Southerner Says | Road Trip Travel Explore

March 18, 2020

Netflix & Quarantine | What to Watch on Netflix During a Lockdown

My how the times have changed. We were all just planning our summer travel and road trips and now, we need to shelter in place? So exactly what does a travel blogger do when they can’t travel? Catch up on blog work for sure but they also do what anyone else does. Watch Netflix. Well, at least this travel blogger does. Thanks to internet entertainment like Netflix, there’s a whole slew of binge worthy series and movies to keep you...

February 18, 2020

Road Trip 101: How to Plan a Road Trip

Is the open road calling your name? Do you want to plan a road trip but just don’t know where to start? While there is something to be said for spontaneity, good road trips don’t just happen. At least not cross country, high mileage road trips. You might be able to leave some things unplanned, but some advance preparation is necessary to complete a successful, fun road trip. Here’s a few tips and things to get you started. Pick Your...

January 30, 2020

Drink Like a Local With Little Rock’s Locally Labeled Passport

Are you headed to Little Rock, Arkansas soon? Learn how to drink like a local on Little Rock's Locally Labeled trail that includes 6 breweries, 2 wineries and a distillery. You even get a cute passport for stamping.

January 19, 2020

Where to Eat in Puerto Vallarta

There’s no shortage of great places to eat in Puerto Vallarta. Each unique neighborhood has plenty of choices to please any palate. Unless you have a rental car, most people tend to eat in the area they are staying, so I’ve divided this post into the hotels zones just like in my where to stay in Puerto Vallarta post. Here’s my suggestions about where to eat in Puerto Vallarta and for kicks, some drink suggestions too. Marina Vallarta The Marina...

January 15, 2020

Tasty St Louis BBQ

As a Southerner, I’m no stranger to BBQ. Restaurants announcing “the best BBQ” are a dime a dozen up and down the roads of the south. BBQ is so good, I’m skeptical to even try it in other parts of the country. But when I visited St Louis and saw all the billboards for St Louis BBQ, I knew I had to try some while I was there and see how it stacked up against southern BBQ. Turns out…pretty good....

December 31, 2019

My Favorite Travel Moments of 2019

My goal for 2020 is to say yes to new adventures or I should say, yes to MORE new adventures. I had plenty in 2019. I visited two new countries and revisited some other favorites. Driving almost 20k miles in road trips, I crisscrossed the country several times, road tripped Baja and camped solo for the first time. I had lots of the good moments that either didn’t make into a post or I just haven’t written about yet. I’m...

December 31, 2019

2019 Favorite Travel Destination & Year End Wrap Up

What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time, I was just a few months into my blogging journey. I had moved to a new town at the first of 2018 and we were deep into a home remodel. My daughter was still away at college. I had the best travel year ever, checking off some longtime bucketlist destinations like Iceland and Cuba. This year, while the travel has been very good everything else has been, to put...

December 5, 2019

4 Easy Day Trips from Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta is such a perfect getaway, you may never want to leave the city center. And that's perfectly fine. But you would really be missing out if you didn't take a day or so and do some exploring. There are many charming beaches and small towns on the coast. Here's a few of my favorite real day trips from Puerto Vallarta to get you started.

November 30, 2019

What No One Told Me About Traveling Solo

I traveled for work for years before I even considered taking a solo trip for fun. Sure, I knew there it had kind of become a thing. But as a gen xer with a family, was I really going to start now? Yes! I was lucky enough to have a job that we worked in quarters. As long as my work was completed, I could do whatever I liked until we started up again. Most people don’t have jobs like...

August 21, 2019

How to Spend 24 Hours in Guadalajara

Traveling through Guadalarjara or just have a layover there? You'd be surprised how much you can see a in a day. Here's how to spend 24 hours in Guadalajara and explore the historic center

August 13, 2019

10 Times Songs Made You Wish You Were on a Road Trip

I love road trips. If I’m not on a road trip, I’m either planning a road trip or dreaming about one. Since road trips and music go together like cheese dip and tortillas, I made a playlist of songs that make me wish I was on a road trip. Turn up the volume! 1. U2 | Beautiful Day How can you listen to this song and not want to take a road trip and see the country? Even though the...

July 8, 2019

What is the America the Beautiful Pass?

“National parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst” If the parks are our best idea then the America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Lands pass may just be the second best idea. What is the America the Beautiful Pass? The America the Beautiful pass or the US park pass is a pass that you can purchase for $80 USD. The pass covers your entrance...

July 2, 2019

9 Amazing Things To Do Off the Vegas Strip

I love a Vegas vacation but I’ll be the first to admit that after a few days, I start to crave a change of scenery. The good news is, you don’t have to go very far to find it. Southern Nevada is full of natural beauty and really some cute towns. All within a few miles of the Vegas strip. Even if you didn’t pack your hiking boots, most of the areas have scenic drives or some paved walkways. Here’s...

June 23, 2019

Where to Eat & Drink in La Paz, Baja Mexico

Some of the best food, not to mention the best fish tacos, I’ve ever eaten while traveling in Mexico was in La Paz. La Paz is located on the eastern side of the Baja peninsula in Baja California Sur. Its location right on the the pristine blue Sea of Cortez means super fresh seafood and some of the best views from the restaurants located on the beachfront malecon or boardwalk. But it wasn’t just the seafood that was amazing. Breakfast...

June 1, 2019

What’s the Best Area to Stay in Puerto Vallarta?

-This post was updated November 2019- Are you planning a vacation to Puerto Vallarta but not sure what’s the best area or zone to stay in? Picking the right neighborhood can save time and even money that you might spend on transportation if you aren’t in an area that fit your needs. When I planned my first trip to Vallarta, I didn’t know what zone to pick either. Fortunately now, I’ve been able to visit a few times and actually...

June 1, 2019

Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve

We were excited as we drove the isolated back roads through Idaho to Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. My daughter and I were halfway through a 5500 mile road trip from Georgia that included Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Glacier National Park. We had been driving all day from Montana and we really wanted to be out of the car. Mainly, we were excited to see the park. We had talked about visiting Craters of the Moon...

May 2, 2019

The Lowdown on Where to Eat in Little Rock

Who would have thought that cheese dip would be the reason I’d finally get to spend some time in Arkansas? Definitely not me. You see, I had no idea that Little Rock was the birth place of cheese dip. Nor did I know they had a whole festival to celebrate it. But when the the Little Rock Convention & Visitor’s Bureau asked me to come and check out the festival as part of a Savor Arkansas food tour, I said...

April 21, 2019

12 Ultimate Must Do’s in Mexico City

It's no secret I love Mexico and Mexico City is where I fell in love with this beautiful country. I've been lucky enough to visit several times now and I know my love is here to stay. Whether it's your first time or your tenth, I've come up with a few must do's in Mexico City. Be warned; you might just fall in love too.

April 9, 2019

How to Spend 48 Hours in Sayulita, Mexico

Confession. I almost didn’t go to Sayulita. When I was considering going, everyone I mentioned it to said it had changed a lot. They said it was too crowded, too commercial and had too many gringos. Yikes. But since I was already in Puerto Vallarta, the proximity made going there a no brainer. I had time, so why not spend 48 hours in Sayulita? Surprise! It’s adorable! I had way more fun than I thought I would. In the last decade,...

April 8, 2019

How to Visit las Islas Marietas on a Tour

Just five miles off the Pacific ocean, near Puerto Vallarta and Punta Mita lies a group of uninhabited islands called las Islas Marietas or the Marieta Islands in English. Even if you aren’t familiar with the name of the islands themselves, you’ve probably seen photos of the crater like Hidden Beach or Playa del Amor, floating around on the internet. I had a chance to visit the islands as part of a trip to Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita. Even though...