• One Day in Guadalupe Mountains Hero
    Itineraries,  National Park Travel

    How to Make the Most of One Day in Guadalupe Mountains National Park

    Well, Guadalupe Mountains is a hiker's park, after all, the man said, speaking to another couple in the cool and quiet museum of the Guadalupe Mountains Pine Springs Visitor Center. If you don't want to hike, there's not as much to do here. Let me be clear: I don't think this man was speaking poorly of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, nor should this deter you from visiting. Guadalupe Mountains is great for one thing: hiking...

  • Itineraries,  National Park Travel

    How to Make the Most of One Day in Carlsbad Caverns National Park

    America's national parks have something for everyone. Whether you love historic sites, back-country trekking, or delving deep underground... there's a park for that! It turns out that I personally am partial to the latter: I have loved caves and caving since I was a child (along with mining and mineshafts, which is a weird thing for kids to love!). Unsurprisingly then, some of my favorite national parks have caves – and it's also unsurprising that Carlsbad Caverns National Park jumped right onto my list of personal faves since IT'S ALL CAVES...

  • 10 Days in Alaska Itinerary Hero
    Itineraries

    10 Days in Alaska: How to Plan Your Epic Alaska Itinerary in 2023

    If there is one destination about which I receive more questions than any other, it's Alaska. At the core, everyone wants to know: how do you plan a trip to Alaska? What's the perfect Alaska itinerary? Since I started this blog, I've become a bit of an expert in Alaska trip planning and at times I publish so many stories that it seems like I'm running an Alaska travel blog! After all, I grew up in Alaska and I go back to explore my 'home' state at least once per year and twice in both 2021 and 2022...

  • 3 Days in San Jose - Hero
    Itineraries

    3 Days in San Jose, CA: Itinerary of the Best Things to Do in the South Bay

    When you think of visiting the Bay Area, where comes to mind? San Francisco, definitely. Probably Oakland and/or Berkeley. Maybe somewhere in the North Bay like Napa or Santa Rosa in Sonoma County. Does San Jose come to mind? There are far more things to do in San Jose than you might think. San Jose is the final piece of the puzzle – the South Bay’s great weekend destination...

  • One Day in Bandelier Hero
    Destination Guides,  Itineraries

    How to Make the Most of One Day in Bandelier National Monument

    If you're looking for a place that will never stop surprising you, New Mexico is the destination. While I only took my first trip to New Mexico in July 2021 (to see the Virgin Galactic launch!), I made a return trip in September 2022 to explore a different part of the state, and I am endlessly surprised by how different New Mexico is compared to what I expect. Land of Enchantment, indeed...

  • Great Basin National Park Itinerary Hero
    Destination Guides,  Itineraries

    A Perfect Great Basin National Park Itinerary for 2 or 3 Days Among the Pines

    I could say that Great Basin National Park is my favorite national park in Nevada... but it's also the only national park in Nevada! Instead, I'll say that it's one of my favorite in the country: Great Basin is home to unusual geology and history, fantastic hiking trails and scenery, and off-the-beaten-path enough that you aren't likely to end up waiting in line to snag a parking spot like you might at more popular parks like Arches and Yosemite...

  • 3 Days on the Big Island Hero
    Destination Guides,  Itineraries

    3 Days on Hawaii’s Big Island: Volcanoes, Lava & Stars, Oh My!

    If you ask most people, Hawaii is paradise on earth. Each of the islands is truly unique, from the Garden Island of Kauai to popular Oahu to the otherworldly volcanic landscape of the Big Island. And while I've been fortunate to visit all of the main Hawaiian islands at least a little, Hawaii holds a special place in my heart because it is so very different than the others – it's home to epic stargazing, wild waterfalls, and beautiful beaches alongside lava flows...