A Weekend Away in the Countryside

 Sometimes life can be a little overwhelming and the desire to just get away starts to creep in. Often, it's too expensive to take a big, spontaneous trip; however, a weekend away is much more doable. My husband and I were living in different states, planning a wedding, getting married, moving halfway across the country and going on our honeymoon. That's a lot of work (and fun)! We were ready for a break. We decided that a weekend away in the countryside was just what we needed! 

After a little bit of time spent browsing Air BnB, we stumbled across this adorable cabin!

And what was even better, is that this gorgeous getaway was just 35 minutes away from our house. PERFECT! 

The views were gorgeous, and we had the best time. It was still quite cold, so we didn't end up walking around the grounds - but maybe next time! Instead we curled up on the couch inside and just relaxed and enjoyed the views from the comfort of the cozy cabin.

The furniture was very cozy, and we had a blast. We read books, played games and enjoyed each other's company.

Sometimes taking a break is just what you need to recharge. It was the perfect weekend for us, and it was not very expensive at all! I highly recommend taking a look and seeing what little adventures are near you. It was exactly what we needed.

If you'd like some help finding the perfect getaway (big or small), I'd be happy to help. MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com. 

This Valentine's Day, Fall in Love With Travel - Single or Not!

February means it's the season of love, what with Valentine's Day being the main focus of the month. I thought I'd dive into why you should fall in love with travel - whether you're single or not!

Why I LOVE to Travel - and Always Have
I'm still a twenty-something, but I'm "settled down" married now. However, that doesn't mean I don't still travel. My love of exploring a new city and going on an adventure is something that has always been near and dear to my heart. I traveled constantly as a young child with my family, and sometimes it feels like I've just never stopped. I love to travel with friends and family, but I definitely have never been put off by traveling solo. In fact, I've backpacked through Italy for a few weeks completely on my own. It was one of the most exciting and empowering experiences of my life! Anytime I'm traveling, solo or with others, I'm learning, growing and exploring - my 3 favorite things! I'm lucky to have found a partner not only in life but also in my travels. I know my husband is always up for some adventure, but if the right opportunity presented itself I wouldn't have any problems traveling on my own again.

Don't Let a Lack of Travel Buddy Stop You!
Solo travel sounds scary, but I promise you it's not that bad and is absolutely worth it! As long as you are cautious and take a few safety precautions, there is nothing to keep you from seeing the world. Traveling by yourself is one of the most empowering thing you can ever do. You learn to  be self-reliant and nothing else compares! Don't sit back and wait for someone to come along who would be willing to travel with you, take control of your life and do it for yourself!

Make it Happen
So many people live their whole life wondering "what if?" Obviously, travel is not something that everyone can afford to just dive into on a whim. It often takes careful planning and determined saving. Great things take time and hard work, but as someone who has lived a life full of beautiful experiences, I can tell you that it's worth the fight.

If you need a little help in the planning process, I'd love to help! MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com

Visiting the World's Oldest Bookstore

As a book lover, I'm constantly on the hunt for beautiful bookstores wherever I go. While researching our trip to Lisbon, I stumbled across the ultimate bookstore! The Chiado Livraria Bertrand is the oldest bookstore in the world! It even holds a Guinness World Record! This location opened in 1732 and has since become the largest bookstore chain in Portugal. I must say it was magical.

Here I am with the sign out front!

Tired, sweaty but excited! I had the time of my life wandering through the stacks of books and of course, came away with a few to add to my collection. The set up of the store was really neat! It had multiple rooms that stretched back kind of like a tunnel. It ended with a pretty gorgeous little cafe. As a book enthusiast, it was a pretty awesome experience. I highly recommend stopping by if you get the chance!

Coasteering and Cliff Jumping in Portugal

We spent a few days in Lagos, Portugal to relax during our honeymoon.... but of course we had to squeeze in some adventure! I found amazing reviews for something called "coasteering." If you're anything like me, you've never heard of coasteering. I really wanted to go cliff jumping (safely) so I started doing some research, and that's when I stumbled across coasteering! It's a combination of hiking, swimming, rock climbing and cliff jumping to make your way along a coastline. It's a lot more swimming and rock climbing that hiking, but it was amazing! 

We started by hiking down from the parking lot to the water and did our first little jump! For the first 2 lower jumps we were allowed to any trick we wanted, so of course I had to do a backflip! 

The views were beyond amazing! And the weather was perfect... but we were definitely glad to have those wetsuits.

Also, thank goodness for those life vests! That swim seemed to go on forever! My husband and I definitely had to take some breaks.

This is an action shot of the group making our way along some rocks. We even had a few times where we were in a cave and had to put feet on one side and hands on the other and kind of shimmy along. It was so fun!

This was one of our bigger jumps! They told us to put our arms out to stabilize before bringing them in tight for impact. I apparently turn out to be quite majestic when I cliff jump. #FallingWithStyle

All in all, cliff jumping and coasteering were AMAZING! We had so much fun and I 10/10 would do it again. In fact, if my husband and I travel near the coast (any coast) again anytime soon we are for sure going to be on the lookout for other coasteering tours. I would recommend going with a company who knows what they are doing. Our tour was very professional and we had the proper safety equipment which was reassuring. Be careful, do your research and get out there and enjoy the adventure!

Nashville: A Perfect 3-Day Weekend Getaway

With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, I thought it would be fun to highlight one of my favorite getaway spots, perfect for a 3-day weekend - Nashville! Obviously, you could make a whole extended vacation out of Nashville, but I managed to squeeze quite a bit of fun into a long weekend. Here are some of my favorite spots!

The Bluebird Cafe  is a classic! Now something to note: This is not an impulse spot! If you want to catch a show you have to buy tickets in advance the second they go on sale. They literally sell out in minutes. If you can manage to get tickets, I promise you'll have a good time! And yes, I'm horribly sunburned in the picture above.

If you love American Pickers, it's worth stopping by their Antique Archaeology shop! Honestly, it's a bit of a tourist trap, but it's still cool to actually visit the building that's on the show. They do have some cool antiques to look at, but they probably make most of their money of the touristy t-shirts, shot glasses etc.  You've been warned.

I highly recommend visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame, if you have an afternoon to spare. The exhibits are amazing AND they offer tours of the FAMOUS Studio B (Seen above)! They'll let you play the piano where so many greats (including Roy Orbison!) made music. It was an amazing experience and my husband and I had an amazing time!

Finally, no trip to Nashville is complete without a pitstop at Pancake Pantry! The food is amazing and it's a Nashville tradition! Just be ready to wait... they don't take reservations, your whole party must be present to sit and the line wraps around the block. Take a morning, and make an experience of it! As long as you don't  go into it thinking it will be a quick breakfast stop, Pancake Pantry is a blast!

If you'd like help planning a 3-day adventure of your own, visit MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com!