Travel Memories:
Balinese Cultural Dancer in Ubud
Often, the nightly cultural shows specifically arranged for tourists make me cringe and think “oh my dear lord it must be so cheesy.” Surprisingly though, this cultural dance in the center courtyard of a beautiful Balinese temple was captivating. I overlooked that it’s wasn’t actually ceremonial and enjoyed the dancer’s long-practiced moves and obvious training as the performers led the audience through a story of good versus evil, dragons and temptation (and I mean really, is there any other kind of story?!)
Even better though, and …

“The American South” is one of those phrases that carries with it all sorts of implications depending on who you ask; Hollywood has sculpted the image of a region dotted with slow-talking hicks settled alongside gun-toting cowboys and the good-ole Southern hospitality thrown in there to serve up some sweet tea, fried chicken, and a dollop of mayonnaise.

I actually grew up in the South, although saying that and being from Florida can cause all sorts of eye rolls from “true southerners;” but I do consider myself a southerner. Florida actually …

Climate change and carbon offsetting is one of those highly controversial topics that can spark debates and heated words within the travel industry (hey, it’s happened). And while it’s front and center on some traveler’s agenda, the topic is also often swept under the carpet and ignored so that we can continue traveling guilt-free.
And lest you think I’m pointing fingers, let me be the first to admit that I flew a grand total of 14 flights in just 11 months to take my dream round the world trip…that’s not a …

Images of Christmas traditionally evoke thoughts of a toasty log cabin with a flickering fire and cup of hot chocolate all while the snow quietly falls outside. Perhaps there’s even a twinkling Christmas tree nestled in the corner. Well, that’s not the case in Florida -it was 82 F here last week (about 60 F now)– but, you know, at least it is winter here!
Last year I found myself in the Southern Hemisphere for Christmas – Australia to be more exact. The sun was baking down outside and it was, …

Huddled under one lone awning in the middle of the Outback, as the rain poured down around us, we all looked forlornly at the broken down tour bus while Jess presented us with a choice:

admit defeat and return to the previous night’s campground near Uluru
head a couple hours down the road toward Kings Canyon in hopes that the river hadn’t overflowed – if it hadn’t we could hike the Canyon in the morning.

At this …

Rain alternated between a deluge and a misty-drizzle the entire first day on our Outback tour – and incredible luck meant we not only witnessed the waterfalls on Uluru (Ayres Rock), but also, a briefly visible rainbow as the last light of the day lit the rock a glowing orange.
On the flip side though, the rain also meant that we missed hiking Kata Juta, we were often stuck inside the bus for incredibly long periods of time, our guide had to beg for tents instead of swags (open-to-the elements canvas …

We’re flashing back to Australia today – to Uluru most specifically. Fret not my friends, the stories of Ireland are not over, but there were a handful of neat experiences in Australia that I never got a chance to cover.
I’ll preface this entire post by saying that although I was on an organized tour and saw all of the major sites…the fact that it was raining made this one of the biggest (and wettest) of my Australia adventures. It’s not incredibly typical for it to rain for days on end …

A gentle sprinkle of rain dusted the windshield of the car as the smell of wet grass leaked through the air vent of my rental car – I slowly puttering my way around the Iveragh Peninsula in Ireland, more popularly known as the Ring of Kerry.

The Ring of Kerry is an extremely popular tourist destination – overrun with tourists, in fact, if you’re visiting during peak season. But off-season, the Ring of Kerry is very sedate and I only encountered one large oncoming tour bus careening a sharp corner on …