Hello Makewells friends! I'm Elizabeth, graphic designer & felt-maker. I blog over at Yellow Elm and have a little etsy shop full of hand-felted hair accessories that I make in my hometown of Greenville, South Carolina.
I thought it would be fun to focus my post today on travel, in honor of Megan's trip. I absolutely love to travel and have so many places on my "to-go" list—including England—where our dear Megan is exploring right now (jealous!).
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” —Henry Miller
When my husband Ben and I take trips, we take planning seriously. Read: research and google-docs-shared-itineraries. This goes for trips across the world and short weekend getaways.
Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia
I have a go-to list in my head of places to get ideas for taking a trip, and I want to share some with you today:
1) New York Times 36-Hours Series
This is a great place to get unique, cultural ideas for things to do in almost any city. We've used the NYT guide for cities near us like Asheville, NC, Charleston, SC, and Savannah, GA, and for our recent trip to Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC. It's a perfect guide for day-trips to a city close to your hometown or longer trips.
2) Anthony Bourdain No Reservations
I like to watch an episode of No Reservations before a trip if there is one for the place I'll be visiting. (Shows available on Netflix; travel guides available online.) Though some of the Anthony Bourdain eating picks are pricey, he usually has a good hot dog stand worked in. We visited a place called Biker Jim's in Denver and the famous Japadog in Vancouver based on his recommendation—both provided a totally unique hot dog experience and a fun/cultural way to grab a meal without breaking the bank.
Elk Hot Dog at Biker Jim's in Denver
3) TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor is a site that I really trust. We try to stay at bed & breakfasts or boutique hotels on trips rather than a big chain, and the reviews on TripAdvisor have been really helpful in finding great places. The TripAdvisor app is also super great for finding good restaurants in a hurry when you are on a road trip.
Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado
One of our most recent missions has been to visit the beautiful National Parks we have in the United States. We got park passport books and try to work National Parks into trips. It's also been a fun way to figure out what low-budget weekend or day-trips we can do. Depending on where you live there might be a National Park or two within driving distance.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park in NC/TN
5) AFAR
This is one of my favorite travel websites. Users can share personal photo highlights and you can use those to make photo collections of places you want to visit. It's an inspiring site just to explore, and will definitely give you the travel bug!
Angkor Wat Temple Complex, Siem Reap, Cambodia
And of course I love to rely on any friends who are local to the area I'm going or have gone on a trip there before for insider travel tips. I'll definitely be getting in touch with Megan when I take my trip to England someday!! ;) Happy travels to all!
Thanks for these tips. I had never seen Afar. Great concept. I tried Japadog last summer in Vancouver and LOVED IT!
Posted by: Tricia | 10/12/2012 at 12:46 AM