When we knew we were leaving the States, I knew that I wanted to take the girls (and Scott!) to Asheville, North Carolina, which is where my grandparents lived. I spent so much time there growing up and the area is so special to me. I had avoided it for a long time because I felt like it would hurt too much to go back but I was suddenly desperate to share such an important part of my childhood with my family, especially with not knowing when the next opportunity would be. We lived outside of ... Read More
travel
Flex Pass: An Overview of the New Disneyland Passport
Star Wars Galaxy's Edge is coming in hot. Disney has been playing with their ticket pricing system; even requiring reservations to get into Galaxy's Edge after it opens. However, that was just the beginning. Disney recently announced a majorly restructured annual pass. It's designed to restrict and curtail the crowd levels in the parks while managing to enforce less blockout dates. The Flex Pass may just be the annual pass of the future, but it will mean more planning from Southern California ... Read More
Best American Road Trip for Families: Route 66
Best American Road Trips for Families Like many Americans, I grew up with road trips as my main source of travel. I learned at a young age how to watch the scenery go by as we drove for twelve hours straight. We haven't gone on nearly as many road trips as I would like in recent years--it's just seemed easier in all ways to fly. I think the idea of the great American road trip is coming back, though, as we try to slow down and explore places more in depth. One of the best American road trips ... Read More
Jameson Distillery Bow St Experience: Is it Worth it?
Dublin is obviously a major tourist destination and with that comes tourist traps. While a lot of travelers don't mind going to the popular tourist attractions, Scott and I have generally tried to avoid them. It's almost a point of pride to try to find the off the beaten track locals only spots. I don't tend to like the feel of the super touristy places, either, so it took some back and forth between us to decide to visit the Jameson Distillery in town. It's always on the "Top Ten Things to do ... Read More
Visiting the Clava Cairns
Scotland is full of archaeological sites of interest and the area around Inverness has a number of accessible destinations. Visiting the Clava Cairns is an easy day trip from Inverness, although it may be more fair to say it's an easy twenty minute drive. While everyone knows that Scotland is full of history, the Clava Cairns are truly ancient history. This post contains affiliate links. The Clava Cairns date back to the Bronze Age (about 4000 years!) and were originally built as a ... Read More
Where to Feed Reindeer in Scotland
When we decided to visit Inverness, we were interested to see where we could go in the Highlands. Our time in the area was short and we wanted to make the most of it. We were rather spontaneous with our day trips from Inverness and let brochures at each place give us ideas on where to go next (I love those stands of travel flyers!). There was a brochure on a Scottish reindeer park and it seemed like the perfect place for the girls. After all, who can pass up seeing reindeer in ... Read More