Blue ridge parkway in fall road

15 More Things I’ve Learned From Driving Across The US 15 Times

Way back in October 2017 I made a list of things I learned driving across the US seven times. Well, three years later I’ve driven across the US 8ish more times (I think I counted right, but it could be short a couple times) and have new lessons to share! If you’re new here or haven’t been here long you may be wondering why I … Continue reading 15 More Things I’ve Learned From Driving Across The US 15 Times

Great Basin National Park

10 Ways To Get Hotel Staff To Love You

After working at a hotel front desk for almost two years, I’ve learned some things that I do and do not like that people do.  Of course, some things will be dependent on the type of hotel/resort as well as the locations.  Others, though, will be universal.  For example, I do like when people don’t interrupt me.  I don’t like when people yell at me because they booked the wrong room.  There are things that will make me go “ugh!”  and complain when you walk away and others will make me tell everyone how nice you were.  These are the things you should (and shouldn’t) do to be a better hotel guest and get hotel staff to love you.

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sabang beach palawan philippines

15 Things I’ve Learned From Visiting 15 Countries

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Last year I wrote a post about 15 things I’ve learned from driving across the US seven times.  I thought it would be fun to share some things I’ve learned from visiting 15 countries around the world.  Some of these things are practical.  Some are glaringly obvious things I already know or are more of an observation.  And others are just things I’ve learned about myself along the way, or re-learned.   I’ve written one lesson per country in no particular order, so, here we go!

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11 Places I Can’t Wait To Go Back To

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I say it all the time.  I can’t wait to go back!  I feel like I say it about everywhere I go, but I decided to choose the ten places I want to go back to the most.  There are all kinds of reasons I want to go back.  I didn’t spend enough time there.  I just love it that much.  The food.  The scenery.  Everything.

These are the ten places I would love to go back to and why, in no particular order.  I saw a similar post on World of Wanderlust and thought it would be fun to do myself.  Unfortunately, I don’t have plans to go back to any at the moment, but I know I will sooner than later.

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DIY Travel Shadow Box Ideas To Help Preserve Your Memories

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Every time I go on a trip, big or small, I always come home with a million little tickets, business cards, and maps.  I never knew what to do with them until one day I was perusing good old Pinterest when I came across this.

I thought, “this is perfect!”  So off I went to Jo Ann Fabric to find myself a shadow box, or four, to finally make something from Pinterest.  I had more faith in this than almost everything else I’ve made from it since it’s pretty straightforward as opposed to DIY wall string art stuff.  I now have like, 15 of them for different countries and a few states.

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My Favorite Travel Planning Resources

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I’ve recently realized I’ve never really gotten into how I plan my trips, which I get really into, by the way.  Even if I am thinking about going somewhere, I will sit and plan it all out.  Just because.  Weird, right?  Does anyone else do that?  Anyone?  It can seem intimidating at first, which it might be, but with a few resources under your belt that you know of, that can help get things going in the right direction.  I’ve gotten my planning down pretty good at this point, so, let’s get to it!

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hiking in great smoky mountains national park

My Own Advice I Need To Follow

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If you’ve been here for any amount of time in the last year or so, you’ve probably noticed that at the end of most posts I include some helpful things and tips for visiting wherever.  There are a few things that are in most, and others more destination specific.  But, I’ve realized recently that there is a lot of advice I give that I don’t follow.  I want to.  I always intend to, but sometimes I just don’t and I need to work on it, but today, I’m going to share what those things are with you.

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Wildlife Of the Wild West

I’ve seen so much different wildlife over the last year, it’s crazy.  Anything from bears to rattlesnakes and moose to prairie dogs.  Today I’m here to share these fun pictures with you.  They were all taken out west in the US, probably in Utah, Wyoming, or South Dakota.  Most of them have been thrown into other posts, but I wanted to make one dedicated to … Continue reading Wildlife Of the Wild West

taiwan night markets

My Travel Regrets

I saw this post from Lauren at Never Ending Footsteps and I realized I myself have a few regrets from my travels.  Though I haven’t been traveling for six years like her, I’ve done enough to have a few regrets.  Like always, I think it’s important to share the less glamorous side of travel and what I really think of things and places, this includes things I wish I did or wish I did differently.

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rainbow bridge national monument

The Places I Didn’t Love

We all end up in places that we just don’t totally love.  It just happens.  I like to keep things real here and have mentioned when I don’t like things or places.  I’m pretty sure I’ve done posts of most of these, but I want to get into it a little more.  I think it’s important that people don’t just talk about how awesome travel is because it’s not always perfect.  The number of days I’ve cried for some lame reason like food or not knowing how to do anything is ridiculous.  But it happens.  It’s not all glamorous.  I love, or at least like, most of the places I’ve visited, but I’ve had my fair share that I just plain didn’t like.

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Tips for Staying in Hostels

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Now that we know what not to do in hostels, here are some tips for first timers or people new to the hostel world.  Speaking of, that’s how I usually find where I want to stay.  This is all stuff I’ve learned on the road from my own hostel experiences and I hope it helps you in some way.

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How Not To Be ‘That Person’ In Hostels

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If you’ve never stayed in a hostel, even if you do all the time or are just new to them, here are some tips to not make you the person that everyone in your dorm room will complain about whenever hostel horror stories come up.  I like to think most of these are common sense, but well, they’re on this list for a reason.

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