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.

People ask me all the time what my favorite trip is that I’ve ever taken. It’s so hard because it’s one of those questions I hate committing to.  But for the past 8 months or so I haven’t hesitated.

Bali.

I loved it far more than I even thought I would for reasons that are both obvious and personal. Bali is an amazing destination adored by many, but travel can be so much more than just a beautiful place with fun activities and great food. It can also speak to your soul and be the medicine you didn’t even realize you needed.  So, for me Bali was all that I thought it would be and also all that I needed it to be.

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…

Prague is the capital city and largest city of the Czech Republic. With it’s romantic riverside location, it remains one of Europe’s best-preserved cities. It’s easy to see why Prague charms everyone who visits, with its location enhanced by beautiful bridges, and an impressive skyline punctuated with medieval church spires. The historic Old Town is a collection of ancient squares and winding cobblestone streets, all in the shadow of her majestic 9th century castle that looks eastward as the sun sets behind her.

Prague is also a modern and vibrant city full of energy, music, cultural art, fine dining and special events catering to the independent traveller's thirst for adventure.

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.  

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.  

Creating itineraries for people who don’t travel very extensively can be exciting. It also can be a bit challenging in it's own way. Whereas you can have some clients who know exactly what they like and what they want to do, the flip-side is having clients who don’t know too much about what they might enjoy while traveling. Case in point- I just had a honeymoon couple return from an absolutely amazing trip in Europe that had never been, yet wanted a fully customized, off the beaten path trip that was all their own.

The hard part at the beginning though, was being able to uncover what the experience was they were after. Our literal starting point was: “We want to spend about three weeks in Europe.” No specific countries, no specific type of trip… just Europe.  A whole entire continent of goodness.

I had heard about San Miguel de Allende last year in depth and just knew it was a good fit for me. Have you ever felt that way about a place?  I have a certain personality type that goes well with certain destinations, and I believe we all do. Now don’t get me wrong, my personality at times is also very well suited to a luxury beachfront resort! But in this season of life, I wanted to find a place that felt invigorating to my soul and stimulated a sense of creativity and peace.  

Mission accomplished. 

The first question I heard when people heard about my current travel adventure was why?  Why would you go to Mexico City?

Mexico City was never my original destination.  The small, colonial town of San Miguel de Allende had been on my radar for about a year, and I decided that trip was going to happen sooner rather than later. But when I started researching and learning that getting to San Miguel was not the most convenient, the option to expand my trip was born.

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! ;)