Travel Tips

Think you’re a savvy traveler? Read a few of these posts and see if you don’t learn a little something new!

Budget Tips

Couple Travel

  • Where to Travel According to Your Love Language - If you're also a fan of any of the 5 Love Language books, I hope you'll find some inspiration for future travels!
  • The World’s Best Hotels for Couples - If you're looking for a romantic place to go with your honey this year, here are the best ones.
  • How to Plan the Perfect Valentine’s Day Getaway - Here's your guide to exactly how make big plans for you and your honey!
  • The Secrets to Happy Couple Travel - Okay, no couples are perfect. But that's okay! It is possible to travel with the person you love and still love them afterward.
  • 10 Most Romantic Travel Experiences - What's romantic to you? Travel is how my sweet husband Steve and I show love for each other.
  • How to Choose the Ultimate Anniversary Getaway - If you're looking for a fantastic place to spend your anniversary in the coming years, this post has all the inspiration you'll need!
  • Ultimate Travel Couple Bucket List - Looking for some adventures to have with your loved one? There are definitely some bucket list items out there that are best experienced as a couple, and I hope you'll find that this list is your ultimate guide!
  • Where to Get Engaged in Verona - Ah, love! It’s beautiful, it’s fun, and it’s, well, lovely! Our Valentine’s trip to Verona was an absolute dream, and I kept thinking, “Wow! What a great spot to get engaged!” and, “Wow! What a beautiful view for an engagement! So if you’re planning an engagement or a trip to Verona, here are a few ideas to help you find just the right setting to pop the question!
  • The World’s Most Perfect Honeymoons - I left the honeymoon planning up to my sweet, soon-to-be husband, and he did a fantastic job! So whether you or the love of your life will be the one planning your honeymoon, here are some suggestions to help you dream!
  • The Ultimate Guide to Romantic Mau’i - Islands are inherently relaxing, there's only so far you can go, and there is just something extra romantic about being truly away from it all, separated from real life by a body of water. So, to kick off my Maui blog post series, I'm starting with the most romantic things about our trip to Maui!

Destination Ideas

Essential Travel Skills

Passports and Visas

  • How to Apply for an Australian Tourist Visa - In case you haven't heard yet... I'm headed to Australia and New Zealand this week! I have two long layovers in Sydney, Australia, on my way to and from Christchurch, New Zealand, and I may be making my way back Down Under in the next few months, so I needed to get a Tourist Visa.
  • How to Renew Global Entry - My husband's Global Entry was set to expire this year, so I decided to document his renewal process so you will know what to expect!
  • How to Apply for Global Entry - Are you ready to revolutionize (and speed up) your travels? Global Entry is just the thing for you!
  • What To Do When You Lose Your Passport - This week it's all about expecting the unexpected and preparing for the one of the worst possible travel scenarios: losing your passport.
  • How to Get an Impossible Visa - Think you can't visit the country you want because you're not allowed to get the visa? Don't give up hope!
  • The Traveler’s Ultimate Guide to Passports - I've got you covered. Here's everything you need to know so you can start traveling the world without limits!
  • How to Get a Tourist Visa - So you’re wondering how to go about getting a tourist visa. Do I need one? How soon should I start the process? Do I seriously have to send my passport?

Personal Care

Top Travel Tips

  • 5 Practical Ways to Travel Sustainably - I know, I know. You have a million people and companies and advocates basically yelling at you to save the planet, but very few of them are kindly explaining some practical ways to do that. So I decided to do that.
  • How to Plan Long-term Travel in Europe: The Ultimate Guide - I got a question from a fellow female traveler recently about how to manage traveling in Europe for four months. Or should she spend two months in Europe and two months in Southeast Asia? Well, those are excellent questions, and I have some strong opinions about that!
  • 6 Winter Days in Switzerland and Liechtenstein - Looking for a winter wonderland? One that's really fairytale material? Look no farther than Europe! My sweet husband Steve and I had a fun and unexpectedly exciting time in Switzerland and Liechtenstein this past January, and we highly recommend the experience! Here's an itinerary for your own trip to this Alpine winter playground!
  • Ultimate Guide to Travel Lingo - Every field has its own lingo. But with travel lingo, every traveler needs to be able to decipher it. So next time you look at your boarding pass or try to read a travel blog, just refer to this post and you'll be in the know in no time!
  • Your Ultimate Guide to Travel and Your Money - One of the most common questions I get is, "how can I afford to travel?" The answer is different for everyone, but the general rules apply to all.
  • Travel: The Best Medicine - It’s Flashback Friday! I posted this a couple of years ago, but since then I’ve come into some new information, so I thought it was time for an update! No matter how far away you go, at some point you will likely need to travel with a prescription, or maybe just some ibuprofen and melatoninContinue reading "Travel: The Best Medicine"
  • 6 Unexpected Ways I Afford to Travel - For this post, I'm addressing a question that I typically find to be tacky and even rude, unless it comes from someone who truly wants to travel, but believes it's just too expensive. Here I'll be sharing my tips and secrets for travel bargain hunting!
  • 6 Things that Happen to Travelers - Let's be practical for a minute. We all know I LOVE to travel, but I'll be completely honest, there are some uncomfortable and less than convenient parts to traveling.
  • Clothes that Pull Their Own Weight - I’m revealing my most effective packing secrets! Ready to get serious about packing light? You can pack like a real pro with a few strategic pieces and a positive attitude! You can make it through a trip of any length with fewer clothes than you think, especially when your clothes can pull their own weightContinue reading "Clothes that Pull Their Own Weight"
  • “SSSS” on My Boarding Pass - On our recent trip home from Venice, my husband had some trouble getting access to his boarding pass upon online check in. He received a message saying he needed to get his boarding pass at the airport. It was the dreaded SSSS of shame.
  • How to Trip Plan with Trip Advisor - This is not a sponsored post. I just really love this tool! If you’ve ever found yourself completely overwhelmed when planning a trip, you are not alone. I’ve written about Trip Advisor and recommended their app a few times because it’s my go-to trip planner. They have recently changed their app to add an amazingContinue reading "How to Trip Plan with Trip Advisor"
  • What I Found at Unclaimed Baggage - Have you ever wondered what happened to that lost luggage you never could locate? Well, it probably ended up here. Unclaimed Baggage is the only buyer and seller of lost or unclaimed luggage (and cargo!) in America, and they have new items coming in every day!
  • Travel Revolution: Changing the Way You Travel - It’s Travel Tip Tuesday! This week, I’m letting you in on my secret weapons: products that have revolutionized the way I travel. Travel harder, not smarter, my friends. Many of the photos below contain affiliate links via Amazon. This means if you purchase a product from one of these links, you will be helping meContinue reading "Travel Revolution: Changing the Way You Travel"
  • What to Do on Guam on a Rainy Day - Islands generally get a lot of rain and a lot of sun. Guam actually gets an average of 80-110 inches of rain per year, which is a lot! It rained off and on every day of our trip, but especially on the first day. Instead of being disappointed in the rain on our beach vacation, we found some fun ways to enjoy it anyway! Here are six rainy day activities for your trip.
  • Math+Travel=Success - It’s Travel Tip Tuesday! This week we’re talking about why math is so important for travelers. I am NOT a mathematically-minded person. I’m a wordsmith who can write cycles around rocket scientists (and has), but it takes me more than a few minutes to figure out mathematical problems. Thankfully my husband is a numbers-loving engineer!Continue reading "Math+Travel=Success"
  • How to Read a Map - This week's tip involves something near and dear to my heart: map reading!
  • The Best Apps for Travelers - This week we are going hi-tech and letting you in on some awesome travel apps to help you be a savvy and efficient traveler!
  • D.C. in Winter - Winter is a beautiful time to be in Washington, D.C.! Contrary to many other cities in winter time, D.C. can be very sunny all day long. It's hard to feel gloomy when the sun is shining!
  • Travel Splurges Worth the Price - I am all for saving money where you can and finding a great flight and hotel deal, but occasionally, budgeting for something special can be well worth the extra cost. Here are a few examples!
  • The Ultimate Ladies’ Guide to Traveling Solo - Here's a freshly updated guide, complete with links for more information and better photos so you can clearly see how much fun solo travel can really be!
  • What are the Benefits of Airline Loyalty? - Are you loyal to a specific airline or airline alliance? Is it always best to go with the cheapest ticket on the cheapest flight? I think it depends, but here are some reasons airline loyalty may be worth looking into!
  • Making the Most of It - It’s Travel Tip Tuesday! Travel is awesome, don’t you think? There’s almost nothing I’d rather be doing than traveling the great big world. But as with all wonderful things, sometimes it doesn’t turn out exactly as you think. On a recent trip to San Francisco, my husband and I couldn’t seem to catch a break.Continue reading "Making the Most of It"
  • The 5 Ultimate Habits of Flexible Travelers - Savvy travelers are above all flexible. Here are 5 ways you can improve your globe trotting experience with a little flexibility!
  • Travel Fear: I Can’t - Happy October, one and all! I’m starting a new series in preparation for one of my most favorite holidays: Halloween! This series is all about travel fears. People have all sorts of “reasons” (ahem, excuses) not to travel. We’ll be exploring these travel fears and debunk them! For our first “Spooky Saturday” post, let’s start withContinue reading "Travel Fear: I Can’t"
  • Carry-on Only: 14 Days, 5 Cities - It’s that time again… time to pack! My husband is whisking me away for our annual Trip of a Lifetime, and this year we’re hitting up five cities in five different countries, four of which are new to us–and all of which are new to me! Luckily it’s summer (or summery weather) in all these places,Continue reading "Carry-on Only: 14 Days, 5 Cities"
  • Flight Risk: Boredom! - It’s Travel Tip Tuesday! Here’s one that was originally published on 28 September 2015. We all love long flights, right? They take us to exciting, faraway destinations, you can’t get where you’re going any faster than in a plane, and you get free meals (which you paid for with your pricey plane ticket)! But afterContinue reading "Flight Risk: Boredom!"

Travel Advice

Travel Lists

  • The Ultimate Foodie Destinations Around the World - If you’re a foodie like me, it might be fun to pick your next trip based on a destination’s foodie-friendliness.
  • The Luckiest Things that Ever Happened to Us on Travel - The short answer: YES! Here are some of the luckiest things that ever happened to us in all our travels, whether solo or together.
  • The Top 10 Places I Could Visit Again and Again - There are two kinds of travelers: those who always want to go somewhere new, and those who only want to go back to "their place." It has to be "their coffee shop," "their breakfast spot," "their restaurant," "their beach." To each his own, I say!
  • World’s Most Overrated Travel Destinations - “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” —Susan Sontag. I don’t know about everywhere, actually. There are some places that just don’t pique my interest. And while I’ve never been one to follow the crowd and do something just because it’s popular, sometimes I do want to see for myself what all the fuss is about.
  • Steve’s Best Travel Moments - Tomorrow is Steve's birthday! Woohoo! Fun fact: It's also my mom's birthday! Woohoo!
  • Quick Whit’s Best Travel Moments - I've also found reminiscing about past trips to be fun and soothing, with the added bonus of appreciating all the amazing things I've been able to do over my last 14 years of travel. Check out my top 10 list of my favorite travel moments!
  • What I Love About Travel - I am grateful for the travels and adventures I’ve had up to now. Travel has given me so much, and I love everything about it. Here’s the short list!
  • 5 Ways to Surprise Someone with Travel - I love to be surprised, and I love to surprise the people in my life, and it made me think about the best surprise anyone ever gave me, when Steve came to "pick me up" at the Burbank airport when we were newly engaged! He flew across the country just to surprise me, and that memory prompted me to give you some ideas about how to incorporate surprises into your travels!
  • 10 Things Every Traveler Should Know - Some travel by car, some prefer flying, still others take trains, sail, cruise, or even walk! But no matter how you travel, there are just some things that absolutely every traveler should know!
  • Some Things Travelers Know - The more you do something, the better you get at it, right? In an industry as changeable and varied as travel, it seems like the rules change all the time; but despite all that, there are a few things travelers know for sure.
  • My Top 10 Best Travel Hacks - Are you ready for this? I love giving away my travel tips, but I was recently compelled to compile a list of my very top travel hacks--the lifesavers that work every time! Well, this is it. Get ready to travel like a pro!
  • 6 Things that Happen to Travelers - Let's be practical for a minute. We all know I LOVE to travel, but I'll be completely honest, there are some uncomfortable and less than convenient parts to traveling.

Travel Tips by Season

Spring

Summer

Fall

  • The Ultimate List of Fall Destinations - Whatever you call it, if you're traveling this season, you're most likely looking for changing colors on the trees, chillier temperatures, and maybe some maple-flavored items along the way. Here are the best places to travel in the fall--and the autumn!
  • The Best Tips for Traveling in Fall - Fall is a beautiful time to travel! The leaves are all colors, the mornings are crisp, and the afternoons warm up nicely. But I have to admit, fall is probabaly the hardest season to pack for, and it has a few other challenges as well! But never fear. I have some tips for you to make sure your fall getaway is a success!

Winter

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