The night before I leave on a big trip, or any trip for that matter, is usually a chaotic scene. I prioritize poorly. I start deep cleaning my apartment before I have even decided what to pack. I commence painting my nails in a hurried fashion, only to have them look like the work of a person blindfolded. And yet, every time I schedule new travel plans I always promise myself, “This time, I will be organized”. While traveling is an exciting experience, it can be a stressful one before departure. I usually have a million and one things to accomplish, things I put off for more impractical tasks Continue Reading
Suzy Stumbles Over Travel: Week of January 23, 2012
As I attempt to figure out how to pack enough winter clothes for two weeks in Europe into one bag, I bring you this week’s Suzy Stumbles Over Travel. In case you are new to this site, each week I ask writers and readers to submit their favorite travel posts of the week. I read each submission, comment on the piece, stumble the article using Stumbleupon, tweet the article on Twitter and place a link to the post on my Facebook page. The following week I select my five favorites to be featured here and the stumbling begins again into the next week. Just a few things to keep in mind, please Continue Reading
Vicksburg, Mississippi Wishes You Were Here
In the late afternoon light of Mississippi, an eerie silence takes hold of a tragic and yet beautiful piece of land. Set up in the northeastern portion of Vicksburg is the Vicksburg National Military Park, where in large part the north won the south during the Civil War. The 16-mile driving tour of the park follows Union and Confederate siege lines. The Siege of Vicksburg ended on July 4, 1863, after well over 40 days of battle. Those battles would later lend the Union forces control of the Mississippi River south to New Orleans, cutting the Confederacy in two. No wonder President Abraham Continue Reading
More Than Just The Airfare: What I Look For When I Book A Long Haul Ticket
When I search for a ticket for long haul flights, I am usually hungry to find a good deal. This is becoming harder and harder these days as the trolls behind airlines up the price as I debate whether to purchase. There isn’t time to hesitate or think things through when someone wants to make a profit off of you. On my upcoming trip to Europe, I realized I was far too focused on the price of my long haul flight. I neglected key elements for booking a flight, one that can determine a good 10 hours or a bad 10 hours up in the air. A Good Seat Can Mean The World When booking long haul Continue Reading
Suzy Stumbles Over Travel: Week of January 16, 2012
With just two weeks to go until I am off to Eastern Europe, I bring you this week’s Suzy Stumbles Over Travel. In case you are new to this site, each week I ask writers and readers to submit their favorite travel posts of the week. I read each submission, comment, tweet the article on Twitter, stumble the piece using Stumbleupon and place a link to the post on my Facebook page. The following week I select my five favorites to be featured here and the stumbling begins again into the next week. The goal of this segment is to bring to light those travel posts that might not have received all of Continue Reading
Goodland, Kansas Wishes You Were Here
I saw the sun rise over the plains of Colorado on my way to completing a secret goal. This past June, I drove from Denver to the California Coast. In September, I drove from Fayetteville, Arkansas out to the Carolina Coast. The only missing piece to this great American road trip, truly going from coast to coast in a year, was the lonely, often forgotten stretch from Denver down to Arkansas. And so when the opportunity presents itself, I joined an impromptu ride from Denver to Fayetteville and saw the sunrise, something I hadn’t seen in years. While I could say this completion of driving Continue Reading
Blog Birthdays and Spontaneous Travel
Two years ago this month, I decided to buy my name, online that is. While I had a Blogger blog long before, buying my domain name and starting this travel site proved to be much more official, much more real. I was opening up myself and my travels to whoever was willing to listen. Luckily, enough of you decided to listen to this redhead. My motto from a young age was, “I’m not the oldest, but I’m the loudest.” I guess I have taken a bit of that motto and used it here. I might not be the biggest of travel blogs, the most popular or unpopular, but I share travel. In the end, after two years Continue Reading