a travel and style blog
Sharing everything I packed in my carry-on for a weekend in St. Louis, Missouri Well, Michael and I finally made it to St. Louis, Missouri, and we did so in celebration of our tenth dating anniversary at that. With just shy of thirty-six hours in the city we had no excuse but to pack lightly—which …
Ah, St. Louis, Missouri (also known as The Gateway City). It’s a place that has been on my travel list for quite some time, yet Michael and I didn’t solidify our plans to visit until less than a week before departure. In fact, we weren’t even planning to be in the Midwest that particular weekend—we …
On Monday I shared how Michael and I spent a weekend in Jacksonville, Florida, and today I’ll share my packing list for the weekend away. As a refresher, this trip took place over a weekend in July (i.e. smack-dab in the middle of the hot, sticky, sweaty Florida summer) and included a trip to the …
It was surfing that brought Michael and me to Jacksonville one weekend. Not what you expected, right? Perhaps a sporting event or convention or family or something, but not surfing. Yet there we were on a recent Saturday, standing on the beach in our swimsuits and wondering what we’d gotten ourselves into. This post contains …
Travel is incredible. It has given me so much over the years: a vastly more open mind, a broader appreciation for our differences, a closer connection to many folks around the world, a better understanding of how others live, and a changed mindset on what it takes to be happy. Despite all of these wonderful …
Real talk: I hate in-store shopping for clothes. (It’s probably a bad idea to start a blog post with a negative statement, but it’s a very true statement). The salespeople are either too pushy or refuse to help you, the lighting is awful, the music is too loud, and there’s never enough time to really …
I love traveling with just my carry-on. The clothes inside have been carefully selected, I’m left with a free hand to navigate directions on my phone or eat ice cream (this scenario is the most likely), and I can hoist my own bag into the overhead bin, thank you very much. I don’t think I’ll …
One of the toughest packing challenges most people face involves shoes. What kind? How many? I’m often asked about this topic and it’s definitely time for a travel-friendly shoe guide. As an advocate for packing light and a frequent budget airline passenger, I tend to stick to two pairs of shoes per trip, wearing one on …
I’ve touched on the topic of how I afford to travel before, but it’s been an entire year and I think it’s time to chat about money some more. It’s unfortunate that the topic of money is so taboo because I think we’d all be better off if we spoke about it more. So many …
It’s been a little over a year since I last wrote about my experience applying for the Global Entry program, so I’d say it’s about time for an update! Today I’ll share a quick refresher on the costs and benefits of the program, my experiences with TSA Precheck and expedited re-entry, and if I think …