Last Saturday morning, I dropped Caroline off at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. Her flight was at 7 am. This left me with a bunch of time to do some exploring in the greater D.C. area and northern Virginia. The first thing I did was drive to Great Falls Park, where I arrived before…
Northumberland National Park may not be the most well-known of the English national parks—for one, it is one of the most remote and least visited—but it is absolutely spectacular. Situated in the far northeast of England, it comprises a landscape of expansive meadows and undulating hills, bogs and wetlands, forests and ruins. Inarguably the star…
Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains are home to countless hiking trails, some short and easy, others strenuous and long. Among the best day hikes in this wonderfully lush and scenic region is the one to the summit of The Priest. The Priest is a mountain in the Religious Range of the Blue Ridge Mountains—the tallest mountain…
I can’t say that I’m one of those people who hate Mondays, especially if a Monday involves a hot air balloon ride in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. One of the biggest perks of being a travel blogger, as well as of being married to a creative, part-time freelancing girl, is that, instead of getting up…
The eastern Rivièra of Liguria, on the northwestern coast of Italy, features some of Mediterranean Europe’s most spectacular coastlines. The absolute star attraction of this dramatic stretch of coastline is Cinque Terre National Park, or Parco Nazionale Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre in Italian. This UNESCO World Heritage Site comprises an 18-kilometer-long (11-mile) coast of…
There’s nothing quite like looking at beautiful pictures from a specific destination to instantaneously induce wanderlust. These new “national park photo inspiration” posts are aimed at doing just that: making you want to visit a certain national park. In this case, Acadia National Park. Acadia National Park is the only national park in New England,…
Big Meadows is one of the star attractions in Shenandoah National Park. Situated on milepost 51, this large expanse of grasslands dotted with patches of trees and groups of shrubs is absolutely worth a stop. This is also the location of the excellent Byrd Visitor Center, a complex consisting of an exhibit on Shenandoah National…
When Caroline and I were driving along Shenandoah National Park’s epic Skyline Drive last week, we stopped to check out Dark Hollow Falls, but also at the Byrd Visitor Center at Big Meadows to pick up a hiking guide. The views from that visitor center, incidentally, are pretty great, so definitely make sure to stop…
Shenandoah National Park is famous for many things. There is iconic, absolutely spectacular Skyline Drive. 40% of the park’s surface is designated wilderness; it is home to the densest black bear population in the United States. And there are various spectacular waterfalls. One of the most popular waterfalls in Shenandoah National Park is Dark Hollow Falls….
North Dakota is home to no fewer than five national parks, trails and historic sites, which protect and preserve both Native American and pioneering history, as well as some of the most beautiful landscapes in the northern Midwest.
The northernmost national park in England, Northumberland National Park is situated between the border with Scotland in the north and Hadrian’s Wall in the south. Covering more than 1,000 square kilometers (400 square miles), this is both one of the least populated and least visited national parks in England. Northumberland National Park is one of…
Ireland. The island of legends and leprechauns, of ruined castles and abandoned abbeys, of trad music and pubs, of clovers and St. Patrick. There can be no denying that Ireland is an enchanting country. That is why many people from all over the world dress up in green and drink Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day….
After a handful of blog posts (see below), I think I’ve made it clear that I’m quite fond of Slovenia. We spent a week in that gloriously diverse southeastern European country last summer and were totally overwhelmed by what it has to offer. Hopefully, the selection of Slovenia photos in this photo essay will inspire…
I won’t say that the United States is the world’s best country for road trips—that award goes to Australia, in my opinion—but it’s a darn close second. From the Appalachian Mountains that parallel the East Coast to the Rocky Mountains in the west, and from the Great Lakes to the wetlands of the Deep South,…