This past week found me hopping between the two cities I call home in New York state — Albany and New York City. Both call me back in different ways and for different reasons. One thing I know for sure? It is great to have almost three weeks in which I’ve been able to bounce between them! New York City was wonderful but bordered on overwhelming, with a friend date (and sometimes two) every single day of the week. I played at Fort Tilden beach with my Equilibrio crew, I headed to the hospital to meet a dear friend’s new baby, I had dinner dates in Manhattan with two of my closest friends from high school, I had dinner dates in Brooklyn with a whole crew from college, I had drinks with an old friend from Koh Tao, I brunched with a new friend from a travel conference, and I itinerary-planned with my bestie for our upcoming jaunt to the Grand Canyon. Phew! Somewhere in between all that, I managed to squeeze in a full work week of blog projects. It was amazing to see everyone, yet yesterday, it also felt pretty great to arrive back in Albany and catch up with some quality time with no one but my favorite dog.
This upcoming weekend I’ll be dusting off my passport to head to not one but two new (well, new to me anyway!) Caribbean islands, Bonaire and Aruba. I haven’t been on a proper dive trip in ages and I couldn’t be more excited to blow bubbles with two of my favorite fellow bloggers Kristin and Angie. But there’s a lot of work to do before departure, and so this week I’ll be in lockdown while I prepare for takeoff. Fingers crossed for a productive week!
Photo A
Playing on Fort Tilden Beach
Photo B
Yoga on the sand
Photo C
Fire twirling by sunset
Photo D
Back in Albany again
Which photo is your favorite?
.
And now for something new!
Looking for new travel sites to ad to your reading roster? Searching for the perfect gift for the wanderluster in your life? Each month from here forward, I’ll be sharing an inspiring selection of travel blogs, travel projects and travel shops. Not only are these fellow entrepreneurs following their passions and creating beautiful content, they’re also supporting Alex in Wanderland by advertising in my sidebar this month — please support them back by checking out their sites and cheering them along.
Introducing Alex in Wanderland’s featured bloggers for July and August!
This American couple packed up and moved across the pond to London, where they now spend their free time exploring in Britain and beyond. But that doesn’t mean Drive on The Left is limited to Europe – one peek at their destination page will show you they’ve been driving down all kinds of roads.
Why I Love This Blog: Their site is absolutely stunning – hands down one of the best designed travel blogs on the internet. And I’m not just saying that because we had the same designer!
Silvia is a duel citizen of the United States and Norway – and her international adventures don’t end there. She’s lived in seven countries and visited over seventy, and chronicles it all on her unabashedly girly travel blog, Heart My Backpack.
Why I Love This Blog: Those seventy countries include some that had me raising my eyebrows at first – she’s even backpacked through Iran! I love that Silvia makes me consider destinations I never thought I would have. From Oman to Uzbekistan, this fellow blondie has covered some serious ground.
Michelle and Angel are the duo behind Anywhere At Home, a travel blog focused on outdoor adventure. And it just so happens they took off on a major long-term trip through the US, Mexico, and beyond this weekend – head over to their site and wish them luck!
Why I Love This Blog: I adore Angel and Michelle’s focus on getting back to nature, from biking to camping and beyond. They write practical posts about adventure, from biking packing lists to a description of the Wilderness First Aid (WFA) certification.
Leah originally hails from the state of Washington, but since calling quits on conventional, she’s called everywhere from Thailand to Colombia home. The Mochilera Diaries, where she shares her journey, is heartfelt, curious, and addictively clickable.
Why I Love This Blog: Because Leah is a real life friend I met in a taxi cab in Arequipa, and every time I read one of her posts I’m reminded that she’s one of the smartest, funniest and most perceptive people I’ve met on my travels. I’ve featured her before!
Brooklyn-based illustrator and letterer Lauren Hom has created some incredibly fun and quirky projects, though none made me smile as big as 26 Letters 26,000 Miles. Lauren hopes to fund a year long journey by selling her sharply travel designed posters to fellow wander addicts. When you click over to her shop, I think you’ll agree she’s well on her way.
Why I Love This Shop: Because I get sent enough “fund my trip just because” campaigns to truly respect someone who is using their skills to make something beautiful and earn along the way.
Interested in becoming a featured blogger or shop? Read more here. Limited spots still remaining for September and October.
I really love Photos A, B, and C–they all have such a fun community kind of vibe. But, I think my vote is on Photo C for the win!
That whole day had a great sense of community about it, love that it comes through in the photos 🙂
It’s Photo D for me Alex – reading your New York itinerary exhausted me so much I needed a drink!
Ha, I know, right? So I’m sure you can understand why I’m enjoying some quiet time in Albany 🙂
Photo A! All of the colors and contrasts are just too beautiful to pass up. Also – I have friends who just recently returned from honeymooning in Aruba and they LOVED it there.
it’s A for me as well =)
Thanks Julie!
I’m literally squealing with excitement Marni! Can’t wait to be back on an island 🙂
They’re all beautiful shots, but something about photo D made me happy. There is always something special about returning to the places we love the most. So cheers to that 🙂 Have a great week!
Cheers indeed Justine. Thanks!
Photo C and D. pictures are so super cool, do you know Alex sometimes i forget that are you a professional blogger or photographer? it is difficult to differentiate because you do both things so good. keep up the good work my friend!
Thank you Chintan. That is so sweet to say 🙂
I am going for B. Been attempting yoga myself though not very flexible. I’ve been enjoying your blog for sometime Alex. It’s about time I got back to mine.
I’ve very flexible but struggle with balance and can always work on strength. Yoga is for everyone! 🙂
The Albany photo looks like Aruba 🙂
You’ve gotta good eye and uncanny ability to make almost anything look great.
Now lets see a shot from Aruba look like Albany!
Watch this space in two weeks… we’ll see what I can do 🙂
I am going for Photo A – it’s just fun!
It was indeed, Hayley! Such a fun day.
I love D! It looks so relaxing.
Having a hectic day, and you’re right — I wish I could transport myself there right now!
Oh loving the dusk shots so it’s a toss between A and C.
Those are my faves too. Love taking silhouette shots.
I’m torn between A and C. Your Equilibrio friends look like a fun crew! Also, yes to Heart my Backpack – I love Silvia’s writing.
Isn’t she great? I tip my hat to her when it comes to true adventuring!
Ah, I love Yoga! So my favorite photo is B. 🙂 This looks like the perfect place to do yoga, right on the beach.
Check my instagram for another really cool yoga shot from that day! We attracted some stares but it was well worth it 🙂
Photo A and C for me! I have always been a sucker for dusk pictures, so there’s that, and these just give off a great feeling. Especially photo C, the contrast and colors are just wonderful.
I love the featured blogger program by the way! Such a great way to both help out fellow bloggers and give your readers the opportunity to get to know new blogs. I started reading The Mochilera Diaries quite recently, but haven’t heard of the other blogs, so I’ll definitely be checking those out.
Thanks Lisa, I’ve been wanting to do it for a while now and am so glad I finally got it together! Hope you find a new favorite.
My favorite picture is Photo A, but that drink in Photo D looks mighty fine, too! 😉 Have fun in the Caribbean – I can’t wait to see what tropical pictures you’re going to share with us next week! 🙂
Actually, it will be two weeks from now — I’ll just be taking off as the next Photo of the Week goes live, and I’ll definitely struggle to find a good photo to post when I’ve spent all week in my sweatpants working and my yoga pants working out, ha.
Wow! Photo A is most definitely my favourite. I hope to visit New York one day 🙂
It’s definitely worth a spot on anyone’s bucket list 🙂 What a city!
I love photo D [maybe because it doesn’t feature a crowd, I’d love less people]. It’s simple but lovely, that drink makes me crave for it.
I get that, I like a nice mix of crowds and comfortable alone time 🙂
D! Silhouettes and sunsets, hooray!
You know I can’t resist a good silhouette!
Photo A – love the rainbow! So excited to read about your upcoming dive adventures. Girl you need to get back underwater – you’re losing your gills!
I know! Over two months since my last dive…
“Dusting off my passport,” GOOD ONE ALEX. Your passport has never sat long enough to collect dust, and I doubt it ever will 🙂
Your shoutout was so sweet! I’m beyond grateful for that fateful taxi ride in Peru. Where would I be today without you?! xx
Clearly you’ve never been in my childhood bedroom, in which dust and other allergens set in within a week. I’ve been here in the USA for more than two months! Woot woot! Also please come to Koh Tao the end <3
The silhouette in C is stunning!!!
Can’t wait to see what kind of creative beach shots we come up with next week… insert heart-eyed emoji here.
I love all the photos – but the fire twirling one is awesome: the contrast in the photo is amazing.
Thanks Rashaad! I was laying down flat in the sand to get that shot 🙂