Traveling across the world, thinking about what to pack is often daunting. After living and traveling in Asia for decades, I have developed an excellent Southeast Asia packing list that I go to for each trip to the region. I…
Have you ever wanted to take a Borneo family holiday to see orangutans in the wild? It has long been a dream of mine to do this. While researching the possibility of a trip, I quickly became overwhelmed with the…
Joshua Tree National Park in California has become one of our favorite go-to trips - either as a day trip or for a last minute weekend getaway. Through our many visits, we have found a few trails that we return to…
Vietnam with kids truly is the perfect trip for families looking for hands on educational and transformative travel. The country is teeming with unique activities and sites to visit that will appeal to all age ranges. From making things by…
From the infamous Khaosan Road to ladyboys, Bangkok may not spring to mind as being the most child friendly city. However, if you stay outside of the backpacker tourist zone, you will find ample opportunities to explore, learn and experience…
Vietnam was a total surprise for us in many ways, but especially in the food department. Vietnamese food is fresh, varied and absolutely fantastic. The problem when you arrive to a town like Hoi An is there are SO many…
Hoi An, located in central Vietnam, is known for two things, tailors and beautiful silk lanterns! When you visit, you must experience Hoi An lanterns in some form or another. You can do this by just walking through the streets…
A bit late, but here we go, our gap year recap for month 4! January has been a short month of travel since we only left the US on the 15th, but it has been full of adventure and feels…
One of the best experiences on our trip to Southeast Asia was a village homestay in Vietnam with Indochina Junk. This ended up being a highlight of our Vietnam experience as it offered wonderful insight into the culture and local…
One of the things we loved most about our visit to Hoi An are the many hands on activities throughout the area. The Thành Ha pottery village Hoi An is a perfect example of this. This riverside pottery village in central…
If there is one thing you do in Vietnam, it should be spending the night on a Halong Bay Cruise. This UNESCO World Heritage site in northeast Vietnam, known for its picturesque limestone islets jutting out of the shimmering emerald…
Hoi An is a picturesque UNESCO Heritage town on the central coast of Vietnam. Even being one of the most popular tourist destinations in Vietnam, Hoi An continues to showcase a well preserved example of an ancient port town. It's…
One of the best places to visit in Panama is the Gamboa rainforest along the Panama Canal. There are many Gamboa tours offered from Panama City, as well as through the Gamboa Rainforest Resort, but the best tour in Gamboa…
One of the best family activities you can experience in the San Luis Obispo region is a day out trying your hand at the Oceano Sand Dunes with a Pismo Beach Dune Buggy rental. According to my 8 year old…
The California Coast is filled with amazing destinations making it difficult to decide just where to go when you are looking for a quick escape. We have found the answer with a weekend in San Luis Obispo County (SLOCAL). Sitting…
The main focus of our 6 week journey through Central America was to take Spanish classes throughout the region. After a few weeks of taking spanish classes in Guatemala, we headed to further south to learn Spanish in Panama with Habla…
In a year filled with amazing adventures, you might be surprised to find out that one of my favorites was my visit to Turks and Caicos as part of the Social Media on the Sand Conference. The conference is hosted…
After almost 3 weeks in Guatemala exploring by bus, tuk tuk and our own two feet, we were looking for a luxurious retreat to end our trip. In my search I happened upon Las Lagunas Boutique Hotel, located just outside…
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…
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.…