Published December 2023 This November, I took the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bike across India in luxury. What? Yes, you heard that right. And with 430 of my coworkers from Backroads! Each year, the active travel company where I work offers an all-staff bike ride in a different part of the world. Last year, I missed the …
Socially responsible and sustainable travel is imperative to making the world a more equitable, culturally accepting, and better place. A few small actions go a long way. For the past 10 years, I’ve explored and questioned the identity of the tourist through collegiate studies, living and studying abroad in various capacities, literature, film, media, and …
6 Days in the Algarve for Sunshine Lovers and Outdoor Enthusiasts When dreaming up the surf trip we’ve always wanted to make a reality, we set our sights on Portugal’s Algarve. With tickets booked to London to see family and one week of time set aside for the next outdoor adventure, we were amped up …
I’ve been dying to go back to Austin since the summer of 2019 when I first visited. The only thing I could think was love at first sight. It was truly heavenly. For Thanksgiving, I knew I could get a few days off around work and jumped at the opportunity to head back and visit …
We took a fall day trip to Yosemite this year right before the Tioga Pass closed. This past weekend, we drove from Mammoth Lakes to Yosemite National Park for a day trip. Knowing the Tioga Pass would close sometime in October, we saw that the weather was going to be warm and sunny and made …
“Returning Home from Abroad: Tears and a Big Reunion” is part of a month-long series I am doing on my readjustment into the US after living in New Zealand for 2 years during Covid-19. I had a pretty big weekend. I moved continents and countries. I left New Zealand and went long-distance with my boyfriend …
I had the opportunity to go skydiving in Glenorchy, New Zealand, recently, and for some strange reason, I went. Before jumping out of the plane, a wave of calm ran over me and it felt like I was mindlessly grocery shopping or driving a route I know really well. Nothing was going through my mind. …
When I left the shores of the United Kingdom to travel to the other side of the world and settle in New Zealand, I will admit that I was petrified. I had never been to the country before and my only knowledge was information that I found online and from bloggers’ YouTube videos. If you …
I can never find the words to describe living in a new place/city/country. I always freeze up. Rather than saying living in NZ is “good and I’m having a great time!” to everyone who asks and wants to hear more, I have crafted a few specific and relevant bullet points that explain the aspects of …
Having already been to two different parts of the Northside of Mount Taranaki, upon our boss’ recommendation, we headed East to Dawson Falls. On the rainiest day of the week, it was definitely hard to motivate for this hike, but totally worth it. After committing to the causes of exploration and new experiences, we drove …