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The Easiest Way to Get the Southwest Companion Pass
Three Decembers ago, I opened my first Southwest credit cards and was set to hit the minimum spend on them early the following year. That...
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Tennessee Whiskey: How to Do Jack Daniel’s Distillery Right
We’re fortunate to live in a part of Tennessee rife with waterfalls, state parks and spirited attractions. And what kind of tourism...
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Travel Hacking for Beginners: The Best Travel Credit Cards [UPDATED]
As I continue my own credit card points journey, my list of personal best travel credit cards is constantly evolving. The opening of the first...
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April 2023 Highlights: The Highs + Lows
April may very well have been the greatest month ever (more on why below). The month kicked off with a solid week of being on the road, but of...
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5 Ways to Get Out and About in New Orleans
The problem with New Orleans , in my opinion, is that all you’re going to want to do while you’re there is eat … and drink … then...
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Hey Girl Hey! The Best Girls’ Trips in the United States
While my husband and I travel together frequently, I also spend a lot of my free time going on both work trips and getaways with my...
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How to Experience the Outdoors in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville today is very different than Knoxville in 2005 when I graduated from the University of Tennessee. Back then, Market...
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Visit Maker City: Exploring the Knoxville Art Scene In Depth
It’s no secret that Knoxville ranks high up on our list of must-visit destinations. Much of my family was born there, and I’m a...
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March 2023 Highlights: The Highs + Lows
As the months tick by at an increasingly more rapid speed, our calendar continues to get fuller. March was the last month in some time where...
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How We Went to Hawaii on Credit Card Points
If I’m being honest: Hawaii was not in the cards for us this year. We had already paid for a bucket list trip to Africa that...
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Knox Rocks: The Perfect Weekend in Knoxville, Tennessee
There’s no denying a weekend in Knoxville will give you a crash course into the new and progressive South, one rife in makers and full of...
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Should I Do a Doors-Off Helicopter in Maui? The View from Above
A few weeks before we got to Hawaii on my 40th birthday trip, I started looking into possible island activities . After all, while...
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How to Experience Whale Season in Maui
I’ve been to Hawaii a few times in the past—twice to Oahu, twice to the Big Island—but Maui was forever the holy grail for...
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February 2023 Highlights: The Highs + Lows
The shortest month of the year, February felt even shorter to us as we were in the middle of the Pacific for two weeks of it. I turned 40 on...
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New York for First Timers: What to Do in NYC
On the front end of last summer’s Europe trip, we spent four days in New York City . While I lived in Manhattan in my early...
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At 35, I Started Caring About My Skin: Here’s My Routine
The hardest thing about traveling so often is keeping a regular, healthy diet and a skincare routine compatible with TSA requirements and my...
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Is the SUMMIT Worth It? A View from NYC’s Tallest Tower
Last summer, we took my 18-year-old niece to New York City for the first time. Having been a former New Yorker, I had a pretty solid...
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Long Weekend in NYC: Four Perfect Days in New York
Being a former New Yorker, any chance to take a long weekend in New York City is always a treat. There’s something completely...
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Spring Vacation in the Panhandle: How to Plan a Weekend in PCB
Planning a Spring Break vacation at the beach? Chances are you might be considering a weekend in PCB—or maybe longer. Here’s...
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Global Entry vs. TSA PreCheck: Which One is Better?
As the “revenge travel” trend continues after two years of so many travelers being homebound, the airports are getting more...
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August 2022 Highlights: The Highs + Lows
August was an anomaly in that I was home the entire month. In fact, I’m on a 38-night streak sleeping in my own house, which is probably...
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What to Do When Your Airbnb Host Cancels Last Minute
We were less than 12 hours from leaving for our two-week trip to New York and Europe when I received a notification from Airbnb: Your host...
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How I Plan a Trip: Tools, Tricks & Websites I Use for Traveling
There’s an art to trip planning, and I’ve been doing it so long that I take it for granted that it doesn’t come as second...
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How to See an Erupting Volcano in Iceland by Helicopter
If you’ve always wanted to see an erupting volcano up close and personal, you’re in luck: There’s one happening right...
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July 2022 Highlights: The Highs + Lows
I blinked, and 15 years passed since I started this blog. On Aug. 1, 2007, I was slogging away at my day job at Conde Nast—a job I very much...