Travel

In July, we had the chance to take our kids to southern California for a long weekend. Hilton invited us to check out three of their properties as part of their California Road Trip promotion. We also arranged visits to the San Diego Zoo and LEGOLAND. We were so excited for this trip and the kids talked about it for weeks in advance.

For my day job, I get to travel to a lot of cool places. In the last two years, I’ve visited 9 countries on five continents, so I’ve gotten really good at packing. I’ve also made my share of mistakes, so that’s why I wanted to share my carry-on travel packing hacks so you don’t make the same mistakes I’ve made. These 7 travel packing hacks will ensure you’re prepared for long flights, inevitable layovers and even delayed or missed flights.

Last month, I had the chance to visit Lisbon and Porto in Portugal. I didn’t do much research in advance of my trip, but I was pleasantly surprised that the work conference I attended brought me to some of the must-visit spots in Porto. If you have a chance to visit, here are the 7 things you must see in Porto Portugal.

The very first time I visited San Diego was in 2005. My nephew was getting baptized right after Christmas, so we drove down from LA, after first visiting my husband’s family (we also got engaged in Laguna Beach on the drive down!). Needless to say, I fell in love with San Diego almost instantly. A major reason for my love for the city was because we did the San Diego 59-mile scenic drive. It is absolutely one of the best free things to do in San Diego today or anytime you visit.

I recently traveled to Portugal for a work conference. I opted to spend my first night in Lisbon before heading to Porto. Although I was massively jet-lagged, I was determined to see some of Lisbon in the few hours I had available. Luckily, Pats contacted me a few days prior to my departure, offering me a personalized Lisbon walking tour. I was happy to take her up on the offer. She created a fantastic itinerary for me. Here is the run-down of my four-hour tour of Lisbon and a few other things you should know if you ever come to Portugal.

I’ve been to the UK three times, but never got to Stonehenge. This trip, I made it a priority to do a day trip to Stonehenge. My colleague from Bristol agreed to rent a car (they say hire) to take us around the English countryside.

Having drop-in child care near me when we needed it most was such a relief. Here’s the quick story on how I came to feel this way.

In between two work conferences in Europe, I had a chance to hop over to Germany to visit my long-time friend. My college roomie moved to Leipzig Germany last fall and I promised I’d visit her. She’s lived in Europe before, but the timing just never worked for me to visit her. It seemed like every time she left Europe was the exact time when I traveled there for work. Luckily, this trip aligned with her also being in Europe, so I jumped at the chance to see her.

Can I be honest? By March, I’ve usually quit or at least stalled on my goals for the year. I can admit, I’ve hit a bit of a bump with my half marathon training (it’s hard to fit in 4 days a week!), but I have kept up with my healthy eating habits.