A Photo Essay: Boulders Beach in Simon’s Town, South Africa

by courtnygaard@gmail.com | April 27, 2018 | Photo Essay, Photographs, South Africa | 5 Comments

Boulders Beach in Simon's Town, South Africa is a magical place! Driving down to Simon's Town for the day was so worth the trip. Seriously though, these penguins couldn't be any cuter and seeing them in the wild is the proper way to encounter a penguin. Don't skip...

A Rah’mn Date Night in St. Paul

by courtnygaard@gmail.com | January 30, 2018 | Date Nights in the Twin Cities | 4 Comments

Life has a way of getting busy. I mean, that's life, right? Well, sometimes you can get super busy for so long, that you forget to date your spouse. Sound familiar? We started racking our brains (and the brains of Google, if we're being completely honest) looking for...

Hotel Alfonso XIII

by courtnygaard@gmail.com | December 8, 2017 | Hotel Reviews | 3 Comments

Set in the beige, sun-drenched tones of southern Spain is Hotel Alfonso XIII, a Starwood Luxury Collection property. The gates and grounds feel like a step into yesteryear, while the rooms and amenities are current and cater to your every whim. Throughout the course...

What to Look For When Purchasing Luggage

by courtnygaard@gmail.com | December 3, 2017 | Baggage Handler's Guide, Luggage | 2 Comments

I have worked for over five years now out on the ramp. My job consists of loading mail, freight, unloading bags, transferring bags, as well as loading bags in carts, cans, bins and onto belts. During this time it’s occurred to me that I’ve seen a lot of luggage....

What to Pack for Ireland in the Fall (for her)

by courtnygaard@gmail.com | November 24, 2017 | Europe, Ireland, Packing, Travel Advice | 0 Comments

Ireland in the fall is a dream. The weather is cool and brisk, perfect for exploring the lush countryside without breaking a sweat. But, it's still Ireland...It's still next to the sea/ocean and that means some things! There will be wind, mist, rain, and the weather...

Santa Marinella- the Perfect Day Trip to the Beach from Rome

by courtnygaard@gmail.com | August 28, 2017 | Europe, Travel Advice | 7 Comments

If you are in Rome during the summer, you are going to want to get out of the heat! Seriously though, Rome gets super hot and the idea of going to the beach suddenly rises to the top of your list even if you're not a beach person. Santa Marinella is the perfect day...

A Photo Essay: Hiking in Espoo, Finland

by courtnygaard@gmail.com | May 23, 2017 | Finland, Photo Essay | 3 Comments

Through a crazy set of events in South America, we had the distinct pleasure of being invited to stay with some gorgeous souls in Finland. We jumped at the chance, and moments after flight AY666 from Copenhagen to Helsinki landed, our friends took us to lovely Espoo,...

A Tale of Finland and Fast Friends (A Day at Mökki)

by courtnygaard@gmail.com | March 26, 2017 | Cultural Anecdotes, Finland, Travel Stories | 3 Comments

Picking up where we left off on the last post, we’d just finished a fine brunch loaded with Finnish flare and dairy. The smoke sauna was pretty well curating itself at this point as the embers slowly churned out our evening’s plans and we were off to make rounds....

A Tale of Finland and Fast Friends (Good Night, Mökki, Good Morning, Mökki)

by courtnygaard@gmail.com | March 1, 2017 | Finland, Travel Stories | 0 Comments

Shortly after getting settled in at mökki and placing our glasses freshly relieved of their properly garnished welcome-beverages in the sink, we prepped for the true Finnish experience: Round one of sauna. This would be of a wood fire heated varietal. We packed a...

A Tale of Finland and Fast Friends (The Arrival at Mökki)

by courtnygaard@gmail.com | February 19, 2017 | Finland, Travel Stories | 2 Comments

Flight AY666 from Copenhagen to Helsinki landed without a hitch. The moment of truth. It did start to click in our heads for a bit that, yes, in fact, we had actually only spent one evening/late-late-evening with these two…and truth be told, this could be a little...

Hi, we’re Lamar, Courtney and kids!

We live in Minnesota and love traveling as much as we can. Our first international trip together was to Spain & Belgium in the summer of 2013. We now have two little ones we bring along on our adventures.

This all started as two newlyweds trying to kill off their travel bugs. Silly us! It only got us started. We love to learn, and the World keeps us coming back for more.

Our travel style has changed since we had kids. No more one-day trips to Amsterdam or two-day weekend visits to Guatemala City. Traveling as a family takes being a bit more intentional now. Life is a compilation of seasons and we hope to induce travel into each and every one of them, even if it looks a bit different.

We are forever fascinated with the way language and culture are communicated in various ways throughout the globe and we love sharing that with our kids. Food, transportation, people, and the journey of it all are intrinsically beautiful. Here’s to hoping we can turn our knowledge gained, into ideas and experiences under your belt as well. Travel is far too beautiful a commodity to keep to oneself!

LATEST ON THE BLOG:

A Photo Essay: Boulders Beach in Simon’s Town, South Africa

Apr 27, 2018 | Photo Essay, Photographs, South Africa

Boulders Beach in Simon's Town, South Africa is a magical place! Driving down to Simon's Town for the day was so worth the trip. Seriously though, these penguins couldn't be any cuter and seeing them in the wild is the proper way to encounter a penguin. Don't skip...

A Rah’mn Date Night in St. Paul

Jan 30, 2018 | Date Nights in the Twin Cities

Life has a way of getting busy. I mean, that's life, right? Well, sometimes you can get super busy for so long, that you forget to date your spouse. Sound familiar? We started racking our brains (and the brains of Google, if we're being completely honest) looking for...

Hotel Alfonso XIII

Dec 8, 2017 | Hotel Reviews

Set in the beige, sun-drenched tones of southern Spain is Hotel Alfonso XIII, a Starwood Luxury Collection property. The gates and grounds feel like a step into yesteryear, while the rooms and amenities are current and cater to your every whim. Throughout the course...