MY TRAVEL BLOG
This page is home to all the big trips I've taken in the last 10 years!
(I am working on also compiling my trips within the US and Canada, since you aren't going to find most of those on here.)
If you are interested in travel planning, I would love to chat with you! I have a page specifically outlining some of the trips I've helped plan for others: TRAVEL PLANNING
Search by trip:
PUERTO RICO 2020
With a last minute cheap flight, I booked a trip down to Puerto Rico for New Years with a few friends. We stayed at the most beautiful spot and spent several days wandering around Old San Juan. We then headed east to go hiking in the El Yunque National Forest – I honestly didn't expect the rainforest to be as rainy as it was! – and then all the way to the east coast to see the glowing lights at Bioluminescent Bay! We had a great time exploring and then came back to spend some more time in quaint Old San Juan. I seriously could not get enough of the charming colorful buildings and the picturesque streets! I mean come on with this sweet local man playing guitar on the steps! What a dream!
PORTUGAL & FRANCE 2019
Literally the most impromptu and unplanned trip I've ever taken, I booked this last minute escape, and 48 hours later I was sitting on the beach in Cannes. The trip was a much-needed getaway and provide just the solace I needed: meandering. Sometimes all you need is to go for a walk– and what better place to walk around? Southern France is one of the most magical places in the world, without a doubt. The beaches, the cocktails, and of course, the language! After leaving France, I headed to Lisbon, Portugal, and was charmed yet again. Man, this city has a nightlife, that's for sure! And is also the most hilly city I've ever been to!! But I would recommend it to anyone– it's something else :)
BELGIUM 2018
I took a little getaway to explore beautiful and historic Belgium this weekend! I started in Brussels, and I loved the all murals – especially Tin Tin and the Smurfs! – but I didn't particularly fall for the city (...especially after I got mugged). Everyone said I needed to go to Bruges, so I headed there next. Bruges was picturesque but turned out to be way too touristy, full of tour groups following around guides toting umbrellas. But the people who know me best told me I would love Ghent, and boy were they right. I ended up spending most of my time at the most charming historic hotel on the river, overlooking St. Michael's Bridge, and the postcard shot of the 3 most significant buildings from 10th century Gent-past: the Korenmarkt, Saint Nicholas Church, and the Belfry. Plus, Ghent is 100% chocolate, french fries, and vegetarian food!! Cmon. One of my new favorite cities of all time.
LONDON & AMSTERDAM 2018
I've been spending more and more time overseas, and am very fortunate to have so many clients in beautiful cities around the world, like London and Amsterdam. I've spent time in both cities before when I was younger, but this trip I got a bit more time to explore them from a different perspective ...in between work meetings, showcases, and even a massive music festival in The Netherlands :) I basically did a mini sweets tour in London– hitting every bakery, ice cream parlour, and chocolate shoppe– while meandering through bustling streets in Storeditch and beautiful wide boulevards in Kensington. In Amsterdam, my tour was filled with mostly flowers and bicycles, as I wandered down crowded alleys and walked alongside every single canal! I even took a boat out on the canals one afternoon :)
MOROCCO 2018
I was excited about visiting Morocco but our trip even exceeded my expectations!
I think as an entire country, Morocco may have just topped my list! It has absolutely everything you could imagine– incredible cities with rich history, stunning architecture, and century-old markets, vast deserts and sand dunes with starry night skies, cut by the true original "oasis" of lush fields of palms trees, immense canyons and gorges fed by natural springs, charming ski mountain towns surrounded by massive dense cedar forests, plus orchards, vineyards, and surfable beaches. Plus they speak French!! Seriously, what more could you ask for?
ICELAND 2017
I finally got to visit Iceland – the land of fire and ice (and a thousand waterfalls!) – and I convinced one of my best friends to join me for the long weekend! We started off with a spa day at the Blue Lagoon, and then spent some time in Reykjavik. After exploring the Golden Circle, including Thingvellir National Park, the original namesake "Geysir" Geysir, and Gullfoss waterfall, we headed east to Vik and then the spectacular Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon! We even saw the northern lights– both over the city, and stretching across the wide open night sky!
Iceland you are crazy magnificent and awe inspiring and keep reminding me how small I am in this world. I am in pure awe.
SCANDINAVIA 2017
With more and more of our clients in Copenhagen and Stockholm, I decided to double up and take some work meetings and explore two new countries– Denmark and Sweden. In Copenhagen, I met up with one of my oldest friends, a head chef, who got us reservations at René Redzepi's Noma– literally the best food in the entire world. Plus I spent hours at Tivoli Gardens, which was Walt Disney's inspiration for creating Disneyland. In Stockholm, I was amazed at the incredible murals covering the walls of the subway stations... and perhaps the trip highlight was our hotel in Stockholm (which I was excited about for months!), a 17th century vaulted underground cave in the heart of the old town, each room designed to replicate a vintage fairytale– and ours was the Princess and the Bear!
FRANCE, CROATIA, & MONTENEGRO 2016
I love my sister, but we don't get to travel together that often anymore. This trip was extra special as we were on our way to celebrate the wedding of her oldest and best friend! On our way, we stopped to explore Croatia and Montenegro
...and of course, a bit of Paris :) I was excited to go to Plitvice Lakes, the most magnificent National Park of bright teal lakes connected by cascading waterfalls, set in northern Croatia. It was truly magical! As spectacular as Dubrovnik was, my favorite city was the charming Split. Just as much history, museums, and palaces, but less touristy, with fantastic local wine and cheese shops and truffle oil galore!
USA WEST COAST 2016
I realized in my mid 20s that I had been to more countries in the world than states in my own country, and I decided I needed to change that. I was managing an artist at the time, and booked her a west coast tour ...partially so that I could get to visit a whole bunch of cities and states that I hadn't spent much time in. Several weeks cooped up in a tiny car with lots of equipment, but I got to explore the glory of Washington, Oregon, and California, and then Nevada, Utah, and Colorado– including some of the national parks like Yosemite!
Click here to see more photos and read a bit more about the journey!
CUBA 2016
One of the best birthday trips to date: I snuck away right after the embargo was lifted to celebrate my birthday with an old friend in an even older city, Havana, Cuba. And it truly was like traveling back in time. A city where the cars are from the 60s, people shout to their neighbors through open windows, and women walk to the bakery in the morning with their curlers still in. It's like nothing I had ever seen before. Not to mention, the entire city is so picturesque! Colorful buildings, colorful cars, and colorful people! It was a meandering photographer's dream! I even found a gritty indie rock music venue and we checked out a local alt band on Saturday night– just like being back home in Nashville!
CARIBBEAN CRUISE 2015
I had the opportunity to go on a Caribbean Cruise super last minute over Thanksgiving with some friends and decided why not! It was not only incredibly fun, but turned out to be incredibly beautiful as well. We started in Key West, FL - the end of Route 1 - the southern most tip of the US. I had never been before and it was so charming! We then headed down to the Caribbean, and on to Mexico. I woke up early every morning and did sunrise yoga on the top deck, followed by a peaceful breakfast by myself since most everyone else slept in. I didn't take very many photos except a few on my phone and a handful of videos on my GoPro, but it was a much needed getaway!
TANZANIAN SAFARI 2014
We began our week-long safari out of Arusha, Tanzania with our wonderful guide Charles. I suppose, at the time, he was just our guide Charles, but I can say this now because we just spent 8 days with him, Charles was the most knowledgeable, friendly, wonderfully caring, and most go-getter guide we could have ever asked for! And these pictures are just the beginning. We thought we were going to see a few animals. Boy, how we were mistaken! A few... more like a few THOUSAND. And no exaggeration there. Like I said, this was just the beginning.
To read more... click here.
SOUTHEAST ASIA 2014
One of our many Liz & Daniela trips– this one to Thailand and Cambodia, plus a stopover in Taiwan! I also sprinkled in some photos from Singapore and Indonesia from when I was there in 2010, thus rounding out my SE Asia travel to date.
We arrived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s busy capital, and had a few days to explore. (Click here to read more about Phnom Penh.) In Siem Reap, we got up at 4am to see Angkor Wat at sunrise, and after a couple days, we had a pretty wild last night in Cambodia! Thailand was the best– stunning temples in Bangkok, colorful markets, and the most beautiful beaches– and we stayed at a gorgeous resort in Krabi for only $25/day! Plus I ate the best local pad Thai every single day!
GREECE & TURKEY 2013
Top of the bucket list, crossed off!! I cannot tell you how long I've wanted to visit the Greek islands to see these breathtaking shades of blue for myself! I will say though, two incredible things about this trip really surprised me: Nafplio and Istanbul. Istanbul because it was so incredibly vibrant and colorful! So many markets and wonderful smells! And if you are in Athens for more than one day, make the extra journey to Nafplio, the original ancient capitol of Greece.
Another annual Liz & Daniela trip to another part of the world :)
To read more about both of those cities, plus Athens and more... click here.
PANAMA 2012
I just went on an amazing vacation with my best friend to Panama, Central America, to visit her family and one of our other close friends. What was incredible about my trip is that I got a chance to see three very different sides of Panama: I did the touristy thing, saw Panama City and the Panama Canal; I got to see how the locals live, in their small towns and villages, picking up their kids from school on their bicycles; and then I also got to see how the wealthy live, in their gorgeous villas and resort-style waterfront mansions. Panama is a truly beautiful country, especially the coastline, and I'm sure it will become a vacation spot for many more very soon. And the best part: the black sand sparkles like diamonds!
ITALY 2011
Last week I took a little vacation to go visit my (not-so-)baby sister in Italy! I got a chance to visit some of the most historic and beautiful places in all of Europe, and also had one of the most insane adventures, on top of getting to spend time with my family! It was truly perfect!
My trip began in quaint Firenze, then we headed to Pisa, Cinque Terre (crazy story here!), Rome, and lastly, the beautiful Venice! I wrote a bit more about each place, so if you want to hear more of the stories, click here.
EASTERN EUROPE 2011
My best friend Daniela and I are lucky enough to get to spend 10 days traveling Eastern Europe before graduation. We chose to start with Prague, a gorgeous city that I have come to call a "medieval fairytale kingdom." It's even complete with a natural moat, the beautiful Vltava river. It has quickly become one of my most favorite cities in the world! If you can, you must try to get here.
After the Czech Republic, we then went on to Austria and Poland.
To read more about the entire trip, click here.
NEW ZEALAND 2010
Spring break in New Zealand! Quick stopover on the north island before heading down for the full two weeks on the south island. First stop: Christchurch. Exploring the charming city, going whitewater rafting, and even going out into the country to see the original shooting locations of the Lord of the Rings films! Then on to do some Glacier hiking in Franz Josef Glacier– one of only two places in the world where the glacier cuts straight through the rainforest! You literally go from hiking in 85˚ and extremely humid to 25˚ and bone dry. We went to Castle Rock, went skydiving over Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown, and got to see Reflection Lake, and the spectacular Milford Sound. The best part: we opted to not do a group guided trip, so we could explore at our own pace, and it was so worth it!! Wow.
AUSTRALIA 2010
I lived in Australia for 7 months and traveled almost every weekend, so it's extremely hard to summarize my trip in just a few photos. I lived in Sydney– my apartment was in the heart of Newtown right on King Street. I spent several weekends in Cairns, where I got scuba certified and went diving in the Great Barrier Reef! I loved my time in Melbourne– I got to explore the Great Ocean Road, see the Twelve Apostles, Shipwreck Cove, and the penguin parade at sunset on Phillip Island. But my absolutely favorite place was the Whitsunday Islands. After a mistake in scheduling from the ships, we ended up on a luxury 10-day boat, where we spent days snorkeling, scuba diving, and lounging on Whitehaven Beach (the #1 beach in the world), and nights with guided star gazing on the top deck. It was truly spectacular and I cannot recommend the Whitsunday Islands enough.
Additional trips: more archived blog posts from smaller, less significant trips coming soon...