Travel

Stacey shares the top things to do in Rome and a Rome 3 day itinerary and travel guide.

Planning a family trip can feel overwhelming finding hotels, meals, and entertainment that work for every age. That’s where Great Wolf Lodge stands out because everything’s under one roof: a huge indoor water park, kid-friendly restaurants, themed activities, and rooms built for families.

If you’ve followed my blog for any period of time, you know I love murals and street art. For that matter, I love all things art. Whenever I visit a city, I always make time to check out the local street art. This summer, I had the chance to visit the Mission District murals in San Francisco.

I’m so excited to partner with Glamira to give one lucky winner $500 to spend at Glamira! They have really gorgeous, quality, gold and diamond jewelry at affordable prices. To enter, simply follow the link below. This giveaway is open to U.S. Residents only. Winner will be selected at random via rafflecopter.

Downtown Los Angeles is a thriving hub of creativity and cultural diversity. It has once again become the canvas for a mesmerizing art exhibition that you cannot miss. Luna Luna opened in December in the heart of the Arts District.

I’ve never been a huge fan of air travel. I love traveling, but being squished into a metal petri dish for hours has never been the highlight of my trip. But the worst part of air travel has always been the bad luck of being seated by a screaming infant or a young child with unruly behavior.

There is no better summer accessory than a floppy sun hat. There are three major reasons why I believe every summer wardrobe should be centered around floppy sun hats.

On my recent trip to Italy, there was one item I knew I had to take with me. These white sneakers were my travel staple. Why are white sneakers so important? Well, because they literally go with everything.

When I started Posh in Progress in 2013, I made a list of about 100 things I hoped to accomplish. Near the top of that list was attending New York Fashion Week. Last week, nearly five years later, I was finally able to check that off my list.

A wide leg jumpsuit has become a staple in fashion, offering a chic, comfortable, and versatile option for any occasion. Whether you’re dressing up for a night out or keeping it casual for a day in the city, a wide leg jumpsuit can be your go-to outfit. In this guide, we’ll explore how to style a wide leg jumpsuit, how to find the perfect fit for your body type, and the best shoes to wear with a wide leg jumpsuit.

My work took me to Ireland last week (I know, I’m a lucky girl). I’ve never been to Ireland before, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I had my list of touristy things I needed to do while I was there, but some of the things I liked best had nothing at all to do with being a tourist. Here are the 8 things I love about Ireland.

Last week in Paris, at the Notre Dame Cathedral, I experienced the strangest thing that made me question whether or not I believe in spirits or an afterlife. For the two weeks prior, I had visited loads of museums, castles, palaces and churches in Paris, London and Dublin all renowned for their beauty and magnificence.

I feel very lucky that I get to travel to some pretty cool places for my job (Dublin, London, Paris, San Francisco, New York…). This week took me to Montreal. I haven’t been to Canada in a couple years; my last trip was to Vancouver back in 2012. I didn’t have much time to actually consider what I would do with my free time because I was so busy prior to leaving for the trip. But the day before I left, I managed to check out trip advisor for the top tourist attractions. What made my list? Notre Dame Cathedral and Mount Royal.

The beauty of the sunrises and sunsets in Arizona is unlike anywhere else I’ve lived. When I first moved back to Phoenix, I was surprised that I hadn’t remembered just how breathtaking the Arizona sunsets and sunrises can be.

The idea for this store came about after attending a boutique opening in Phoenix a couple weeks ago. Initially, I planned to talk only about clothing boutique. After visiting a few Phoenix boutiques, I realized a lot of them carried things besides just clothing. I decided to extend my list to share what I believe are the four best boutiques in Phoenix.

Last week, I had the opportunity to experience Washington DC in springtime. I’ve been to DC before, but never in the spring. I was very excited to see the city in spring, as I’d heard so many great things about the cherry blossoms. What I didn’t expect was all of the spring flowers that were in bloom.

I travel a lot for work, which I really enjoy. The only downfall of traveling a lot, besides not seeing my kids for several days, is the lack of routine that comes with traveling. It can be hard to eat right and exercise while on the road, but it is not impossible. Recently, I was in DC for a week, and I actually stuck to my diet, lost a couple pounds and still managed to exercise every day.

It was Friday morning and I was scrolling through Instagram like I usually do. It was any other day, except for the fact that I was prepping for a nearly 3-week trip to London and Paris for work. As I mindlessly scrolled through Instagram, I stopped short when I saw British Vogue was promoting their Vogue Festival, which was happening the weekend I was set to arrive in London. On the unlikely chance of me being in the worlds’ fashion capital the very weekend I arrived, I just knew I had to attend.

A couple weeks before I was set to leave for London and Paris, I thought a lot about what was most important to include on my Europe packing list. The obvious things that came to mind were a universal charger, my passport, and an umbrella.

The best thing happened to me on a walk back from Harrods. We decided to stroll through Hyde Park. Before we even entered the park, we saw these guys, which was pretty thrilling in and of itself. Then, as we walked through the park, we literally stumbled upon the Hyde Park rose garden. What good luck!

On my recent trip to Paris, what I noticed most was the architecture. I couldn’t help but notice all of the cool doors in Paris. There is just something about the historical feeling, the intricate details, and the varying shapes and colors of the doors that really struck me.

Unlike my other two visits, this trip to Paris was different. We stayed in a much less touristy area surrounded by Parisian locals. The benefit to being in a less touristy area is actually experiencing a city as if you lived there. To be frank, the area was grungier than I expected. But grungy has its perks, like really cool Paris street art.

Mom guilt is a thing. Working mom guilt is also a thing. Take working mom guilt, then add extended travel to very cool domestic and international destinations to the mix. Now we have a special brand of perverse agony from guilt.

There are a lot of great summer sales happening right now. It is the perfect time to find great pieces you can transition into your fall wardrobe, like maxi dresses. Unlike a lot of summer clothing, maxi dresses are a style you can wear year-round. For one, the full-length adds much-needed coverage for the cooler months, but the light-weight materials are also airy for the warmer months.

There are certain styles of clothing, like shift dresses, which I always put into the category: NOT FOR ME. Maybe it’s because I’m in my 30s or maybe its just because I’ve become more confident in my style choices, I’m now more willing to try styles I used to think were not for me. Case in point, this shift dress.

Traveling with a baby can be really stressful. I have a lot of experience traveling with infants and toddlers and I totally didn’t do it right the first couple times. As a mom who has been there and done that, I teamed up with Huggies to share some travel tips to help other new moms.

I never even imagined I would travel to Argentina. It’s not that I wasn’t interested, it just never crossed my mind as a possibility. I am beyond lucky to travel to some amazing places for my job. It is wonderful to get to see new places, but what I love the most is all of the interesting people I get to meet.

My friends at Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company are helping me think more strategically about how to keep my things safe when I travel. Honestly, I hadn’t thought much about traveling with jewelry until a recent trip to South America, when my coworker scared me into keeping all my valuables at home. She said traveling with jewelry was risky, especially to a country with a high theft rate. I understood her point. I had never traveled to South America before and I had no idea what to expect.

I never imagined I’d visit South Africa. It just never crossed my mind. Visiting South Africa felt surreal before I got there and pretty much the entire time I was there. I’m not sure why I couldn’t quite grasp that my life and career has taken me to so many amazing places in such a short time. I had no expectations of what South Africa would be like.

Since it is Black History month, it is the perfect time for me to share my experience at the Apartheid Museum. I also talked about my trip to South Africa here, in case you want to know more about it. Nearly 3 months since I came back from South Africa, I’m still not the same. That trip truly opened my eyes to the ever-present inequalities in society on a global scale.

It’s been over 7 months since we got back from Positano and I can’t get that place out of my mind. It is one of those places that just stays with you. The views, the people, the food. It’s hard to capture the magic of this place in words or even pictures, but I’m going to try. Here are the five things to do in Positano Italy.

Have you heard about or been to Arizona spring training before? If not, you need to plan a trip here soon. Spring training in Arizona is so much fun. The weather is perfect (hello 70s and 80s) and there is so much happening this time of year. It is the absolute perfect time to be in Arizona. Many teams have migrated to Arizona in recent years because of the perfect weather and so many things to do around the valley.

I’ve been to the UK three times, but never got to Stonehenge. This trip, I made it a priority to do a day trip to Stonehenge. My colleague from Bristol agreed to rent a car (they say hire) to take us around the English countryside.

I recently traveled to Portugal for a work conference. I opted to spend my first night in Lisbon before heading to Porto. Although I was massively jet-lagged, I was determined to see some of Lisbon in the few hours I had available. Luckily, Pats contacted me a few days prior to my departure, offering me a personalized Lisbon walking tour. I was happy to take her up on the offer. She created a fantastic itinerary for me. Here is the run-down of my four-hour tour of Lisbon and a few other things you should know if you ever come to Portugal.

The very first time I visited San Diego was in 2005. My nephew was getting baptized right after Christmas, so we drove down from LA, after first visiting my husband’s family (we also got engaged in Laguna Beach on the drive down!). Needless to say, I fell in love with San Diego almost instantly. A major reason for my love for the city was because we did the San Diego 59-mile scenic drive. It is absolutely one of the best free things to do in San Diego today or anytime you visit.

Last month, I had the chance to visit Lisbon and Porto in Portugal. I didn’t do much research in advance of my trip, but I was pleasantly surprised that the work conference I attended brought me to some of the must-visit spots in Porto. If you have a chance to visit, here are the 7 things you must see in Porto Portugal.

For my day job, I get to travel to a lot of cool places. In the last two years, I’ve visited 9 countries on five continents, so I’ve gotten really good at packing. I’ve also made my share of mistakes, so that’s why I wanted to share my carry-on travel packing hacks so you don’t make the same mistakes I’ve made. These 7 travel packing hacks will ensure you’re prepared for long flights, inevitable layovers and even delayed or missed flights.

Everyone told me Rome was too touristy, too hot, too dirty. These comments were a good reminder that I should not care what people think or say because they were wrong. Rome was amazing. Sure, there were tourists, there were some dirtier streets and there were days that were hot, but the good far outweighed any bad.

Last summer was the first time we took our kids to an amusement park. They had been on little rides and fairs, but our first trip to LEGOLAND® went so well, we decided it would be fun to visit again during the holidays. What I didn’t realize was just how cool it would be for our kids to experience Christmas at LEGOLAND.

New York is one of my favorite cities. It is such an amazing city for lots of reasons. I love that you can find literally anything you could ever want there. I love getting to experience different cultures. The public transportation is phenomenal. The energy of the city is palpable. There are so many fantastic restaurants. One of the things I love the most, though, are the unexpected sights of New York that you find simply by walking down the street.

I have a problem, a photo problem. Are you like me? I want a picture of every moment. Every. Single. Experience. Some people don’t get why I have such an obsession with photos. I’ve always been in love with visual things – art, nature, the sky. Now that we all have cameras in our purses and back pockets, I often feel like I’m bombarding myself with photos, so many of which get lost in the mix of yet another iPhone pic.

Last week, I got the chance to visit Miami for the first time since 2002. In my teens and early 20s, I spent quite a lot of time in South Florida between spring breaks, winter breaks, family trips, and lots of road trips to escape the cold Wisconsin weather. I think I’d been to Florida nearly 20 times by the age of 22.

New York is one of my favorite cities. So much so, that we almost moved there in 2011. I was this close to accepting a job in the city. Often, I wonder what my life would have been like had I made that decision. I try not to dwell on the past too much, but New York remains one of my favorite places to visit. Who knows, maybe I’ll even live there someday. Although I’ve been to New York at least a dozen times, this was the first time I got to experience spring in New York City.

If you follow my blog or instagram, you know. Scratch that. I loooooovvveeee street art. Seriously, I’m obsessed. Everywhere I travel, I make an effort to find street art. I personally love the juxtaposition of a city and the art, out there for everyone to see, and hopefully, appreciate. I’ve been to a lot of cities and written about a lot of street art, but Detroit street art is some of the best I’ve seen. That’s saying a lot.

I can distinctly remember my parents warning me about becoming a parent. They told me how hard it was and how much it would change my life. They didn’t really talk about any of the positives. I remember thinking at the time – wow, my parents regret ever having me. I don’t actually think that’s the case, I think they just wanted me to understand the weight of becoming a parent.

Getting to travel for my day job is a major perk. I love getting to experience new places and cultures. This wasn’t my first time in Detroit, but I hadn’t been back since I was 8 or 9 years old. I forgot there there are a lot of cool things to do in Detroit.

This was my first time in Utah, which I found a bit ironic given I lived in Phoenix for 7 years. Nonetheless, I was excited to visit a new state and see some new things. The week before I left for Utah, I asked my IG followers what I should do while I was there. One of my blogger friends, Sandy, suggested I visit the Hall of Breakfast. I checked out their IG page and it looked so darn cute, I added it to the top of my site-seeing list.

I’ve been to San Diego more times than I can count. I thought I’d seen everything, but then my friend told me about Chicano Park in San Diego. Seeing all the amazing murals, I couldn’t believe it was a place I’d never seen or heard of. I guess it’s not that surprising, since I’m not the target demographic. But, I’ve seriously been to San Diego at least 10 times, and I thought I’d done everything (like the 59 mile scenic drive). Given my serious love of street art, it was about time I made the trip.

When I was in California last week, I also learned that one of my IG friends was there too. I’ve been chatting with this blogger babe for a couple years, and we’ve talked about meeting up in the past, but it just never happened. Finally, we were in the same city at the same time, so she suggested we meet at the Anaheim Packing House.

We moved to Boston less than a year ago. It’s been a tough adjustment, if I’m honest. But, I’ve quickly learned the best part about living here is the close proximity to historical and unique places, like Newport Rhode Island. We had a rare weekend free (I’ve been traveling to the west coast a ton), so we decided to check it out.

August is here and summer vacations are starting to come to a close. If you’re like me, you haven’t had your fill of sunshine quite yet though! We decided to keep the warm weather fun going this year and give away a tropical getaway to one lucky winner.

If you’ve followed my travels on Instagram this year, you know I’ve spent quite a bit of time in southern California. Although I actually lived there for a few years and visit regularly, this was my first trip to the Getty. It’s one of those places I’d heard about, but I never took the time to drive up there. I had a free day on my most recent trip to LA, so I decided it was time. I’m so glad I made the decision to spend the day at the Getty. It was so worth it.

Living in Boston, I’ve finally had the chance to go to NYFW. I went in spring and I was able to go to these NYFW Fall 2018 shows too. It’s almost difficult for me to describe what this meant to me. Since I’ve been an adult, I’ve been dreaming of going to fashion week. It really is a cool experience. But ironically, it has lost it’s appeal now that I’ve been a couple times.

A couple weeks ago, I talked about my second trip to NYFW and why it wasn’t really what I expected. After hitting a few shows, I realized I wasn’t loving the energy. I decided to stop hustling all over the city to get to all of the shows. Instead, I chose to spend time with some friends and experience the amazing energy of NYC. This was the first time in awhile that I just explored the city without an actual plan. Night in NYC is something special.

When I was in LA earlier this summer, I had the chance to visit the Getty. The reason I attended was because one of my friends told me about the Icons of Style Fashion exhibit. Given my love of fashion, it definitely seemed like something I should check out.

About a year and a half ago, I learned about the Social Media on the Sand Blogger conference and I knew I wanted to attend. I actually visited a Sandals resort back in 2014 and had the best time, so I wanted to visit a Beaches resort. Every so often, I see their commercials on TV, so I wanted to check out the Beaches line of resorts for myself. Plus, now that my kids are the perfect travel age, I was hoping to get an insider look at the resorts to see if it would be a good travel choice for my family.

I try not to regret decisions I make because I don’t make decisions lightly. I often spend days, weeks, months analyzing something before I make a decision, so I try not to question them. Since I don’t come to decisions very quickly or without great thought, I try to have faith in myself and my thought process. But every now and then, I just get it wrong.

On my recent trip to Turks and Caicos, I packed way more things than I needed. I didn’t go crazy, but there were several things I didn’t end up wearing. Since I was there to attend the Beaches Social Media on the Sand Conference, I actually left a lot of space in my room for swag. Good thing I did! I ended up receiving quite a few items, that actually made the packing list!

In 2018, I’ve done a lot to soul searching. Maybe it’s my age, maybe it’s that I’m mid-career, maybe it’s that my kids are entering school. I’m not sure what it is but it’s been a year of trying to figure out what I want, where I want to go next, who I want to be, and what type of role model I want to be for my kids.

I can’t believe I’ve already been back in southern California for two months. In some ways, it feels like just yesterday that we packed up and left Boston, and in other ways, it feels like we never left the first time (in 2014). Although we lived in California before, Orange County is a lot different than LA. For the longest time, I had a lot of misconceptions about LA.

Recently, my sister and nephew came to visit us in LA. Since I haven’t been here that long, I wasn’t so sure about playing the role of tour guide. I knew a few places around the LA area that I wanted to take them, but several of the places they wanted to visit, I hadn’t been myself. It’s hard to know what’s worth the time if you haven’t been. What I did learn during our tour of LA, is that there are at least 3 things in Los Angeles that you do not need to see. (I’m working on a follow-up story). But there are also so many amazing things you must see. Here are a few of our highlights.

Last week, I shared some of my favorite places to visit in LA. Since my sister was in town, we spent 4 days touring around the city and I even got to see a few places I hadn’t been before. However, I also learned there are at least 3 places not to visit in Los Angeles. See, just because people say it’s cool, doesn’t mean it actually is. Not all touristy things are good, but some actually surprise you (like I loved visiting the Hollywood Sign).

A few weeks ago, I got to spend less than two days in New Orleans. Although I wish the trip could have been longer, I forgot just how much I adore this city. I also remembered just how much you can do with 36 hours in New Orleans.

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to visit Toronto for the first time. I’d heard good things about the city, but I had no expectations of my visit. Honestly, I’ve been so busy lately, I didn’t even have time to pre-plan the trip. Normally, I have a list of things I’ll do when I get to a new place, but with Toronto, I just winged it. Luckily, I did find the time to check out 5 unique things to do in Toronto.

On my recent trip to Toronto, I had the chance to visit Niagara Falls. One of my colleagues decided to rent a car for the day, and I learned it’s an easy hour-ish drive from Toronto to Niagara Falls. Although I wouldn’t say visiting Niagara Falls was high on my bucket list, it felt almost wrong not to see the natural wonder since I was so nearby.

A couple weeks ago, my parents were in town. They love to visit botanical gardens, so we decided to check out the South Coast Botanic Garden. There are several different Los Angeles Botanic gardens, but this one was the closest to where my parents were staying, so we decided to check it out.

Last week, I traveled to New York City for work. Most of the time when I travel, I spend quite a bit of time posting to my Instagram stories, to document the entire experience. This trip, I decided to do something new. I decided to quit social media. I put my phone down, and actually live in moment, for once. Although I did take some photos and videos, I did not post to IG at all. It was so freeing. We all need to put our phones down more often.

A few weeks ago, I got the chance to visit Portland for work. It’s a city I’ve always wanted to visit, but I only had slightly more than 24 hours in Portland to experience the city. Although my time was short, I was still able to pack in a lot of site seeing in a short amount of time. If you’re heading there some time soon, here are the 7 things to do in Portland.

Last month, I had the opportunity to visit Copenhagen in Denmark for nearly a week. Although I traveled for a work conference, I did have a bit of free time so I could experience the city. Denmark was not a place I ever envisioned I’d travel. I had no pans to ever go to Copenhagen, but I’m so glad this conference came about so I could experience a new place and a new culture. There are so many things you must see in Copenhagen Denmark

My sister lives in the twin cities. My kids and I visited for a couple weeks earlier this summer, so we had a chance to explore a lot both Minneapolis and St. Paul. I love visiting the Twin Cities in the summer because there is so much to do, especially with young kids. It was rather hot while I was there, so we looked for fun ways to cool off and keep the kids entertained. Here are 8 fun kid-friendly things to do in the Twin Cities in the summer.

Last week, I wrote about our time in the Twin Cities. We spent half of our trip at my sister’s house there. Then, we spent the next week at my parents’ house in Green Bay, WI, which is also my hometown. It was the first time I was home in 4 years and it was my first time bringing both of my kids with me back home. Given it’s where I’m from, I knew there were a lot of fun things to do with kids in Green Bay Wisconsin. So I set out to show them some of my favorite childhood things and also experience some new ones.

A couple weeks ago, I was invited to visit Puerto Vallarta for the first time. I’ve been to Mexico before, but only right across the U.S. boarder. I previously visited Nogales, Rosarito, Tijuana and Ensenada. But all of those cities are driveable from Arizona and California. We took little day trips or weekend trips, but this was my first time flying to a Mexican resort destination.

Full disclosure, I’m a Marriott fan. With all my work travels over the last 4 years, I’ve managed to earn status at Marriott with their Bonvoy program. I’ve always had exceptional service at Marriott hotels, so when I found out we were going to stay at the Marriott Puerto Vallarta on our press trip, I was beyond excited. The Marriott Puerto Vallarta exceeded all of my expectations, so I wanted to share with you the 5 reasons I’d definitely stay there again.

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Portland for work. Just like my last trip, I only had about 30 hours in the city. As I learned last time, it’s pretty amazing what you can do with 30 hours in a city. Since I was able to see so much last time, I decided to do a little day trip to check out Cannon Beach.

I can’t believe it’s already been two months since Ieft Puerto Vallarta. I’ve been lucky enough to travel to a lot of different place around the world, but very few of them have stuck with me like Puerto Vallarta has. There was something so magical about the city, something I can’t even quite describe.

If you’ve been following my social media or the other 100+ mommy bloggers, you know that we just wrapped up the Social Media on the Sand 2019 conference. So what is social media on the sand? And who are these Beaches Moms?

Most of the time, I can pack in 30 minutes or less and I usually nail it. I almost always wear just about everything in my bag, except maybe an extra pair of undies or shoes that I brought ‘just in case’. I’ve traveled all over the world, and for extended periods of time, with just a carry-on.

Last year, I went to Beaches Resort by myself to attend the Social Media on the Sand Conference. The minute I got there, I regretted not bringing my kids with me. Beaches Resorts are kid-friendly for so many reasons. The entire resort is made with kids in mind.

You know when you’ve been somewhere so many times, but it feels like the first time? That’s how I felt on my most recent trip to New York. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been in the city, but this was the first time I was there while the leaves were changing. I can’t even tell you how special it was to experience Central Park in the Fall. It made me fall in love with New York all over again.

For my birthday, I wanted to do something special. I was hoping to do something super tropical or exotic, but time and resources didn’t allow anything as grand as I envisioned. But, the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa agreed to host me, and everything about this resort gave me the exact vacation vibe I’d been searching for.

I’m so excited! Today, I’ve teamed up with Wyler’s Light to give one lucky person a weekend getaway package valued at $2700!

In December, I was lucky enough to get to bring my family to Seattle. Visit Seattle created an amazing itinerary for us and we got to experience a lot of really neat things.

Well, when I wrote this post I didn’t assume that Disneyland and the Disneyland Grand Californian Hotel and Spa would be closed! In these unprecedented times, when everything is closed and most people’s travel plans have halted, it’s still a great time to reminisce and think about a better tomorrow. With optimism and future family travel adventures, I wanted to recap our recent stay at the Grand Californian.

Back in February, I had another opportunity to visit Miami. I’ve gone the last three years in February for work reasons, and it’s absolutely the best time to visit the city, in my opinion. Now that Florida and many other states have reopened after lifting their coronavirus stay home orders, I thought it was the right time to write this long-overdo story. Today, I want to share with you some fun things to do in Miami this weekend, or the next time you visit.

I’m a lifestyle blogger, who over the last few years, has morphed into a travel-centric blogger. For my last two jobs, I had many opportunities to travel nationally (Seattle, Miami, New York) and internationally (like South Africa, Buenos Aires, Italy, Turks & Caicos, Puerto Vallarta). This spring, I was supposed to visit Montreal, Slovenia, and a few other U.S. cities too.

If there is one thing I miss because of COVID, besides seeing my family, it is traveling. I had many trips planned for this past spring and summer that I canceled. Although travel is allowed, I’m trying to limit my travel because I think it is the best decision for public health and my family’s health. I have done a few local/regional trips around Southern California, however.

Is flying safe during COVID? I don’t have a crystal clear answer for you – it’s more nuanced than that. But I can tell you that there are ways to be safer than not, so I wanted to share my experience with you.

If you had told me that in 2020 I’d do Sitka Alaska whale watching in September, I would have said, “huh, where?” Prior to July, I had never even heard of Sitka. One night, my dear friend called me and told me she and her family were considering moving to Sitka Alaska. I pictured giant glaciers and her family living in an igloo. Ok, not quite, but I definitely didn’t know what to expect. The moment my friend decided to move to Sitka, I told her I was coming to visit.

One of the coolest things about visiting Sitka Alaska was getting to learn the history of this tiny island. Prior to arriving, I didn’t do much research on the place. I’ve always been a fan of history. When I travel, one of my goals is to really learn about the place and it’s culture. Sitka has a really interesting story, so I was excited to get to learn more about it while visiting the Sitka National Historical Park – also known as Totem Park.

This was my first trip to Denver. I visited Boulder when I was a child, but that was a long time ago. When my friend XOXO Terri told me she was heading to Denver, I asked her if I could meet her there. Our friend, the Travel Mom, suggested we stay at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center. Thankfully, the Gaylord Rockies in Denver agreed to host us.

If you had told me that in 2020 I’d go to Sitka Alaska, I would have said, “where?” Prior to July, I had never even heard of Sitka. One night, my dear friend called me and told me she and her family were considering moving to Sitka Alaska. I pictured giant glaciers and her family living in an igloo. Ok, not quite, but I definitely didn’t know what to expect. The moment my friend decided to move to Sitka, I told her I was coming to visit.

In November, I visited Denver for the first time. When I was in 6th grade, I traveled to Boulder, so I have experienced Colorado before. However, my memories of the state were foggy, at best. I remember the drive up to Pike’s Peak and was in awe of the beauty of the mountains.

A couple of weeks ago, I visited my friend Ramona of Fab Everyday in Austin, TX. Although I had been to Austin one other time for Mom 2.0, I hadn’t gotten to explore much of Austin, other than the conference hotel and a quick trip to Torchy’s with some bloggers for a quick dinner. This time around, I had a few places on my list that I had hoped we would visit, and Hamilton Pool Reserve was at the top of my list.

Last weekend, I visited Sonoma for my first ever Sonoma wine tour. I was in the San Francisco area to visit a friend, so we spent one of our free days in Sonoma. When she first mentioned the idea, I initially asked why not Napa? But she told me that she prefers the Sonoma wine tours more than the Napa ones, so I was on board.

It’s already been over a year since I visited Dallas and I never got around to blogging about it. I had been to Dallas a few times when I was much younger, but I was so surprised at how different the city was. I’m not sure why I was surprised, it had been over 20 years since I’d been there. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked the city, especially the Dallas murals and street art.

To kick off our Thanksgiving break, our friends at Hyatt Regency Indian Wells hosted us. Although we’ve visited Palm Springs before, this is our first time staying here and we’ll definitely be back. This hotel is the ideal destination for families and anyone who wants a break from the hustle and bustle of daily life. If you’re looking for the best Palm Springs hotels for kids, you definitely need to read about our experience at the Hyatt Regency.

Have you taken your kids in a pony ride yet? One of my fondest memories as a very little child was riding ponies at Bay Beach in Green Bay. I always loved riding the ponies and I realized recently that my kids have never ridden a horse or a pony. That’s why I decided to look for places for pony rides in Los Angeles and also pony rides in Long Beach.

When Disney Parks invited us to visit Walt Disney World AND go on a Disney Cruise to the Bahamas, I honestly couldn’t believe it. For several days, I was in shock. I first received the invite in the late fall of 2021. We were supposed to depart at the end of January, but due to the surge in Omicron, they postponed the trip. Thankfully, they rescheduled it for the end of March, and I was able to take some time with my kids so we could participate.

Last Friday, I was feeling antsy. It has been a while since I traveled anywhere, so on a whim, I decided to head to Palm Springs for the weekend. Given the extremely short notice and the fact that I needed to bring my dog, I did a search on the Marriott site for pet-friendly hotels.