living proof of God's grace & living free to share hope, encouragement & adventures
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
Once again, Sarasota's Siesta Beach claims top billing as the #1 beach in America – so say Dr. Beach and TripAdvisor users via the Travelers' Choice Awards. Having lived just 14 miles from Siesta, I feel justified in giving my honest and humble opinion of this ranking. Is Siesta my favorite beach? Truthfully, no—but not because I don’t …
International travel on a budget is easier than you might think! Prior to 2017, I’d reluctantly dismissed all thoughts of solo travel abroad—convinced it was too dang expensive. And yet, I took 7 international solo trips from January 2017 to November 2019. For Paris, I spent just under $1,000 on ALL trip expenses, and Barcelona …
Continue reading 7 Best Tips for International Travel on a Budget
So far this year, I’ve taken two international solo trips—which is two more than I expected to take, well, EVER. Back in January, I traveled to Paris, then Barcelona in May; and, I’m happy to report I had no major hiccups during either trip, nor did I feel uncomfortable traveling alone. (Guys, I was born …
Whether you prefer #travelTuesday or #Tuesdayviewsday, today’s post is for you. As I’ve mentioned in past posts, I visited Barcelona back in May. It marked my fifth excursion to Europe, second solo international trip, and first time in Spain. To be honest, though, Barcelona wasn’t a high priority destination for me until maybe March—when a …
How could you travel to a foreign country by yourself??!! It’s a question I hear a LOT. And, I’m not surprised. Intimidation definitely deters many from solo travel— especially international solo travel! Even seasoned travelers aren't exempt. Preference also plays a major role here. You may have no desire to travel solo, and that’s perfectly …
Continue reading Is Solo Travel for You? Take My Ultimate 7 Question Quiz
If you’re reading my adventure blog, I imagine you have some sort of bucket list. Mine seems to grow longer as I cross things off. The more I do, the more I’m exposed to—and the more I realize I want to do. Please tell me you can relate! Let’s be crazy bucket listers together, k? …
Ever returned from a trip thinking about what you would have done if you’d had just one more day? Of course you have, right? It’s human nature to want just a little bit more. Ok. So we’ve established that you think about this, too. But, would you rather enjoy your favorite experiences AGAIN? Or, cram all …
As promised, I’m sharing my top must-dos in Paris, based on that 48 hour whirlwind trip I took back in January. Having only two days—a day and a half really, and less if you count sleeping!—I conducted extensive research to craft the perfect itinerary. And, I genuinely don’t regret a single second of how I …
Continue reading 7 Things You Must Do on Your First Trip to Paris
So, y’all know that Paris was my dream adventure. Aaaannnd my flight was unbelievably cheap ($467, thanks to one of Scott’s alerts). Still, my frugal self refused to spend more than $1k on the total trip, so I decided to limit myself to just two nights in the City of Lights. I know, I know. Two …
adventure and the girl 