Karilyn Owen

Gap Year Recap (Month 2): Guatemala, Costa Rica & Panama

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It has been a month since we set off on our second adventure of our gap year and our first month of full backpacking type travels. (You can read last month’s recap here if you missed it.)

In the past 30 days we have been to Guatemala for almost 3 weeks, a short 4 days in Costa Rica to meet up with Paul and 1 week in Panama.

Overall I have to say it’s been amazing and all I had dreamed it could be. We have had so much fun, seen so much, learned so much and just enjoyed being together.

Cian really is an amazing travel partner. He keeps me grounded when I’m losing it, is always happy go lucky and ready for an adventure which helps me muddle through when I’m feeling negative about something and he just LOVES it all. It has been an absolute pleasure to show him some of my old backpacking towns.

We have made mistakes and are slowly figuring things out, but overall, I can’t imagine ever going back to our regular day to day life! Of course we will have to I guess.. 🙂

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An Overnight Adventure on the Pacaya Volcano Hike

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Guatemala is a small country with a lot of volcanoes, at least 36 of them actually. At any time there is usually one that is active which makes hiking an active volcano the top of most people’s Guatemala wish list. When my son heard that there was an option to do a Pacaya volcano hike to roast marshmallows on steam vents, he was sold!  We set about town looking for someone who could take us to the volcano.

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Best Restaurants in Antigua Guatemala

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Antigua Guatemala is known for its cobblestone streets and looming volcanos. This UNESCO Cultural Heritage site is one of the best places to visit in Central America. For a small town, Antigua seems to have an unlimited amount of places to eat making it feel like you are in the epicenter of international cuisines. There are all types of food from delicious Guatemalan restaurants to Tex-Mex to Indian. If you can’t find something to eat here then you are in trouble! After 3 weeks in the country taking Spanish classes, we kept dreaming of some of the best restaurants in Antigua Guatemala.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

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Learn Guatemalan Backstrap Weaving on Lake Atitlan

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One of the top things on our to do list in Guatemala was to learn traditional Guatemalan backstrap weaving. My 8 year old son loves to weave. Having used a cardboard loom for years and a few varieties of floor looms on our recent trip to Wisconsin, he was excited to learn how to use beautiful Guatemalan fabric in a traditional way.

Conducting my diligent research I found many places that offered weaving demonstrations all over the country, however not a ton of classes, even less for children. There were two options that looked promising, however one was in Xela, a town not on our itinerary and a private lesson in Antigua that was geared more towards longer term classes and was very expensive. However, a visit to San Juan la Laguna on Lake Atitlan provided just the opportunities we were searching for in order to try our hand at weaving in Guatemala.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

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The Best Spanish Schools in Guatemala

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Guatemala is one of the best places to visit if you want to learn to speak Spanish. This beautiful Central American country is full of unique experiences that not only help you with your Spanish, but can also provide full immersion cultural activities.

There are so many Spanish schools in Guatemala that there is something for everyone, including for families. Guatemala is an ideal destination to learn Spanish in that it is not far from the US, classes are quite inexpensive and the locals speak Spanish much slower than many other Latin American countries.

After a few weeks of traveling the country researching and testing out various programs, we have come up with our thoughts on the best Spanish schools in Guatemala. 

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Stocking Stuffers for Travelers (Under $20)

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My favorite part of Christmas morning is pouring out the contents of my stocking. I also love stuffing everyone else’s stockings. It is a special art (and joy) to find little trinkets to fill up our massive stockings with things that are useful, fun and not too expensive. As a kid my stocking was filled with the crazy (furry topped pens), the practical (sewing kit) and the sweet (jumbo lemon heads). I try to carry-on that tradition with my son now. But for myself and my husband, we don’t need any more J-U-N-K as we call it in our house – we need things we can use (or eat!).

Adding to my Gift Guide for Traveling Families post, I thought I’d throw out even more of my favorite stocking stuffers and some that I hope to see in my own stocking this year. Hint Hint husband! So here you go, my top stocking stuffers for travelers (under $20)!

20 Stocking Stuffers for Travelers

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

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The Graduate Hotel Madison – The Ideal Place to Stay

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Did you ever wish you went to sleepaway camp as a child? I never even knew these fantastical places existed as a kid, but now that I am an adult I wish I had the opportunity to go back in time and experience it. Lucky for me, on our recent trip to Wisconsin, we were hosted at The Graduate Hotel Madison which feels just like what I imagine an adult summer camp would be like!

Canoes hanging from the lobby ceiling, a collection of outdoorsy plaids and a casual collegiate vibe give an uber cool feeling to the hotel. I felt like I stepped into a Wes Anderson film as I walked into the carefully curated lobby filled with college students hard at work at the shared tables.

Located right in between the University of Wisconsin and the state Capitol, The Graduate Hotel Madison is perfectly situated for a college visit, a business trip or even a family holiday away.

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5 Family Friendly Things to Do in Clearwater Florida

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Heading to Florida? Make sure you check out all the amazing family friendly things to do in Clearwater Fl with kids and without! Florida is a family vacation paradise with its abundance of natural beauty, white sand beaches, vibrant cities and of course the biggest and best amusement parks in the country.

Last year I visited Clearwater Florida for a conference and fell in love. So when Expedia.com asked me to share all of the great family friendly things to do in Clearwater to inspire you to book your next family trip there, I jumped at the chance to share my love for this part of the United States.

Clearwater is on the Gulf of Mexico on Florida’s west coast not far from Tampa Bay, making it easily accessible even from the West Coast of the US. Visitors flock to this part of Florida for its continual sunshine, crystal clear waters and perfect beaches. In addition, Clearwater Beach has a great range of hotel options, making it ideal for family holidays.

Trying to figure out what all to do in north Floriday? My friend Rob has a great post on planning a north Florida vacation!

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Our Gap Year – Month 1 Recap

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It has officially been one month since Cian and I set off on our worldschooling adventure for 2nd grade. This first month is not very representative of how our year will go since we were crisscrossing the globe with pre-booked trips. It’s been a busy month moving from one time zone and climate to another each week with little down time to recover. But it was fun!

For you, me and posterity, here is a recap of how our month shaped up.

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Icelandic Rye Bread – Geothermal Baking at Fontana

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One of the coolest aspects of Iceland is the insane amount of volcanic activity happening on the island. It is often called the land of fire and ice due to the more than 30 active volcanoes as well as the many glaciers dotting the landscape.

As one of the most active volcanic regions in the world, it is not surprising that it also has a great deal of geothermal activity. From geysers to hot springs and boiling sand pits; Iceland has so much happening under the ground! This hydrothermal activity is one of the ways that help make Iceland habitable. They have been able to harness this amazing power of the earth by generating 30% of its electricity from geothermal water.

The popular tourist circuit, the Golden Circle is largely centered around the different geothermal and hydrothermal properties that Iceland is known for. In this region, visitors can see a geyser erupt, soak in hot springs as well as see the awe-inspiring and powerful Gulfoss waterfall.

An additional sight on the Golden Circle worth stopping at is Laugarvatn, which is a town that lies on a hot spot, aka an active geothermal area. In the village and on the lake, boiling water erupts into several hot springs. The hot springs have been used for cooking, bathing and house heating since 1929. Even today, the entire town gets all of its electricity from the hot springs.

There are a multitude of amazing things to do in Iceland with kids, but every itinerary should include a visit to Laugarvatn which can also be done as a day trip from Reykjavik. This unique stop on the Golden Circle allows visitors the chance to soak in beautiful thermal hot springs as well as see and taste Icelandic rye bread baked in the ground in hot boiling”lava” sand.

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Family Gap Year: Traveling the World with My 8 Year Old

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I am travel obsessed. The more I travel, the more I want to travel. In 2004, I set off on a round the world (RTW) trip, but got ‘stuck’ in India with my now husband. Ever since my first attempt at traveling the world, I have ached to try again. This desire to have a family gap year has only gotten stronger as my son has grown each year.

We travel a ton as it is, but it never feels like enough. Each summer we take 4-6 weeks to travel, just the two of us, and I am never ready for it to end. We have spent time in London, Denmark, Sweden, Brazil, Borneo and all over the western US visiting national parks.

This past year was a little rough for my son at school, so we began entertaining the idea of taking the next school year off to travel. The seed was planted.

Soon I realized that 3 back to back trips scheduled in the first weeks of school would take my son away for a month. It felt like the perfect opportunity to extend it further and just take the whole year off.

Reading that back, I realize my extreme logic! You broke your toe, so we cut the whole leg off! I know, I’m crazy! This is what happens when you become obsessed with travel.

The positives for doing it now – my son is in 2nd grade which is a great age to travel with, an age I can still assist with homeschooling and he still wants to hang out with me! I’m sold.

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The Dream: An Amazon River Cruise with Kids

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I wake up hearing the rain pound my windows. The rain is so loud that I feel like I am in an open air canopy with only wilderness surrounding me.

My bed rocks and rolls slightly, enough that I question whether I am still on the boat or if this is in fact all a dream. My semi-lucid state is punctured when I knock a beetle the size of a half dollar off my arm in panic.

It’s not a dream, I am really still here in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, staying at a luxury lodge after spending a week aboard the Jacare-Acu exploring the depths of the Rio Negro and the Amazon’s flooded forests.

Amazon River with Kids
Amazon River Cruise with Our Whole Village & Katerre

The purpose of our visit here is to find and experience the most authentic Brazil, exploring the flora and fauna on the majestic and mysterious Amazon River with several other families.

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A Family Travel Tour: The Why & How of Group Travel

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What comes to mind when you think about taking a tour? A flag carrying leader moving you from massive buses to cheesy tourist attractions leaving you feeling like herded cattle?

While this does still exist, these days there are a ton of amazing family travel tour options focusing on adventures for the whole family that are worth investigating.

My travel style has always been staunchly independent. I enjoy the excitement of exploring off the beaten path locations as much as the difficulties of being lost or trying to find my way around a city.

However now with a child, I find that I don’t always have the time or flexibility to be as independent. And while historically, I’ve not been a fan of tours, I have found myself moving towards family travel tours more and more these days. With an only child, it’s become apparent my son enjoys traveling with other families as a way to have instant playmates and to share his travel experience with a peer.

This summer I set out to explore what it means to travel on a family focused tour with two different companies in two different parts of the world. One was organized through a small local company on the Amazon River in Brazil orchestrated through Our Whole Village which is part agent part operator. The other was through the large international tour operator, Intrepid Travel.

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An Eco Warrior in Training: Zero Waste Travel

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During our recent visit to Borneo the reality of how I live and travel, in regards to being eco-friendly became abundantly clear. I’ve always thought of myself as being friendly to the planet, focusing on recycling and protecting our planet in any way that I can. But our trip to Borneo made it really hit home how extremely important our action or inaction is. It showed me in person, how our small daily actions add up to huge issues in the world, specifically in the oceans.

Prior to this trip I had no knowledge of zero waste travel or what it meant to be an eco warrior. Ultimately, my biggest take away from our time in Asia relates to being more eco-conscious in travel and at home.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

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Portable WiFi Hotspot: Internet on the Go

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As a traveler blogger, I’m constantly in need of WiFi when I travel. I have researched portable WiFi hotspots that are country specific, like when I went to Ireland I used an Ireland specific travel Wifi hotspot and when I was in India, I used Trabug, a mobile phone solution. While these were great solutions for those specific trips, with a solid month of travel in 3 different countries looming, I knew I needed something better than localized service. I am happy to report that I have finally found an awesome solution to providing global WiFi for me and my son when we travel – SkyRoam Solis.

Portable Wifi Hotspot provides great value all over the world, including in the Brazilian jungleThis orange portable WiFi hotspot is a lifesaver. If you are American you probably already know that AT&T isn’t the greatest phone company when it comes to international data plans, but I just haven’t wanted to switch since I have been with them forever, (probably the exact reason why I should switch!) which meant that I was left floundering and constantly on the hunt for free WiFi on our travels.  This is no bueno when you are traveling solo with a kid and need to get around easily and quickly.

Skyroam Solis to the Rescue!

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

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A Family Adventure: Channel Islands Kayaking with Kids

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Last summer I was offered an opportunity to visit one of the few national parks in California I had yet to visit, the Channel Islands. Upon looking at the itinerary I noticed that an entire day was dedicated to kayaking around the island of Santa Cruz..in the sea! I was terrified to be honest. I had never kayaked, much less in the sea.

The water in California is not warm even in the height of summer and I was super nervous about the possibility of flipping my kayak. Now, add in that I would be doing this with my equally scaredy-cat 6 year old who prefers hot tubbing to actually swimming! And there you have it, the scene is set for our adventure at the Channel Islands kayaking with kids.

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Exploring Lassen Volcanic National Park (with Kids)

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Lassen Volcanic National Park is one of California’s least visited parks. It is located about 5 hours north of the Bay Area, 3 hours north of Sacramento and 1.5 hours east of Redding. It’s location is most of the reason it is less visited than other parks and the fact that it is covered in snow for much of the year. With many of its trails only open from July-Oct, it’s tough to get a visit in when the park is fully operating.

Lassen National Park with kidsEven with the difficulties of visiting, what awaits you is California’s version of Yellowstone, a boiling, bubbling volcanic dreamland. A park dedicated to its volcanic history, it has 4 types of volcanos all in one place as well as sulphur steam vents, boiling mud pots and stunning views over the surrounding areas. Furthermore, it provides a vast network of trails through forest landscapes, around lakes and up volcanic peaks with some even connecting to the Pacific Crest Trail.

In short, Lassen Volcanic National Park is mesmerizing and should be on everyone’s California wish list.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

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Fun Sacramento Kids Activities Perfect for a Weekend Visit

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The state capital of California, Sacramento, loaded with history, is often overlooked as a great family weekend getaway destination. This is too bad since it’s filled with fun, family friendly activities that also include a little bit of learning too!

The city got its start during the 1849 Gold Rush and later served as the state’s political hub. The city has everything to keep a family busy and entertained from nature to transportation and beyond! Here are some of our favorite Sacramento kids activities that we think should be on the top of any itinerary to the government center.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

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Where to Eat in Memphis for the Best Southern Comfort Food

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Are you in town wondering where to eat in Memphis for the best southern comfort food? Welcome! You have found your way to *the* list of the best places to eat while you visit this amazing Tennessee gem.

In advance of my trip to Memphis for a conference, I asked my social media followers what I should do in the Southern city of soul. Overwhelmingly the choices were to experience the civil rights history, the music and the food.  I had hoped to do all of these, but what really ended up happening was a focus on food as I ate my way through the city searching for where to eat in Memphis for the best in southern comfort food.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

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Visiting Sagrada Familia Tips

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Visiting Sagrada Familia Tips

Antoni Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia Basilica has been on my wish list since I planned my first trip to Europe in 2000. Unfortunately I was lured to Eastern Europe and never made it to Spain. After all of these years, my dreams of visiting Sagrada Familia was finally realized on a family trip from Madrid to Barcelona. I couldn’t wait to finally see this magnificent uncompleted building in all of its glory!

Can you even imagine any building being under construction for over 130 years? It’s insane to think about, especially coming from the US where not much is even that old. But that is how many years work has been going on at the Sagrada Familia (with breaks due to Spain’s civil war).

The architecture, the detail work and the history that has gone into the Sagrada Familia Basilica is phenomenal. You can spend hours walking around and still find new details to gasp over. Read on for our Sagrada Familia tips to help make your visit amazing!

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