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You Know You’re a Third Culture Kid When…

February 16, 2015

I haven’t written anything for a while on my childhood in the Middle East, though for numerous reasons as of late it’s been on my mind a lot. Sometimes I wonder how my life would have been different had I not been born in Saudi Arabia and every time that I think about it, I can’t help but be so thankful for that experience and for my parents choosing that life. It has completely shaped who I am, created in me a passion for this planet, a belief in equal rights and in respecting each and every person for who they are and where they come from. But it has also brought some interesting and often awkward moments throughout my life. Sometimes I can’t help but laugh at reactions from people and situations my childhood abroad have put me in, but nonetheless, it’s part of who I am and something I’m proud of.

Not familiar with what the term Third culture kid means? I wrote about it here.

You know you’re a Third Culture Kid when…

+People ask you where you’re from and you question if you should give the real answer or make something up.

+You give the real answer to the question about where you’re from and it takes 10+ minutes to explain, followed by a round of questions that take even longer.

+Your birthplace is an interesting topic of conversation.

+You grow up knowing you probably won’t be able to drive by your childhood home as an adult or go back for holidays.

+You spent years not fitting into your “home” country.

+You feel as if the world is your home, not one particular place.

+Living with people of different religions, different ethnicities, and different beliefs isn’t a bad thing, it’s wonderful.

+You crave the food of your birth country on a regular basis…. like schwarmas and will go any length to get them.

+Your memories of childhood revolve around travels to exotic countries, near and far.

+People you meet later in life will never fully understand the way you grew up.

+You are met with a round of questions going through Immigration booths around the world asking why you were born in _____________.

+That melancholy feeling you can’t quite shake about missing that home you had as a child never quite goes away.

+The world becomes your passion and your instincts are to help make it better.

Interested in reading more about my childhood in Saudi Arabia?

See all of my posts on the country!

The Best Valentine’s Day Escapes

February 13, 2015

With tomorrow being Valentine’s Day and romance on our minds, what better way to spend time with that person you love than escaping the everyday and heading out of town to celebrate? Though we’ll be at home this year, I love splurging on special Valentine’s Day plans and with so many amazing, romantic places to choose from in the world, here’s my top spots for that romantic escape with your love. And while it may be too late to book these spots for this year’s celebration, keep them in mind to surprise you partner next year!

The entire country of Ireland and its neighbor to the North, Northern Ireland are magical at all times of the year with gorgeous countrysides and fantastic cities. Consider spending time with someone special at a little inn in the Irish countryside.

Romantic tip: Book a room at the adorable Bushmills Inn in Northern Ireland, rent a car and spend your days driving around the Northern Irish countryside OR make Dublin your destination and spend your days wandering the city streets taking in the quintessential Irish charm.

Staying closer to home in the US, there is perhaps not many more romantic places in the US than the Napa Valley, with great wine, fantastic restaurants and hotels, spending a weekend in this area is pure romance.

Romantic Tip: Base yourself in Sacramento, rent a car and roam wine country for days on end taking in the gorgeous scenery.

No where does romance like Paris and for any romantic escape, the French capitol is a wonderful choice. Spend your days wandering arm in arm with your partner, taking in all the French wine and pastries you can!

Romantic Tip: Stay at Le Notre Dame Hotel on the banks of the Seine with views of Notre Dame and head up to the top of the Tour Montparnasse at sunset to take in gorgeous 360 degree views of Paris.

For an Asian escape, Udaipur, India is one of the romantic and picturesque places I’ve ever been. Set on a lake with mountains surrounding, this gorgeous Indian location will take your breath away.

Romantic Tip: Stay at the Oberoi Udaivilas and spend your days eating the most delicious Indian food and watching sunsets over Lake Pichola.

Where else is more romantic than celebrating love in the city that is famous for the home of Romeo and Juliet? Verona is a quaint little Italian city with lots of charm and some incredible food. Grab your love and wander around Verona for a while, complete with stops for lasagna and gelato (and maybe not necessarily in that order!)

Romantic Tip: Verona is a quick 1.5 hour train ride from Milan, so you can easily do it as a day trip. Arrive mid-morning, grab a fantastic Italian espresso and then stop for lunch later on to enjoy some of Northern Italy’s delicacies, followed by Gelato and you can be back in Milan by dinner to have a romantic meal as the Duomo in Milan lights up at night.

One of the most romantic things in my opinion is just spending time with that person you love watching the sun rise or set. There is something about the way the world seems to stop and put on a show of color and beauty always makes me want my love by my side. And where else in the world is better for that than the islands of Hawaii?

Romantic Tip: Splurge on a hotel with views of the beach, you’ll see some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

A Quick Guide to Honolulu

February 5, 2015

I spend a lot of time in Honolulu and lived there for a couple years as well, so when I head to Hawaii, I’m spending most of my time in the local areas of this well known city. While Waikiki and North Shore are great to see and experience, the lesser known spots in Honolulu are some of my favorites. If you’re headed to Hawaii in the near future, don’t miss out on some of my favorite spots!

How to Get Around: Car is the easiest form of transportation in the city as it does sprawl a pretty great distance in every direction. I would recommend renting a car for your time in the city, unless all you plan to do is sticking in one of the tourist areas on the beach, then you can walk everywhere.

Where to Go for What: Honolulu is both a big city and a small town at the same time. Everyone knowns everyone, everyone seems to be related to everyone and while there is lots to do and see, it is a small island after all. Waikiki is where you’re going to find the nice hotels and all the tourists. Ala Moana Mall is where all the great shopping is. Ward Center is where the locals go for food and entertainment. Downtown is really only alive during the weekdays when everyone is at work. Manoa is where many locals live and heads up into the mountains. The University of Hawaii sprawls through the center of town with its campus and the H1 freeway dissects Honolulu running East and West.

Where to Eat: Over the years I’ve come up with some of my favorite spots around the city, some local spots, some chains, and some in the tourist areas. For a great steak dinner, Hy’s is old school and always spot on. For awesome Chinese food, go to Asia Manoa. For a special lunch or dinner, I love Mariposa at Neimen Marcus. Longhi’s is famous for being an old time Hawaiian spot. For a good spot in Waikiki, The Cheesecake Factory there is one of the best of the chain (but be prepared for a long wait). For a little Irish charm in the heart of the city, Murphy’s has great pub style food.

The Best Beaches: I’m not a big beach person but over the years I’ve found some favorites of mine. I like to go early in the morning before they get crowded with tourists but here are some of my favorites. Waikiki Beach towards the Ala Moana Surfrider hotel and Diamond Head can get really crowded during the day, but go at sunrise and it’s lovely. The beach at the Hilton Hawaiian Village is a great spot towards the Eastern end of Waikiki and is usually not nearly as crowded as the other spots in the tourist areas. For a quiet local view of the water, Ala Moana Beach Park and Magic Island offer some nice stretches of beach and are filled with more locals than tourists. And while not in Honolulu, but on the other side of the island, I have to say one of my favorite beaches on Oahu is at Lanikai Beach, which is worth mentioning in Kailua. Go here at sunrise and you won’t be disappointed!

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 Wishlist for 2015

January 2, 2015

As 2015 gets going this week, I’m looking ahead to all the places I’de love to make it to this year. I love this time of year, when the new year begins and the 12 months ahead are full of possibilities. While not all of these destinations will probably happen this year, I love to have a specific list of my top places each year so that if time opens up or we have a chance to add to our already fairly full travel schedule for the year, we can look at our list and pick a place quickly. My travel priorities this year are to visit some old favorites (i.e. Iceland hopefully) but also to add more exotic locations (i.e. Bali and Spain) to our plans as well as some new continents (i.e. Australia) to add to the list! So in no specific order, here are the top places on my list to try to get to in 2015!

Photo via Adelante

Our first major trip of the year will take place in early March and we’ll head to Spain and Portugal (with a day in London as well) for 10 days. I am so excited to explore Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Granada and Lisbon, but perhaps what I’m looking forward to the most is all the Spanish food I can get! Bring on the paella, rossejat, sangria, potatoes braves, spanish tortilla and cafe con leche!

Carmel has been a place I’ve been wanting to get back to for a while. I visited as a teenager and Nick has been a few times for golf, but we really want to plan a weekend escape here along the cliffsides and ocean sometime this year.

We’ve been meaning to make a trip over to Eastern Oregon, specifically the Bend area, for forever now! I haven’t been in years and Nick’s brother lives there and works at a fantastic restaurant we’ve really been wanting to try. I’m hoping to make the weekend trip over there sometime in the Spring.

We’re in the process of trying to make an Iceland trip work over Memorial Day in May. With the new direct Iceland Air service from Portland to Reykjavik starting in May, it will make it so much easier for us to make an Icelandic escape. We’re hoping to make the trip work and include a drive up to the North of the country since we didn’t get to see that part when we went in Winter a couple years ago.

On one of our Hawaii trips this year (maybe in August) I really want to jump over to Kauai for a night. Neither Nick or I have been and while we spend a lot of time on Oahu and we’ve both been to Maui, I really want to check Kauai out for its lush greenery and a different island feel. We’ve been wanting to do this for a few years now and never have had the chance, so maybe this year!

For our 10 year anniversary in October this year, I really want to do something special for a long weekend. I’m thinking an escape to NYC and then driving upstate somewhere would be the perfect getaway. Anybody have any fabulous places upstate New York or nearby they want to recommend for an anniversary getaway?

Photo via

For our trip in November, originally we were thinking of an extended trip through Europe, but due to other conflicts and things that have come up, we’re now thinking of a trip through Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia, particularly Bali. Bali has been consistently getting higher and higher on my list and with an Oberoi hotel there (the incredible hotel chain we stayed at in India in Udaipur and Agra), I’m ready for a few days of relaxation on this beautiful island!

Photo via

On our way home from our trip in November, I’m hoping to stop through Hong Kong for a quick layover and a little bit of time to explore. The city has been on our radar for a while and I would love to add another country to our list and check out this colorful and well known city!

You Know You’re a Third Culture Kid When…

You know you’re a Third Culture Kid when…

The Best Valentine’s Day Escapes

A Quick Guide to Honolulu

How to Cure a Travel Craving

Travel Wishlist for 2015

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You know you’re a Third Culture Kid when…

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