Travel Blog
Have you ever watched Anthony Bourdain’s show layover? If not, Anthony goes to a place for something like 24 or 48 hours and experiences what he can in that amount of time. A few weeks ago we had a bit of a “layover” traveling to the western coast of Lake Michigan. We weren’t expecting much… boy, were we in for a surprise! We spent a grand total of 36 hours in Ludington, MI and Manitowoc, WI and had a blast during our “layover”!...
How often do you take time to be a tourist in your own backyard? We love to take a day and experience our area as though we’re tourists... find new spots to have fun, look for awesome restaurants, and enjoy the scenery. A couple weeks ago we headed to Marblehead, OH, about 45 minutes west of our home, for one of our tourist days. Our day was awesome, and whether you’re from far away looking for spots to visit on Lake Erie, or from the northeast Ohio area, this post will guide you through a day of fun rain or shine!...
If you’re anything like us, you’ve noticed that islands have a special vibe. Islands are a little more relaxed, fun, carefree, and beautiful. Islanders are welcoming and want visitors to have a great time. During our recent road trip to Lake Ontario we found the island vibe. Where was it? The north coast of Lake Ontario!...
Beautiful water, awesome small towns, history of the rich and famous, great food, and outdoor fun are just a few of the things we found when visiting the 1000 Islands area during our recent Lake Ontario Road trip. Before our trip we had heard about the 1000 Islands, but knew very little. The pictures looked beautiful and we wondered if the area would really be that great. It was!
A few years ago Daniel told Todd and I that one of his travel dreams is to see all of the water in the world and how it’s different. Todd and I LOVE the water and decided make this a family travel dream! When we set out to visit Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Superior, and Lake Michigan in the summer of 2016, one of the things we looked forward to most was experiencing all the beaches.
We visited over 20 beaches on the lakes and rated all of them for sand, water clarity, size, access, atmosphere, and shallow water for swimming. What follows are our top picks!...
Last Saturday was perfect on the southern shore of Lake Erie. The weather was warm, the sun was brilliant, and there was just a slight breeze. The best part… we didn’t have any plans! We seized the day with two thoughts in mind: spend time by the lake and be outside. Wow, we had a great time! What follows is our itinerary… this is great for a day, or an add-on to a longer trip to the area...
We love small towns! Each small town has its own personality, claim to fame, best restaurant, gathering place, beautiful spot, and people with pride. Last year we spent 7 weeks exploring the small towns on the Great Lakes. Some are well known and others are secret gems. Though we had a blast throughout the trip, 5 towns stood out amongst the rest. Keep reading for our 5 favorite small towns on the Great Lakes!
Todd has a fantastic saying that we’ve adopted as a family motto: We don’t travel to get away from our lives, we travel to live our lives. Though some trips, or parts of trips, are for relaxation and might be considered “vacation”, many of our trips are not. Instead, we aim to immerse ourselves in a totally new experience… different culture, place, food, scenery, people, issues, marketplace, etc., to learn, grow, and boost our creativity...
Ahhh… the ocean… one of our favorite places on earth!!! During our recent trip to Costa Rica we spent 4 nights/3.5 awesome days on the Pacific Coast and loved every minute… fun, sun, fantastic sea food, snorkeling, wildlife, hiking, the beach, great people, and the magnificent ocean created a truly unique experience...
An active volcano, hot springs, the rainforest, and wildlife… all things we anticipated as we ventured to La Fortuna and the Arenal Volcano area, our first destination in Costa Rica. As we approached the area we couldn’t help but notice the lush green that surrounded us… everywhere we looked was bursting with life. It was raining a bit, but it didn’t really matter… the rainforest has that effect… life goes on as usual as showers come and go. We spent 3 nights in this beautiful area and loved every minute of it!
