Do you ever think of Mississippi as a destination that you'd plan to visit? We've driven through plenty of times, but apparently Mississippi is so much more than what you see from the highway. Okay, I knew there was more to it. From Ocean Springs, MS to Jackson, you'll find all kinds of towns and natural spaces to explore.

In this episode we've got our friend, Tammilee Tillison of TammileeTips.com / GulfCoastJourneys.com sharing about one of the places in Mississippi that surprised her the most: Ridgeland, Mississippi. Initially, the plan for being based in Ridgeland was to explore the Natchez Trace Parkway (a National Park Service greenway) and then to pop over to Jackson to visit the Medgar and Myrlie Evers National Monument, but Ridgeland turned out to be the land of fine dining and classy relaxation and green spaces.

Having Ridgeland as a home base, you can plan a 3-day getaway that's a mix of history, southern swamp nature, and beautiful food. The Natchez Trace Parkway stretches from Natches in southern Mississippi up into Tennessee, crossing through a little corner of Alabama. This is the natural beauty of the South that's often overlooked or forgotten. This is also a birdwatching dream, being a part of the Mississippi Flyway, a major bird migration route from the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico up into Canada and Alaska.

Ideas for when to head to Ridgeland MS and the Natches Trace:

Listen to more episodes with Tammilee in our podcast archives or Making Big Life Decisions to Pursue Joy

We visit MidCoast Maine at least once a year and always have a good time. It's not what a lot of people expect though, as it's a complicated sort of place to visit. "You can't get there from here..." From just north of Portland all the way to Acadia National Park, MidCoast Maine is one of those place you know you want to visit but maybe don't know why, so we've got you covered.

In this podcast episode we're talking about our favorite towns, great things to do in MidCoast Maine, and what to actually expect when you visit (including Wildlife in Maine). It's funny because for being one of the most popular East Coast destinations for vacation, Mainers kind of don't want everyone to be there. It's a complicated reltationship between residents and visitors. 

Either way, we love getting to visit Maine and are excited to share and help YOU plan a trip to this beautiful place. Give a listen and check out our many articles that are all about planning Maine trips:

Even though 2020 seems like so long ago, we're still feeling the effects of how the COVID pandemic changed the world, including travel. It's weird to think back and remember washing our groceries and not being allowed to sit down in public places. And I remember the day I lost my job and we scrambled to figure out how to complete our move across the country that we'd already started the process on... It was a lot for everyone.

One element that was really impacted by the pandemic was travel. It's weird to look back and think about what we did to be able to travel during COVID. For example getting to visit Disney World and Universal duiring COVID with zero crowds and everyone being required to give you space, NOT cough on you and actively be hygenic. It's fascinating to think about how many people we opposed to all this.

Living through the COVID pandemic is a historic life. Unprecidented times like this being blasted on social media and misinformation being spread daily made this particular life experience very different. COVID news came at us from every angle and so much wasn't monitored or verified, vs other historic events, such as 9-11. Looking back, the events of COVID now seem to have a historic filter on them as we think of them in the style of something shot on VHS.

Another event that hit during the peak of COVID was the 2020 election in the USA. That was its own thing that continues to have reprecussions today. Fascinating to look back!

We are always ready for a visit to the American Southwest, and these iconic sights are some of the best! If you haven't gotten the chance to explore Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and California, we've got some fantastic suggestions for seeing some of the most beautiful canyons and desert landscapes in the Southwest. Pick a few and plan a visit or see them all on a three week road trip, either way you'll love it.

In this episode we have our friend and frequent podcast guest Colleen Miniuk sharing her favorite places in the American Southwest for the best desert experiences. As a professional landscape photographer and group tour leader, Colleen has deep experience in the wild canyons and mountains of the SW. Listen along as she shares her picks for:

Please visit our website for the full article and a complete itinerary for seeing the best of the Southwest and really diving into the beautiful nature of the desert.

For more Southwest travel ideas:

I had no idea that "travel depression" was a thing. I love when we're traveling or I'm out exploring or on a work trip. What is there to be depressed about with travel? So, in this podcast episode, the first of our Let Me Ask You This series, we talk about what travel depression actually is and how to counter it.

Do you suffer from travel depression? Do you know what it is? Travel depression is the low you feel when you're coming off the high of traveling.

For example: you've been on a weeklong photo safari in the Amazon jungle with your family and then you get home and sit down at your desk for the first time, unable to be productive and actually feeling low vs re-energized or extatic about your trip.

So why does travel depression set in? Well, as we discuss in this podcast episode, it happens for a variety of reasons which are different for everyone. I think some people set themselves up to be bummed out relating to travel and taking trips because they hold so much stock in their rare adventures. It's an emotional rollercoaster for some people.

As a side note, in this episode we address a big elephant in the room when it comes to traveling peacefully: you need to bring the things that make you comfortable. You need to pack in a way that you're using the things you bring AND that allow you to feel at-home on the road. The myth that women have to bring a million things on a trip because that's the plight of women is ridiculous. As a guy, I bring suits and many pairs of shoes, and still bring only a carryon suitcase - and I still bring my pillow.

Back to the topic at hand thoughTips to fight post-travel depression:

I know that not everybody has a problem with being bummed out by not  traveling, or doesn't travel enough to develop this sort of complex, but if you do, I hope it's helpful to have some tips to fight it. We all have different things that impact us, and if you need a little pick-me-up post travel, now you have ways to get out of the dulldrums! Check out more podcast episodes and in-depth show notes here!

As a writer I get excited to talk to other writers about their work. Landscape photographer Colleen Miniuk has a new book hitting the presses all about self-discovery and picking up the pieces after what feels like failure. I've gotten to interview other friends who've written books, such as author Angie Orth about her memoir Flirting with Disaster, but hearing from Colleen about her process and what creating this, her third book, means to her really got me.

In So Said the River Colleen opens up about her life and striving for excellence in all things... until the moment of decision hits where it's "Do and die, or do not and live to tell the tail" (my words, not hers). When you're an adventurous person who's also a perfectionist, successful in everything you touch, it's difficult to battle the need to win (against yourself or nature). I get it, but having read So Said the River and knowing the author personally, reading and hearing Colleen's words really does capture those feelings of doubt and failure that we face as adults.

I'm not going to give spoilers, but So Said the River is a fantastic book that brought me to tears several times. Available at SoSaidTheRiver.com (and other booksellers in June 2024), you'll both love the story and connect with the struggles Colleen shares in her narrative memoir.

To hear more from Colleen give a listen to these other great podcast episodes:

Yes, visiting the Andes in Peru has been at the top of our bucket list for a long time, and yes, Machu Picchu was awesome... but did we have the best experience? Will we talk about it for years to come for all the right reasons? Ehhh... But let's talk about it today!

We did have a very interesting time in the Andes. The Sacred Valley and learning about the Incas was fascinating and beautiful. Machu Picchu was really cool and stunning; remarkable for sure. LLamas are lovely. I'll tell you though, our experience with altitude sickness was intense though, and we could've avoided it with more time. In this episode we share what we loved and wowed us, as well as the harsh reality of touring the Andes the way we did. 

We've got details from cool places to stay in the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, beautiful train travel between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes, and how YOU can make your own visit much better than ours. I know, this sounds like a confusing bummer of an adventure, but really, give it a listen and see how YOU can plan the actual dream list into the Andes of Peru.

I am so excited to share our Amazon Rainforest podcast with you! There are few places that leave me speechless or move me to tears, but sitting in a boat on the Amazon River at sunset watching monkeys above me did it. In this episode we dive into just what our Amazon jungle experience was like, from getting to the rainforest and our unforgettable accommodations in a treehouse, to seeing some of the most unique wildlife we'd only dreamed of.

The Peruvian Amazon is an exceptional destination for many reasons, but our experience was truly unique, particularly since we got to share it with our kids. If you're thinking about visiting the Amazon rainforest or didn't really think this was an attainable travel goal, this is the episode for you! To give a bit more info about our conversation without giving away the farm, our time in the jungle really was exceptional due to our lodging. You'll be surprised to hear about what staying at the Treehouse Lodge meant for our visit, and how our personal guide made each day a special adventure.

For more about our time visiting four different regions of Peru, check out 2TravelDads.com and listen to our other podcast episodes. Between seeing penguins and flamingos in the same day to our disgusting altitude sickness in the Andes, we've got some great stories and gross realities to share.

We just had an incredible two weeks in Peru, exploring from Lima to the Andes to the desert to the Amazon rainforest. Putting together this trip was no easy feat and required both research and help. In this episode, we talk about how we landed on Peru for our family's first South American adventure, what planning looked like, a bit about getting around in Peru, and then our general itinerary.

We have more Peru podcast episodes including All About the Andes; Peru at Sea Level - Lima, the Desert and Islands; and the Peruvian Amazon! All of this and more is also available for reading and booking on our website.

In this episode:

Stay tuned here and on 2TravelDads.com for more fun, stories and information all about traveling through Peru!

And if you want to join us for an adventure in the Amazon rainforest, join one of our group trips (Nov 2024, Mar 2025)!

As adventurous parents we see the full value of taking our kids out to explore, and our adventure in Hawaii with UnCruise aboard the Safari Explorer was incredible for us. Daily expeditions of snorkeling, hiking, kayaking and more had us immersed in both science education and Hawaiian culture. In this podcast episode we've got our two kids on with us (12 and 9 years old) talking about some of the things they really enjoyed and learned about during our sailing with UnCruise.

UnCruise Hawaii on the Safari Explorer

From hiking in lava tubes on the Big Island of Hawaii to swimming with beautiful creatures, birdwatching to seeing humpback whales breach all around us, there's a lot to process and share.

Please check out our full experience on the Safari Explore ship on the blog. We've detailed what activities and ports we had, as well as shared lots of photos of the whole expereince. The UnCruise brand is a unique type of travel and each sailing is quite different, so we also dig into that a bit.

If you're looking for more Hawaii travel ideas...: