As a California girl, I grew up taking family road trips to San Diego County…but never to Oceanside. It was known as a military town and a little rough around the edges, but WOW times have changed! Today, Oceanside, CA is a designated “Main Street America City” and 1 of California’s 14 Cultural Districts for…
The largest island in the Dodecanese and historic capital (5,000 years and counting!), Rhodes was the perfect place to start our Greek island-hopping adventure. Ancient acropolises, medieval castles, Ottoman mosques, and Italian spas are surrounded by gorgeous beaches and big dreams for a more sustainable Rhodes! The South Aegean government and TUI (one of the…
Continuing our quest for the world’s most romantic and sustainable destinations, we reach the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. The country itself is a shoe-in for its progressive environmental policies, with 25% of their land protected as nature reserves, 53% of the country covered in forest (after a decades-long reforestation effort) and 99% renewable energy. Costa…
The Azores are basically the love child of Ireland and Hawaii, with a Portuguese accent. This archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic has volcanoes shooting out of the sea, fishing villages perched on sheer cliffs, calderas nurturing exotic forests, and centuries-old architecture layering on the charm. Each of the nine volcanic islands are unique,…
Flanked by the big surf of the Pacific ocean and the tranquil Sea of Cortez, with three mountain ranges and a cactus-studded desert running up the middle, Baja is what camper dreams are made of! With basically one main road escorting you to the big highlights and a few dozen spurs into unspoiled wilderness, it’s…
We’ve driven Central California’s jaw-dropping section of the Pacific Coast Highway a few times, but never gave San Luis Obispo County the credit it deserves. Halfway between LA and San Francisco, it’s the heart of the Central Coast but often overshadowed by its big-city neighbors and legendary ocean road. We’ve even hopped out to wildlife…
Everyone’s heard of Punta Cana…but Barahona and Pedernales? You’d think this area of the Dominican Republic would be famous for having the country’s only UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the lowest point in the Caribbean, and the one place in the world to find the precious Larimar stones, but no…the Southwest DR is a hidden gem. And…
Bucket list is often a euphemism for the dreams I’ll get to someday. Why wait– especially when many of these epic destinations are way more affordable than you think. We’ve been honeymooning since 2012 and have experienced world wonders across the seven continents and kept our average budget under $40 a day per person. Of…
“Where the hell are you from?” said an old Caymanian guy in red horns and a sequin cape. The Cayman Islands is a sophisticated place, but we couldn’t resist a visit to its kitschiest attraction on Hell’s Highway. Inside the Devil’s Hangout, the owner Ivan Farrington chatted us up before his display of flame T-shirts,…
A message popped up from our travel buddy Deb, “Want to dive Komodo?” Visions of nine-foot-long dragons attacking our air supply went through our heads. “Let’s do a liveaboard in Komodo National Park, I hear the diving is killer.” Gulp. Deb is a proper scuba junkie with 357 dives around the world, and counting. So…
Anytime you check into a fantastic luxury hotel, you think “I could live like this” but at Kinondo Kwetu, we literally wanted to move in. Sitting on the edge of a sacred forest of Diani Beach, Kenya, this former house became a hotel when the rave reviews and support of friends pushed them to open…