Exploring California: The Foggy and Fun Coast

While we spent most of our northern California tour in remote areas of the state – dominated by majestic mountains, towering trees, and granite cliffs (along with it being quite hot and dry) – we actually began and ended our trip in areas that were VERY different from the rest of our time. From the city vibe of San Francisco to the quaint and historical areas of Carmel-by-the-Sea and Cannery Row, it was fascinating to explore these coastal areas – to say nothing of experiencing how different (in many ways) they were from what we saw the rest of the week.

We began our California adventure in San Francisco, and this was certainly a city that I had been looking forward to visiting for a long time. Having been to Los Angeles and southern California, we knew San Francisco was going to be different from that part of the state – and we weren’t disappointed! Read more

What is the Best Way to See the USA?

Photo via https://www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm

When you picture the perfect vacation, what do you see? Chances are the pictures that come to mind are beautiful scenery, wonderful hotels, amazing food, exploring new places and seeing new things, and above all else, memories that last a lifetime. What you may not picture though, is everything that goes into organizing this perfect, and stress-free, vacation.

Which brings me to today’s post about the “best way to see the USA”. You can pick your destination and begin to plan, spending hours researching everything there is to know, reading hundreds of reviews online for hotels and dining options, figuring out how you’re going to get there (and if you want to see multiple destinations, how you’re going to get from one to the next), all the while wondering what you’ve missed, and if you’re paying too much. And then when you get there, you can spend more hours waiting in lines, hoping you get to see the things that were important to you, hoping you don’t get lost, and trying not to be disappointed when that hotel that looked amazing online, hasn’t actually been renovated in years.

Vacations are much-needed opportunities for us to unwind, explore, spend precious time with our families and loved ones, and create lifelong memories. They are investments, both in time and in money, and as with all investments, should be made wisely. The good news is there are two things you can do to make a wise investment in your vacation plans to see America: Read more