living proof of God's grace & living free to share hope, encouragement & adventures
Our 2021 Christmas Beach Vacation For the second year in a row, John and I took a Christmas trip to a beachy destination that I'd never been before. In 2020, it was coastal Georgia—St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island to be exact. It's a beautiful area with stunning beaches; however, being on the Atlantic Ocean, …
Continue reading Things to Do in Gulf Shores, Alabama & the Florida Panhandle
The moment I booked a flight to Sydney, I knew I’d wind up booking a flight to New Zealand, too. No way, José, was I gonna fly to the other side of the world and not visit both countries. I mean, who knows when I’ll be in that hemisphere again. It’s not exactly a quick …
Continue reading Queenstown, NZ is the Ultimate Adventure Travel Destination
Since my previous travel bloopers were so well-received, I thought, Why not compile a list of top bloopers from some of my previous trips? So, I did. I think we all can relate to things not going as planned in life—and especially in travel because it puts us out of our comfort zones and daily …
If you’ve ever looked at my travel photos (or anyone’s travel photos) and thought, "Wow. Traveling is easy, exciting, glamorous, living your best life…" well, that’s not wrong. It’s also not the whole truth. Travel can absolutely be easy when you’ve put the work into planning the trip. Travel can obviously be exciting when you’re …
If you don’t already know this about me, lemme fill you in real quick. I try to avoid being a tourist when I travel. Sure, I’ll take LOTS of photos and visit a few famous landmarks (here’s looking at you, Eiffel). But I wanna go beyond that, too—away from the crowds, off the beaten path—in …
Wanna discover your travel personality? Travel solo. After traveling to Europe solo three times this year, I certainly proved that I am the ideal solo traveler. But, more importantly, I learned just what sort of traveler I am—which is really good to know for those times when I actually do travel with others. And, you …
Continue reading How Traveling Solo Makes Me a Better Travel Partner
Do you ever want to go all Secret Life of Walter Mitty and step right into photos? I do. Basically, all the time. And I don’t just dream about all the places in the photographs. I add them to my bucket list and plan to actually GO—which is exactly how I wound up visiting the Amalfi Coast. …
Continue reading Best Tips for a Non Touristy Experience Traveling to the Amalfi Coast
All those picturesque photos you see of the Amalfi Coast? The real thing is at least 100x more unbelievable. Trust me. I spent four days of my Italy trip here in 2017, and my eyes and brain were at odds the entire time! Every millimeter (go metric system!) of that coastal road had me questioning …
I am a planner. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love the spontaneous moments of life! It’s just that the planning comes naturally. It’s instinctual. So, you better believe I plan for trips—especially those international ones! I go all travel agent and even put together a full itinerary by day. BUT, before you start thinking, …
Continue reading 7 Tips on How to Be a More Spontaneous Traveler
Did you know that yesterday was World Tourism Day? I didn't… till Twitter told me. Those trending hashtags always keep me in the know! Sooooo, in honor of #worldtourismday (better late than never, eh?), I thought I’d write a quick post on how NOT to be a tourist – just to challenge the norm. When …
Continue reading How Not to Look Like a Tourist When You Travel: 5 Tip
adventure and the girl 