North America

Quintessential summer means trips to Michigan! There’s something magical about the sandy shoreline and small towns which come to life with flowers, festivals, music and boating during the summer months. One of my favorite getaways? Spending summer in Traverse City. Can you hear that Kid…

Racine is a beachfront town in Wisconsin, south of Milwaukee. It’s less than a 2 hour drive from Chicago, and only 40 minutes south of Milwaukee. Sandwiched between two cities, I’m surprised how often it’s overlooked. We discovered it a couple summers ago, looking for…

We’ve been on the longest roadtrip this year I’ve taken in my entire life! We left Chicago, crossed Iowa and Nebraska to reach Colorado, where we spent six weeks. Then, we drove through Colorado to New Mexico and onto Texas, where we stayed another 3…

One of my favorite travel experiences is seeking out the unusual. That might be the bizarre, the local, the historic or just the road less traveled. After spending six weeks in Colorado Springs, I was struck by the amount of unique activities! I’ve only scraped…

Colorado is a nature lover’s paradise, and Colorado Springs is the perfect base of exploration. Just over an hour from the Denver Airport, it’s easily accessible yet close to dozens of amazing trails, parks, and other nature based activities. I was lucky enough to stay…

Maui is as beautiful as the movies and postcards portray! I had the opportunity to visit after a business trip to Oahu, and as usual, wanted to make the most out of my time. This is our itinerary for one week in Maui, and yes,…

What’s on your bucketlist? Cage diving with sharks had been on mine for as long as I could remember. So, when a business trip took me to Hawaii, I tacked on an extra two weeks of vacation, and as soon as the meetings ended, I…

Come January, I start booking our favorite campsites for summer. Seem a little early? It’s not, trust me. These are popular campsites near Chicago to book now! Some are in the burbs, while others are farther afield. To me, camping is a quintessential summer activity,…

Cedar Key sits off Florida’s Nature Coast, about an hour west of Gainesville or two hours north of Tampa. It, and its neighboring islands, are Florida’s ‘other keys’. This is not Key West! Or, as one of the locals warned us, ‘This certainly is not…

This year, COVID has ruined enough of my fun plans! Not happening to Christmas! Luckily, there are plenty of socially distanced Christmas activities in Chicagoland. I’ve curated a few of my favorites and hope they’ll inspire you to attend, or find activities in your own…