easeintoyourgoals

The $600 flight to Europe made me think the French Riviera over New Year’s wouldn’t be so great. I was wrong. The medieval towns and quiet sunsets take up a lot of space in my mind, now. 📍Chateau Eza, Eze, France

Facebook will not be checked from 12/26-1/2. I will be out of the country. Happy new year!

Today is my mama’s birthday. When you reach your thirties, you realize how much of a blessing it is to have a mom who loves you and supports you at every stage of your evolution. A mom who made an effort to expose you to different experiences, who encouraged you to live your life independently, and squeals with joy at every little happy thing that comes into your life. Who doesn’t pressure you to be anyone but yourself and makes you feel her love no matter where you are in the world. I am so ready to take her on her first abroad adventure in 2023. Time to use that passport, Mama. ✈️

Missing the colors of summer on Capri. 🍋 We will be on the French Riviera for New Years… Sainte-Maxime > Èze > Saint Paul de Vence. We have a car! Any recommendations?

Support a low income school! is our give-back initiative where we sponsor a Title I school teacher to start a college application club! Our first meeting at a Title I school starts TODAY! 🎉 The scholarship will be awarded to a member of the application club who achieves and accepts college admission!
For the most recent graduating class, we were able to give a $250 scholarship! This year, we hope to reach our goal and award a $1000 scholarship!
Please share!

Dine like Kris Jenner on Capri. ☑️
Getting into the world’s most exclusive restaurants can be about clout, but for normal people it’s about strategy and timeliness. Sometimes I book restaurants before I’ve even booked a flight. Check my stories today for my how-to guide that has gotten me into every restaurant that’s ever graced my bucket list. I will give it a home under the “Restaurants” story highlight.

from Capri with 🤍

No trip to Capri is complete without a walk (really - hike) from downtown Capri to one of the viewpoints of Arco Naturale.
Though paved, the uphill trek can be quite daunting, so bring lots of water (especially in summer) and good walking shoes.
Coordinate the day of your hike with dinner at the delicious Ristorante Da Tonino Capri] or LA PALETTE | Capri] - which are about halfway on the uphill trek.
corner: LA PALETTE | Capri] menu is created by the chef using fruits and vegetables grown in the surrounding gardens.
corner: Ristorante Da Tonino Capri] is a restaurant.
Ever dined at these places or completed the trek to Arco Naturale?

Nothing says Amalfi Coast like Limoncello. 🍋 Maria with shared her family’s homemade brew with us - made from fresh lemons grown on site. Do not miss this gem in the mountains of Tramonti when visiting the Campania region of Italy. The host will also prepare a fresh meal for you - made with local vegetables - just be sure you let them know in advance! When you book, send them a message or WhatsApp to confirm a date for dinner service. This was my favorite meal in all of Italy. I dream about the huge platter of perfectly grilled local eggplant and zucchini, Italian rice salad, and fresh cheese.
Feel good about where you invest your travel funds. Supporting local-run establishments and farm-to-table fare not only creates symbiotic relationship of sustainable tourism - but helps preserve the authenticity of your experiences.

Feeling down today, but remembering this sunset in Santorini helps.

Hidden up the hill from Maiori on the Amalfi Coast is the small village of Pucare in Tramonti. Pucare Apartments, run by our host Maria and her family, was a refuge from the overrun Amalfi Coast. With a message to our host ahead of time, we were able to enjoy a large meal made from vegetables grown on site - including fresh grilled eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes. We were the very first Americans to stay overnight, which blew me away because this is truly one of the best experiences I’ve had in all of Europe. I would stay here again and again. September and early October are quickly approaching - which are the best times to visit the Amalfi Coast without the oppressive heat and over-abundance of tourists.

Dusk lasts over an hour when peak summer at Jokulsarlon - “Glacier Lagoon” in Iceland. Book a room in one of the small towns nearby, and make the scenic ~ 4 hour drive from Reykjavik starting in the morning. Miles and miles of hills littered with sheep, Icelandic horses (and their babies!), and iconic natural wonders like famous waterfalls (Skogqfoss, Sneljalandsfoss) and Reynisfjara (the famous Black Sand Beach) can be experienced at a leisurely pace. Have traditional Icelandic lamb and cabbage soup at the halfway point in the beachside town of Vik. Pack layers - a waterproof layer, a rainproof parka, and hiking boots with great grip. Wool mittens and ear muffs can seem excessive, but they do come in handy when being sprayed by rain or waterfall mist. (Remember - there is no such thing as bad weather in Iceland… Only bad clothing.)

Facebook is the absolute worst for small business. Customer service is non-existent, and focusing on metaverse growth without finding the manpower to manage it is irresponsible.

Restorative Sedona. ✨ Who’s going this fall?

a moment of rest

We spend so much of our time at work. I’ve been ruminating on that a lot lately. Over half of my time is spent “on the clock,” and I turn around and pour my spare energy into my business. One question I ask when trying to get to know people is: “If you could live the exact life you want, but the catch is you have to work full time - and you’d be guaranteed to finance your desired life with this job - what would your job be?” Here’s the problem with the answers though: I’m always so hyper-focused on the job aspect of this question that I never really press for - what does the “exact life you want” look like? Anyway. I’m still sorting this all out in my head. What the “exact life” I want is. I will say that both of my work lives are fulfilling in their own ways, but for the aspect of my life - I am joyful when I receive the texts and updates from you all who have purchased and use my guided travel journal. It makes me wonder - what would it be like to spend all of my time on this project? Anyway - thanks for listening to me ramble these thoughts on a Friday night. When no one is on Instagram. Except us, I guess. 🤍

September is an excellent time to travel in the US and Europe. School is back in session stateside, and the busy August travel season in Europe has ended. Beach communities remain open in full swing, and mountain communities start to cool down to usher in fall. Peak fall wedding season is approaching, so honeymoon crowds are not as prevalent. This means cheaper rates for hotels and easier ability to get into competitive dining establishments. September is also my favorite time of year to visit major US cities like NYC and Chicago. The weather is warm but not unbearable, museum and art exhibitions are in full swing, and broadway and off-broadway shows are gearing up for the fall season.
The end of July is a perfect time to look at your schedule and carve out a long weekend trip. Some of my favorite September destinations by region will be posted on my story throughout the day. I will give them a home under the “September” story highlight.

Feeling the money squeeze towards the end of the summer travel season? Me too. The world finally reopened, and it feels like everyone and their cousins are headed to Europe this month. Flight schedules aren’t back to their historical levels, so with competition for seats (not to mention pilots being paid as much as $400/hour due to staff shortages) - finding cheaper flights means booking routes with more layovers just to make things affordable. Even more difficult: How can you find cheap accommodations when only 10% of places at your destination have availability? Here are some tactics to protect my investments and save a little as I go in this unprecedented travel boom:
1. Travel insurance. I use Squaremouth to purchase insurance that covers any trip delays or interruptions (up to 1.5x my original trip cost). I’m still buying vid protection just in case. The plans I have been purchasing range from $50-170 (depending on my overall trip cost).
2. Know your rights. I’ve experienced a ton of flight delays these past few months (not enough crew to run all the flight plans so delays waiting on flight attendants). If your flight is delayed more than 2-3 hours, the airline can owe you compensation if this interrupts any of your plans significantly (ESPECIALLY in Europe). It is more important than ever to keep a detailed itinerary, even if you just use it to make reimbursement claims.
3. Don’t check a bag. We just had a nightmare in Italy where Lufthansa delayed our flight so much that we made the connecting flight, but my friend’s checked bag did not. Worse: she lost her cell phone in an airport van in Germany. Due to staff being overwhelmed at the airline and the airport, we could get NO HUMAN BEING on the phone at the lost and found. The baggage tracking system was buggy and, at times, uninterpretable. Online interactions were robots. It was insanity! It took 2x as long to receive her lost luggage than it normally would, and it took us involving a local who had a connection at the airport to make it happen.
All that being said: Travel is still worth it! So grateful to finally be able to see the world again. 🤍

Tourists can invigorate local communities or stifle them. When communities are bringing in money from outside, this increases personal and tax revenue - which should mean better infrastructures, more local businesses, and positive growth. No dark side to this, right? Well - what happens when people acquire multiple properties to sublet to tourists on AirBnB? This is good, in theory, for local people trying to increase personal revenue, but what happens when properties become so overrun with tourists that locals and community-sustaining individuals cannot afford a place to live? Not to mention, what sort of tourism numbers can the natural ecosystem reasonably sustain? Where is the tipping point? This is difficult to measure, as each community and natural landscape is different. Some cities have started promoting sustainable tourism as a home grown collaborative effort, and one city that comes to mind is the city of Sedona. The city is addressing sustainability through four pillars: (1) the environment (2) quality of life for residents (3) tourism economy and (4) visitor experience. Placing a link in my story to their action plan, and their pages spotlighting local sustainable business practices. I will give it a home under the story highlight “Sustainability”.

Vik, Iceland, 2022. | I’ve been thinking lately about what types of photographs constitute art. Most interesting to me, are photographs that are not art when taken - but become art due to future events. A photograph that captures a perfect moment in a zeitgeist past, an object that no longer exists in the new present - a fleeting moment of time where the photographer had no perspective of the future loss. A capture where you can appreciate what the original photographer could not. Almost like going back in time to relish a moment that cannot be relished in the new present. How many photographs exist on old film - that were when taken relatively meaningless, but if discovered could become priceless?

Early morning at Cenote Ik Kil is serene. If staying in Cancun, Playa del Carmen, or Tulum, plan to get on the road around 5 AM to make the drive and arrive when it opens at 8 AM. You can enjoy the early quiet hours before it gets very crowded with visitors leaving the early morning tours at Chitchen Itza (which is only 8 minutes away).

The cost of the Antelope Canyon tour not only supports your personal safety, but also contributes to social sustainability for local Navajo people near Page, Arizona.
One video of the flash flooding that occurs at Antelope Canyon will make you realize why you cannot just walk up to it. The smooth shapes of the rock are formed by rushing water from these floods (so it’s worth a visit every time you’re in the area because it’s constantly changing).
The tours are ran by local Navajo, and your tour fee supports the local community. The guides are enthusiastic and know the best settings for every phone to get you the best shots. I cannot explain how much fun we had on this tour, and how every crevice of these canyons are magic.

Countryside tonic on a misty Icelandic morning.

buenos días

Jökulsárlón or “Glacier Lagoon” is normally bathed in bright light in the summer months. With the sun not setting until 11:30 pm, you have plenty of time to stop on the five hour drive from Reykjavik. Along the way you can see Sneljalandsfoss and Skogafoss waterfalls from the road. You even have time to hike around them and take pictures. (You can even hike into the rock cropping behind Sneljalandsfoss and feel what it’s like to be behind a waterfall.) Reynisfjara (the famous Icelandic beach) is also along the way. I recommend stopping in the town there (Vik) for traditional lamb soup at the food hall. You have plenty of time to settle into a hotel closer to Jokulsarlon, and drive to the lagoon in the pastel hour. The seals and birds are out en masse at this time. Bonus - your pictures look like this. (See the moon?)

Mist and shadow.
Keep an eye out for my IG stories. Will be listing my 4-5 day Iceland summer itinerary in the coming days. 🤍

A moment I miss.

Edinburgh has inspired many famous authors, and I can see why. Gloomy and rain soaked, yet, lush in summer. Spooky and haunting yet cozy and inviting. Even the cemetery at Greyfriars, supposedly one of the most haunted places in the world, was beckoning me to sit under a tree and read a book. The hidden underground corridors juxtaposed with the cozy alleys (the closes) that lead away from the street every few steps. The city embodiment of a dark library filled with old books and memories.

married 9 years today to my adventure partner and best friend 🤍

Happening RIGHT NOW until 6 pm at the Phoebe gym!

Pacific Northwest this summer? Highly recommend packing a breakfast picnic and canoeing on Lake Crescent first thing in the morning. Canoes are easily rented from Lake Crescent Lodge. No, you do not have to be a guest of the lodge to rent a canoe!

Meanwhile in Utah.

My website got a summer makeover. ✨ Journals and bottles available there, but check out my “Pop Ups” story highlight for in-person exclusives.

Edinburgh is right out of a story book. Probably because it inspired a lot of story books?

Not as scary as it looks, I promise. The reward at the end of the in Sedona.

From a lookout on the ascent to Devil’s Bridge in Sedona. | This hike is manageable all times of the year. In the warm months, start before the sun comes up to avoid the heat on the ascent. Also, watching the hot air balloons overhead as the sun rises is *chef’s kiss*.

Morning light on the ascent to Angel’s Landing.

Twilight view on the shores of Loch Ness. | If in the area, I recommend getting food - a family owned pub with outdoor seating of this view.

The Blue Ridge mountains are still magnificent in summer. While I love to hike the area in the cooler months, in the warmer months I love to book cabins that have a hot tub and covered porch. I ask the owners if the hot tub can be turned down in temperature, and most of the time it will rain at some point during the trip. Some of my favorite memories are watching rain over the mountains from the covered porch with friends. When it’s raining, the lush mountainscape reminds me so much of mountain views I’ve enjoyed in Hawaii. Properties are abundant and cheaper at this time. On sunny days you can take advantage of nearby lakes (like Lake Burton) by renting boats for a reasonable price.