Travel Tips
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Next Adventure: Asia
In 2017, we were planning our honeymoon to Phuket, Thailand. Flights, hotels, dinner reservations – everything was booked. We were headed to a swanky resort beachside and were going to explore Phuket for multiple days during our first month of marital bliss. It didn’t happen. The marital bliss part, yes, the going to Thailand part, no. A few days before I was set to leave, Stephen got a notice that he wouldn’t be able to enter the country because his passport expired in less than 6 months. No ifs and or buts. Trip canceled. All I wanted was to see elephants. I was distraught and knew we lost a ton…
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My First International Flight With an Infant: COVID Style
I was pretty intimidated about my first international flight with an infant. My daughter, Lillie, and I flew from Germany to the U.S. when she was almost 3-months old. Things were so different flying during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the days leading up to our flight, I couldn’t sleep for imagining every possible scenario and playing out our trip in my head. That’s proof enough of how nervous I was to fly considering I’ve flown thousands of miles over the last few years. Stephen was in the field, so I went about this alone, creating even more anxiety. It turned out to be a relatively positive experience and one…
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My 10 Favorite Podcast Series
Lately, I’ve become infatuated with listening to podcasts. Why?? Well, for someone who lives in a foreign country, it’s not easy to find a radio station that has a lot of English songs on there. And I spend a LOT of time in the car. I mean A LOT. Driving my husband to work, running errands during the day, picking him up from work, and then road trips on the weekend. We used to do a lot of scrolling through channels and it just got to the point that it was frustrating. So I started downloading podcast series to listen to. Now I listen when I’m cooking dinner, when Stephen…
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How We Afford to Travel
When I went back to the states to visit my hometown, a group of friends and I started talking about travel and a few of them mentioned how they too wish they could travel as often as Stephen and I do. My response was: you can! I tried my best to convince them that we used our money differently, but they just weren’t buying it. And it really got me thinking…what do we do so differently that allows us to travel and not be thousands of dollars in debt? Sometimes I even forget that we are a ONE INCOME family and as you’re reading this, keep this in the back…
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The Perfect Christmas Gifts for the Adventure Travelers in Your Life
I always have such a hard time shopping for my array of friends and family, from all walks of life, when it comes to the holiday season. If you feel the same way, I’m here to tell you that if you have someone on your list who loves to travel or who loves the outdoors and adventure, then I’ve put together a great guide below for the perfect Christmas gifts for adventure travelers! You’ll find lots of great gift ideas, and I’ve separated them according to the hobby! These are all things that are first-hand tested by me and are my favorite must-have’s when traveling or doing any of our outdoor activities. When Stephen and I got married and were deciding where to hold our wedding registry…
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Moving Overseas with a Dog: Presley’s Journey from North Carolina to Italy
When my fairytale started, we decided up front not to move my dog, Presley, overseas – for a number of reasons – none which seem significant in the scheme of things now. One of the reasons includes the fact that I had been on many flights where a dog cried the whole time. It was traumatic and seemed torturous to do that to an animal. I was also naïve about how dog-friendly Italy is and ignorant of the fact that I needed my little man in my life. Before Stephen came along, it was just me and Presley, for 2.5 years through relationships and breakups, schoolwork, late nights, and my…
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Q & A with Brittany Butterworth Photography: Advice on Travel Photography, Camera Equipment, & More
Have you ever seen a photo of a place on social media that caught your eye and made you want to add that place to your bucket list? Well for me, that place is San Sebastian, Spain. What’s even cooler is that the person posting those pictures happens to be a dear friend of mine – who recently visited Spain and France on her honeymoon. As a professional photographer, all her pictures are obviously outstanding, but travel photos particularly resonate with me! This got me thinking though…how did she relax as a newlywed and still photograph such beautiful places in depth while she was there – especially being in a…
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Checklist for Traveling Abroad for the First Time
So you’ve made the leap! You’re going on an epic trip abroad for the first time? Or maybe you’re reading this because you’re debating traveling and you’re wondering how hard it is and what needs to be done? Well, I’m here to reassure you that with this checklist for traveling abroad for the first time and a little bit of preparation, you’ll be well on your way to exploring incredible places and making memories that will last a lifetime. How do I know these things? Because I was once in your shoes. Before I left everything behind for love and moved across the ocean to sweet Italia, I decided in…
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Basic Tips to Photograph the Northern Lights
When we booked our trip to Norway to see the Northern Lights, I knew I had to learn how to capture this incredible phenomenon. Up to this point, I’d always used an iPhone or GoPro to document our travels. Everything I kept reading said that to photograph the Northern Lights would be much more complicated than simply snapping a pic on my phone. I spent a lot of time learning, researching, and taking notes about the best ways to take photos of the Aurora Borealis in order to avoid getting myself into a situation where I would miss the lights because I was too busy trying to fiddle with the…
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What To Pack In Your Backpack When Travelling
An essential guide to what to pack in your backpack before your next adventure!
