This post is my honest review of our stay at Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa – a luxury, all-inclusive, adults-only resort in Jamaica. Now all-inclusive, relaxing and beachside are words that are not normally used to describe the kind of vacations my husband and I embark on. We’re usually more of the scaling mountains, jumping out of airplanes, in need of at least 3 days of sleep after our vacation sort of people. So… would you believe me if… Read more »
I’m testing out the Aviator Merino Wool Travel T-Shirt in today’s post. When it comes to travel clothing, I am always intrigued by any company that says their clothes are wrinkle-free and moisture-wicking. I hate ironing my clothes, even if I’m not traveling. Oh, and when I’m in an airport… I sweat profusely, even in the middle of winter (thanks to usually running to catch connecting flights in O’Hare and lugging around a heavy backpack filled with camera goodies). Needless… Read more »
2 days in Baku, Azerbaijan is just enough time to get a good feel of the city. Granted, you won’t be able to see absolutely everything Baku has to offer in this timeframe – but you will get a great overview. I’m sharing how we spent our 2 days here and a few tips for planning your Baku itinerary. How to Spend 2 Days in Baku, Azerbaijan – The Ultimate Itinerary We had come to Baku from Moscow for a… Read more »
What comes to mind when you think of Baku, Azerbaijan? If “nothing” is your first thought – you’re not alone. I honestly couldn’t have pointed to the city of Baku on a map until a year ago… let alone tell you what there is to do there. This post is here to explain this interesting city – from language and safety concerns to what there is to see and do here! Where Even Is Baku, Azerbaijan? Baku borders the Caspian… Read more »
Wondering what to wear for a day of exploring in Baku, Azerbaijan? This post is here to help! Unlike my previous outfit post from Baku, this outfit worked perfectly for a day of exploring around the city! I was comfortable in it all day long – and it went from rainy and miserable in the morning to hot and sticky by the afternoon. (I had visited in September.) Shoes As with any city, a day of exploring in Baku calls… Read more »
The Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan is one of the most stunning buildings I have ever seen in my life. Not a single straight line was used in its design! This architectural wonder is a museum complex designed by British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. (She was the first woman to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize.) The exhibits inside are dedicated to the history and culture of Azerbaijan. However, in the basement of this magnificent building is an impressive Classic Car… Read more »
While traveling in Baku, Azerbaijan we had booked our hotel stay at the JW Marriott Absheron Baku. My husband and I always try to stay at Marriotts anytime we travel to continue building our status and points. JW Marriotts are some of the most luxurious hotels in the Marriott chain. When given a choice, we don’t normally stay at this high of a category hotel (due to the matching high price tag). Fortunately, though, the conversion rate from AZN to… Read more »
Ok, so what I am wearing in this post was NOT an ideal outfit for visiting the Gobustan National Park and Mud Volcanoes outside of Baku, Azerbaijan. In theory, this outfit should have been OK. It’s comfortable. My dress is 100% cotton and breathes very well. And I’ve worn these sandals on countless adventures because they’re so easy to walk in. However, in practice, this outfit just wasn’t the greatest! Here’s why… My Sandals While my Salt Water Sandals are… Read more »
If you’ve been following my blog for a bit, you’ll know I enjoy taking at least one guided tour while visiting a new area…especially if I’m not terribly familiar with its history. And Azerbaijan is a country I only recently started to learn about, so I wanted a little more in-depth, local knowledge of the area when I visited Baku. When researching tour companies, Bag Baku Tour came up as one of the highest-rated tour agencies in Baku. I thought… Read more »
When planning your trip to Baku, Azerbaijan, be sure to take (at least) one day trip and venture to some of the fascinating places just outside the city. You can easily visit Gobustan National Park’s mud volcanoes and petroglyphs, as well as “Fire Mountain” (Yanar Dag) and “Fire Temple” (Ateshgah of Baku) all in one day. This post will explain, in my opinion, the best way to go about getting to these places and what in the world these places… Read more »
Dreaming of visiting Magnolia Market in Waco, Texas? This post is sharing my tips for how to make the most of your day here – from parking to what to wear to where to eat and even more things to do in the area. I hope this post helps you enjoy your “Fixer Upper” journey as much as I did! Magnolia Market at the Silos, or just Magnolia Market, is where “Fixer Upper” stars Joanna and Chip Gaines have opened… Read more »
If you’re heading to Dallas, Texas in the near future – you’re in luck! The Dallas Museum of Art has extended the “Dior: From Paris to the World” exhibit until October 27th. This exhibit shows more than 70 years of the House of Dior’s work and more than one hundred haute couture dresses. There are also original sketches, mood boards, accessories, runway videos and letters on display. It’s amazing! I was fortunate enough to tour this exhibit when I was… Read more »
“A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles is a must-read novel, recommended by even the likes of Bill Gates and soon it will also be a TV series. You don’t have to be interested in Moscow either to be charmed by the wit of Count Alexander Rostov – the book’s main character. The Count’s story takes place almost entirely in the Metropol Hotel in Moscow near the Bolshoi and the Kremlin. This hotel is where he is sentenced to house… Read more »
Seeing a performance at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow should be at the top of your Russia bucket list! This historic theatre holds some of the world’s best ballet and opera performances. Dressing the part for this grand theatre is at the top of many theatre-goers minds, too. Should you wear a gown? A suit coat? Are jeans acceptable? This post is here to explain how to dress for the Bolshoi Theatre for both men and women – featuring both… Read more »
Written by Joniel Suezo Without a doubt, flying is the most efficient mode of traveling, and the widely accepted go-to solution when you need to cover great distances in one swift swoop. However, human nature is fickle, and we can feel that even the miracle of flight can take an excruciatingly long time. It’s almost a rule of thumb that, no matter what mode of transportation you use or how fast you go, the trip is painfully long if it… Read more »
Combining Egypt and Jordan into one trip may seem like a lot to some. However, this itinerary is here to show that if you have around 14 days of vacation to spare, this can be just enough time to get a taste of these fascinating countries in one go! For our trip through Egypt and Jordan, we had spent a total of 13 days. However, 3 of these days were lost to travel (so, technically we only had 10 full… Read more »
While hiring a tour guide service is not necessary to explore Jordan (I’m sure most seasoned travelers would be fine navigating this lovely country on their own), it can certainly make the trip easier and less stressful. We had ended up using a tour service because we had paired this trip with a week-long adventure in Egypt, prior to coming to Jordan. Now, in Egypt, I highly recommend hiring a guide service. We had worked with Memphis Tours for Egypt,… Read more »
Wondering what to pack for a trip to Jordan as a stylish woman? This post is breaking down how to dress in this fascinating country from the Dead Sea to Petra & more. I’m also sharing some of my packing tips for this trip & outfits! Packing for a trip to Jordan can seem to be a bit daunting if you’re a woman, especially if you’re a woman who likes to look stylish whilst traveling. This post is here to… Read more »
Written by Marie McCaughey We all like to look our best on vacation. When you look good, you feel good and we all want to feel our best on our special time away. The rules are all different on vacation, and it feels exciting to sort of reinvent yourself in a foreign land. Why not go all out with your style, and more importantly, your accessories? Here are a few options that can make any outfit look good abroad. The… Read more »
Spending 3 days in Jordan will give you just enough time to see the highlights of this gorgeous country. Now, it’ll be up to you to decide if you want to see as much as you possibly can of Jordan in these 3 days… or pick out the sights that are most unique to Jordan and give them ample time for exploring. For this post, I’m actually going to do 2 itineraries – 1 itinerary featuring what we actually did… Read more »
Jordan is a destination that may not top that many tourist’s travel lists. I often would get asked – “Jordan? Why would you want to go there? What you can you even do in Jordan?” Well, I’m here to tell you, there is A LOT to do and see in Jordan – from the Dead Sea to Petra and Wadi Rum and more! (Did you see all of my posts, here?!) And with every destination I travel to, I always… Read more »
“Welcome to The Martian Experience,” is how the owner of Mazayen Rum Camp appropriately greeted us as he showed us to our “Martian tent.” Through a series of fortunate events, our desert camp experience in Wadi Rum, Jordan had gotten a major upgrade. (The previous camp we had booked through our tour company ended up being overbooked for our dates, so we landed a complimentary upgrade to Mazayen Rum Camp!) *Click here to see current Mazayen Rum Camp prices. Our… Read more »
Wadi Rum a.k.a. “The Valley of the Moon” and the closest I’m likely ever going to get to Mars! It’s a little under a 2-hour drive from Petra. We drove straight here after we were done hiking Petra, so we could embark on a 2-hour Jeep tour that would then drop us off at our desert camp. But before I get started on explaining the tour I want to give a little background on what Wadi Rum even is, and… Read more »
Guest post by Dan Hansen Norway is one of those travel destinations where you need to be ready for weather changes in an instant. Even in August, the days could range from sunny and warm to snow when driving from one fjord to another. When visiting destinations with tricky weather, like Norway, it’s always best to have a few layers of clothes all year round. When packing for Norway, you should think you are packing for all seasons – especially… Read more »
When planning for our trip to Petra, I spent quite a lot of time trying to figure out what to wear for this day of exploring in Jordan. I was seeing a lot of extremes when I was Googling around for blog posts on the subject – sometimes the post would feature the lovely lady in a gorgeous dress or skirt with sneakers or sandals and other posts were telling me to wear my best hiking gear! So, this post… Read more »
Ah, Petra. The main reason folks come to Jordan! Visiting Petra was one of the last things we did on our journey through Egypt and Jordan – and it did not disappoint (like the pyramids had). Petra was every bit as splendid as I hoped it would be. However, there were certainly ways I could have improved our trip here…and there were a couple of things I did correctly that I think others will find useful. For this post, I’ll… Read more »
I’m reviewing the CHESTER Minima Carry-On today…I recently had the chance to use this carry-on bag on my flight between Wisconsin and Moscow, Russia. This flight isn’t the worst flight I’ve ever had (that was between Wisconsin and Argentina), however, it’s not the best either. It’s 18+ hours with 3 different segments…which means there is a lot of running around at airports involved! It’s a good test for a piece of carry-on luggage! CHESTER Minima Carry-On Specs Here’s what to… Read more »
