Search Results for: food

Where to Travel for Vacation (depending on what you want)

February 18, 2016

I completely believe that travel can transform our lives and that experiencing other cultures can change how we live our lives. So this year, if you’re looking for some places to vacation to that can fulfill what you want travel to fulfill in your life, here are the places I’d recommend for where to travel for vacation depending on what you want out of your trip!

There is perhaps no better place in the world to travel to to have that “life changing” effect than India. A surreal sense of senses – smells, textures, colors, feelings, India is a complete fantasy trip. You’ll walk away from your trip to India changed, both from the sights you’ll see and the emotions you’ll feel. My recommendation to visit in this beautiful country – the gorgeous, historical center of Udaipur.

If you’re looking for a restful vacation in a gorgeous spot on a beach, Bali is the place to go to have that incredible relaxing trip. Between the friendly locals, the incredible scenery and the laid back vibe, Bali is the perfect beach vacation spot.

If you’re on a tight budget but want to experience ancient temples that are thousands of years old a la Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, look no further than Cambodia. A place you’ll be able to travel to cheaply and you won’t be disappointed after you spend your days hopping from temple to temple inside of the local tuk tuks.

Looking for a place to escape to with your partner? Paris is always good idea. That may be true always, but even more, when looking for that romantic trip of your life with someone you live, Paris has got to be the world’s most romantic spot.

Do you want to spend that hard earned cash in one of the best cities in the world for shopping? Then London should be your destination. From High Street to Couture, you won’t have a want in the world in lovely London. And stop by Zara and Whistles for me while you’re there!

I’ve often fantasized about a trip solely to purchase items for my home. You know, just jumping on a plane to the souks of Morocco where I could outfit my home with all the treasures I can find. If you’re in the mood for a home-buying trip, Morocco is the perfect spot. And while you’re at it, have some Chicken Bastilla and load up on spices as well!

When we toured through Spain in 2015, our main goal was eat as much Spanish food as we possibly could. From tapas to churros to Cafe con Leche, if you’re on the hunt for a culinary adventure, Spain will blow your mind with it’s incredible cuisine and it’s still super easy on the wallet!

Travel Tips : How to Take Advantage of Free Travel

February 17, 2016

Travel is expensive. Unless you find ways to cut that cost which definitely exist, things like points and miles can go a long way to saving money on travel, but there are actually a lot of ways to make travel even more inexpensive if you know where to look. Actually there are lots of ways to take advantage of free travel, yes, completely free things while traveling. That’s not to say your entire trip will be free, that’s probably not going to happen. But if you know where to look, you can definitely take advantage of lots of things that will be completely at no cost to you and here’s how!

Free hotel nights.

I’ve been praising the Hotels.com loyalty program for years and it’s one I personally use a lot. And I can personally say I’ve reaped the rewards of their program and gotten a ton of free hotel nights in my own travels. Every 10 nights you stay with them, you get one free (up to a certain amount of course). If you’re not a member already, you should be. Then start staying and after 10 nights, use that free night for a trip somewhere you’ve always wanted to go!

Free parks and recreation.

One of my favorite parts of travel are exploring free parks and recreation activities in a location. You’d be surprised at how many attractions are actually free in major cities, just do your research beforehand to find out. For example, almost all museums are free in London. As well as National Parks around the world and city parks in major cities, all free and wonderful to enjoy.

Free transportation.

When we travel, transportation is always one of those items that we research fully before leaving. Knowing which transportation options are best for you and which are the least expensive can really help save money while traveling. But my favorite transportation options are when they are offered for free. Take a look at your hotel and see if they offer free shuttle transport from the airport or to major attractions.

Free rentals.

There are a lot of hotels around the world that offer free rentals to their guests. In cities like Amsterdam and Portland, many hotels offer free bikes for their guests to use while staying there. Take a look at your location and your hotel and see what rentals they might offer for you to enjoy the destination even more, completely for free.

Free stopovers.

A lot of airlines these days are coming around to the idea of offering free stopovers. Iceland Air famously did this a few years back and I think it’s had a huge impact on Iceland’s tourism. But other airlines like British Airways and Hawaiian Air now offer it as well. Basically you get the same priced flight, but it includes a stop over in the airline’s hub city. So if you fancy a few days in Iceland (which you totally should), then make use of this no-fee, free stopover option on Iceland Air. Or pick London with British Airways or Honolulu with Hawaiian Air!

Free food and drink.

A great way to cut a lot of cost when traveling is to take advantage of free food and drink. Many hotels offer breakfast as part of your room rate, so if they do, take advantage. Breakfast can easily add a large chunk of your budget when traveling, so figure out where you can take advantage of it if it’s already included in what you’re paying for your hotel. Or if you like an evening cocktail, many hotels offer happy hours to their guest as well which can cut a lot of cost if you were to go out for those drinks in your destination.

What to Do When You Miss a Place

February 9, 2016

I often find myself missing things about places we’ve traveled to, whether it’s Cambodian BBQ which we crave all the time or the feeling of wandering the streets of London, it’s easy to get a sort of reverse homesick for a place. Lately I’ve been craving France. It’s a common thing for me to miss my favorite country, but lately I got to thinking about how we can cure that craving for a place even when at home. We’ll be wandering French streets in just a couple months, but in the meantime, I often need some comforts to remember my beloved France. So if you’re missing a place you love, here’s a few ways on what to do when you miss a place!

Find a local authentic restaurant.

One of my absolute favorite ways to comfort myself when I’m missing a place I love, find an authentic restaurant. We’re lucky in Portland in that we have amazing ethnic restaurants, so find a place that serves food from that country you’re missing and indulge in culinary comforts!

Look at photos from past trips.

I love going back through old trips and looking at photos of Nick and I in our favorite places. So if you’ve been to your favorite destination in the past, take a look back down memory lane!

Read old posts or journal entries you wrote while there.

One of my favorite things about having a blog is that it’s like a diary of my travels. So when I’m missing a particular place or memory, I’ll go back through my archives and re-read my thoughts and memories, as well as looking at all the photos. It’s a great way to cure reverse home-sickness!

Book a trip back!

The best cure for missing a place? Book a trip back! There is nothing like that feeling of returning to a place you fell in love with the first time and reliving it all again!

The Truth About Traveling : Travel Burnout

January 12, 2016

We traveled a lot last year, both because we wanted to and because certain things came up for work and life that we had to travel for. And in all that travel and time on planes and in cars, we got burnt out. There came a point after our trip in November to Australia, New Zealand and Bali (where so much went wrong) that we decided we needed a hiatus to recuperate.

Because while travel is incredible and life changing and amazing, it’s also exhausting both physically and mentally. It drains you of energy and when you travel like we do, where it’s not really a vacation-type of travel, we then come home and plunge right back into our busy lives and it seems like you never quite get caught up. I’m not saying I don’t love it, I do. And I’m so thankful that we’ve worked hard to get to this point where we can travel a lot and see amazing places around the world. But there comes a point for every traveler when you just want to be home in your own bed for more than a few weekends at a time.

We also have a lot going on at home including moving this January, family issues, and work that never seems to slow down and so when we got home from our trip in November, we knew we needed to be home for a bit, for our own sanity. We actually were scheduled to do a long weekend over New Years in New York and canceled it so that we could use that weekend to rest and get ourselves organized to move.

All in all, travel is worth every second. It’s worth every penny you pay and every moment you create, but it’s also ok to realize that you need a break. There is certainly such a thing as travel burnout and when you get to that point, just realize that we’ve all been there. Trips that go wrong, too many nights not sleeping on planes and being jet lagged at all hours of the night. Travel is incredibly rewarding but it also comes with a cost. So when you experience travel burnout, just smile knowing all the amazing memories you’ll have from your travels and then head home for a while, sleep in your own bed, eat good food and give yourself a break. Travel will always be there when you’re ready and that’s usually sooner than you think!

And don’t worry… I’m not stopping traveling anytime soon, just taking a bit of a breather, but I can’t wait to share a bunch of great content in the new year and get back to traveling in February! And after being at home for over a month, I’m already getting back into the swing of travel planning for lots of amazing trips over the course of 2016!

An Evening in Auckland : New Zealand’s Big City

January 7, 2016

After the worst turbulence of our lives on our flight from Queenstown to Auckland, New Zealand, we arrived in the country’s big city for a quick evening and overnight before heading to Bali. Surprisingly, even with only a few hours there, we loved Auckland. It reminded us of San Francisco a lot and was really a lovely city to wander around. We dropped our bags off at our hotel and headed out to roam and grab some dinner. We ended up having Mexican food (so random to see that in New Zealand) and then wandered back to our hotel. All in all, I’d definitely return to Auckland, it was a wonderful surprise for a city I wasn’t sure at all what it would be like.