As winter sets in here in Alaska, memories of sandy beaches, warm weather, and tropical drinks start making their way into our thoughts as we begin to plan our 2016 travels. During our stay in Mallorca, Spain, we actually hit the tail-end of summer, and were a little bit disappointed about the weather being rainy a good 50% of the time. However, Mallorca is such a gorgeous island, we would absolutely love to go back in the spring (think of the flowers), just as summer is starting, or right smack dab in the middle of it to experience the full tropical, sun-soaked island. I'm also a bit intrigued about what winter is like on Mallorca? All that to say, I'd move to Mallorca (aka island paradise) in a second if I had the chance — come sunshine, ... Read More
Archives for 2015
PNW Coast with Jord Wood Watches
Derik and I had the pleasure of visiting the Pacific Northwest over Thanksgiving break to see family and friends. While we mainly stayed in the Portland/Vancouver area, we couldn't resist going out to the coast to revisit where it all began, and enjoy a day full of memories, delicious food (at our favorite coastal stop: Camp 18), and to take a few pictures with our amazing watches from Jord Wood Watches that we had received a week prior. When Jord contacted Derik and I to do a review on their watches, I immediately fell in love with every single watch as I surfed through their site. Not only are they 100% unique in comparison to other watches, the designs, the craftsmanship, and the presentation of each watch was beyond ... Read More
Why Park City, Utah Should Be On Your Winter Bucket List
About this time of year we all tend to get a bit restless. Towards the middle of winter when cabin fever begins to set in, Amanda and I have typically migrated to warmer places for a little rest and relaxation, but we are discovering winter has a lot to offer too. We never cease in searching for where to go next, and found Park City, Utah is an awesome place to get out and enjoy the winter season. As the host city of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, no wonder Park City has a lot to offer. So if you are planning a winter vacation here’s what you need to know about Park City, Utah. Getting there When considering a vacation, a lot of planning comes down to location, location, location! There are tons of “perfect” places to spend your ... Read More
Holiday Gift Guide for the Traveler and Expat
Well hello friends, and Merry Christmas! I hope you're enjoying the chaotic, joyous, holiday-filled weeks as we move on toward 2016 as I am! Derik and I been galavanting around in the good ol' US of A this holiday season, and have enjoyed reuniting with family and friends along the way. I don't know if you're like me, but I make a New Year's resolution every year to be good at buying gifts early…and it never happens. So here I sit, two weeks from Christmas, with a whole list of people to shop for. I actually enjoy getting creative gifts for others, so that's not my problem…If I'm honest with myself, I'm just a gigantic procrastinator. You know that girl in college who didn't have the 10-page paper started the night before it was ... Read More
24 hours in Wanaka
Jetting away on the weekends or anytime we could squeeze in a day trip, was something Derik and I would do quite regularly while living in New Zealand. When my brother and sister-in-law came to visit earlier this year, it was pretty much required that we took a quick 3-hour drive over to the west coast to show them the mountainous grander that is Queenstown and Wanaka. Now, as someone who has traveled New Zealand from top to bottom, if you're looking for a place that has everything you ever thought New Zealand to be, the west coast of the South Island is that place: mountains, glaciers, the bluest rivers and lakes you've ever seen, LOTR locations, and of course, sheep. If it wasn't so expensive to live in the Queenstown/Wanaka area, in ... Read More
Finding and Photographing the Aurora in New Zealand
The Aurora Australis (otherwise known as the Southern Lights) is a rare beauty that only shows its splendor to those who seek it. Intrigued? I know I was! One of the biggest bucket list items I had while living in New Zealand was to see the Aurora Australis, especially since I grew up seeing the Borealis…there's just something about being able to witness such a gorgeous phenomenon in both hemispheres! Or maybe I'm just overly hyping that up? Anyway, I wanted to get down to the nitty gritty with you guys today and explain all you need to know about finding and photographing the Aurora Australis. It's simply not as easy as waiting until a friend calls you up on the phone and then walking out your door(or maybe you'll be the lucky one ... Read More
A Luxury Villa Stay in Mallorca, Spain
Having the opportunity to jet away on vacation is wonderful, but being able to bring family along makes it a million times better! After spending the summer on-the-go, we were ready for a nice seven day getaway with Travelopo.com in a luxury villa (pinch me), where we could spend time with my sister, her adorable family (a great brother-in-law and two nieces under three), and a childhood friend, catching up and enjoying life. Travelopo.com Luxury Villa Review From the second my browser loaded Travelopo's website, I knew we were going to have a good time, regardless of the fact we literally had no clue what our villa was going to look like until two days before we arrived. I mean, GOODNESS, have you seen the rentals on their site? ... Read More
20 more travel quotes you probably haven’t heard before
...or maybe you have because you follow me on Instagram. I've always had a thing for quotes, and enjoy searching through the interwebs for quotes that inspire me to travel, adventure, and live life to the fullest. There are certain travel quotes that tend to be way oversaturated in this digital age, and the quotes below are (hopefully) not among that list…not yet anyway! Since I haven't been able to share many photos from our time in Europe yet, I decided to add a few of them into this post as a little preview. :) Happy wanderlusting! "Don’t be afraid of change. You may end up losing something good, but you will probably end up gaining something better." — Unknown “I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not ... Read More
Anniversary Getaway at the Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul
This year Derik and I celebrated our fifth year wedding anniversary. For the last four years, Derik has done an amazing job putting together surprises and making our anniversary special, and I wanted to return the favor with planning this year's getaway. I found an amazing deal on a cruise around the Aegean Sea into the Mediterranean (posts about that coming soon), with the departure port leaving from Istanbul, Turkey. I've always wanted to visit Istanbul, and the fact that our cruise left from this cultural and historical city, had me super excited! Derik knew nothing of our cruise plans, or the fact that we were traveling to Istanbul, and I wanted to make sure I added little surprises the entire week. I partnered with Shangri-la ... Read More
