When I think about what brings me joy, travel is one of the first things that comes to mind. I know that traveling is not always a possibility for every person at every time in their life, which is one of the many reasons that reading has always been so special to me. When I was young and not doing much actual traveling, I loved the feeling of being transported to a new place just by reading words on a page. My love of exploring new places started before I ever took a road trip or set foot on an airplane. I remember my grandma taking us to the library on the weekends, and being SO excited to pick out a new book and see where it would take me. We read to our girls every night, and I can’t wait until they can read on their own and take their first independent journeys through a book. Reading is absolutely where my love of travel started. Once I was older and able to start exploring the world for myself, I realized the pure joy that experiencing new places brings to the soul.

We were able to go to the beach in the summers once I was a little bit older, and I always felt so at peace being near the ocean. I think most people get that feeling of calm. The sounds of the ocean make for the best sleep, which is why the melody of waves crashing comes pre-set on every sound machine. Feeling so small in such a big world made me feel like my problems were insignificant. I was just a small speck in the universe. That shift in perspective is so important. When I’m caught up in my day-to-day life and all of the tiny stressors, it’s easy to lose my sense of self or even my sense of purpose in the world. Traveling, especially to places that help me connect with nature, helps me take that step back and remember how big the world truly is and helps me re-center and focus on the bigger picture. I can take a step back and see my life as a whole, not the little things I may be caught up in right this very moment.

I absolutely love traveling to new places and experiencing new cultures, foods, and ways of living. I feel like these experiences have really shaped who I am as a person and I hope to share this passion with my children as they grow up. We’ve been blessed to be able to take them along on several trips already (I think Bella has taken more trips by age four than I had by 18). My husband travels for work, so sometimes we are able to tag along and experience some places we may not necessarily check out otherwise. I plan to share all of our travels with you here.

I love taking different types of trips, not just to new places but also with different groups of people, because who you are traveling with also brings a new dynamic to your experience. For example, we have taken an annual spring break trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina (link) with our close friends/neighbors for the past few years and hope to continue with this tradition. I love traveling to the same place every year because it starts to feel like a home away from home. We have little traditions of where we like to eat there or what we like to do, and it's special to see the girls (they have 2 girls close in age to ours) grow up together each year. We have also taken trips with my husband’s family to Florida, which is so much fun for our girls because it’s special bonding time they get to have with their cousins.

I also love a good girl's trip when I am able to get away for a few days. Being able to recharge and reconnect with myself and my friends is so healthy and definitely makes me a better mom when I get home. I was able to go to Miami with some of my closest friends last Spring, and then in the Fall, my (amazing, wonderful, handsome) husband somehow let me escape again (haha) to go on a wellness retreat to Civana in Carefree, Arizona. That was probably the most relaxing trip I have ever taken in my life and has changed my perspective (yet again) on traveling. Now, if only we could find someone to watch our children for a few days so that my husband and I could get away alone TOGETHER, that would be dreamy. If you are interested in babysitting or know someone who is, please apply HERE ;).

Besides destination suggestions, I will also be sharing some tips and tricks in this section on planning your travels. I have become a bit of an expert over the years from researching destinations and booking flights/hotels/rental cars to the more fun parts like researching what to do and where to eat once you get there (I enjoy this part almost as much as being on the trip, ask my friends and family who just show up to vacation with a full itinerary!). From the beginning stages of planning your trip to actually packing your bags, I am here to be your personal travel consultant. I actually told my mom when I was in high school that I wanted to be a travel agent, and she said “I think the internet has that covered these days.” So I ended up majoring in English instead. Now here I am, writing about all of my travels and travel tips, so I guess that worked itself out :) It’s funny where life takes you, where will it take you next?