I didn't realize how emotional it would be to make the decision to offer campy to a new home.  Campy has been part of my travel family for six years now and has been in my loving care as well as the loving care of our partner, GoWesty.   Max and I traveled with a 4 runner and a tent for two years before campy and we are going to go back to that for a while.  Before Max, my dog Maggie and I traveled in a teardrop trailer for a year.  We don't know exactly what's next but we know for sure that whoever is Campy's new caretaker will be in for some amazing #vanlife experiences ..read more

Jo's famous "I love you so much" wall graffiti I just returned from a long weekend in Austin, Texas.  As I mentioned in my last blog, I've been to Austin in the past, but when Travel Texas asked if I'd like to take another look, I didn't hesitate to say yes!  In just four short years, I can't believe how much the city has grown and yet, the feelings I have will always remain the same.  Austin has become the hub for many up and coming companies and several established companies have migrated to Austin.  Because of this, as well as general city growth, it seems to have ..read more

As a frequent traveller, I’m often asked where my favorite place is.  As you can imagine, it’s difficult to list just one place, and over time, my favorite place can change.  However, there are just a few destinations in my mind that have been a favorite over time.  Austin, Texas is one of those places.  When Travel Texas asked if I wanted to take a trip to Austin to explore and uncover some hidden gems, I didn’t hesitate to say yes!  My trip is just a few weeks away and I would love your help to find some interesting places you found to be unforgettable.  Wall ..read more

Walking under my favorite waterfall AND a rainbow For someone who avoids being cold at all cost and wears a puffy vest in the summer, a trip to  Iceland during the winter would seem like something I'd want nothing to do with.  However, I have a deal with myself that if I keep thinking of something day after day, I have to figure out a way to do it.  That something on my mind was seeing the Northern Lights in person.  I knew that it would be a hit or miss situation to see the elusive nature show and there are no guarantees, but I knew I had to give it a try, even if th ..read more

What an emotional year this was. For 2017, I wish you discomfort. As this crazy year comes to a close, I enjoy looking back at the year and remember the good things. What sticks out in my mind are the adventures I went on and the countries I visited.  I am planning new adventures for 2017 and I hope you do the same.  Nothing inspires me more than traveling and being in nature. It's a nice way to jump start a year by getting uncomfortable.  I get asked a lot about where my favorite place is.  This year, it was Iceland.   I've never experienced anything like it.  In ..read more

Instructor Jill heading out for a sunset surf “First Breakfast at 5:30a.m.”, she said.   I know Jackie was talking about the plans for the following morning but I kept looking at the dry erase board for a “just kidding” below the time in which all 15 strangers were going to meet to have breakfast.   I just arrived in Nicaragua after a 24 hour travel day and my introverted self was immediately challenged to be social, share a room with a stranger, and be chipper at.... yes, 5:30a.m.   Enjoying the Nicaragua countryside from the window of our airport van. To those of you ou ..read more

For the 100 year anniversary of our National Parks in August, I wanted to celebrate that milestone by taking a tour of the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Glacier, Banff, Jasper, Olympic and Redwood National parks.  I’ve been to all of them before except for Banff and Jasper.  Evan though they aren't included in the 100 year anniversary,  I’ve always wanted to go to Banff ever since I saw the crystal blue water images in books and on social media.  It seemed unreal and the experience I had was just that... unreal. Max in front of the Tetons Bison on the side of the road ..read more

A while back on my Instagram and Facebook pages, I promised that I would answer any questions you had and for 24 hours, I kept the post up for questions.  At the end of that period, I compiled all questions and put them in the following categories of health, safety, social, fear, experiences, photography, Max, travel and money.  In part one, I answered questions about health, safety, social, fear and experiences.  For this blog, I am answering the questions about photography, Max, travel and money.  So, here we go... With Max at the Wave.  We were lucky to be awarded ..read more

Stopping along the coast of California A few months ago, I posted a rare, “holding out the camera in front of my face” selfie and asked if you had any questions for me.  I kept the post up for 24 hours and said I would answer any question you threw at me.  I received 94 questions from you and after reading them, I put each question into one of 9 categories: Health, Safety, Social, Fear, Experiences, Photography, Max, Travel, and Money. I realize that reading answers to 94 questions might be a bit lengthy and boring so I decided to split this blog post in two.  In part 1 of, “yo ..read more

Enjoying the view on the Flam Railway I’ve wanted to travel to Norway for some time.  After viewing several posts on Instagram of the many beautiful fjords and coastline of the country, I kept telling myself that I had to make the trip to see it with my own eyes, in real life... away from the tiny screen in the palm of my hand. A tourist capturing the view before the train enters a tunnel The Flam Railway A few months ago, I made the trip a reality.  I decided to travel through the country by train and boat and for the most part, I made it up as I went along. I only planned s ..read more