When we were planning our honeymoon safari, Courtney — the fantastic African Travel Resource agent who booked our trip for us — let us know about a charitable program called Pack for a Purpose. It’s a program that encourages travelers to Africa (and so many other destinations!) to bring much-needed school supplies with them. We were really lucky to be able to do this for several reasons: One of our places to stay was Gibb’s Farm, and they’re one of the places that works with Pack for a Purpose. Plus it was our second stop on our trip. Which meant we wouldn’t be taking many vehicles that would force us…
How to stop tstetse flies from biting you
I just got back from a three-week safari trip in Tanzania. Everything was awesome, except for the dreaded tsetse flies. If you’ve googled how to avoid them and ended up here, you’ve probably already found out that they’re the large biting flies in Africa that hurt and can transmit disease and DEET does nothing to dissuade them. But you probably haven’t found any information on how to avoid them. After a lot of painful trial and error, I finally found the trick that no one else mentioned on the interwebs…
10 reasons a honeymoon safari isn’t as sexy as you think (and 1 reason it’s the MOST sexy)
One afternoon on our honeymoon safari, while bundled up in the back of an open-aired Jeep, surrounded by biting flies, waiting for a cheetah to murder an impala before it started to rain, I realized: a safari honeymoon is nowhere near as sexy as I thought it would be. Here are the top 10 reasons why:
How I completed my Machu Picchu packing list almost entirely from one site
For our first “married Christmas” we spent the holidays hiking our way to Machu Picchu. We started on Christmas day, and got to Machu Picchu on New Years Eve. It was amazing. What I was NOT stoked about was having to shop (which I hate!) for clothes for something I had zero experience with (hiking trip through Peru during the Wet Season?). Luckily I had three things on my side… Mike’s already gone once to Machu Picchu in winter, so it’s nice that he has some ideas of what we were in for. A handy Machu Picchu packing list supplied by the company we used. My Athleta obsession. Yup, I…
Maui restaurants that’ll take you on a culinary vacation
My family has been living on Maui for over twenty years, and I’ve been visiting the island for long lengths of time — so much so that it’s become my second home. Over the years I’ve narrowed down my favorite Maui restaurants… these are the places that I hit up no matter if I’m there for one week or one month. These places are no ka oi and are must-visits on your Maui vacation:
The Dash and Dine’s guide to the best restaurants in Cusco, Peru
For our first “married Christmas” we decided to fly to Peru and take a group trek to Machu Picchu. In doing so, we ended up spending a lot of time in Cusco, Peru — 3 nights to let our bodies adjust to the altitude, and then back again for 2 extra nights after the trek. We absolutely fell in love with the town, and along the way, we found some of our favorite restaurants in Cusco…
How to make a Pisco Sour (according to Peruvians)
Hola from Peru! We’re deep in the Sacred Valley on our trek towards Machu Picchu. But we’ve found strong enough wifi + just enough time to post something we learned that involves alcohol! If you’re looking for something fun to serve at your New Years Eve party, or just looking for a quick way to get your friends tipsy (Peruvian pisco can range from 60-80 proof!) we learned this recipe in Peru for their national cocktail — the Pisco Sour. We’ve been drinking and enjoying them all through our time in Peru, but we haven’t been able to drink as many as we’d like because alcohol and altitude don’t mix…
Gifts for drinkers and wine-lovers: The coolest & classiest alcohol gifts!
Need gifts for drinkers, wine-lovers, and party animals in general? I’ve rounded up some of the coolest and even classiest alcohol gifts for your favorite booze-hounds… Cute ways to drink… Give someone the gift of being the most stylish sneakily drunk person at your office with this flask bracelet! Animal head shot glasses. Right-side up, they’re adorable animal heads. Upside-down, they’re adorable vessels for gettin’ drunk. Meet the cutest hot toddy glasses in existence! Now no one needs worry about how to make the perfect hot drink on a cold day with this pair of glass mugs. Fancy cups This Moscow Mule set is the real deal — 100% copper…
Go to these restaurants in Charleston for a glutinous and amazing foodie trip
We’re lucky enough to be close friends with one of the best chefs to come to LA from South Carolina. (Avid readers may remember him as Ari, my chef friend at Red Medicine.) So when Mike and I decided to head to South Carolina for a weekend, we immediately emailed Ari to ask about the restaurants in Charleston that we HAD to try. Here are the places he recommended, plus some others we discovered during our glutinous and amazing foodie weekend trip to Charleston. Great restaurants in Charleston for foodies:
Perfect pancakes: Gifts, recipes, and goodies for pancake lovers
Usually I’m all about waffles. But I also have massive love for perfect pancakes. For me that means massive, fluffy insides, with a perfectly smooth brown top, and some fruit of some kind — either baked into said pancake, or as a compote on top. So here is my ode to not waffles pancakes: A round-up of pancake goodies, recipes, and gifts for pancake-lovers everywhere…