New Zealand Road Trip: Spirits Bay

Our next stop was my favorite camping spot of the trip. We left Whangarei and drove almost all the way to the northern tip of the north island, Spirits Bay.

It was so picturesque, with horses roaming on the hillside and a short walk to the ocean. We parked our camper van in a field and walked to the beach just in time for sunset.

I wish we had unpacked our boards a little sooner, because the waves were perfect that evening. But they were still wrapped in cardboard and plastic wrap to protect them through the flights. We waited to surf the next morning when it was windier and the waves weren’t as good.

But we still paddled out and had some fun. Then we made a nice breakfast with perfect weather and a perfect view, so I really can’t complain.

I would 100% recommend staying longer than just one night in this magical place. But we only had a couple weeks with so much to see and do, so we headed off that afternoon for our next stop.

Spirits Bay, I hope I get to see you again someday!

An Actually Fun Road Trip from New Jersey to Ohio (and back)

When I went to visit my sister in Cleveland this spring, I decided to turn the eight hour road trip into an actually fun and enjoyable adventure across state lines.

On the departure day, I woke up extremely early, so early that the roads of central Jersey were dark and spooky. I hoped that no deer would venture to cross my path. They obliged, and by 8am I’d made it to my sister’s former home in Harrisburg and picked up some bagels to bring to them as a treat and breakfast for me.

By lunchtime, I was in Pittsburgh and stopped for lunch at Mediterra Cafe. The patio is laptop and dog friendly, and the day was beautiful, so I spent a couple hours having lunch and catching up on work.

Getting up so early really helped, because by about 5pm I was in Cleveland for a fun weekend with my sister. I wrote about my Cleveland favorites in another post.

After that, it was the return road trip that really stood out. I decided to take the long way for maximum sightseeing purposes. I booked a hotel to spend the night in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

On the way, I stopped and had some yummy coffee and breakfast tacos from Drip Coffeehouse + Kitchen. And snuck in some work calls on my pesky laptop again. Afterwards Bailey and I walked through Historic Brookville and saw the Jefferson County Courthouse.

We made it to our hotel in Williamsport around 5. The Genetti Hotel is a dog-friendly hotel that’s technically owned by Best Western, but they put in all the care and heart of an independently run hotel. Look at this note they left in the room:

Bailey is not usually allowed to be a bed dog, but sometimes she gets a special treat at hotels. Shhh!

Hot Yoga Williamsport was right across the street, so I dropped off the bags and ran right over for class. It was a heated studio and really nice class taught by a wonderful teacher named Jenelle (@the_body_aligned).

Next up, it was time for some tourism, so I took a walk through the town and onto Millionaire’s Row, a strip of old victorian mansions that used to be occupied by the wealthiest Pennsylvanians. Today some of them are a bit run down, but many are still beautiful and impressive to see.

It was almost dinner time, so my next stop was the Bullfrog Brewery, which was back closer to my hotel. It was easy to walk around the town since nothing was too far away, but far enough to get some steps in after being on the road all day.

At the brewery, I had a tasty apricot beer and a giant plate of nachos (with a small side salad for balance!) and followed it up with a homemade root beer. It was a perfect dinner stop in my book.

After dinner, I headed back to Bailey and we settled in for the night. It would be another early morning.

I knew I had a long drive ahead of me, but I’d always wanted to visit Ricketts Glen State Park. Bailey and I packed into the car super early and got to start hiking just after sunrise. The sky was cloudy and a little drizzly, but that meant uncrowded trails and rushing waterfalls.

The Glen Falls Loop trail passes 21 waterfalls (21!!) and is considered to be the best waterfall hike in the eastern US. I didn’t keep count, but trust that there were so many amazing waterfalls.

There’s a 7 mile version of the hike and a shorter 3ish mile loop that still passes the same number of waterfalls. I decided to take the shorter route, since I still had quite a bit of driving to do that day. Bailey loves hiking, but she agreed to get back in the car.

I hadn’t found any breakfast places on the way, so I ate a few sad soggy leftover nachos and then we finished the rest of our 3.5 hour drive home to NJ.

If you have the time, I definitely recommend taking the long way to make your road trip maximally fun!

Recap: Portugal, Spain, France Surf & Road Trip

We’re back in New Jersey now, so I have more time to recap our whole trip. We spent six weeks in July and August 2025 traversing the coast of Portugal, parts of Spain, and a quick dip into France. This was technically a “surf trip” in that we brought surfboards, but we weren’t expecting much for waves in Europe in the summer. We were pleasantly surprised! Most of the spots we found had at least a little bit of surf. Sometimes the wind was strong, but we made it work and were pretty happy with what we got.

We divided the trip into two parts, because our credit card rental car insurance has a max of 31 days, so we knew we would need to come back to Lisbon mid trip. That worked out well, and I would highly recommend either of these road trip routes. I think you would need a full month to do the first part. We spent 2-3 nights in each place, and we definitely could have spent longer, but I don’t think we could’ve done it in any less time and still enjoyed ourselves the same. We’ve determined that three nights is the ideal minimum stay to truly enjoy a place when you’re road tripping around. The second part of the trip on the southern coast of Portugal could probably be done in any amount of time. It’s a beautiful place, but I’m not sure if we would go back again in August, if given the choice, because of the crowds.

Here’s a list of the places we stopped and stayed:

Part One:

• Ericeira

• Peniche/Baleal

• Nazaré & Praia de Mira

• Porto

• Salinas

• San Sebastian & Zarautz

• Bordeaux & Saint-Émilion

• Capbreton

• Salamanca

• Cascais

Part Two:

• Aljezur

• Sagres

• Burgau & Praia da Luz

• Alvor

• Vila Nova de Milfontes

• Lisbon

And a map of the whole route:

Some other details: We flew in and out of Lisbon airport on American Airlines, and we luckily didn’t have any trouble with the boards in a 7’6” board bag that actually measured a bit too long for their baggage limits. We worked remotely the entire time, and the only place we ran into any issues with wifi was in Alvor, which is pretty deep into the Algarve region.

Overall, it was a lot of driving and moving around, but I’m so glad we did it the way we did. We really got to see some amazing places, and it was a perfect mix of surf, nature, and culture. It was a really nice trip and one that will provide great memories for many years to come!

Thanks for following along on the journey.

Namaste,

Cori

**It’s always a privilege getting to surf in other countries. I make sure I’m always covered with affordable and reliable travel medical insurance in case anything goes wrong. I choose SafetyWing because their Nomad Insurance policy covers activities, including surfing, in 185+ countries. To sign up, visit this link.

Portugal Road Trip: Last Stop in Lisbon

We finally reached the end of the road. And I’m very sorry to tell you, I didn’t take many photos on our last night in Lisbon. It was a busy day.

We woke up in Vila Nova de Milfontes and ate Tomas’ delicious breakfast one more time. Then we went for quite a fun surf. After that, it was about a two hour drive to Lisbon.

We stayed at a hotel near the airport that was pretty convenient (Le Jardin Lisbon). And we tried to clean the intense amounts of dust and dirt off the rental car with a large water bottle.

We were still working—hence not many photos, but we took a break to go into the city for dinner. We found the most amazing Portuguese vegan restaurant (Kong).

They make all the typical Portuguese dishes—bacalhau a bras, octopus, pasteis de nata…—and everything is vegan! We’re not vegan, but we like eating vegan food, and it was awesome. We started with some “sausage” croquette appetizers, and then I had these yummy seitan ribs:

We skipped dessert at the restaurant, because it was time for our last round of pasteis de nata. We went to Manteigaria and bought a dozen to bring back home.

And that was a wrap on six weeks of Portugal, Spain, and France! It was a really fun trip, filled with food, surf, new places, different languages, and an exploration of whether we’d want to try to do a longer term stay in Portugal or somewhere nearby in Europe. After all, I’d say the answer is a definite yes.

Portugal Road Trip: Vila Nova de Milfontes

We saved some of the best accommodations for last! At this point we were nearing the end of the tip and kind of tired from changing locations every 2-3 nights. We knew we wanted to check out Vila Nova de Milfontes based on the surf forecast, but all the places left to stay were looking like duds. I probably would have given up and stayed anywhere at that point. But Bryan never gives up. He kept checking and refreshing booking websites until a diamond appeared in the rough. Apparently, someone had canceled last minute and there was an opening at a beautiful house called Casa do Lado.

We left the tiny streets of Alvor and headed back to the west coast, stopping at a nice beach bar for lunch on the way.

After about a two hour total drive, we made it to Milfontes. I had to work right away (are you sensing a theme here?), but the room was luxurious. It was nice on its own, but it was extra nice after coming from a journey of shared bathrooms and kitchens and sometimes single beds. There was a fruit bowl, tea, and glass water bottle in the room, for goodness sake. It felt like all of our needs had been accounted for.

In the morning, Thomas the owner (with his sister Mariana) served us an amazing breakfast in the garden.

It was a lot to eat before surfing, but we were not about to pass up such a wonderful breakfast! Then we got lucky and found some fun waves.

It was a Saturday, so we spent the rest of the day exploring some nearby surf spots and the town of Porto Covo.

We surfed a couple days, and the one day there weren’t any waves, we went for a coastal hike to a secret beach.

At night, we found a few nice places to eat—a really good vegan spot, a casual pub, and, on our last night, a highly recommended seafood restaurant.

One night, walking back through the town, everyone was out and about and we came across both a clown show and a musical performance in the streets. It was fun to see everyone out and about on a summer night.

I definitely started to feel like Milfontes should be added to the list of places we could stay longer term. I hope to make it back again someday!

Portugal Road Trip: Alvor

The next stop on our southern Portugal portion of the road trip took us even further into the Algarve. We left Sally’s guest house and peaceful patio for the great unknown of European tourism in August.

And we stopped for a bifana (pork sandwich) on the way:

We arrived in Alvor and navigated the tiny narrow streets up to our next guest house. It was a tight squeeze, but we were blessed by the parking gods and unloading the car wasn’t too difficult.

I had to work right away, but later we took a break for dinner in town. Alvor is definitely a heavily vacationed town with a busy strip of restaurants and souvenir shops. We grabbed sushi and walked down to the water just in time for sunset.

I’m in the midst of planning a work event in Australia, so there were some late night calls that week, but the work view wasn’t too bad:

One of the main reasons we wanted to stay in Alvor was to be close to the Benagil cave. And since we were so close, we decided to wake up early one morning for a cave kayaking tour.

How cool! We went into the most well-known Benagil cave with its circular skylight, then paddled around a few other darker caves. And we stopped on a nice beach.

A lot of other tourists were doing the same thing at the same time, so it was quite busy! But overall, kayaking was a nice way to spend the morning.

Afterwards we found a really great spot for breakfast (Earth Shop & Cafe), headed back to work, and at night went out for Portuguese-Mexican food.

That was all for our short and sweet time in Alvor.

Portugal Road Trip: Burgau & Praia da Luz

At this point in the trip, we were flying by the seats of our pants when it came to accommodation. We thought about taking a flight to another European country when we were back in Lisbon exchanging the car, but flights were expensive and that would have meant another trip to plan and missing out on a lot of southern Portugal.

So, we decided to stay and dive deeper into the Algarve.

We got extremely lucky and found an amazing place to stay. It was a bed and breakfast in Praia da Luz owned by a friendly and funny British woman (Salsalito Guest House).

The property was gorgeous and came with a lovely breakfast every morning. We knew there wouldn’t be any chance of waves for surfing, so it was the perfect place to relax and recharge.

Of course I was missing my puppy back home, and as a bonus, the B&B had two very nice dogs.

During the days we worked on the patio, I did some yoga by the pool, and we got the most incredible massages.

At night, we walked into the quaint fishing village of Burgau and found two great restaurants (Miam & A Barraca.)

We also took one night to go into Lagos for an outdoor cinema event. We watched Forrest Gump with wine and popcorn at the marina.

As it turns out, sometimes not planning is the best plan. It leaves room for wonderful surprises of where you might end up.

Portugal Road Trip: Sagres

If we were going to stay longer term in Portugal, Sagres would definitely be a top contender of location for me.

It’s a small town, but it’s one where we could have a not-too-different life full of the things we enjoy. This time, we went to yoga, visited our favorite coffee shop (Laundry Lounge), and even made a friend.

For surf, we’d have access to the south and west coasts. The south coast is flat this time of year, but we drove less than 30 minutes back up to Carrapateira for a few waves.

We also visited the “end of the old world”:

And found a seagull eating a sausage!

Our Airbnb guest house was nice— another fairly private apartment with its own terrace and a shared kitchen. The owner had a cat that he kept on a leash after it had escaped and gotten hurt too many times. Here’s Gato:

One night, we were driving home from dinner and stumbled upon a band playing rock music on a big stage. We parked the car and walked over, and it turned out to be a free concert in the park with Xutos & Pentapes, a famous Portuguese rock band from the 80s. We didn’t know the words, but everyone was singing along and we were very impressed!

It was a short visit, but just like last time, I think I’ll see Sagres again.

Portugal Road Trip: Cascais

It was a long and hot two days drive back through the middle of Spain, but things cooled off once we got back to the coast of Portugal. We’ve both been to Lisbon a couple of times, so we decided to change it up and stay in nearby Cascais for this quick visit.

A lot of Americans have been moving to Portugal in general over the last few years and many of them to Lisbon and Cascais. Our guest house hostess didn’t seem too happy about her town being overrun with American expats, but she was still very nice to us visitors. And lucky for us, her house was a very cool place to stay. It was a three-story, old Portuguese home with seven bedrooms, but we didn’t run into too many other guests.

When we first arrived, the weather conditions were extremely windy. You can tell from the number of kite surfers:

But on the second day, the winds calmed down a little and we were able to surf a bit at Praia do Guincho. It was really foggy and—I discovered—rocky, but we had a pretty good time.

At night, we ventured into downtown Cascais, which sort of has a vibe like it could be plucked from southern California. There were certainly a lot of expats and English speakers from all over. The second night we stayed more local and closer to our guest house and had some really delicious tapas and spareribs at Pateo do Petisco Torre.

Next, it was off to return the rental car and commence the second part of our trip.

**It’s always a privilege getting to surf in other countries. I make sure I’m always covered with affordable and reliable travel medical insurance in case anything goes wrong. I choose SafetyWing because their Nomad Insurance policy covers activities, including surfing, in 185+ countries. To sign up, visit this link.

Chasing Waves in Capbreton

The only thing better than France in a city, like Paris or Bordeaux, is France with a beach! Our next stop on this Portugal, Spain, and France road trip was Capbreton. It ended up being a favorite for both of us.

We stayed for three nights and surfed at Santocha bay. The surf was very crowded, but one day was clean and fun, and I managed to catch a perfect wave between the crowds.

The break was really neat because there are leftover WWII bunkers on the beach. On the last day, my leash broke while paddling out, so I got the feeling of arriving on shore like I was going to war.

Capbreton was probably the best place to break a leash, because there are a ton of surf shops near Hossegor, including the coolest one I’ve ever seen, with its own coffee and barber shop and a revolving display of boards:

The town was also really lovely. Our guesthouse (a slightly grown up hostel with private rooms and friendly owners) backed up to the main street with a summer night market. We walked along the river into town for dinners and to the beach.

We found a healthy vegan restaurant (Monkey Mood) and a yummy fish fry (SO’FISH).

On our last night, we ate a massive bowl of mussels at a beachfront restaurant (Nina Cafe) and I forgot to take a photo, but the view was impeccable:

We got our fix of American-style breakfast tacos & burritos at the Pacific Coast Cafe in Hossegor, and on our last day I got another taste of my favorite pastry. I think I might try my hand at making them when I get home.

As we were heading out, I popped my head into the cutest bookstore and cafe in town.

We were sad to leave France, but our time in Capbreton was both memorable and delicious!

**It’s always a privilege getting to surf in other countries. I make sure I’m always covered with affordable and reliable travel medical insurance in case anything goes wrong. I choose SafetyWing because their Nomad Insurance policy covers activities, including surfing, in 185+ countries. To sign up, visit this link.

Portugal/Spain Road Trip: Salinas

At this point, our Portugal road trip started to transition into a Spain road trip. The next stop was another city where I had no idea what to expect.

Salinas is a little town in the Asturias region of northern Spain. From what I read, I thought we’d land in a sleepy, old-fashioned village, with a few families enjoying their local beach.

But we arrived to something totally different. The beaches and parking spots were jam-packed, even more than the usual European summer crowds. That’s when we put the pieces together that we’d arrived on the last day of the Salinas International Longboard Festival, a popular surf competition!

It was nearing the end of the day, so we scored a lucky parking spot and went out to surf. Salinas is a big beach break, so there was plenty of space to spread out away from the competition. The waves were too big for me that first day (like they are most days), but I paddled out and managed to survive long enough to ride on my belly back in.

Our room had a view of the ocean, in a nearby part of town. The Asturias region is also known for its food (of course.) We tried some new things, like cachopo, which is two thin slices of meat with cheese and ham in between (La Sidreria had so many varieties to choose from.) Plus a big crepe filled with whipped cream for dessert (not pictured!) And one of my favorite breakfasts that Bryan tried for the first time, Spanish tortilla, which is made of eggs and more like a frittata.

By the third day, most of the pro long boarders had left, and I think I worked up my courage enough to catch a couple of waves.

We also stumbled upon a cool-looking campground area at Xago beach:

Then it was time to carry on our journey across Spain.

**It’s always a privilege getting to surf in other countries. I make sure I’m always covered with affordable and reliable travel medical insurance in case anything goes wrong. I choose SafetyWing because their Nomad Insurance policy covers activities, including surfing, in 185+ countries. To sign up, visit this link.

Portugal Road Trip: Porto

After our stay in Praia de Mira, we made a pit stop for a windy surf session over the dunes in Aveiro, then headed north to Porto. It was about an hour and a half drive for the day.

Porto is a stunning city! We arrived to our Airbnb and had some trouble connecting to the wifi, so I headed right out into the city to find a coffee shop for work (this one was great.) I was instantly wowed by the street markets and this church:

It seems like Lisbon gets all the attention, and I’d only thought of Porto as a wine stop on river cruises. But it’s an artsy and thriving city with so much to see and do!

Since we’ve been keeping US east coast hours, the mornings were free for sightseeing. There were loads of great restaurants, and we went on a free walking tour to learn some of the history of the city.

After the walking tour, we took a cable car out to the coast. It was a totally different scene, and also very nice.

There are lots of gardens to sit in and take in views of the city. We found one with peacocks roaming freely (Jardins do Palacio de Cristal):

On our last night, we went on a mission to watch the sunset from the bridge over the Douro River. Don’t judge me, but I like trying the unique McDonald’s items in other countries! So we ordered some just-OK fast food, but we were excited to learn Mickey D’s serves beer in Portugal!

We carried our beers to the bridge where we were wow-ed once again! The sunset over the bridge was beautiful, and it was the perfect ending to our time in Porto.

Portugal Road Trip: Nazaré & Praia de Mira

It was hard to leave Peniche and Baleal, because it was such a nice area, and there was almost always somewhere to catch a little wave every day (and probably because of the pasteis de nata every morning at our guest house!) But we were headed north and looking to explore more coastal towns along the way.

We decided to stop to check out Nazaré, not knowing what we’d find at this time of year when the famous big wave spot isn’t active.

We found that A LOT of other people had the same idea! The town was packed, with a mass pilgrimage of visitors making their way down the walking road to the surf museum and vantage point. We parked at the top of the hill and joined them.

Along the path there was a minstrel playing Ed Sheeran songs and this half-man, half-deer surfing statue.

Then we made it to the overlook. Even though it was only 4-6 ft that day and not surfable, you could feel the power in the shore break. It’s wild to imagine that the waves can come all the way up to this platform, but the photos and videos in the museum told the full story.

We spent a while in the small museum, which was very well done. It showcased surfers, photographers, and videographers with impressive images of waves and storms.

Big wave surfers must either be insane or existing on a higher level of reality. It’s incredible to see what they do. Don’t let the calm day fool you - there’s a lot lurking underneath!

After a two-hour driving day, we stayed in Praia de Mira. There wasn’t much surf combined with a lot of wind, so that created not-so-great conditions.

But we made the most of our visit, did windy workouts on the roof of our guest house, and went into town for meals and pretty sunsets.

If there had been waves, Praia de Mira might have been a more fun stop, but otherwise after three nights, we were ready to continue our on journey!

**Whether you’re big wave surfing or small wave surfing (like me), play it safe abroad with travel medical insurance. I choose SafetyWing because their Nomad Insurance policy covers activities, including surfing, in 185+ countries. To sign up, visit this link.

Portugal Road Trip: Peniche

On our last night in Ericeira, we overlapped with their Portuguese Surf Film Festival. It was a really nice event, with a blue carpet, artwork from local artists, and some free food and drinks. We enjoyed the first film, about a surf trip from France to Senegal. The second one was a miss for us, but the event overall was great to see. It seemed like everyone in the town came out to participate.

Our next stop was another surfing hotspot, about an hour north, near the Peniche Peninsula. We decided to stay in the nearby Baleal area for quieter crowds, though of course everywhere was still busy as can be expected in Europe in August.

We found another lovely guest house (with a private bath and balcony this time!) and spent the weekend looking for waves, watching sunsets, and eating fresh pasteis de nata pastries every morning.

I surprised myself by catching some good waves at Supertubos, which is a pretty quick and steep wave. Lucky for me it was very small when we were there.

We were also celebrating the third anniversary of our first date! We enjoyed a bottle of wine out on the beach at sunset while we waited for our table. Then we had a delicious meal of steak and fish in a small Portuguese restaurant (Taberna do Ganhao). It was the perfect place for a special occasion!

There were even more spots to explore! With the wind and conditions, we hardly scratched the surface. But Portugal continued to deliver fun waves, amazing meals, and beautiful views.

**It’s always a privilege getting to surf in other countries. I make sure I’m always covered with affordable and reliable travel medical insurance in case anything goes wrong. I choose SafetyWing because their Nomad Insurance policy covers activities, including surfing, in 185+ countries. To sign up, visit this link.

Portugal Road Trip: Ericeira

Olá! Happy about halfway point through summer (or winter, if you’re reading this from the Southern Hemisphere!) I hope your days have been long, relaxing, and full of sunshine and fun. We’re off on another journey, this time to Portugal and beyond.

It was a bit challenging getting here. Well, not actually that challenging since we’re semi-young, flexible, and can work from anywhere. But the deciding when and where to go took some time. We knew a Portugal summer was in the cards for us, but I had to stay in the NJ area for a family reunion and a last-minute work trip. Bryan wanted to leave earlier and tack onto a European work trip. But we planned to fly together so that we could bring my dog, Bailey. All that considered, we booked our flights.

But it all fell through about two weeks out when I realized that Bailey didn’t have the right shots for travel. The EU has different rules for the rabies vaccine and doesn’t accept the US 3-year booster. According to the customs powers that be, she was unvaccinated. I got her a shot, but it wasn’t 100% certain whether she’d be cleared by our arrival date. I decided not to chance it, and Bryan’s parents kindly agreed to watch her for an extended staycation. It’s never easy to leave a fur baby behind, but we were back on track to leave mid-July.

We packed up the surfboard bag and flew American Airlines to Lisbon. The flight was uneventful, but I tried to sleep as much as possible with my new neck pillow, eye mask, and ear plugs, and we arrived as well rested as you could expect for a red-eye to Europe.

Our first stay was a lovely guest house that I think I could’ve lived in, even with a shared kitchen and bathroom. I’ll make trade offs for a patio and sea view in a quaint fishing village.

Ericeira delivered steep strolls down into the little town, gorgeous sunsets, cobblestone streets, and tiny, outstanding restaurants. The one that stands out most in my memory was Caminito with its most flavorful tapas plates and chocolate mousse!

The coast of Portugal is often very windy, but there’s a very protected, nice surf spot in Ericeira. The reddish, rocky cliffs provide a picturesque contrast with the teal blue waters and there’s a built up board walk with a cool, dog-friendly cafe.

Our surfing was cut a day short by some rental car troubles. It’s only a blip in the rearview now, but it was a tough and long day waiting in the surf parking lot for Hertz roadside assistance to answer our call, send maintenance, then send a tow truck and a taxi. It was about a 9 hour waiting endeavor that eventually brought us back to Lisbon to get a new rental car. All in all, it wasn’t the best start, but it could’ve been a lot worse of a stranding, and the trip could only go up from there!

As the days went on, we got some fun waves and some small, still enjoyable waves at the busy break of Ribeira D’Ilhas. We saw amazing sunsets, ate at delicious restaurants, and I even tried my hand at cooking a Portuguese soup called caldo verde with chorizo, potatoes, and collard greens. It was tasty and I’d definitely make it again.

The 2-10pm work schedule was different, but not too difficult to adjust to. And totally worth it for mornings free to surf and eat brunch!

Even with rental car struggles, Portugal is always a 10/10 for me!

**It’s always a privilege getting to surf in other countries. I make sure I’m always covered with affordable and reliable travel medical insurance in case anything goes wrong. I choose SafetyWing because their Nomad Insurance policy covers activities, including surfing, in 185+ countries. To sign up, visit this link.

Puerto Rico Road Trip

Once the Puerto Rico surf season came to a lull around the end of April and beginning of May, we planned to take a road trip to explore the rest of the island. We had been staying in Rincon for almost two months at that point, and neither of us had been to San Juan, so we decided to make the trip. This blog from the Traveling Teacher helped me a lot in planing out the route, and I recommend it if you’re taking a road trip through Puerto Rico.

We were starting from the west side whereas most people fly into San Juan on the east side, so we reversed the usual route. We took a week of from work to relax, adventure, and see what we could find.

Arecibo

Our first stop took us to Arecibo, 1.5 hours from Rincon and about the mid-point of the island. We stopped to see the Cueva del Indio and hike around the area. The views of the water were beautiful, and if you pass through a tiny hole in the rock, it opens up to a cave where you can see native petroglyphs. Bailey and I did not pass through because, as you can see, the rock hole wasn’t very dog-friendly, and Bryan didn’t pass all the way through because it also wasn’t very tall man-friendly.

We stayed up on the cliffs and walked around the rocks and down the beach. It was pretty hot that day, but Bailey seemed to enjoy herself.

Afterwards, we stopped for a plateful of empanadas and beachfront views at El Clandestino Bar and Grill. Then we were off to San Juan.

San Juan

As we walked past the colorful houses decorated with flowers and the streets opened onto the beach, I could see what just about everyone in the US loves about San Juan. It definitely makes for a picturesque and fun vacation destination. We stayed at the cute and quiet Oasis Inn in the Ocean Park neighborhood. We were most impressed by all the street art in the Santurce neighborhood.

We also paddle boarded on the Condado lagoon right after a rainstorm and saw a beautiful rainbow, fish and starfish, and (possibly in my imagination) the hint of a manatee. I didn’t bring my phone with me to take pictures, so here’s some more street art.

We ate delicious, traditional mofongo and explored the city. One highlight was doing a walking tour through Old San Juan. It felt totally different from where we stayed on the other side of town.

Since it’s right on the water, San Juan reminded me a bit of our trip to Cartagena, Columbia earlier this year.

After sweating through the walking tour, we stopped at La Factoría – one of the city’s most famous cocktail bars – for a drink. Then it was off to our next stop.

El Yunque

When I used to teach introductory Spanish classes in grad school, there was a textbook chapter on Puerto Rico’s rainforest, El Yunque. Since then, I’ve always wanted to see the lush, green forest for myself. I convinced Bryan to join the quest, and we spent a couple of days connecting with nature.

The view from our Airbnb porch was pretty breathtaking:

El Yunque is quite remote, so we definitely needed a car to get around. We did about a six-mile hike to El Yunque Peak and saw a few waterfalls on the drive in. The national forest was such a gorgeous, peaceful place. In hindsight, I wish we’d spent more time here before I rushed us off to the next destination…

Vieques

Bailey caught her first ferry, and we all became golf cart people (and dog) for our time in Vieques. We left our Jeep at the ferry terminal and rode across the water to the tiny island.

Some parts of the visit were really enjoyable and unique, like riding a golf cart around the island to pristine beaches (we went to Playa Negra, Caracas, and La Chiva) and watching wild horses roam free. We loved Kristy’s on the Caribe for breakfast and went back on day two for more. We also got to take a night tour of Mosquito Bay which has the most bioluminescence in the world.

Other parts of the visit were a bit difficult. Because it was low season, some of the best restaurants were closed. The locals aren’t overly friendly to tourists, and a lot of the island is a bit run-down. We were lucky our rickety golf cart made it out to the beaches and back without breaking down.

But we came for the natural beauty and the wild horses, and that’s what we got.

After the ferry back to the “mainland,” we were in for a long drive back to Rincon. We made a mid-journey stop for lechón (roast pork, yum!) and arrived home later that night.

Overall, it was a really enjoyable trip with a decent amount of time spent in each place. If you haven’t had the chance to visit Puerto Rico, I highly recommend it. I look forward to going back to see more of the island someday!

Southern Road Trip

Well, this post has been a long time coming. But a couple months ago, my boyfriend and I loaded the Bailey dog into the car and took ourselves on a sweet southern road trip. Our main destination was St. Augustine, FL because the yoga studio where I teach here just opened up a new location down there. We aimed to do some yoga, surf, and enjoy the warmer weather, and that’s exactly what we did.

St. Augustine was very charming. I can see why Katie, our beloved Yoga Bohemia studio owner, couldn’t resist signing a lease down there. The streets were quiet during the week we stayed (they would pick up for the Night of Lights right after we left.) There were plenty of great restaurants with delicious food, and some quirky little bars, like Tini Martini, which was fully decked out for the light show.

We enjoyed a week of working from our Airbnb (with a couple days off of course), and learning more about the history of the U.S.’s oldest city. One of the highlights was touring Ft. Matanzas National Monument. Other highlights include eating a million biscuits and surfing under a sunset rainbow… the mental pictures are unbeatable!

St. Augustine favorites:

• The Floridian for dinner

• The Kookaburra for coffee and aussie pies

• Ice Plant Bar for dinner and drinks

• Beachside Diner for breakfast

• Island Donuts for donuts, of course

• Surf Station for all the surf stuff

On the way back, we spent a couple nights in Jacksonville Beach. It wasn’t my favorite since the main busy highway bumps right up to the beach. I didn’t find it to be a very enjoyable walking city, but it had it’s charms—like this barbecue board.

Jacksonville Beach favorites:

• The Bearded Pig for barbecue

• Jax Beach Brunch Haus (worth the wait for breakfast)

The biscuit fest would continue on as we kept driving north and stopped in Savannah briefly to visit my mom and stepdad. The weather was surprisingly cold for the south in November. I was hoping for summer and definitely didn’t pack the right clothing items for this trip!

We had a nice time staying at the pet-friendly Thunderbird Inn. This surely won’t be a comprehensive list of all my Savannah favorites, but these are the ones we made it to this time.

Savannah favorites:

• The Olde Pink House is a classic

• Zunzis has changed so much since its food truck days (and maybe not for the best), but the sandwiches still amaze

• The Thunderbird Inn was a fun, pet-friendly hotel

• Moodrights was casual and quirky for Bingo night

I love a good road trip and was so happy to have some company this time!

Harrisburg, PA

We capped off the road trip with a stop to visit my sister in Harrisburg, PA. She always has new places to show us, and the weekend was nice enough to spend a lot of time outside. Central Pennsylvania always has a lot to offer as far as hiking goes.

I had been planning to visit during the weekend of Spring Fest, a craft and shopping fair at Gray Apple Market. We kept that on the agenda. We always find a ton of cute stuff and, as a crafter, I leave inspired thinking of things I could make myself. The guys agreed to stay for the live music and free sangria.

My sister’s boyfriend beat us all (as usual) in mini golf. And on Sunday, we had brunch with the very best brussels sprouts.

I was almost ready to be home and in one place, but I always love a visit to Harrisburg!

Shenandoah National Park

It’s been a couple of years now since I had a National Park Pass, but boy do I miss it!

I added another park to the list when Eric and I were driving back up from North Carolina. We decided against the I-95 route through Richmond and Washington D.C. on a Friday. The Shenandoah region was much more our speed.

We drove through a good portion of the park, and stopped for a short hike to the Black Rock Summit. It took about 40 minutes and the trail was unmarked/a little confusing, but we made it to some great views.

I think my road trip rules are as follows: Always choose the scenic route and stop for as many nature breaks as time allows. Then it was back into the car and off to PA for the weekend.

A Tiny House in Durham

I always tend to make a few stops in North Carolina. It’s always had a piece of my heart, and many of my friends and some family have moved there over the years, so I have plenty of people to visit. Each city is a little bit different. I was leaving Charlotte, with the plan of picking up my boyfriend, Eric, from the Raleigh airport. It worked out that it was cheaper for him to layover in Charlotte and fly to Raleigh than to just buy a single leg to Charlotte. Crazy airline algorithms! We decided to skip the layover and I picked him up in Charlotte instead.

It was an easy drive to our Airbnb in Durham, NC. I had booked a tiny house treehouse that seemed like a dream come true!

It exceeded all of my expectations… besides not being extremely hot on the top bunk at night, but that’s my fault for not realizing until the next morning that there were extra fans.

Forgive the photo dump, but I loved all the little touches and neat ways of decorating a small space.

It was impressive to see that we could’ve even had another person stay with us. There was a double bed on one side and a twin on the other. I was definitely a little scared of rolling off in my sleep!

The hosts were very nice, and they had the sweetest dog.

I’m not sure if I could live in a tiny house permanently, but it was fun to try out for the night. We met up with my former Austin roommate and his girlfriend and had a fun night out at the Beer Study and Motorco.

Here’s one more tiny house pic for the road: