My passport sat blank in a drawer for two years after I got it — I kept saying “soon” until a friend called me out at dinner. We booked flights that night. I barely slept. That impulsive decision led me to the South African bush at dawn, standing on a…
Month: November 2025
Where to Eat in Rome: A Local’s Guide to Authentic Roman Food
We eloped on a Tuesday with three friends and a bottle of champagne, telling ourselves the real trip would come later. “Later” arrived 18 months after our wedding when we finally stopped waiting for the perfect time and booked two weeks in Rome. What we found there had nothing to…
The Ultimate Guide to Grand Canyon South Rim: What You Need to Know
For our tenth anniversary, I asked my partner what they actually wanted — not a dinner, not jewelry. They said: somewhere we’ve never been, somewhere that feels like a story we haven’t told yet. We chose the Grand Canyon’s South Rim, and standing at the edge for the first time,…
Grand Canyon South Rim Itinerary: How to Spend 1-3 Days
The school year ended and I sat in an empty classroom for twenty minutes just listening to the silence. Then I went home and looked up flights. Teaching summers off exist for a reason — and that particular search landed me at the Grand Canyon’s South Rim, staring into a…
Best Grand Canyon South Rim Viewpoints and Photo Spots
I spent fourteen months putting money into a travel fund that everyone else called frivolous. When it finally had enough zeros in it, I spent about forty-five minutes looking at destinations before I bought the ticket — because honestly, there was never really a question: it was always going to…
Where to Stay at Grand Canyon South Rim: Lodging Inside and Near the Park
After two years of looking at the same four walls, I made a list of every place I’d told myself “I’ll go when things settle down.” Then I started at the top — and the Grand Canyon was right there, staring back at me. What I didn’t expect was how…
First-Timer’s Guide to Grand Canyon South Rim: Tips for a Perfect Trip
My father worked for 38 years saying he’d travel when he retired. He retired and then kept finding reasons not to go. I watched that happen and promised myself I wouldn’t do the same thing — which is exactly why I finally booked that flight to Arizona and stood at…
Rome in 3 Days: The Perfect Itinerary for First-Timers
I’d never traveled alone before this trip. The thought honestly terrified me — no one to split decisions with, no one to blame if something went sideways. That was also exactly the point. So I booked three days in Rome, told myself the city had survived millennia of chaos, and…
Honeymoon in Rome: A Perfect Itinerary for Newlyweds
We’d been saying “we should all go somewhere together” for six years. After the fourth postponed trip and two weddings that got in the way, we stopped talking and just bought tickets — and somehow, Rome was the answer everyone agreed on without argument. There’s something about the Eternal City…
Rome and Tuscany Honeymoon Itinerary: A Perfect Italian Romance
I found a fare alert on a Thursday afternoon that made absolutely no sense to ignore. By Friday morning I had a ticket and no real plan — which turned out to be the best way to approach the whole thing. What unfolded over the next ten days was equal…
