15 Ways to Keep the Travel Spirit Alive While at Home

Buildings in Boston

 

15 Ways to Keep the Travel Spirit Alive While at Home

Traveling is one of the best ways to experience new cultures, meet new people, and broaden your horizons. I love the upbeat, relaxed mood my whole family gets in when we’re exploring a new place. No one has a care in the world. However, it’s so easy to fall back in a rut when you get home and it is not always possible to travel as often as we would like. Here are 15 ways to keep the travel spirit alive while at home.

Try new recipes from around the world

 One of the best ways to experience a new culture is through its cuisine. Try cooking a new dish from a different country and explore its unique flavors. Here are some of my favorite cookbooks that remind me of my travels:

Click here for my blog on 15 Cookbooks that Inspire Travel

Read travel books

 Reading travel books is another great way to learn about different destinations and cultures, and to get inspired about future trips. These books will make you want to pack a suitcase.

The Caliph’s House: A Year in Casablanca 

By: Tahir Shah

Less

By: Andrew Sean Greer

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Top 10 Things To Do in Santorini

Santorini, Greece

 

Many people think of Santorini as a honeymoon destination filled with starry-eyed newlyweds and wedding proposals around every corner.  However, Santorini is actually an amazing destination for a family vacation and is filled with fun activities to do with your kids.  There is no need for electronics to keep your kids entertained and never once did my kids say they were bored.  Being in Santorini is like walking into a postcard and this concept is not lost on kids. Here are my top 10 things to do in Santorini with kids:

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15 Food You Need to Try in Portugal

seafood from Portugal

One of the best memories of my childhood were holidays where our dining room was filled with friends and family.  We would sit for hours and tell stories and laugh while we ate course after course. Meals were built with fresh ingredients and cooked with love. When traveling to Portugal, you have to try its delicious cuisine. From fresh seafood to savory meats, there is no shortage of amazing food to try. Here are 15 foods you need to try in Portugal:

APPETIZERS

Queijo da Serra

 Queijo da Serra is a soft and creamy cheese that is made from sheep’s milk. It is great for a petisco (a Portuguese version of tapas).

Sausages

My four favorite are Chouriço: You can have it cold or hot, but an awesome way to eat it is a flame-grilled chouriço assado, cooked in a clay dish and they light the sausage.

Linguiça: It is a lot like Chouriço, but has more paprika and garlic.

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15 Tips for Your First Cruise

15 Tips for Your First Cruise

I have been traveling since I was a kid, but last fall was the first time on a cruise. I couldn’t believe how different it was from other trips I’ve taken. I must admit that I was a little nervous before I went. What I learned was going on a cruise can be an exciting experience, especially if you have an open mind. Here are 15 tips for your first cruise.

Choose the right cruise

Do your research and choose a cruise that matches your interests and needs. Consider the itinerary, cruise line, and ship size. Is it going to be a family vacation, girls’ trip, romantic getaway? This could change the ship that works best.  Click HERE to see how to find the right cruise line.

Plan your budget

Plan your budget, including the cost of the cruise, airfare, transfers, and excursions. Make sure you plan on incidentals and tips. Decide what aspects of your trip you don’t mind cutting back on and what aspects you are willing to splurge on.

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50 New Year’s Travel Resolutions

vintage suitcases

New Year’s Travel Resolutions

Resolutions are often hard to keep, but travel resolutions help me brainstorm ideas for ways to create family memories. Push yourself to have new adventures, remember old memories, and daydream about future trips. You can also use these to create Travel Bucket lists. Take a peek at mine. Here are some ideas for 50 New Year’s Travel Resolutions.

Whatever you decide to do this year, I hope you have a wonderful year making lifelong memories! Cheers!

Take a solo trip, whether it’s for an overnight or a week.

Do a weekend girls trip/ guys weekend.

Try something that brings you out of your comfort zone.

Stay in a hotel close to home.

Recreate a cocktail from a great night out.

Go on a food tour/ pub crawl/ brew bus.

Head to a winery to sample new wine.

Visiting vineyards in Napa

Sample an exotic new food.

Go camping…or glamping!

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10 Things I Look for When Choosing a Resort

 

Planning a vacation can seem like a daunting task because of the large number of resort options.  You may wonder where you even start. 

Here are 10 things I look for when choosing a resort:

 

APPEARANCE

 Is the resort attractive and in good condition?  Does it look family oriented or geared towards adults? What sets the resort apart from others I’ve looked at?  Does it have areas we can walk around or spots where you can relax and hang out? How are the gardens and the lobby? Does it look like it needs major upgrades?

Beaches Jamaica

Beaches Resort

 SPACE

 I can’t stress it enough…my family likes our space!  Especially when the girls were younger and had early bed times, we needed a place to unwind for a few hours without waking them up.  I’ll never forget when, in Bermuda, my husband sat in the bathroom watching a movie on his iPad so he wouldn’t wake up the kids. A suite with a door to the bedroom is a great solution.  That way, you can all sleep in the same room but not have to do it at the same time. 

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10 Things Kids Gain from Sleepaway Camp


10 Things Kids Gain from Sleepaway Camp

A few years ago, my friend Julie and I were miserable because our girls went to sleepaway camp for two weeks.  We were missing our kiddos, obsessing about whether they were OK, and we started asking ourselves why we even send them.  Is it really worth being away from them for such a long time? After feeling sorry for myself (and making a really big mojito) things started to come into perspective.  The girls LOVE camp and they are lucky to be able to have this experience.  So Julie, as we head into another summer of our girls being gone, let’s think about all the things they gain from sleepaway camp.

INDEPENDENCE

I can be a bit controlling at times (OK…my girls sometimes call me their ‘smother’) so camp gives them a chance to make some decisions on their own.  They get to choose what activities they do during free time, when to write home (only once last year for my youngest…big sigh), and when to brush their teeth (I’m embarrassed to tell you how many times that actually happened!). Camp gives them the chance to make unexpected choices like when my older daughter chose to go on a long bike ride with a group of girls she didn’t know and ended up having a great time.   

 SOCIAL SKILLS

When you are placed in a cabin with 11 other girls, it is a crash course in social skills.  You learn to be cooperative, respectful, and empathetic.  This is a great chance to learn problem solving since there are bound to be disagreements. 

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One-On-One Getaways with Kids

One-On-One Getaways with Kids

 Although it is amazing to travel with my whole family, it is special to be able to sometimes only have one kiddo with me.  At first, I thought it would be odd leaving one kid behind, but it has turned out to be an amazing experience for our whole family.  These one-on-one getaways are something we both look forward to.  Here is why it’s important to have One-On-One Getaways with Kids: 

DIFFERENT INTERESTS

One of my girls is sporty and loves anything active and my other is artsy and loves a creative destination. One vacation is filled with water slides, hikes, and trampoline parks and the other with museums, plays, and bookstores. It’s nice to foster their interests without having to worry if the other is bored. 

  FORCES ENCOURAGES PARENTS TO DO STUFF

Did I really want to go back to the indoor waterpark in the morning? Of course not, but I ended up having a great time racing her down the slides. Did I really want to see that musical? Nope, but I ended up loving it and even buying the soundtrack. These trips give me a little nudge to do things I may not have done. 

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Tips for New Travel Bloggers

binoculars and a newspaper

What I’ve Learned in 5 Years of Blogging…Tips for New Travel Bloggers

 

Blogging take A LOT of time.

It is honestly NEVER ENDING!  Just when you think you are done with a piece you start to second guess yourself and change pictures, center comments, change the title, and wonder if you should scrap the whole piece. This does not even count the times you wake up at 3 a.m. and spend an hour or two developing a new piece in your head.

Set a schedule

You wouldn’t walk around blindly at a regular job, so why should blogging be any different? I find I get much more accomplished when I created “days” in my week.  For example, here’s a peek at how I run my week:
Monday: “Planning Day”  Start planning out next blog post and promote the one that just came out.
Tuesday: “Writing Day” Write my blog, edit, and work on SEO.
Wednesday: “Pinterest Day” I schedule posts on Tailwind, create new pins, etc. It is also “Picture Day” where I take pictures and videos.
Thursday:  “Instagram Day” where I schedule pictures, research hashtags, etc.
Friday: “Catch Up Day” Answer all emails, work on fixing/improving things on my blog. I research info for my next blog piece.

Instagram is your best friend

Before blogging I only used Instagram to share pictures with family and friends.  To be honest, I never used a hashtag in my life!  I never knew how instrumental it would be in promoting my blog. You’d be surprised how important Instagram is to hotels and attractions.  It is also a great source of inspiration. (more…)

Multigeneration Travel

We have been so lucky to travel with my mother-in-law throughout the years. We’ve created so many memories and it has meant the world to all of us.  Multigeneration travel has benefits for everyone involved and is something everyone should do if it’s possible. 

I hear some of my friends saying, “Not a chance!” I’m lucky that I’ve got a great relationship with my mother-in-law and understand that not everyone does.  If your family drives you nuts then stop reading but if not then read on for: 

10 tips for making a multigenerational trip memorable. 

FUN FOR ALL

Make sure everyone has something fun to do.  People have different interests and no one should be forced to do something they don’t want to do.  Make sure it’s stated that you don’t have to do everything together.  It’s also a great time to try something together that you’ve never done before.  Having ptions for everyone is key.

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