Celebrating Thanksgiving Abroad

This year in Italy will be my 4th Thanksgiving celebrated off American soil. Even though it's weird celebrating a specifically American holiday abroad, it's still really fun! Especially if you're able to celebrate with other ex-pats or travelers, because it's a bonding experience :) 

We like traveling over Thanksgiving because we can take longer trips while still taking minimal days off of work (yes, we're self employed... which means if we're not working, we're definitely not making any money! ;)

Valetta, Malta. 2007.

When I studied abroad, I took a 10 day trip with Sharyn that we named The Trip of the Century - 4 countries in a week and a half. 

Our last stop was Malta, and it also happened to be over Thanksgiving. In lieu of turkey, we dined on rabbit - a traditional Maltese feast. I don't remember much about the way it tasted, but I'm pretty sure it was one of the last non-vegetarian meals I ate.

London, England. 2008.

I moved back to London after I graduated from college, and I started babysitting for an American family who had recently relocated to the UK. They hosted a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner & party, complete with a live stream of the parade, since we were 6 hours ahead of NYC :)

Ixtapa, Mexico. 2013.

My hair was straight when we arrived.... humidity took over by dinner! ;)

For our anniversary celebration last year, Matt and I decided to skip town and get some sunshine. Capella - aka, our happy place - was the perfect place to have a dual celebration in a non-traditional way; we dined on fresh fish caught in that bay behind us. Pescetarians rejoice. 

This year we'll be in Florence probably eating wine exclusively for Thanksgiving dinner :) I'm definitely not complaining! 

Holidays are special any way you make them... if you're away from home, you can still celebrate! If you're traveling by yourself, make friends & turn it into a reason to party! Holidays abroad are really fun and memorable.

Have you ever spent a holiday abroad? 
xo

Being In Two Places At Once (and how to pull it off)

Disclaimer: I know I'm crazy.

A couple of weeks ago, I managed to be at two weddings on the same day. Wedding #1 was in Washington, DC and Wedding #2 was in Wichita, KS. It's kind of like the opening scene of 27 Dresses on crack.

Quite literally half way across the country.

Unfortunately, both of these weddings were non-negotiable. One was my cousin and one was one of my best friends (for the last 12+ years). Wedding #1 was at 11am and Wedding #2 was at 6pm.  It seemed pretty impossible, but with some careful planning, we made it happen. The truth is, I didn't feel any more stressed on this trip because I typically plan ahead and pay attention to details.... so this trip just happened to be the time it all paid off. If you're just as crazy as I am, here's some guidance if you need to be in two places at once.

#1 - Make peace with missing a few things
I missed Wedding #2's rehearsal dinner and had to leave Reception #1 early. You can't have it all, so prepare yourself (and your host) that you'll miss out on a few things.

#2 - Use what you have to make it work
I'm sure you'll be shocked to know that Wichita is not a bustling metropolis with endless flight options. We had exactly 1 option to fly there in time for the wedding. Leaving DC at 2.15pm, layover in Chicago, landing in Wichita at 5.35pm. If everything went as scheduled, this would give me 25 minutes to get from the airport, change into my bridesmaids dress, and be there in time to walk down the aisle. Oh, did I not mention I was a bridesmaid in W#2? It might not have been ideal, but it worked! For this trip we booked 3 separate One Way flights and it was most definitely the cheapest and most convenient. More on that, here.

#3 - Overplan everything
Map out everything - how you're getting to/from the airport? Who is calling the cab? How long will it take you to get there? Then double check/build in back up. It takes 45 minutes to drive there and 20 minutes to go through security, but bump that to 1hour and 30 minutes. Have a 2nd cab number ready to go if your first one doesn't show up. You'll be thanking yourself later.

#4 - Pack as lightly as possible
I cannot stress this enough. This sounds like common sense, but for something like this you should definitely be carrying on. And to take it a step further, avoid the roller board bag. Often times, airlines will make you gate check (for free) larger carry ons, and you're left waiting for your bad. Time is money in this situation. For the 3 day weekend I brought a 28L backpack and a purse. This allowed me to shove the backpack in EVERY overhead bin and I never had to wait on an airline. I also used packing cubes to organize each day. I have been using them for the last couple of years and I can't tell you how amazing they are! Stick to the basics and double up as much as you can. 1 pair of jeans with a few different tops, one pair of casual flats that go with everything, etc. This will save you so much stress.

#5 - A small emergency kit is your best friend
Cash, Advil, touch up make up, bandaids, stain remover stick, granola bar, and a few bobby pins.... those are what saved me, anyway. When you're planning your weekend, think of all the things that could go wrong (like blisters or needing a tip for the cab) and decide what you could need in an emergency. You won't have time to go to CVS.

Was it worth it? Hell yes. I got to see most of my family & some of my best friends in 48 hours. I highly suggest it to anyone. The risk is worth the reward! Have you ever been to two weddings in one day? Would you ever? Do you think I'm insane? :)

Wedding in DC

Wedding in Wichita

Big Sky, Montana

When I married Matt, I married into his traditions - which is fine with me, because one of them is going snowboarding in Montana with family and friends after Thanksgiving.

Well... if i have to... :)

Admittedly, I barely took any pictures this year because it was freezing and I only went snowboarding once.

this is not a joke.

But Montana is certainly one of the most beautiful places i've ever been.

at the top.

This was the second place on our tour de world this November... so we went from 93 degrees to -20 degrees in about a 24 hour period. Did i also mention that we packed a carry on each? That meant my sundress was tucked in a thermal shirt. So crazy to subject your body to such a temperature change! 

Matt's family always takes this trip because they own time share at the lodge, and also because the first and last week of season are insanely cheap. You buy one $79 pass, and you can snowboard for 14 days (the first 7/last 7).

We pay the cleaning fees on the condo, and we eat in every night. It is the cheapest trip ever, and it's awesome.

Have you ever been to Montana? Do you love it like I do? Have you ever jumped 100 degrees in temperature in a short amount of time?
xo

Perfecting the Multi-Way Flight

I'm always looking for the best travel deal. In the last year, my new favorite way to maximize time, locations and save money is to check into multi-way flights. It's especially helpful if you're flying into one airport and flying out of another.

This is easily done on Expedia or your travel search of choice, then you purchase through the airline listed.

Here's an example. I picked random dates and random cities, but just wanted to show the possibilities.

Let's pretend you need to go to New York and Chicago on back to back weekends.

$336, not that bad. And I didn't change any dates to see if there was a more affordable option, perhaps staying an extra day in one or the other. This has you staying in Chicago until you need to go to New York.

Now, if you booked this same trip on two different flights, you're looking at over $100 price increase per person.

Now like I said, this might be a strange example. But let's say you're flying into one airport and out of another. i.e., Flying into Seattle and taking the train to Portland. Or seeing all of your family over one holiday weekend! Let's try another. 

My husband's family lives in North Dakota and vacations in Montana, a 9 hour drive away. My family lives in Florida, and usually stays in Florida ;) But for fun, let's say we were doing Disney with my family. We'd want to fly into the vacation destinations, but then drive back with our parents for a day or two at home. 

If we fly to North Dakota, we would have to drive nearly 20 hours round trip to fit Montana in. Alternatively, we fly into one and out of the other. Same with Disney, 3 hours from my parent's house. Let's see them separate. 

Ouch. Over $900 per person, plus 1 million hours in the car. Let's see the multi-way:

The multi way in this case saves you time and money. $100 per person, and cuts your driving time in half. 

This is similar to a trip we recently took. We went to Mexico to celebrate our anniversary, but wanted to meet up with Matt's family to go snowboarding, and then drive back to his hometown for a few days with extended family. 

Since Ixtapa is remote, flights are usually around $600/person. Bismarck and Bozeman, remote in their own ways (i.e., only like two airlines fly there), are also very expensive. Typically in the $400-500 range. Needless to say, we budget for flights around here! Unfortunately, $1,000/person for Thanksgiving was not in the cards. We were able to find a multi-way ticket for just a bit more than the price of going to one of the places. So we booked it! And packed everything in a carry on. More on that later!

Give it a try. If you search your destinations and aren't seeing much savings, switch your days +/- 1 and see what happens. When we did our Mexico/Arctic Tundra tour, the magic combo of days was amazingly affordable - but move it one day in either direction, we would have paid over $2,000 per person. So check out your options!

The multi-way ticket can make your next trip go smoothly. You cut down on fly time, save money, and travel more than you paid for! 

Have you ever used a multi-way ticket? Good results?

xo

First Anniversary

A year ago, this happened

For some reason, my favorite pictures from our wedding are the candid ones. Probably because i'm better at acting normal than trying to pose :)

I was going to write a long story, but i am truly no expert and I won't know if my advise is any good until it's been tried about for about 20-30 years. So i'll hit you back then. 

I will say that I've learned a TON this year about myself, Matt, and marriage in general these last 365 days. 

Our first year was admittedly not hard. It was a lot of fun. Full of random weekend travels, breakfast dates, our first pet, remodeling (blah!), community, and a lot of laughter, sprinkled in with learning, misunderstandings, attitudes and selfishness. I know we'll face our big trials sometime and I welcome them - because I know what we have is worth fighting for.

Happy Anniversary, my love. You are my favorite thing.

(Some extra wedding photos are located here)

Gifts Ideas for Him

I'm sure I can't be the only one around here who has a husband I find difficult to shop for.

First of all, he's extremely practical (unless it comes to cars and motorcycles!).
He's picky.
And if he wanted it, he probably bought it for himself already!

Not to mention.... our anniversary, his birthday, and Christmas are all within a microscopic six-week window.

What's a girl to do?

I've been scouring the internet trying to find some ideas of what to get my hard-to-gift guy, and this is what i've come up with.

The Gift of Drink

Whisky Stones - $20

buy here

These little stones keep your whisky cool without watering it down. An excellent invention.

-OR-

IPA Beer Making Kit - $45

buy here

Williams-Sonoma knew what they were doing - now tempting your guy in for a cooking class won't be so hard if he knows they sell Beer Making Kits! Perfect for a guy who loves to do it himself or try new things, who also likes beer. Win-win.

The Gift of Travel Accessories

Patagonia Fuego Backpack - $89

buy here

This 32L backpack is great for hiking, a weekend trip, or a good carry on. The size is great for the price, as a lot of more technical backpacks are north of $150. This is a steal.

-OR-

Everlane's Reverse Denim Weekender Bag - $95

buy here

This bag is beautifully crafted, and is the perfect carry on size for a weekend tote. The best part about this bag (in my opinion) is that you can steal it from time to time and use as your own weekend tote! I'm particularly fond of the reverse denim, it looks so sleek and unisex.

The Gift of Technology 

iPod Nano Watch Set - $24 (Would make sense if he already has a Nano)

buy here

This is one of the most practical gifts for guys! Perfect for a traveler or a runner. The wrist band attaches perfectly to your iPod Nano and appears to be a normal watch... until you're ready to listen to music! There are many varieties of color and style. This leather one sticks out to me because it can easily go from guys night, to an important meeting, to date night with you. Matt particularly is a watch fanatic, so this invention might save me!

-OR-

Roku Streaming Device - $49

buy here

Roku is a great little device for those of us that have Nexflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime but don't have an XBOX to stream them through our TV. Roku changes all that. Simply hook up to your TV and choose your 'channels', and you're good to go! A common misconception is that you pay for a Roku subscription, and that isn't true. You only pay for the services you want (Hulu, Netflix, etc). Bonus, you can rent movies on Amazon (from a computer) and then view them from your TV as well. Goodbye expensive iTunes rentals and sifting through awful Redbox options! Who need cable, after all?

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Beer of the Month Club - $24/month

buy here

New craft beers get delivered every month. He will of course love you forever, and probably start checking the mail daily.

-OR-

Birchbox for Men - $20/month

buy here

I personally LOVE getting my Birchbox every month (confession: i'm a beauty product addict!), all of the samples are so fun. And they lead me to new products i've been missing out on! The boy-box is similar, but they actually get less product and more 'stuff'. Friends have received sunglasses, journals, wallets and more. It's a steal at $20 a month.

Do you have a hard to shop for spouse or boyfriend? I'm open to any ideas!

xo