4 Easy Ways to Keep the Travel Bug At Bay

October 11, 2016October 11, 2016Leave a comment

I’ve been home for about two weeks since my last trip, a whirlwind tour of the Pacific Northwest. And per usual, the travel bug has come back to bite me already. But let’s be honest – I don’t have the vacation time or the cash handy to drop what I’m doing and hop another plane.

Instead, I’ll be employing these 4 Easy Ways to Keep the Travel Bug at Bay while I save up for my next adventure.

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View from Carew Tower in downtown Cincinnati

Be a tourist in your own city. I live just outside a mid-sized Midwest city, but there’s so much to see and do. It may not be NYC or LA, but new restaurants are opening downtown every week, art exhibits, ballets and broadway shows are plentiful, and the outdoor adventure scene isn’t too shabby, either. In my down time from travel, I find that getting out and about in my city is a great way to do a lot of the things I love, like hiking and trying new restaurants and breweries, without forking over the money for a plane ticket or hotel room.

Red River Gorge in Daniel Boone National Forest is just a two-hour drive from my city

Plan a day trip. Where can you drive to in under three hours from your hometown? I can get to three other mid-sized cities, a National Forest, and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, to name a few. Sure, it can be a lot of driving in a day. But with the right travel partner(s), it’s the perfect way to get that quick fix you’ve been craving.

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Looking Glass Rock is in Pisgah National Forest, just one hour outside of Ashville, NC

Find your go-to weekend getaway. Not everyone is into the idea of repeat trips, but for me, after awhile you know what you like and what you don’t like. And if you can find a place you like within a reasonable distance for a weekend getaway, make it yours. I love, love, love Asheville, North Carolina. Not only is it a quirky city with INCREDIBLE beer, but it’s within an hour’s drive to multiple National Forests and Parks. Hello, mountains! I’ve been in the area three times now, and am planning a fourth trip near Thanksgiving this year. Each time I visit, I find something new and incredible, and until that stops, I’ll keep visiting. It’s under five hours’ drive time, and the perfect weekend getaway for me.

Research and plan for your next big trip. What better way to get excited than to research your next big trip? Sure, it might not happen for six months or a year, but you can use that time to discover destinations you never knew existed, add to your itinerary, or brush up on some useful language skills (if you plan to travel internationally). If you’re planning a particularly large trip that’s more than a year out, researching and budgeting can help you stay focused on your travel savings plan, and you’ll have plenty of time to find the best deals on transportation, lodging and attractions. Traveling and experiencing new things is the best – but planning for them is a close second, in my book.

What’s your best tip for keeping the travel bug at bay? Let me know in the comments!

Hiking Oregon’s Oneonta Gorge

October 6, 2016Leave a comment

If you’ve ever visited Portland, or thought of visiting Portland, you’ve probably come across more than a few opportunities for nearby outdoor activities. Just 35 minutes from downtown Portland is a well-known area called Multnomah Falls. It’s gorgeous – waterfalls, greenery, the opportunity to hike up to the top or down to the bottom.

Keep going – five more minutes and you’ll arrive at Oneonta Gorge. Where Multnomah has multiple parking lots and shuttles that drop you off at the falls, Oneonta has parking along the roadway. And though it’s by no means deserted, you’re looking at sharing the gorge with 50 people vs. hundreds at the falls.

Let me tell you what’s incredible about this hike.

To start, it’s stunning. Even better, you can get right into the middle of it, rather than snap a far-away photo. Here’s how:

You hike through the water. No dry paths here! This is the best thing about hiking for me – that feeling when you see something so beautiful, but you don’t have to just look from far away. You can get into the thick of it. This hike goes to the extreme, dropping you into chest-deep water (only for a moment) and leading you straight to the heart of the gorge.

But first, you have to scramble over these rocks and logs. It’s a bit tricky, considering there could be as many as 20 people trying to go in opposite directions – some are just finishing, while others are just beginning, and there’s only one way in and out. Go slow and be cautious, because the rocks and logs are wet and slippery. And if you can, wear a pair of water shoes with good grips on the bottom. It makes a world of difference. Bare feet on the stones in this river bed? Not a good idea.

Real talk: that water is cooooollllddd. The worst part is the first few steps into ankle deep water. Ever had to ice your foot after running or playing sports? It’s a little painful. But once you go deeper – it’s a gradual decline, from ankles to knees to waist, and then eventually chest deep – it just becomes thrilling, honestly. Look at the smile on my face! I was exhilarated.

Just after you emerge from the deepest water, you’re in the middle of this gorgeousness. It’s not more than 15 minutes to get there, but by the time you see this waterfall you know you’ve worked for it.

A few tips: I bought cheap water shoes on Amazon that I didn’t feel bad about throwing out – nobody wants to bring wet, smelly shoes home on the plane! I wore quick-dry clothes, and brought a towel and a change of clothes for directly after. I brought a small backpack (that I had to carry over my head) with very few items. The camera went into a gallon-sized plastic bag, inside the backpack – just in case.

Have you hiked Oneonta Gorge? What other unique hikes have you done? Tell me in the comments!

Hiking in Switzerland: Lauterbrunnen to Wengen

August 2, 2016August 2, 2016Leave a comment

While in Switzerland this spring, the number one item on my to-do list was hiking in the Swiss Alps. After all, everybody wants their Julie Andrews moment. And when you see these photos, you’ll be singing “the hills are alive…” too.

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Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

Here’s the background – Lauterbrunnen is a small Alpine village located very near the tourist town of Interlaken, Switzerland. The village itself is quite small, and is known for its waterfalls – 21 of them, to be exact. The town is in the valley, so as you walk down Lauterbrunnen’s only “main” street, you’re surrounded on all sides by rocks, cliffs and mountains.

Just a few thousand feet above sits another small village called Wengen. You can reach it on foot, by train, or by cable car – but there are no vehicles allowed, so you can’t drive yourself up.

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Wengen, Switzerland

Wengen is stunning, with its picturesque homes and lodges, but it’s the view it offers that sold me. So, up the mountain I went – on foot, obviously.

To tell you the truth, I never did find a planned path to get from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen, which is VERY unlike me. But, Rick Steves did it, and he told me that the signage on Switzerland’s hiking trails was incredibly easy to follow. So, first thing in the morning, I headed off in search of a trailhead.

I didn’t find one. And German is not a language you can just “wing it” with. After wandering the town aimlessly for 30 minutes trying to figure out how to cross the train tracks, I found a bridge that took me to the other side of the creek and just started climbing.

Waterfalls everywhere

Truth time: I consider myself to be in pretty good shape. I’ve always been an athlete. If I had to peg myself on the hiking skill scale, I’d be a solid “intermediate.” This hike had me doubled over, hands on knees, huffing and puffing for air.

My husband? He was doubled over, too. Except he was laughing at me. Thanks, guy.

The thing is, this hike isn’t all that long. It is extremely well-marked once you get across the creek. It’s just a constant uphill climb. First, you leave the main road, where vehicles can still be used. Then, you climb through some farms and fields of wildflowers. After that, it’s a series of (neverending) switchbacks, all the way up the mountain.

But it was SO worth it. Every time I reached a bend in the path, I saw this:

Or this. Look at that view! It just went on and on with more of the same.

Stop it, Switzerland, you’re spoiling me.

Okay, so that was incredible. Could have ended my day right there and been happy. Or so I thought. After stopping into a few tourist shops, I asked an English-speaking store owner (she moved there from the States to retire because SWISS ALPS) where the best view was. See, we thought we found it when we were over here:

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Happy faces in Wengen after walking uphill for 90 minutes straight

We were wrong. She pointed us in the direction of an old church, where we saw this:

Wait, wait – there’s more. My husband, he just knew we could do even better if we hiked a little further around the valley. He was right:

Panoramics, people. Sincerely, everywhere I looked I was stunned by the beauty. But we were in search of the perfect picnic spot. After a little back and forth, we settled on a hillside a few yards back from the train tracks. Tell me this isn’t the definition of picturesque:

Add in fresh bread, meats, cheeses and a lovely bottle of rosé, and we had the most beautiful spot for the most beautiful hour. It was the perfect time to take a deep breath, and take it all in. An hour spent like this is the whole reason I travel, and I couldn’t have asked for a better day, a better view, or a better travel partner.

Euro Trip 2016: The good, the bad, the (not-so) ugly

June 8, 2016Leave a comment

It’s been less than 48 hours since I landed on U.S. soil after a 13-day trip to Europe. My sleep schedule is off by six hours, and my house is kind of a mess… but I’m SO happy. This was an incredible trip, and one I won’t soon forget.

In 13 days, my husband and I traveled to 16 cities in three countries. We stayed in two hotels, one hostel, and six AirBNB apartments. We traveled by plane, train, and automobile (in a rental car we lovingly named Hans – because he spoke nothing but German no matter how many buttons we pressed!). We hiked, we toured museums, we swam in the Mediterranean, we ate everything from swordfish to rabbit to lamb, and we probably spent 100 Euro on gelato and cappuccinos alone. <– To be fair, we ate A LOT of gelato, and drank multiple cappuccinos per day. It was just too good to not.

This experience taught me a lot, and I’ll post about each destination and activity in more detail later. But, I wanted to overview what I loved, what I learned, and what I’d do differently next time.

First, what I loved: EVERYTHING. Okay, it wasn’t 13 days of constant nirvana, but it was pretty close. If I had to pull out my three favorite experiences, it would be these:

The view of Lauterbrunnen from Wengen

Hiking from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen in Switzerland. Holy panoramic views! Lauterbrunnen is in the valley, and it makes you feel immersed in the mountains, surrounded by waterfalls and green pastures. Wengen is near the top of the mountain, and you can look out into the valley for these incredible views. The hike up was, in a word, difficult. It was 90 minutes of winding up, up, up the side of a mountain, after all. But when you arrive and catch this view? Totally worth it. We spent an hour picnicking just off the trail where we could eat baguettes and drink rosé from the bottle while taking it all in.
Perfect spot for a picnic in Switzerland
A day at the beach in VilleFranche sur Mer. The water actually is that color, in case you were wondering. This incredible beach (and adorable town) is about a 3-mile walk from Nice’s Vielle Ville, where we stayed. The views along the way were spectacular, the crystal blue waters and pebbled beach the perfect reward for the work to get there. As was common on this trip, we brought along a bottle of rosé to sip on at the beach. Sensing a theme here? The sun was shining, it was a perfect 73 degrees, and it made for an absolutely incredible day.
VilleFranche sur Mer in the south of France
One day in Florence, Italy. This was somewhat unexpected, simply because I didn’t do a lot of planning for Florence. I had three things on my list: the Bardini Gardens, the statue of David, and dinner at Osteria del Cinghale Bianco. The gardens were STUNNING. It was so relaxing to walk through rows of flowers and beautifully manicured green spaces. There’s a terrace with a lovely view of the city, too.
The Bardini Gardens in Florence, Italy

After the gardens, we stopped for gelato (again) and walked through town toward Galleria dell’Academia, where David lives. And we ended up right next to the Duomo. Have you ever seen such incredible detail on a building?

The Duomo in Florence, Italy

After we hung out with David for a bit (quick tip: skip the line by reserving your tickets online in advance – it’s way worth it!), we stopped in at Piazza de Michaelangelo for this incredible panoramic view.

Florence, Italy

After the best damn glass of prosecco I’ve ever had (we brought home a bottle, it was so good) we had our authentic Italian dinner we’ve been dreaming about for years. And it was the Best. Meal. Ever. Literally, I’ve never had a better meal. Cacio e pepe, wild boar ragu, sliced sirloin, panna cotta with wild berries, and a cappuccino to round things out. Oh, and a half liter of the house red. I left there smiling ear-to-ear.

First course: Cacio e Pepe and Wild Boar Ragu with the House Red.

Now, for a few lessons learned.

Driving a rental car in a foreign country, even on the right side of the road, is stressful. Like, seriously stressful. Why are all the parking garages in Europe so small? No wonder the rep at the Sixt counter looked at us so incredulously when we told her “No, thank you,” on the additional damage coverage. And researching the rules of the road was not on my list of tasks to complete before heading across the Atlantic – but it should have been. Ever heard of a rotary? K, now drive around one every 200 meters. And don’t get hit by oncoming traffic, even though they don’t use signals, ever. This wasn’t your average road trip.
Trying to put on a happy face as it rained for 48 hours straight. Photo taken in Annecy, France.
The weather doesn’t care that you planned your entire trip around hiking some of the most beautiful trails in the world. I’m an eternal optimist, so I just assumed that Mother Nature would do me a solid and make it sunny and bright on my hiking days. And my beach days. And my touristy days. Hence, my lack of a plan B when it rained buckets in Chamonix, and Annecy, and Cinque Terre. Here’s where flexibility and positivity comes in handy – because you can either sit and wallow or go find a new adventure. And that’s just what we did.
You don’t have to speak the language fluently – but trying your best goes a long way. I speak zero German, very rough French, and not a bit of Italian. I found that in Switzerland, I could get through most interactions with “guten tag,” “danke” and a smile and a nod, but we didn’t eat out much, and spent nearly all our time in the mountains. In France, avoiding conversation was much harder. I tried my best to order food or make dinner reservations with my rusty language skills, and I found that it did make a big difference in my interactions, and in the service we received.

Pisa, Italy

What would I do differently? Not much. I’d consider doing the whole trip by train, for sure. And I’d probably pack more pants and long-sleeved shirts because it’s chilly at night when you’re on the coast, even in June. But I consider every moment a piece of what made my trip the incredible experience that it was, and honestly, sometimes the best moments are the ones that you don’t plan on at all.

Hiking in Acadia National Park

May 13, 2016May 13, 2016Leave a comment

Fall on the east coast is incomparable, and travelers from all across the country head to New England in October to chase the colorful leaves down the coast. Leef peepers often start in Maine and drive south to capture photos of the season’s most beautiful colors.

This past fall, I was lucky enough to time a trip to the onset of fall foliage in Maine, and take some gorgeous photos during a hike in Acadia National Park. It was the weekend after Columbus Day – which is typically a very busy tourist time in Massachusetts and Maine. By that next weekend, most tourists had departed but the colors were just reaching their peak.

I hiked in Acadia on the tail end of a road trip from Boston to Bar Harbor, and after gorging myself on lobster rolls and clam chowder, I was ready for a longer, more strenuous hike.

Pemetic Mountain, South Ridge Trail Loop – 6 miles, advanced

Acadia’s mountains were different from any I’ve hiked in the past. These beauties are forested near the base, but as you climb higher, they open up to stunning granite formations. Hiking up Pemetic Mountain on the South Ridge Trail Loop takes you on a path around Jordan Pond, through the forest, and finally up above the evergreens. By the time I reached what I thought would be the summit, I had to take a breather and enjoy the gorgeous views.

After another half hour’s climb, I reached a clearing and this stunning vista.

But wait, there’s more! Keep trekking up and over the final hill to the highest point, and here’s what’s in store:

My husband, Mike, at the tip top of Pemetic Mountain in Acadia National Park

Rather than backtrack down South Ridge Trail, I decided to follow the connecting North Ridge Trail down the mountain, so that I could take the famed Carriage Roads back to the Jordan Pond lot where the car was parked. I would share a photo, but I was too busy concentrating on not doing permanent damage to my knees, or falling flat on my face to snap a shot of the descent. That trail was STEEP. Take your time on the way down, and move as slowly as you need to. From jumping off of boulders and cursing myself for not bringing a walking stick, it was tense at times. But, I made it in one piece.

And boy, were those carriage roads worth the trip! So charming I forgot to take a photo. What kind of blogger am I, anyway? You can read more about the carriage roads here. Another quick 1.5 miles later, I’d reached my car and the Jordan Pond parking lot.

Hey, I made it! This is my super happy face after finishing the five-hour trip up and down Pemetic Mountain. Enjoying Maine’s incredible coastal views.

This hike was one of the more difficult hikes I’ve encountered, mostly due to the steep decline. But the views were oh so worth it. All in all, it took me five hours, with many breaks and time spent sitting down to enjoy the panorama of Maine in October.

What’s your favorite trail in Acadia National Park? Let me know in the comments!

Tips For Planning Your Own European Tour

May 13, 2016Leave a comment

First-time European traveler? Trying to save some cash by not working with a travel agent to plan your next trip to Europe? From one planner to another, here are a few tips from my own experiences that may help you along the way.

Choosing your destinations may be the hardest part of the entire trip. My advice is to begin with a broad, general idea of what you’d like to see, and explore the surrounding areas. Have you always dreamed of seeing Paris, but haven’t thought much further? London is a few hour’s Chunnel ride away, and the French countryside is gorgeous, too. Switzerland is stunning, and the public transportation is one of the absolute best – tour Zurich, Lucerne, Bern and Montreux and do it all by train. Did you realize that Italy is bordered by France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia? The most incredible thing about Europe is that you can experience so many cultures in so little time. With such well-connected public transportation systems and roadways, you’ll be amazed at the adventures you can pack into a 10- to 15-day tour.

From there, honestly, what’s worked for me is to start a Pinterest board dedicated to the trip. Do some research online, visit travel blogs, look at other travel-themed pin boards, and just start gathering those can’t-miss locations and experiences. You can pare down later on – for now, go all out!

After you’ve figured out a loose list of locations, one of the next things you’ll need to tackle is, when? Well, it depends on what you’re looking for. In many European countries, August is the busiest month for tourists. Attractions and museums will be crowded, hotels will be booked full, and your price for lodging, travel and dining can end up through the roof. If you’re not visiting for the weather, consider an off-season month. Or, look at late May, early June, September and early October for the best of both worlds – you can expect less rain in most areas, as well as fewer tourists than in peak months.

Next up, it’s time to buy a plane ticket. Where should you fly into and out of? If you plan to visit many cities and countries during your tour, consider flying into one airport and out of another. As I planned an upcoming trip to Switzerland, France and Italy, I knew it would eat away at my days if I backtracked to be able to fly round-trip. To find the best prices on airfare, I tried multiple combinations and eventually found that flying into Zurich and out of Rome was the most cost-effective combination. I didn’t initially intend to visit Rome, although it’s always been on my list, so it was a nice way to justify adding one extra day on the tail end. Because, it’s Rome.

Quick tip: plane tickets overseas, to Europe in particular, generally don’t drop in price the closer you get to your travel dates. I’ve found that the lowest prices were available 10-11 months before my travel dates, and my research after the fact backed that up. By six months out (when I finally accepted that prices weren’t going back down), my ticket was an additional $350.

A few other tips for planning your European Tour:

Pay special attention to Sundays and holidays. Train travel can be affected, as many will run on a restricted schedule on those days. Plus, many restaurants and attractions may be closed or have limited hours.
Prioritize expenses. What’s most important to you – food, souvenirs, museums, luxury accommodations? You can save on some to splurge on others. But just remember, this is vacation. I’m a firm believer in choosing a few key experiences to indulge in.
Plan for delays. They’ll happen, whether it’s missing your train or lingering over a delicious meal longer than expected, and that’s okay. If you’ve budgeted more time than you think you’ll need for a particular attraction or section of the city, your itinerary will remain intact.
Relax and enjoy. The best advice I can give for planning your very own tour of Europe is to embrace the unexpected. If planning makes you more comfortable, then plan as much as you can. But allow yourself to enjoy the little moments and small discoveries you make along the way.

California Dreaming on Pacific Coast Highway

May 11, 2016May 11, 2016Leave a comment

When I was young, my family didn’t go on many vacations. I was introduced to the absolute wonders of traveling by my husband, who insisted that we take an “epic road trip” for our honeymoon. Oh, and it should be done in a convertible, he said.

For a girl with little to no travel experience other than lazy beach vacations, I was nervous, to say the least. Where should I even begin to plan a trip like we envisioned? How would we get around? Would we be able to eat good, local food, or would we end up in tourist traps?

It was my first try at planning a trip sight-unseen, and I only had a few days of vacation to work with, so we decided to drive the coast of California. My husband and I each picked our “top priority” city – for me it was San Diego, for him it was San Francisco – and we planned the trip between the two cities.

When planning a trip with limited time, it’s easy to convince yourself you can do 100 things if you simply maximize your time. The problem is, you really can’t – and you shouldn’t try to. If you’re a planner like me, you’ve written down all of the sites you want to see and the restaurants you want to try. But if you plan too much in too tight of a time frame, you lose the option to just enjoy the sites, linger over wine, spend an extra hour walking the beach hand in hand, or take the scenic route home. And by scenic route, I don’t mean jumping on the bus in the wrong direction and losing two hours on your way back to Coronado from La Jolla Cove. Although, that could happen, too.

Now on to the good stuff – the highlights of our trip. We began in San Diego and spent two nights at a resort on Coronado, which was beautiful. Despite a few detours we did make it to La Jolla cove (pictured above), which I HIGHLY recommend to anyone visiting San Diego. We swam in the 70-degree Pacific Ocean alongside a few other brave swimmers while dozens of seals sunbathed nearby. We roamed the Gaslight district and laid on the beach. We strolled through residential neighborhoods and took a water taxi across the beautiful Coronado Bay. I could have spent another three days exploring the city, but the next leg of the trip was calling.

Central Wine Country in Paso Robles, CA

Quick tip: if you’re renting a car one-way it can be much more expensive than dropping off and picking up at the same location. Consider picking up your rental car from the airport lot, and find out if your hotel offers a free shuttle service to the airport – ours did and it saved us a $45 cab fare.

We drove 570 miles in two days, and stopped in several cities. One of my favorite things we did was to stop in Paso Robles to do a few wine tastings. It was 10 am, and the only place we found open at that hour for tastings was a small vineyard called Castoro Wine Cellars. My husband and I sat down at the bar and were greeted by a friendly woman who figured out we had no idea what we were doing within 30 seconds. She laughed along with us as she taught us the ins and outs of tasting wine, offering us food samples that paired well with the wines. It was an incredible experience in a beautiful part of the country, and I would go back in a heartbeat.

During the drive in Big Sur – the views are INCREDIBLE, in case you haven’t heard – we found a few absolute gems thanks to recommendations from a friend who’d done the trip years earlier. First, we hopped out of the car in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and hiked down for this view.

Next we pulled into a small roadside restaurant called Nepenthe. Coffee, cheese, fruit, and this gorgeous scene were laid out in front of us as we indulged ourselves for an hour at their outdoor tables.

When we made it San Francisco, we spent our days walking miles and miles through the city. We did take a trolley tour, which I loved, and spent a morning at Alcatraz. Touristy? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely.

At the end of the trip, my husband (a graphic designer by trade) put together a video with the song that had become the anthem of our road trip. We took photos and video on our Canon Rebel T2i and mixed in a few shots from our iPhones. It was an incredible keepsake from our trip, and puts me right back into that California state of mind. You can view it here.

Have you driven the California coast? What were your favorite activities? Let me know in the comments!

Where I Will Roam

A Traveler's Journal

Tag: Travel