Top Five Friday, Favorite Travel Bloggers | RebeccaWanderlusting

Top Five Friday #24

On October 20, 2017 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Top Five Friday, Travel Tips2 Comments

My Favorite Travel Bloggers

When I first started this blog, I looked to other female travel bloggers for inspiration and encouragement. As they succeeded, I started to form some idea of where I wanted my own blog to go. Of all the blogs I read for the last couple years, there are a few that stand out to be favorites for their writing style, chosen destinations and photos. I’ve followed these ladies for a while and will continue to do so as long as they continue adding new content. So, without further ado and in no particular order, here are my favorite travel bloggers:

The Everywhereist – Geraldine is not only one of my favorite travel bloggers, but also one of my favorite writers. I started reading her blog a few years ago and just recently read her book as well. I love the way she picks up on small details of her trips and writes about them as opposed to writing about a destination as a whole. Her writing makes me laugh out loud in an embarrassing way (especially so when I’m on the subway or at work).
Post you should read: “Driving the Amalfi Coast Highway”
Be My Travel Muse – This woman is the epitome of solo female travel. Her adventures are amazing and make me so, so jealous. I love her confidence and her approach to travel, and her advice is always spot on. I can only hope that I will have half as many exciting experiences in my lifetime as she has had in her time of travel blogging. I would count that as a success.
Post you should read: “This is Why We Travel”
Alex in Wanderland – I love this blog so much. Her light and fun writing is a joy to read, and I honestly think it saved my sanity when I would read it at my previous job. It is just such a nice break from reality, and the content is diverse in destinations which provides some great trip planning inspiration.
Post you should read: “The Maine Thing”
Young Adventuress – This is another blog that I have been reading for quite a long time; actually, it’s probably one of the first travel blogs I had come across. While I do love Liz’s travel photography and tales of adventure across the globe, some of my favorite posts are her snarky or satirical commentary on the travel industry. She now resides in New Zealand and has some really great insight on the area.
Post you should read: “Chasing Elves in Iceland”
This Battered Suitcase – Brenna is a beautiful writer and her content is both personal and travel-oriented. This Canada native now traverses the globe, indulging in excellent adventures and writing as she goes. She is so personable and relatable that I always look forward to reading her new posts. She’s working on a book now and I can NOT wait until it’s finished so I can read that too!
Post you should read: “Going Back to Copenhagen”

Who are your favorite travel bloggers? I’ll take any and all recommendations for new blogs!

Travel Inspiration Tuesday

On May 17, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Travel Goals, Travel TipsLeave a comment

I’ve been having a hard time getting inspired lately. Maybe it’s this travel lull I’m in or perhaps it’s this rainy, cold weather. Either way, I’ve been fighting to claw my way out of this funk. And what do I do when I’m in need of inspiration? Go for a walk, read a book, check out my favorite blogs, and so on. In my recent search for inspiration, I’ve stumbled upon a few gems that I couldn’t help but share:

I have been reading this amazing book, “Hold Still” by Sally Mann, that radiates with inspiration through the author’s passion for photography and love for her Virginia home.
Recently, I’ve been looking into booking hotels for my Europe trip in September, and found this amazingly artful boutique hotel in Reykjavik, Hotel Holt, and booked it immediately.
I’ve just purchased a Nikon D3300, which was a pretty big investment for me. I took it home to my parents’ house and snapped a few shots of their garden. This is one of my favorites:
Geraldine of The Everywhereist has been making me actively stifle laughter at work as I read her hilarious attempts to thwart email spammers, which can be found here.
This landed in my inbox via Lonely Planet and it spoke directly to my tendency to over-romanticize train rides. All of these routes have been immediately added to my bucket list.
I am absolutely dying to try this scrumptious looking recipe for Strawberry Cookies and Cream Cake from Joy the Baker.
Scanning the Every Girl the other day, I came upon an article mentioning the Bus and Us and have been hooked on their road tripping adventures ever since.
I went for a stroll beside Lake Michigan earlier this month, Beyonce’s Lemonade inspiring me as I walked. Along the way, I snapped a photo for Instagram that I think is pretty striking:
I am trying to find a free weekend to plan a trip to the beautiful Matthiessen State Park, which is only an hour and a half drive from Chicago.
And, finally: I thought this was really beautiful and everything I needed to hear at this exact moment.

What about you? What inspires you? Where do you find you inspiration?

2015 Review & 2016 Goals

On December 31, 2015 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Travel Blog, Travel WritingLeave a comment

We made it; it’s almost a new year, full of new opportunities and adventures! This year was pretty amazing in terms of travel! I am by no means a nomad by trade, however, as a part-time traveler, I’m proud of the trips I was able to take in 2015. There were ups and downs, and lessons to be learned, but I’m very happy with the year I had and am excited for next year as well. Here are some of the highlights from 2015:

February: I was lucky enough to be able to take my first trip to China early on in the year. I spent two wonderful weeks exploring Shanghai and cross-training at the Peninsula Hotel there. Shanghai was full of new experiences and foods, and I loved every minute of it. Being able to celebrate Chinese New Year in China is an experience I won’t soon forget.

Shanghai Skyline

April: My second big trip of the year was my third visit to New York City. Every time I’m able to go to New York it gets better and better. I’m so happy to have been able to visit Coney Island, walk along the boardwalk and go on the historic Cyclone roller coaster. Seeing The Phantom of the Opera was the cherry on top of an amazing trip.

July: July holds a very special place in my heart because it was the month that I took my very first solo road trip to Asheville, North Carolina. This was an especially big accomplishment for me considering I am not a very comfortable driver. There were so many things to do, and everyone was so kind and willing to give directions or recommendations. I loved hiking in Chimney Rock, sampling the brews from the local breweries, and the independence of it all.

Favorite Travel Memories, Top Five Friday, RebeccaWanderlusting

August: August was a big Chicago month – Mike and I had an amazing time at Lollapalooza at the beginning of the month and then enjoyed a staycation at The Freehand Chicago. Lollapalooza was my first ever music festival and I’m happy to say it’s inspired me to want to go to many more. The Freehand provided a very unique hostel experience and the restaurants there are to die for. Both experiences were so fun and showed us a new side of our home city.

October: We followed the Foo Fighters south on a little road trip to Memphis, Tennessee. We had our ups (Sun Studios and Stax Museum, lots of great barbecue, and live music everywhere) and downs (a perpetually deserted downtown and drunkenly falling off a karaoke stage) with this trip, but ultimately we had a wonderful time in Blues City.

December: This month brought us to San Francisco, California to celebrate my 26^th birthday. The city was beautiful and the nature surrounding it even more so. We walked for miles, hiked up mountains, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and ate some amazing food.

So, what’s next?

As I said before, I work full-time and travel whenever I can, as much as possible. It actually works pretty well for me. Because I work in the hospitality industry, the first quarter of the year is always the best time for some vacation time. So right now I have loooong weekends in both January and February that I don’t have any solid plans for, but I do have some ideas. We’ll see what happens (suggestions always welcome!) I have a trip to Toronto, ON set for the beginning of April and a pre-planned but not booked road trip to Gatlinburg, TN sometime in Spring. Due to a work related situation, I’ll be pretty limited on trips in the summertime, so I imagine there will be a lot of weekenders and day trips during that time. I’ve got my eye on New Buffalo, Michigan, the New Glarus brewery in Wisconsin, Galena, IL and perhaps a weekend trip to Milwaukee, WI. The fact that I can’t plan anything big for some months actually has a silver lining though, because I am planning a BIG adventure for September. I am in the very beginning stages of planning, so I’m not quite ready to hash out the details. It’ll be good though, I promise. In the meantime, I’ll keep you posted on the adventures as they come!

In closing, I want to leave you with some words of wisdom from Mr. George Bailey. Every year during the holidays, I watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” with my family. While the whole film is quotable and emotional and all around, well, wonderful, one particular exchange stuck with me this year:

GB (played by the very handsome Jimmy Stewart, don’t judge): “There she blows! You know what the three most exciting sounds in the world are?”

George’s Uncle Billy: “Uh huh, breakfast is served, lunch is served, dinner….”

GB: “No, no, no, no. Anchor chains, plane motors and train whistles.”

Now, in some ways I am inclined to agree with both of these gentleman, but I think George Bailey really has a point here. What’s better than the sound of opportunity and adventures to be had? Isn’t that why we’re all here? Is there a more exciting sound than the sound of exploration and travelling to new lands far from home? I don’t think so. ON that note, here’s wishing everyone an exciting and exploratory 2016 filled with new adventures and bold decisions!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Top Five Friday #5

On October 16, 2015October 16, 2015 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Top Five Friday2 Comments

Travel Inspiring Quotes by Female Authors

I’ve already done the male version of this, so now it’s time to let my feminist heart soar. Not only do quotes about travel make me want to go out and see the world, but they reaffirm my reasons for traveling. Which are to broaden my knowledge of cultures and customs, to be independent and find my own way, and to write about all I experience. There have of course been many before me who have paved the way, and I’m forever grateful for their inspiration and words of wisdom. Below are my five favorite travel inspiring quotes by fellow female adventurers:

“I’m not telling you to make the world better, because I don’t think that progress is necessarily part of the package. I’m just telling you to live in it. Not to endure it, not just to suffer it, not just to pass through it, but to live in it. To look at it. To try to get the picture. To live recklessly. To take chances. To make your own work and take pride in it.” – Joan Didion. I love JD. She’s a marvelous writer and an inspiration to women everywhere. This quote is a great reminder to do more than just move mindlessly from day to day.
“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.”- Maya Angelou. Travel can turn stereotypes and prejudices on their heads, and help the traveler understand new cultures and customs. Maya Angelou perfectly captures that magic in this quote.
“Whatever you choose, however many roads you travel, I hope that you choose not to be a lady. I hope you will find some way to break the rules and make a little trouble out there. And I also hope that you will choose to make some of that trouble on behalf of women” – Nora Ephron. You don’t always have to be perfect, made-up and on your best behavior. This quote embodies what it’s like to be a woman on the road. Be daring, be rebellious and do you – love, Ms. Ephron.
“If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad.” – Jane Austen. This quote feels personal to me, as I’m from such a small town. Growing up where I did, I never would have dreamed I would have had the experiences that I’ve had. This quote is a call to action to anybody who’s immediate realm seems minuscule compared to the great, wide world out there.
“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, ‘This is what it is to be happy’.” – Sylvia Plath. Ms. Plath was such an amazing writer and poet, and each of her lines resonates with many of her readers. This quote perfectly describes the feeling I get each time I arrive in a new destination and take it in for the first time.