relax, whether that means a beach somewhere or a little apartment in Paris, spend a few days soaking everything in.

Example: One of the first times we’ve really done this and carved out time to relax was in Udaipur, India in February of last year and in the middle of our trip, to have 3 days at a gorgeous hotel with a private patio and pool made all the difference on our trip.

Be healthy (Don’t Push Yourself).

We’ve all been there, when you get sick on vacation or a trip and it takes over the whole thing. It’s seriously the worst and I’ve been there numerous times myself. Keep yourself healthy before the trip (one of my favorite things are the chewable Airborne tablets to boost your immune system), travel safely and healthy and then eat healthy and rest while at your destination. In the case that you do get sick, know the difference between just not feeling good and really having something wrong and adjust your schedule as needed to recover.

Example: This past Summer when we headed up to the San Juan Islands of Washington State, I didn’t feel good at all the whole time. And actually toward the end of our trip, starting realizing that what I had was Strep Throat which is really not fun at all and went home early to make sure I could get in to my doctor. Realizing the difference between just not feeling good and something serious (and contagious) like Strep is a really important distinction to realize.

Always keep a stock pile of miles for emergencies.

There are always things in life that come up unexpectedly when you need to travel somewhere last minute. Whether it’s a family emergency, a work situation or just a last minute crazy trip you decide to plan, keeping a stock pile of miles in one of your accounts is always a worthy decision. It can help relieve the stress of having to shell out a bunch of cash unexpectedly.

Example: This past Fall when my Mom was diagnosed with Cancer, I made 2 last minute trips over to Hawaii where my parents live. Tickets at that time were going for $500-$600 round trip so I dipped into my Chase Sapphire mileage account and was able to snag some amazing mileage deals even though I was booking super last minute. It saved me easily over $1,000 for both trips by using miles I had saved up.

Plan out MVP status mileage at the beginning of the year.

I usually make MVP status with Alaska (our primary loyalty program) every year just because of how many trips I make back and forth to Hawaii for work, but Nick comes just short every year it seems unless we really budget and plan out our partner trips for miles each year. At the beginning of the year, sit down and map out what trips you anticipate taking in the year ahead and try to fly those trips on partner airlines to make your elite statuses.

Example: Last year Nick was just barely under the MVP requirements for Alaska, so this year we’re planning our flights on partner airlines to make sure he can make it for the next year.

Don’t overbook yourself.

I always have a couple months of the year where random trips come up for work that mixed with our personal plans, I always end up with back to back to back travel plans. Leave yourself some space in between trips to not overbook yourself as plans start to fill up through the year.

Example: This happened to me last April and September when work plans ended up coming up last minute and I had trips back to back all month. By the end of it, I was exhausted, so this year, I’m leaving at least 2-3 weeks in between each trip to make sure that when things do come up, I’m prepared.

20 Photos That Will Make You Want to Travel

January 12, 2015

This world we live in is full of incredible places, places that are exotic, places that are serene, places that have a feeling unlike anywhere else, and places that once you experience, you’ll never forget. I’m very lucky to have a photographer for a husband and when we travel, his vision of each place is forever captured in his beautiful photography so that when we look back years later, we can remember specific moments around the world. I was recently going back through our archives of Nick’s photos and realized while I’ve shown many of these shots over the years of this blog in random posts, I’ve not necessarily shared my favorite photos all in one post before. So, letting them speak for themselves, here are 20 of my favorite photos from our travels (all shot by Nick with the exception of the Honolulu sunset which I took at the bottom). 20 photos that will make you want to jump on a plane and head to many of these gorgeous places in this world we call home. Here are 20 of my favorites and the places that inspired them.

Paris, France – This shot was taken on our honeymoon in the Opera District of Paris.

The Pantheon in Rome, Italy – This shot was taken in front of the Pantheon in Rome as I ate my gelato on the steps below this fountain.

Royal Albert Hall in London, England – This shot was taken as we wandered down the edge of Hyde Park on an early Spring day in London.

My hands done in Henna in Marrakech, Morocco – This shot was taken after I had my hands done in henna tattoos in Marrakech. The woman that did them did one hand in the traditional Saudi design (to commemorate my childhood home) and the other done in the traditional Moroccan design.

Portland Head Lighthouse in Maine, USA – This shot was taken during our road trip through New England on the coast of Maine just South of Portland, Maine. It was freezing cold and windy and the sea was roaring against the rocks.

Central Park in New York City – This shot was taken while we meandered through Central Park on a Summer day in New York City.

Vineyards in the Napa Valley in California, USA – This shot was taken on our road trip through the Napa Valley. We stopped for snacks in one of the towns along the way and came across this small but beautiful vineyard right next to the road.

The Giants’ Causeway in Northern Ireland – This shot was taken at this incredible geographical wonder in Northern Ireland where the rocks are shaped like this naturally. We were pretty much alone at this incredible sight, taking in the geography of the land surrounded by beauty.

St. Andrews, Scotland – This photo was taken near the Cathedral ruins in St. Andrews as one of the most stunning sunsets I’ve ever seen took over the sky. It was a cold crisp evening in Scotland, one that I’ll never forget as the sky burst into color.

The Louvre in Paris, France – This shot was taken as we wandered through the Louvre grounds in Paris. It was early and the museum hadn’t opened yet so it was quiet and still and I love the juxtaposition of old and new in this photo.

The Taj Mahal in Agra, India – This shot was taken on the side of the Taj Mahal as we wandered around the grounds of this beautiful landmark. I’ll never forget the feeling of seeing this monument, just as surreal in person as I imagined.

Udaipur, India – This shot was taken from the City Palace in Udaipur overlooking the sprawl of this city. I loved the colors of the buildings and the subtle beauty of the buildings that barely are held together from age.

Sunrise over Lake Pichola in Udaipur, India – This shot was taken from the banks of the Oberoi Udaivilas grounds in Udaipur. Nick got up early and ventured out to take photos at sunrise and caught the early boats crossing Lake Pichola as the bright Indian sun rose behind the City Palace in the background.

In a tuk tuk in Siem Reap, Cambodia – This photo was taken from our perch in the back of a tuk tuk as we sped down the streets in Siem Reap, heading from the temples into town for dinner.

Bayon Temple in Angkor Thom in Cambodia – This shot was taken at our favorite temple in Siem Reap, the Bayon Temple in the Angkor Thom complex with giant faces that shine down smiling at you as you wander around. We were seemingly alone wandering this temple and the feeling is one I’ll never forget.

Bangkok, Thailand – This shot was taken on our last night in Bangkok we stayed to watch the sunset over Wat Arun and then wandered down the road to grab a tuk tuk back to our hotel. We stopped for a moment as Nick captured this view of the city as it lit up at night.

Amsterdam, Netherlands – This shot was taken as we wandered the canals of Amsterdam. The shot is so typical of the city as the leafy tree lined streets line streets covered in bikes with a canal boat passing under.

View from Tour Montparnasse in Paris, France – This shot was taken from high above Paris at the top of the Tour Montparnasse. The tower offers incredible views over all of Paris, which are especially beautiful as the sunsets and the lights start to glow.

Nice, France – This shot was taken in the main square of Nice where the Old Town meets the new. I remember thinking how gorgeous the colors of the buildings were with the checkerboard pattern in the square, a gorgeous mixture of old and new.

Honolulu, Hawaii – The only shot on this list that I took, I couldn’t help but include this one. Taken in Honolulu, it was one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. The sky was streaked with color and the silhouette of the palm trees created such an incredible scene.

All of these photos by Nick Nieto Photography and all rights are reserved.

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