Happy independence day, America! They say it takes leaving home to appreciate the beauty of your own backyard, and in my evolution as a traveler, I’ve found that to be true. There was a time when not a single one of the fifty states seemed adventurous enough to quench my thirst for all things exotic, but…

My passport stayed firmly in storage for months 49 and 50, in which I continued my US summer of exploration by car, plane, boat and train. Eight cities across five states might seem crazy for a two month stretch, but it’s a sign of how chaotic my life was around this time that it actually seemed…

Before I started attending festivals, I had a pretty warped conception of what they actually entailed. Music festivals especially. I pictured long weekends with the great unshowered masses, comparing baby wipe brands and bad band tattoos, staying up late to drink beer competitively and/or experiment with hallucinogenic drugs, all while listening to an indecipherable stream of…

Confession: Bonnaroo was never on my bucket list. It didn’t get the chance to be! It’s only in the last few years that I’ve become a festival fiend, taking on events from Burning Man to Tomorrowland and anything I can get my hands on in between. When my girl Kristin invited me to attend in conjunction…

Nashville has long lingered at the top of my list of US dream cities, despite the fact that up until this June, I’d yet to step foot in Tennessee. My blind love was based primarily on two facts: (1) I’m beyond obsessed with the city’s guilty-pleasure namesake TV show and (2) My blogging BFF and mentor…

Greetings from Kentucky! I’ve just arrived in my twentieth state and am so excited to be speaking at today’s PRSA Travel Conference. However, I’m still basking in the glow of state nineteen — Tennessee! It was a whirlwind inaugural visit, planned to perfection by my dear friend and hostess with the mostess, Kristin Luna. The trip…