We took a three-week Tanzania safari trip for our honeymoon. We did all the research, and perused every safari packing list, and yet we still found ourselves in the middle of the Serengeti wishing we had brought a few things. So here are all the Tanzania safari tips we either were glad to have known or we wished someone had told us…
Pack for a Purpose: How to use your vacation to bring needed supplies to local communities
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…
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…
How I packed for my weekend trip with one carry on
I never feel more badass than when I board a plane with only a carry-on, then get off and walk straight to the pickup curb. That’s right, I just used a plane as a freaking taxi, yo! And it’s because I’m pretty good at packing light. My top tricks for packing light include: A simple color palette (mine is always black and grey) High-end athleisure wear (Athleta is my go-to for comfort and style) Comfortable walking shoes that can also look dressy (I’ll get to that later) Wearing the bulkiest items on the plane (coats, extra layers, bigger shoes, etc) We just flew from Atlanta to Sacramento for the weekend,…
#Morocstars: Tips for managing your “traveling women in Morocco” anxiety
While Mike was producing Prison Break Season 5, we got the opportunity to go to Morocco, since they needed to use the desert town of Ouarzazate for their exterior “Yemen” scenes.) This meant we’d be “living” in Morocco for almost three weeks. While I was excited as hell about traveling to Morocco, I was worried about a few things… I googled stuff obsessively: “Women in Morocco,” “what to wear in Morocco,” “American women in Morocco,” “living in the Berbere Palace,” and on and on and on… including brushing up on my travel safety tips and freaking myself out a little bit more. But in short: Living in Morocco is a lot more…
These noise canceling headphones are perfect for travel
I’ve never owned a pair of noise canceling headphones before. For years now, my parents have sworn by these guys for their many many many flights a year. They even offered to purchase a pair for me for MY many many many flights a year… but they’re just SO BULKY for a carry-on. So I’ve just been using my iPhone earbuds, and, like psssh noise canceling headphones whatever. I didn’t get the appeal. But I was gifted the Bose Noise Canceling Earbuds, and HOLY CRAP! I get it now…
What to pack for Bogota with tips from someone who lives there
We were heading for Colombia in December, and my huge question was: what to pack for Bogota? Fortunately, we have friends who’ve been living and working in Colombia for a couple years (shout out to Narcos!). So we reached out to them to get some tips on what to pack for Bogota in December. Although most of these tips will work for any time of year! Here are the super-helpful tips from our friend and fabulous Colombian chica Shelly…
