We had barely a week of planning time when we decided it would be nice to get away for the weekend of Independence Day. Still, we managed to put together a great little mini-break with Duke. Lots of dog-friendly spots in town made it easy, and we all enjoyed the lovely (and lucky) weather. Since…
The second I (a young-ish, healthy-ish person who now works full time from home) was eligible for the COVID vaccine, I went for it. As most of the country follows suit, cases are finally on a steady decline and more places have started opening up. We are cautiously optimistic about travel plans for later in…
If you told me 11 months ago that this pandemic would still be going on in the year 2021, I would not have believed you. The initial closure of my office on March 15, 2020 was meant to last one month. It was extended to July 2020, then again to September 2020, and finally had…
There are so many things to be anxious about right now, and I still cannot get a handle on when things will be “normal” again. Not being able to travel is hard. But luckily the memories of where I’ve been are getting me through the longest, darkest days. Back in January 2019, we took an…
The vast majority of travel is on hold, probably indefinitely. I don’t know when I’ll be able to venture to different countries or continents. While that makes me sad, it also means a chance to explore some places closer to home. Road trips are widely considered the safest way to travel right now, and outdoor…
Way back in the spring of 2019, which feels like centuries ago, my family and I were talking about Disney World, as we often do. My sister ended up on the Disney website, fake-planning a fall trip that would include the special Halloween event. We were laughing as we navigated through this dummy booking, in…
When we told people we were going to Norway, almost everyone told us to make sure we saw a fjord. Turns out there are lots of fjords to see, and lots of ways to see them. Options were a little limited in January, but we managed to put together an itinerary that included a beautifully…
As an avid lover of roller coasters, water slides, and rides of all kinds, moving to this area meant getting season passes to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, a theme park – water park combo just 20 minutes from my home. We have been season pass holders since buying our home because after just two…
One of my favorite parts of our trip to Norway was the time we spent in the town of Bergen. It was charming and quiet but also full of history and heritage. We got a great little apartment through Airbnb, and it was the perfect home base for our exploration of the area. Literally steps…
We got one late night and almost half a day in Finland’s capital city during our January trip. And although it was just a connection to help us get to the Arctic, we managed to make the most of it by visiting a couple cool sights around the city. Getting there from Bergen, Norway was…
I’ll be honest- I’m not the biggest fan of summer. The heat is suffocating to me, I’m a magnet for mosquitoes, and the allure of “summer break” is gone once you enter the working world. Writing about my January trip to Norway is keeping me in a cool mindset, and one of the coolest places…
Our first night at Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort gave us an amazing view of the Northern Lights, which you can read about here. We didn’t even realize how much more amazing our stay could be until the next day, when we headed out on a husky safari. This sledding adventure was one of the coolest (literally…
As the pandemic marches on, my state has been slowly opening businesses, and residents have been cautiously dipping their toes back into the world with masks and social distancing rules. Campgrounds were one of the first entities to open, and due to their outdoor, spread out nature, are widely considered safe. We took advantage of…
Before visiting Norway, most of what I knew about the country I had learned at the World Showcase in Disney World’s EPCOT theme park. Before Frozen-mania took over, the Norway pavilion was a celebration of the country’s rich history. One of my favorite parts was a short film called The Spirit of Norway. The opening…
Though the days are short and the temperatures are low, winter in Finland can still be warm and magical. It takes some planning, some strategy, and a whole lot of luck, but you just might look up at the night sky and find that it has actually come alive. So bundle up and grab your…
the files of a traveling daydreamer 