bucket list

  • 10 Surprising Things about São Miguel Island in the Azores

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    R and I spent five and a half days driving around and exploring São Miguel Island in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. Locally, it is referred to as The Green Island. I just called it stunning. Turns out the Azores make a great micro trip. We are part-time travelers with full-time jobs, so we…

  • All 50 States Club Part 3 (of 3)

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    Welcome to the all fifty states club part 3! Parts 1 and 2 got us most of the way through the all fifty states club of America. This last post will pick up where we left off in North Carolina and highlight interesting/fun things I saw/did whilst exploring the USA. Funny thing–turns out I’m not…

  • All Fifty States Club Part 2 (of 3)

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    The all fifty states club part 2 picks up where we left off in the first part of this series. This series explores interesting things to see and do in all fifty of the United States of America. (You can also go here to read part three.) We will now pick up with the middle.…

  • All Fifty States Club Part 1 (of 3)

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    Lucky for us, we have both visited all fifty states and have become members of the all fifty states club. We both had a very strong start independently at checking off the states, but when we became friends, we made a couple trips to finish things up. This post is about our efforts to join…

  • Antiques Roadshow tips and tricks

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    Sharing Antiques Roadshow tips and tricks from an experience in St. Louis, Missouri. Last weekend, a dream of mine came true. I attended the Antiques Roadshow. When B and I told people the reason we were going to spend the weekend in St. Louis, Missouri, the reactions were mixed. About forty percent of people either…

  • A Long Weekend in Iceland

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    Iceland is h-o-t, people. A Jane reader asked us the other day about whether we had written anything on it as her friend was planning a trip there soon. (If you are like us, it seems like every other day you hear about someone you know visiting the land of ice and fire.) Well, yes,…

  • Welcome sign on Rottnest Island

    The True Cost of Traveling in Australia

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    After spending the month of February staying and playing Down Under, I have a pretty good idea of Australia travel costs. This post is a follow up to an earlier post about planning and saving for that month-long trip. I knew I wanted to follow up after the trip to give an accurate account of how much…

  • Sunset on the Great Barrier Reef

    Australia update #4: tips for traveling in a not-so-foreign country

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    We’re baaack! And going through the usual post-trip activities—fighting jet lag, getting back into a routine, planning the next adventure, etc. It is never easy coming home. But unless you are going sell everything you own and become a nomad, it is a necessary part of travel. I have arrived home with an arsenal of…

  • Australia Update #3: Reefsleep

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    Travel is full of memorable and unique experiences. Many of them you could never recreate even if you tried (and there are some you never want to). That said, I rarely have an experience I would describe as once-in-a-lifetime. It just feels like that should be reserved for extra-special adventures or experiences. That’s not to…

  • Australia Update #2 Funny Aussie Signs

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    B and I have seen a lot of really good stuff in the last few weeks: koalas, kangaroos, sunsets, sweeping landscapes and cultural icons. We expected all these things. What we didn’t expect was to see so many funny Australian signs! The funny ways Australians narrate all of these things and other information is downright…