Do you have any 2020 environmental goals? 2019 was a year defined by travel for me. Through my job and for fun, I traveled 23,000 miles by aircraft and 25,000 miles by cruise ship, which means I single handedly melted 3,326 square feet of ice in 2019. I am not ok with that, which is why I decided to carbon offset my travels and make more sustainable travel choices in 2020.
I am an avid thrift and vintage clothing shopper, because everything that I wear is secondhand. Thankfully, Chicago has an abundant source of secondhand clothing. Chicago’s vintage clothing scene is competitive, but the city’s selection is impeccable. This is a guide to the best vintage clothing stores and thrift clothing stores in Chicago, Illinois from local sustainable fashion blogger.
Madison, Wisconsin is one of those travel destinations that seems like one thing on the surface — a college town, a state capitol, a Midwestern city — but the more you dive into it, the more that Madison bucks the trend of any of those labels. Madison is a city that is quintessentially Wisconsin, but it is also unabashedly itself. …
The bustling, artistic, culinary-focused beating heart of Mexico continues to be one of my favorite long-weekend destinations from Chicago, thanks to a convenient four hour direct flight on several different airlines. Explore the incredible food, history and culture of this vibrant and lively city with my detailed and helpful itinerary for 4 days in Mexico City as a first-time visitor!
Prior to starting my Semester at Sea voyage, I was searching all over the Internet for any and every piece of information I could find about how to prepare for the voyage. Most of YouTube videos or blog posts that I found didn’t have super useful tips about how to really prepare for the experience which inspired me to write this blog post! I completed my first Semester at Sea voyage as a student in Fall 2010 and recently sailed again as a staff member on the Spring 2019 voyage. I want to share what I’ve learned about Semester at Sea to empower future voyagers to come onto the ship as prepared as possible!
Japan is one of the best destinations in the world for foodies, but for many people, their understanding of Japanese cuisine is limited to two dishes – ramen and sushi. However Japanese cuisine is diverse and regional with a lot more diverse dishes to choose from around Japan. I was surprised to learn about countless Japanese dishes that are not widely available in the US. There were a lot of things I had never tasted before! Here are my 10 favorite foods I ate while traveling in Japan – and why you should try them too!
Zagreb feels like a quintessential central European city that mixes the interesting Austro-Hungarian and Socialist histories of Croatia in a modern and beautiful city with plenty to explore in 24 hours. Croatia’s capital city of Zagreb is an off-the-beaten path destination that is often missed by tourists flocking to the coastal regions of Croatia like Split and Dubrovnik. In this comprehensive travel guide to Zagreb, I will convince you to visit this under-the-radar destination in Croatia!
Chicago is increasingly well known for its street art murals and the Wicker Park neighborhood is one of the best areas in Chicago for finding cool street art murals. You could easily see all 12 of the most famous street art murals in an afternoon by simply walking around the neighborhood. Here is my guide to Chicago’s best street art murals in the Wicker Park neighborhood!
Humble Beginnings of My “Mom, I’m Not Dead” Travel Blog After I returned from the volunteer project, I largely stopped writing on that blog until my next big travel adventure in 2010 when I enrolled in Semester at Sea, a 4 month, 12 country voyage around the world. Once again, I started writing a summary of my days and experience…
The two iconic Portland donut chains – Voodoo Donuts and Blue Star Donuts – have had a long rivalry over what are the best donuts in Oregon. Which doughnut shop is better? Keep reading to find out!