You know what I love about honeymoons? It is your first family vacation. There will be no other “first” that encompasses what this trip does, and because of that, I think it is SO important! 

In light of that, what will make this first trip as Mr. & Mrs. incredibly perfect for you, is to make sure it is created with you in mind. Your honeymoon should be perfectly suited to your tastes and desires, and this is true whether you have traveled the world extensively, or the last time you went on a vacation was with your parents to Disneyland when you were 12.

To travel well is to live well. And the key to both is nurturing that spark of joy in our lives. 

What daily routines make our hearts sing? Listening to our answers, and then intentionally incorporating these details each day, will turn an ordinary vacation into the trip of our lives. Before I left for our New Year’s vacation in Jaco Beach, Costa Rica, I walked to my favorite coffee bar and ordered a cappuccino. Then, I asked myself one simple question: “What three things would make my vacation truly magical?”

That’s right. Not “nice” or “relaxing.” Magical. 

I didn’t want to travel in order to escape my life. I wanted to travel and discover a new corner of the world. And I wanted time to slow down enough to discover more about myself. Yes, I admit that I had high hopes for this trip. But I also did more than hope for it to be great—I planned for it to be great. And so can you. 

You know those postcard photos you see of these ridiculously beautiful destinations that look too amazing to even be real?! Like, is that real life??? Where is the water that color of blue? How does somewhere exist that seems to exude such relaxation simply by looking at a photo?

Well, one such destination is The Maldives, and it really does spell absolute perfection for honeymooners looking for romance, or couples looking to get away and stare deeply into each other’s eyes as they watch the sun set day after day in one of the most gorgeous locations in the entire world. If the following paragraphs ring true for you, know that this is somewhere you should certainly put on your wanderlust radar. 

I don’t call myself a Travel Agent. But for all intents and purposes I am, in the sense that I have the proper setup and credentials in order to book and sell travel. But looking at it from that frame of mind would not encompass all that I do, nor highlight what I believe to be the valuable service I bring to my clients.

Working with a Travel Professional such as myself has it’s advantages because my business is set up to not just provide travel agency services, but also act as your advisor, consultant, and concierge. In that regard, you end up with a service that makes the planning and booking of travel through a Travel Agent a better, faster, and certainly more valuable way to go.

Happy 2016!!!

There are so many amazing places out there for us to experience, picking one can sometimes be the hardest part. But there are certain destinations that make my “Hottest Destinations” list this year because they are an incredible place to go NOW. I’d love to share them with you.

The Must-See Destination of 2016: CUBA

Could you imagine anything worse than a two week trip in Italy without being able to eat pizza and pasta?! I have a hard time wrapping my brain around such a concept, and an even harder time knowing why someone would consider a trip to the land of “BEST. FOOD. EVER.”, if they couldn’t eat most of it.  

Such was almost the case of a recent trip to Italy that I planned. I believe that food is an integral part of any vacation, and I knew that some research and planning needed to be done so that this trip to Cinque Terre, Florence, and Rome could be vegetarian and sans gluten— yet still amazing in the foodie department.

I started my business with the belief  that there absolutely is a need in this day and age for a travel professional-- an expert who is adept at navigating the endless amount of information and options when it comes to travel, and is able to provide travelers with amazing authentic experiences, all while making the process easy.

I have come to find that the type of service I offer is most helpful to travelers who fall into one of the following categories.

I used to never purchase travel insurance for my own personal travel. To me it seemed like an extra, unnecessary cost that covered who knows what— but whatever it covered was more than likely not going to happen to me and so I would rather save my money. But now that I plan travel on a daily basis, I have vastly changed my tune. For starters, good travel insurance actually covers so many things that happen quite frequently! And because I have a front row seat to a lot of people’s travel misfortunes, I see how often it is needed.

I love weekend getaways! It’s the perfect opportunity to see and experience a different type of living from your day to day norm, and appreciate a change of pace without a huge commitment of time and resources. In between my more extensive travels, I am always on the lookout for a nice getaway and my most recent escapade brought me to the colorful state of Colorado. 

My “Chasing Fall” adventure this weekend was such an amazing trip and a reminder that we live in such a beautiful country, with varied experiences all around us. I went to Colorado to spend some quality time, and be able to enjoy a small slice of Autumn the way it’s meant to be enjoyed. 

Here are a few of my favorite moments…

I remember about 5 years back when I first traveled internationally with one of my dearest friends on the planet. I had already been friends with her for over 15 years, so surely we have had plenty of time to know each other’s personalities and likes. But traveling with someone is different. 

Why wasn’t she in more of a hurry to get down to breakfast before it was over?

When was she going to realize that my internal itinerary that had outwardly been expressed as “no real plans” was being thrown off? 

How come she wanted to spend SO MANY HOURS inside a museum?

Ireland is magical. There is beauty to be found across the whole country, and so much of that you get to see by actually driving from place to place.  Whereas sometimes driving on vacation is a necessary evil, in Ireland it’s part of the specialness. So, whether you take an extended vacation and see the whole country, or get specific by just picking one half or the other and take your time to see and do more at each of your stops, there will be no shortage of things that leave you speechless.  

I started Milk + Honey Travels because I am passionate about travel and love to help other’s travel better. Before I began this business though, I was a professional track and field athlete and competed all over the world doing something I was also extremely passionate about! The Olympic Games was always my ultimate goal and pursuit, but in the end I fell centimeters short of making it a reality. (literally a couple centimeters!!!)

I love planning all types of travel and making unique experiences come to life in the best way possible for my clients. I just get a little extra excited when people talk about heading to the Olympic Games. In fact, I made a handy little document that gives you 5 travel tips if you are considering heading to Rio for the Olympics. I happen to think this is one of the best experiences a true sports fan could have and pretty much tops the list of epic and life changing experiences as far as I’m concerned! ;)