Go See Do Explore

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In this episode, Ashleigh and Christopher share their recommendations for the best gifts for travelers in 2024. They cover everything from luggage to travel apps to help make travel easier and more enjoyable. Including:

In this episode of Go See Do Explore, Ashleigh and Christopher share about their recent trip to Greenville, South Carolina. They discuss where they stayed, the restaurants they visited, and their experience at the Fall for Greenville festival.

Ashleigh and Christopher stayed at two hotels during their trip - the Holiday Inn Express and Home2 Suites. The Home2 Suites had more hot breakfast options. They recommend checking out the Grand Bohemian Hotel if you want a luxury hotel experience in Greenville.

Some highlights of Greenville include the Falls Park on the Reedy, a nice green space downtown with a waterfall, and the many local restaurants located downtown. Christopher was especially impressed by Greenville's food scene. The city has a surprising number of high quality, locally-owned restaurants packed into the small downtown area.

Ashleigh and Christopher ended up being in Greenville during the annual Fall for Greenville festival. The festival features live music on multiple stages and food from local restaurants. They tried food from the Green Laundry, an upscale laundromat cafe. The wine garden was a bit disappointing with mostly mass market wine options.

During their visit they ate at Sassafras, a Southern restaurant that's the #1 on TripAdvisor; Sum Bar; Tandem Creperie; and Between the Trees, located in the Grand Bohemian Hotel.

They recommend renting a car if you want to explore outside of Greenville. They visited Caesar's Head State Park and Bald Rock Heritage Preserve.

They discuss buying wine at grocery stores and things to look for, like avoiding mass-market brands, reading the label, and looking for wines with high ratings. They try a Rioja Reserva from Spain that Christopher found at Costco. See the Bon Appetit article for more ideas.

Ashleigh and Christopher share tips for dealing with missed flight connections, based on their own recent experience and advice from Samantha Brown. Key takeaways are to book early flights, call the airline as soon as possible to rebook, and know the flight numbers of later options.

In this episode, Ashleigh and Christopher discuss some of the top travel trends predicted for 2025 based on recent reports. With overtourism and crowding issues at many popular destinations, travelers are looking for lesser-known destinations for a more local experience. Slow travel, smaller destinations, and trips outside of peak season are forecasted to rise in popularity.

According to Expedia flight search data, interest is rising in lesser known destinations like Reims, France; Brescia, Italy; Cozumel, Mexico, Santa Barbara, California; Waikato, New Zealand; Girona, Spain; Fukuoka, Japan; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Krabi, Thailand; and Canmore, Canada.

Booking.com accommodation search data also shows trending interest in alternative destinations like Sanya, China; Trieste, Italy; João Pessoa, Brazil; Tromsø, Norway; Tignes, France; San Pedro de Atacama, Chile; Naha, Okinawa, Japan; Vejer de la Frontera, Spain; and Houston, Texas.

Rather than fear of missing out (FOMO), travelers are starting to embrace the joy of missing out (JOMO) on overcrowded tourist spots in favor of unique off-the-beaten path destinations.

Ashleigh and Christopher share about a recent fall weekend getaway to Mackinac Island, Michigan. They discuss staying at a boutique hotel, biking around the island, and visiting some great restaurants including Gate House, Mary's Drafthouse, Kingston Kitchen Jamaican restaurant, and more.

The hosts chat about Buffalo Trace's delicious Bourbon Cream liquor, a nice alternative to Bailey's and eggnog. They recommend visiting the historic Buffalo Trace distillery in Kentucky.

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Christopher and Ashleigh try the 2018 Silhouette red blend from Chateau Grand Traverse and discuss proper wine storage techniques for aging wine at home.

Ashleigh and Christopher dive into all the reasons why they love visiting Austin, Texas, from the music scene to the food trucks to outdoor spots like Zilker Park and Lady Bird Lake.

The hosts reminisce about their first cheap flight to Austin in February 2020 and how they quickly fell in love with the city. They've returned many times since.

Some of their favorite things to do in Austin include:

• Texas State Capitol

The city is also a great home base for visiting the Texas Hill Country wineries, San Antonio, and other surrounding areas.

Christopher talks about Austin's famous live music venues, including Austin City Limits, 6th Street, Antone's, and his personal favorite Rainey Street historic district.

Ashleigh highlights Austin's incredible food scene, from the barbecue joints like Terry Black's to the fusion flavors at Loro to the breakfast taco trucks all over town.

Some of their tips for getting the most out of an Austin trip include looking at vacation rentals, relying on rideshares or scooter rentals for transportation, and sampling from the variety of restaurants through small plates and food tours.

Chris's first real travel memory is a trip to the Smoky Mountains with his family when he was very young. This trip stood out because it was his dad's first paid vacation ever. His mom emphasized how special it was, which opened up his love of travel and realizing how special it can be. He also remembers his mom making him practice walking a lot for the hiking they would do. This instilled a lifelong love of walking in Chris.

Christopher chooses a week-long backpacking trip in the Porcupine Mountains in 2002 to represent his early travels. This was his first multi-day "in the woods" experience of hiking and camping. It led to many similar trips and defined his main travel style in his late teens and twenties. He remembers how remote and rugged it was, having to carry everything and cook all your own food. The park is beautiful and started his love of travel via hiking and camping.

In high school, Ashleigh went on a summer exchange program and visited four countries and six cities in Europe over three weeks. This showed her she loves traveling to multiple places and not just sitting in one spot. After the trip, a host family asked if she'd come back to Europe soon. She said she wanted to see more of the U.S. first, naming places like the Grand Canyon and California she hoped to visit. This inspired her to see more of America before going back overseas.

On a 2019 trip to Maine, Christopher had a pivotal moment while hiking alone on the coast as the rain poured down. He realized he was unhappy with his career and wanted more freedom and flexibility. This travel moment sparked major career changes just two years later, proving to Christopher the clarity travel can provide. He wishes to return to Maine  to complete the full circle.

Ashleigh shares a late 2019 trip to the Finger Lakes region of New York. They visited wineries, bought a lot of wine, and really got into learning about small production, boutique wines. After COVID hit, those same wineries they discovered started offering great deals. Wine became a bigger part of their life and travels after this trip.

In 2021, Ashleigh and Christopher took their first "workcation" with an extended 3-week trip. A highlight was managing to get a room at the famous Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone with just a couple weeks notice. Being able to watch the sunset and Old Faithful erupt right from their balcony was a memorable moment only possible because Christopher could work remotely.

On a summer 2022 trip to Italy, Christopher had a pivotal moment while looking out over Naples and Mount Vesuvius. Despite stresses earlier that week, taking in the incredible view gave him perspective that his problems were small in the grand scheme of things. This Neapolitan clarity has stuck with him through challenges since and reminds him what's important.

For her last pick, Ashleigh chooses their 2023 transatlantic cruise because it represented a return to Europe after many years. She loved getting back to the continent in such an unusual way - by cruise ship! It was an amazing three weeks at sea and exploring Portugal, showing Ashleigh's love of non-traditional travel.

Christopher and Ashleigh enjoy a glass of white port from Vieira de Sousa winery which they visited on their trip to Portugal. They reminisce about the floral flavors and woman-owned winery. While slightly oxidized after a year, the balanced sweetness still shines through.

In this episode, Ashleigh and Christopher discuss the latest travel news for October 2024:

• Book Holiday Flights By October 14

• Salmonella Outbreak on Royal Caribbean Cruise

• Trails in Glacier National Park Closed due to bear Activity 

• Uber Launches Safari Experience in South Africa

Chris and Ashleigh try Zacharias Merlot, a balanced Greek red wine with nice fruit flavors.

Christopher and Ashleigh share some of their favorite travel YouTube channels, podcasts, and blogs that help fuel their wanderlust.

Paddle TV - Hosted by whitewater kayaker Ken Whiting, this channel features gear reviews as well as video series of his kayaking trips that inspire Christopher and Ashleigh's interest in outdoor adventures.

Tips for Travellers - Primarily focused on cruise reviews and content. Ashleigh has followed this UK-based channel for a long time.

Downie Live - Host Michael Downie showcases interesting destinations and transportation options. His Amtrak and Via Rail trip videos originally caught Christopher's attention.

Noel Phillips - This aviation-focused channel follows host Noel Phillips on flights around the world. It gives a unique look into different airlines and airports.

Spain Revealed - New Zealander James Blick lives in Spain and shares travel tips and insights about Spanish culture that Christopher enjoys.

RV Miles - A great source for road trip inspiration, they share details on destinations like national parks, cities, and campgrounds from their RV travels.

Cruise Radio - The top podcast for cruise reviews and news. Hosted by Doug Parker, it's essential listening for planning a cruise.

Spanish Loops - Two Spanish tour guides dive into topics about Spanish history, culture, and tourism. Christopher likes their unique perspectives.

WDW Radio - A must for Disney trip planning, Lou Mongello interviews Disney insiders and has extensive park knowledge.

Travel with Rick Steves - While Europe focused, Rick's public radio show also features world travel. Good for finding episodes on your destinations.

Fresh Off the Grid - Creative camping cooking with recipes from a variety of cuisines and camping setups. Christopher and Ashleigh have used their pad thai and chilaquiles recipes.

Disney Food Blog - The experts on all things dining at Disney parks. Helpful for planning meals.

Disney Tourist Blog - Tom Bricker's site covers news, tips, and trip reports about everything Disney.

Royal Caribbean Blog - Created by cruise expert Matt Hotchberg, it's a wealth of info for planning a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Cruise Maven - Sherry Laskin writes about various cruise lines and destinations if you're planning a cruise.

Break The Travel Barrier - Russell Hannon shares cheap travel tips so you can explore the world on any budget.

In this episode of Go See Do Explore, Ashleigh and Christopher discuss the best places in the U.S. to see fall foliage according to a USA Today poll. They also share details about their annual Labor Day tradition of walking across the Mackinac Bridge and visiting Mackinac Island.

Ashleigh reads through the top 10 fall foliage spots according to USA Today readers. Christopher makes predictions about the types of places that will make the list before hearing each one. Locations include:

• The Adirondacks, NY

They discuss places they've visited on the list and others they still hope to see someday. Christopher accurately predicts that most spots will be within driving distance of major cities and feature elevation changes.

Christopher and Ashleigh sample a Pinot Grigio Rosé from Paso Robles, CA. They discuss the unique winemaking techniques used and how carbonic maceration gives the wine an interesting flavor profile.

Every Labor Day, Christopher and Ashleigh walk across the entire Mackinac Bridge from St. Ignace to Mackinaw City. The bridge connects Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas. After reaching the other side, they take a ferry to Mackinac Island where they explore by carriage and bike before grabbing lunch at The Pink Pony restaurant.

They share details about the 5-mile bridge walk, including how the experience and logistics have changed over the years. Riding a rented horse-drawn carriage around the island is a fun alternative to biking its 8-mile perimeter. They look forward to this annual tradition and recommend visiting during Labor Day weekend if possible.

In this week's episode, Ashleigh and Christopher share their top 10 favorite wineries they've visited in the US. They each highlight wineries across the country that stood out for their wine, views, experiences and more. It's a fun episode for oenophiles and travel lovers alike.

Some of the wineries that made their lists include:

• Two Lads (Old Mission Peninsula, MI)

For this week's wine break, Ashleigh and Christopher sample a 2019 Grenache Mourvedre from Lewis Wines in Texas. They describe it as "pretty sharp" and say it still has nice acidity despite being a 5-year old wine.

Ashleigh and Christopher close out the show recapping their Labor Day weekend camping trip. Highlights include:

• Kayaking at Pretty Lakes near Newberry, MI

Stay tuned for next week's episode where they recap what they did on Labor Day itself.