Koalas have been a love of mine for some time now, so I was eager to visit the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary during our stay in Brisbane. While we enjoyed seeing the koalas up close in their enclosures, feeding and petting the kangaroos and wallabies was a highlight of the trip! I took so many […]
As I mentioned in our Eastern Australia Itinerary post, we visited the most southern part of mainland Australia and explored along the Great Ocean Road. This road is one of Australia’s most iconic and thrilling drives. All the coastal towns in this region are relatively small, but Apollo Bay (near where we stayed) and Port […]
When starting to plan our trip to Australia I knew we would have to focus on just a region of the country, so I chose the Eastern part covering three states: Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. Even with a three-week trip to enjoy, it wasn’t enough time to visit Uluru (Ayers Rock), the Great […]
In June of 2025, we spent three amazing weeks in Eastern Australia (see full itinerary here) exploring from Brisbane down to the bottom of mainland Australia along the Great Ocean Drive. When planning this trip I knew we would visit a few zoos, but also wanted to experience the native animals in their natural habitat. […]
As of July 2025, Neuschwanstein Castle, along with three other royal residences of King Ludwig II, has been officially recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site! I’m slightly obsessed with castles and UNESCO heritage sites so I was very excited to hear this news. We visited this fairytale castle back on our Alps trip in […]
Apr-2025
Most head to the warmer destinations for spring break, but we chase the deals! Traveling off-season will always save you money and with this trip we were able to use mostly miles and points! So, we embraced the Canadian weather and spent spring break in VANCOUVER! 🇨🇦 It’s taken me almost twenty years, but finally […]
After a year of chilly trips (spring break in Washington DC and summer in the Baltics), it was definitely time for a beach vacation! I found a fantastic deal with miles to the island and a super cheap fare on the return, so we jumped at the opportunity to ring in the new year in […]
We love history and the purpose of our Baltic Sea Region and Poland trip was to learn more about WWII and Cold War history. If you are considering a trip of your own, below is a brief review of the fascinating museums we visited. (There are obviously so many more, but the history is heavy […]
Feb-2025
Just an hour outside of Gdańsk is the LARGEST CASTLE in the world (by land)! Malbork Castle is a massive medieval brick fortress enclosing three fortified castles that was built in the 13th century by Teutonic Order stronghold and later served as the seat of Polish royalty. The walls of Malbork Castle have seen a […]
Feb-2025
I’ve been to the Anne Frank house in the Netherlands, Holocaust Museum in Israel, and now Auschwitz in Poland. Auschwitz, also known as Auschwitz-Birkenau, opened in 1940 and was the largest of the Nazi concentration and death camps. Located in southern Poland, Auschwitz initially served as a detention center for political prisoners. However, it evolved into […]
Feb-2025
Back in June of 2024, we spent roughly three weeks exploring the Baltic Sea Region (Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, and Poland). If we are getting technical here, Finland is part of Scandinavia. However, Helsinki rests on the banks of the beautiful Baltic Sea and a perfect location to start our journey. (Also, I like to state […]
Nov-2024
Our nation’s capital is known for its rich history, iconic landmarks, and vibrant culture and a fantastic city to visit with the kids. But there’s one particular time of year that is an absolute must-see — cherry blossom season! Thankfully, we had time to visit during the kids’ spring break in 2024 and witnessed the […]