Weekend at the Beach Packing List

With a long weekend rapidly approaching, many may be heading towards the ocean! While I won't be amongst you over Memorial Day, I'm having a little beach getaway with a friend in a few weeks. I can't wait!

We're only going for three days, so I'm keeping it light on the packing list. I'm not even bothering with jeans or jackets... it's going to be 90 & sunny. Nothing about that says "pants" to me. It's really just dresses, swim wear, and a few accessories.

This will all fit in a carry on with room to SPARE! We are driving... which is tempting to overpack. However! There is no reason to bring a bunch of stuff I'll never wear! Cover ups can be worn a couple of times, swim suits can be hand washed easily and dry quickly, and sandals go from day to night. 

Think about what you'll be doing before you overpack. For this quick vaca, we'll be doing a lot of laying on the beach, relaxing by the pool, and grabbing dinners. There's no reason for me to pack my entire wardrobe or bring anything heavy or too fancy. Maxi dresses will cover a multitude of sins in a sleepy beach town, and my black sundress ALWAYS works several ways on a trip! Choose versatile pieces that make sense. 

Woo hoo! Beach time! Stay safe out there, kids. Plenty of SPF, water, and have fun!
xo

WE'RE BACK FROM NEW ZEALAND!

New Zealand, guys - what a place. We'll call this more of a photo essay than a blog. This is just a sampler of what that beautiful country has to offer!

Waiheke Island

Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Mt Ngauruhoe (aka Mount Doom from LOTR)

Emerald Lakes (Tongariro Alpine Crossing)

Abel Tasman National Park 

Downtown Napier

Cape Fowlwind Seal Colony

Cape Fowlwind Seal Colony

Pancake Rocks Beach

Franz Josef Glacier

Franz Josef Glacier

Blue Pools 

Driving into Queenstown 

Roadside on the South Island

Roteburn Track 

Milford Sound

Pure eye-candy. And these snaps are barely scratching the surface!

We seriously had the best time, so be prepared for about a dozen post on New Zealand in the near future. I'm glad to be back! Sorry for the prolonged radio silence, just trying to catch up on work, life and eradicate jet lag! :) 

xo

*All photos were taken by me with my Fuji x30 camera.*

National Parks of New Zealand

If you think the National Parks in the US are gorgeous.... wait until you Google "national parks NZ". Prepare to be blown away.

We're only going to be visiting New Zealand for 12 days (on the ground), and sadly, it's not enough time to hit them all! We've been doing TONS of research and here are the parks we'll be hitting.

Tongariro National Park

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This National Park has a trail that is commonly referred to as "New Zealand's best day hike" (the Alpine Crossing). It was also NZ's first National Park and is a World Heritage site! We're really drawn to this hike with the exception of knowing it can be freezing in parts of the hike (literally below 32*) and very warm in others. We are going to see if this is practical for our time there... but with amazing photos like this... it's hard to say no!

There are also 3 inactive volcanoes in this hike and some Hobbit homes if that floats your boat! There are short (1-2hr hikes), day hikes, and several (3-4) day hikes. A little bit of something for everyone.

Abel Tasman National Park

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This is slowly becoming the park I'm most excited about. It's on the Northern part of the South Island, and is right on the water. From what I've read, it's very moderate in temperature and always enjoyable, and its claim to fame is renting sea kayaks like in this photo. I think it will be a fun alternative to exploring by foot or car :)

Fiordland National Park

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From what I can tell, Fiordland Natioinal Park (the home of Milford Sound) is one of the most sought after attractions in New Zealand. The Milford Sound trek is really famous and you can see why - unbelievable terrain from mountains to lakes. Milford Sound is also one of the most removed places in the entire country - it's 2 hours drive away from the nearest small town, and almost 4 hours drive from the nearest city! What's funny is on the map Queenstown & Milford Sound look very close in proximity, but the protected lands prohibit you from driving the short way. Buckle up, I'm sure it's worth the ride!

Westland National Park AND Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park 

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These National Parks are a 2-for-1 deal - they border each other. While I don't think we'll be in Aoraki Nat'l Park, we will admire it's crown jewel (Mt Cook, pictured above!) from Westland. Westland is also home to two of New Zealand's most famous glaciers, Fox & Franz Josef. Verdict is still out on if hiking ON these glaciers is possible at this time (they are still advancing and conditions are changing), but we will at least do some of the public hikes in this park.

4 photos via 

Even though we won't be spending significant time in these places, we're still going to be driving through a handful of the other National Parks.... which will make the long days feel a little more magical in the car! I grabbed these next three images from Google Street View... which is amazing.

Kahurangi National Park

Pure scenery between Abel Tasman & the next national park....

Paparoa National Park

If you've ever heard of the "Pancake Rocks"... this is where to find them. This beautiful Nat'l Park is right up against the coast, making for a gorgeous drive ahead!

Mount Aspiring National Park

No question of street view here.... but how can you complain about an 8hr drive when you're looking at all this eye candy? Gorgeous.

We're getting closer & closer to leaving.... so excited! If anyone has been to the National Parks in NZ, I'd love to hear any tips, tricks or suggestions! Thanks in advance! :)
xo


Bottom 3 images via Google Street View

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

Thailand Travel Diary: Guest Post by Ashley Wurzburger

Sometimes it's hard to believe I haven't been to Asia yet! 

Several friends have traveled there in the last few years, 

and I'm becoming increasingly anxious to go. Today, you 

all are lucky enough to hear my best friend's experience 

on her recent trip to Thailand! 

Ashley has been my best friend since 7th grade. 

We've been through just about everything together, but 

we've never been to another continent together 

(thankfully this should be remedied soon!). 

Ash and I. On an adventure.... pretending we were rich at the Breakers Hotel:)

Ashley is one of my favorite writers EVER. No, she doesn't 

write professionally (or even recreationally!) so this is a special treat (mainly for me), as she agreed to write a guest post about 

her adventures. I hope you enjoy her experience in Thailand, 

and check out her helpful tips if you're planning a trip!

xo

----------

“You just got back from Thailand!! Was it so nice?!”

Canoes lined up in Railay West.

I hesitate for a second. I’m not inclined to say yes, but saying "no" doesn't seem to suit it either. 

“Yeah, it was nice,” I settle on, because somehow, saying no just feels unfair. It took me a few days after returning home to realize that no, Thailand isn’t nice, and that’s ok. Its people are friendly, and its landscape is breathtakingly beautiful. Thailand is relaxing and outrageous, delicious and nauseating, fun and overwhelming. It’s so many things, but it isn’t nice.

If you want “nice,” go to Hawaii.

I’m pretty sure the Thai government has some sort of deal with foreign tourism agencies, because between the time I announced I was going and the time I actually left, at least 8 friends of mine suddenly visited Thailand. My theory would make sense if you’ve been paying any attention to the recent protests going on there. The ruling family (not the King – they have both King and Prime Minister, woo!) has been accused of amassing a lot of wealth, exploiting their country and people to do so. They actually impeached the Prime Minister on corruption charges back in 2006, but then elected his sister as his successor. I like to attribute this to a very trusting and forgiving nature, maybe. 

Anyway, people are going to Thailand by the handfuls. The country’s infrastructure can’t really keep up, so you have 5 star luxury resorts next to slum apartment buildings, and fancy restaurants on shorelines that reek of sewage. I’m not complaining; this is their reality now. I just wouldn't recommend Thailand to my friends who like their “creature comforts” – familiar foods, attentive customer service, guaranteed safety, air conditioning, sleeping without bugs or creatures paying you visits, etc.

If you are still interested in going to Thailand after all of that, great! It is going to be such a fun trip! Below is some basic geography to kick off your planning. It is a diverse country, with all different types of landscapes, foods and experiences, so you can really have a little bit of everything there. For best results, combine! Flying in-country is affordable and time efficient.

· Bangkok – chances are you will fly into Bangkok. It’s a gigantic city with plenty to do. We spent a total of 3 days here to bookend our trip, and for us it was a good amount of time. If you can swing it, I’d recommend being here on a weekend to get to visit the Chatuchak (also called JJ) Weekend Market. It’s a massive labyrinth of clothes, bags, bowls, street food, etc. This is not just a tourist trap – it’s a well-known spot for snagging trendy clothes and tasty foods on the cheap. 

Doing a little Thai Silk shopping at the Weekend Market!

· The Southern Beaches – it is islands aplenty in southern Thailand, so do a little research and pick what sounds the best. You can choose between your tried-and-true tourist haunts (Phuket, Ko Samui), your quieter-and-thriftier beaches (Railay Beach, Ko Chang), or your drug-fueled-rage (Ko Pha Ngan, home of the Full Moon Party).

Railay Beach

· Northern Thailand – this is where you can ride elephants, visit some of the most stoic temples, and see colonies of orange-clad Buddhist monks. We didn't go here because we didn't feel it would be a time efficient decision, but like everything in Thailand, it sure looked beautiful.

Once you know where you’re going, keep these tips in mind that should be true no matter where in their great country you find yourself.

· Don’t bring a big suitcase. This rings especially true if you are going to an island by boat – you will most likely get dropped off in water. Yes, in. Not on a dock. Literally in the water. Thank the Lord for hiking backpacks! 

Cait walking to shore from our boat.

· Don’t expect them to know a lot of English. Maybe this goes back to tourism expanding so rapidly there, but they aren’t like many other countries where everyone just knows English as a second language. I was pretty surprised by how little English they understood or spoke. It made for a lot of shrugging and laughing all around.

· Tip if you want, but not based on percentage. You don’t have to tip in other countries, but people know that Americans do it so it is almost expected. Plus they’re all just so dang nice there! But don’t ever give based on percentage, it’s embarrassingly high. Custom is to give 20, 40 or 60 Baht, depending on the type of service and your generosity (at the time of writing, 100 Baht is about $3 USD). 

· You will probably get sick. In fact if you don’t, call me and tell me your secret. Like many places, the tap water is not good for drinking, but there’s no way to guarantee it isn’t being used to cook with or will otherwise sneak its way into your digestive tract. And there were flies on everything, so… (Note: you should still eat everything! Food from carts, food from noodle shops; we even ate one meal from a boat vendor!)

· Put your hands at heart center and bow low. This is one thing I wish I would have really gone for while I was there. Being from a culture where we don’t bow, I felt silly or somehow like a fraud when bowing. Turns out I just looked disrespectful, because they bow to everyone, and the lower you bow the more respect you are showing the other person. Except don’t bow to kids, because that makes you look dumb (I read that somewhere). “Thank you” is “khob kuhn ka,” and should be said liberally.

kayaking through the waters off Railay beach

Going to Thailand wasn't on the top of my travel list. In fact, it wasn't even in the middle of the list. I am so glad I went, though; it’s a trip I’ll always remember and I still find myself wishing I was back, kayaking through crystal blue waters with towering rocks overhead. If you’re Thailand-bound, enjoy! And feel free to comment or reach out – I’d love to hear your suggestions or answer any questions! 

Khob khun ka, everyone.

Americana Inspired Vacations for the 4th of July (or anytime)

I LOVE the 4th of July - it reminds me of being a kid :) Sparklers on the beach in my american flag bathing suit.... those were the days. There's also something whimsical about places that are "quintessentially American". These are typically old money/preppy towns (like Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod), but I think there are more options than you might think.

In honor of America's 238th birthday, let's take it back to the 13 original Colonies. Here are some gorgeous places on the East Coast that I LOVE visiting or am DYING to visit! There are so many amazing places you can go to and you don't even need a passport and just scream 'MERICA (in a the best way possible).

Grab your pullover & loafers, and let's see this country.

Maine
New England's crown jewel is #1 on my list right now. I've never been to most of the NE states, but I'd really like to. I want to eat lobster in my nautical sweaters and search for lighthouses. Maybe stay IN a lighthouse? A girl can dream :)

I saw this spread in Condé Nast Traveler and it just reminded me why I want to go there.

Finger Lakes, NY

My mom is from Upstate New York. I've always wondered why Upstate New York was used as a phrase for the 99% of the state that isn't MANHATTAN. New York State is huge! With that being said, I've been to the Buffalo/Niagara area a few times, but nowhere else "Upstate". I recently went to Ithaca, NY for a scouting trip and have fallen in love! There are a few long lakes called the Finger Lakes, and the area is crawling with charming farm towns, wineries, and creameries (hello, wine & cheese heaven!)... not to mention that Ithaca is the home to Cornell University, arguably one of the most beautiful college campus I've ever seen. And there's a WATERFALL a half mile from campus. Get yourself a B&B and go wine tasting for the weekend.

Waterfront restaurant in Ithaca

                             one of the many waterfalls                            Downtown Ithaca, crawling with cute cafe's

Savannah, GA

I'd dreamed of going to Savannah for years, and finally made my way there a couple of years ago. It's extremely charming, full of history, and beautiful as could be. There are ghost tours (my favorite) to accompany the extensive history, dozens of cute restaurants and shops line the cobble stone streets, and plenty to do no matter what your travel style is. I can't wait to go back, and eat here.

I'll be celebrating the 4th in good ole' Tennessee this year, followed by a month on my favorite beach (working holiday, if you will). I can't wait! Where are you celebrating America's Birthday?

Have you ever been to these places? Would you go back? Where else is on your list of Americana Quaint towns?