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…
Eat, Don’t be Prey, Love: Our top 10 favorite safari honeymoon moments
You may have already heard all about the hardest parts of our “Eat, Don’t be Prey, Love” safari honeymoon. But there were far more amazing parts! So we broke them down into this easy-to-digest Top 10 moments (mostly in chronological order):
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:
Snow, swan boats and sulfur: Our quick trip to Hakone
Mike: Megan gets a little overwhelmed in New York, so I thought she might get triggered in Tokyo, being surrounded by endless skyscrapers. When we booked our trip to Japan, I scheduled a night in the mountain town of Hakone as a brief respite from the city. Turned out that Megan was just fine in Tokyo, but we’re still glad we hit this charming resort spot. Megan: After our six days in Tokyo, we jumped on the RomanceCar (the not-really-appropriate name for the very-ordinary train to Hakone) and left the city behind…
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…
Drunk on kitsch and booze: Our first foodie trip to Tokyo
Last year, Mike and I decided to take a last-minute foodie trip to Tokyo. It was both of our first times in Japan. Here’s Part One of our oral history: Our time in Tokyo. Day One: Shinjuku and Golden Gai Mike: We got our first taste of Japan on the train from the Haneda airport to our hotel in Shinjuku. People were extremely quiet and extremely courteous (even offering to help as I bumbled through buying a train ticket). There was no litter anywhere. And every element of life has been intelligently considered and perfectly engineered. Nothing in Japan happens by accident. Megan: I still don’t think I’ve had as…
13 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…
