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Thanksgiving Weekend in Oia, Greece – Blue Domes, Greek Cuisine, & More
We have a way of always visiting places in the offseason and heading to Greece for Thanksgiving was no exception. People thought we were crazy when we told them we were going to spend our holidays in Santorini, but I think it may have been our best decision yet! Last Christmas vacation we spent a week in the Arctic Circle of Norway, where it was definitely the offseason. Snow was knee deep and driving was an adventure in itself. But we got to see the Northern Lights and experience the country without tourists around every bend. Similar to that vacation, Greece was a stress-free, relaxing, and tourist FREE experience and…
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10 Books to Add to Your Reading List This Summer
Reading provides a great escape and is the perfect way to pass the time when you’re traveling, sitting by the lake or beach, or at home during those mid-summer afternoon thunderstorms. This year I set a goal for myself to read 15 books and by the end of May, I had already surpassed that goal by reading 22 books! It was easy to fall back into reading when I had the right books and were reading ones that captured my attention, transporting me into a different world sometimes. That’s what this list of books has done for me over the last few months. Therefore, I’m here to recommend 10 books…
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Chasing the Northern Lights Through Norway | When to Go, Where to Stay, What to Do
Shades of green swirled and danced over our heads in the night sky for as we sat soaking in the hot tub, while two feet of snow surrounded us. It felt like a dream, one that I had waited my entire life to witness. If you have been following along for a while now, you probably read that my lifelong bucket list consisted of two major items – seeing the Swiss Alps and experiencing the Northern Lights. I checked the first item off of my bucket list last July when I took a group of students to Switzerland and Italy through EF Tours. The second item on that list was just recently…
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Hiking in Trentino, Italy: Lakes, Waterfalls & Gorges
I recently organized my first group hike for some friends and me, and it was so much fun! I planned it as a short day trip, leaving at 8:00 am and returning by 6:00 pm. This would make a great day/weekend trip for those living in or visiting the Vicenza / Lake Garda / Province of Trentino area! Lago di Tenno The first stop of the day was at a serene lake – Lago di Tenno – located above Lago di Garda. It was a 2-hour drive from Vicenza through lakeside towns and tight switchback roads (8,70€ in autostrada tolls). We found a parking lot right by the lake that had…
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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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My Reason Why
As 2017 comes to an end, it only seems right to reflect back on all that has happened throughout this life-changing year. First, let’s go back to the beginning of my blog and my WHY.
