So, you're planning to visit a place where you can't drink the tap water. *Travelers diarrhea has entered the chat.* There's no need to panic though - it doesn't mean your trip is ruined. Here's my real talk guide on how to avoid travelers diarrhea, what to pack, and what to do if you get it.

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It's fun to travel with your furry best friend and can save money on boarding costs, but traveling with an anxious dog is not easy. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it. My dog Coco Chanel is a really chill dog most of the time, but gets very anxious while traveling. With each trip I've learned more about what she needs and how to help her through it so I thought I could share some of that today. Let's take a peek inside her travel bag. Here's my practical guide of travel essentials for anxious dogs to alleviate stress for you and your furry loved one while on the road.

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I don't know about you, but if the destination is by the water, I'm probably going to be snorkeling. Sometimes you can find great snorkeling right off the beach which is awesome. But other times it's worth taking a boat tour to be able to snorkel with wildlife in amazing reefs. After taking different snorkel tours in all sorts of different places around the world, today I'm sharing my best tips on how to prepare for a snorkel tour in a few easy steps to make sure it's an epic experience.

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No offense Rick Steves or Lonely Planet, but when I'm planning a trip, I don't use guidebooks. The thing about them is, everyone is reading the same guidebook. So everyone goes to the same places. And I find that they're very corporate. They usually just share all the same big ticket attractions and tours that have paid their way in. It's not the best way to get a complete experience of the destination. Now, don't get me wrong, I love to visit the popular touristy places when I travel. But I also like to balance it with unique finds or smaller attractions. This way I get a more holistic experience and support smaller businesses. Today I'm sharing the main things I use all the time to plan things to do while traveling to help you get the most out of your next trip.

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If you saw my post last week but feel a little overwhelmed about what to pack to go off the grid, I hope this will help! Here's my guide on what to pack for glamping at Glamping Unplugged. I've written it based off my experience at that specific glamping site, but I'm sure you could adapt it to wherever you will be going glamping - whether that's in the US or somewhere else. Just check what facilities you'll have and make whatever changes you need. Either way, I hope it can help make the packing process easier and give you a few ideas on how to keep it simple but still have an awesome time!

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Anyone who has been on holidays knows that while it's awesome, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. I'm looking at you travelers diarrhea. Today I want to chat about one of the pitfalls of traveling - being a magnet for pickpockets. And theft in general. It's not nice but it happens and solo female travelers are even bigger targets. Here are my tips on how to avoid pickpockets while traveling and keep your belongings secure. I hope they can help you have a safe, stress-free vacay!

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If you want to splurge on your travels, go for it. I'm not here to tell you not to and, in fact, my motto is live poor travel well. I love a good vacation splurge too! But, if you're on a budget and looking to get a little more bang for your buck, here are 10 super easy ways to save money while traveling overseas. These are just simple changes that make a big difference to stretch your travel budget a little further - and make splurging more doable.

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Let me start by saying there's no right or wrong choice here. It's all about making the choice that suits your travel style and needs best. The best camera for traveling is not the most expensive or fanciest on the market, it's the one you're going to use. With that in mind, I'm going to go through the main types of cameras I use on different trips and what they are best suited for. This way, you can evaluate and decide which type is best for you.

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I feel like there's two types of people - those who love the travel planning process, and those who don't, right? Which one are you? If you find that you get overwhelmed when planning a trip, today I'm sharing my guide on what to look for when booking a hotel to help you streamline the process. Let's take some of the stress out of it so you can plan things on your own instead of paying way too much through a travel agent. Even though the variables like budget or accommodation type change with each trip, the process is the same. Here's how I approach finding accommodation and I hope it'll help you too.

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UPDATED MAR 2020. Here's my guide on what to bring on a short hike. I'm focusing on items that I always have with me no matter where in the world I am hiking and offering some of the tips and hacks to make it easier. This guide will probably be more beneficial to people just starting out on their hiking adventures. I think sometimes people get carried away and pack everything but the kitchen sink, but this guide will get you down to the minimal essentials. Remember that everything you pack you have to carry, so you can make it easier on yourself by packing light.

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A play by play is a great start when it comes to recording your travels in a journal. But if you want to dig a little deeper and take your reflections to the next level, here are 21 travel diary ideas to prompt you. These thoughtful prompts will serve as a diving board for you to jump off to explore more than just what you did. You'll be able to delve into meaningful journaling about how you feel, how the experience changed you, record the moments you never want to forget, and build the habit of mindfully observing the places you visit.

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UPDATED FEB 2020. Honestly, this is probably one of the trickiest things to do as a solo female traveler. Especially if your hotel is not close to the beach where walking back and forth is convenient. What are you meant to do with your stuff? Today I'm sharing tips on how to keep your valuables safe at the beach as a solo female traveler.

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UPDATED FEB 2020. There is no shortage of travel advice out there so I thought I could go through some of the bad travel advice that you should probably just ignore. I wish I could add the frog and tea emojis (if you know your memes, then you get that). For now, though, a pic of me holding tea as the featured image will have to do. These are the worst tips I usually hear, but I'm wondering what is the worst travel advice you have received? Feel free to share it in the comments. (If you don't see your comment show at first, it's probably just gone to spam and I will move it across).

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UPDATED FEB 2020. Let's start off by saying that if you are traveling once or twice a year for a week or two, then you should probably disregard everything in this post. Holidays are meant to be enjoyed. Life is meant to be experienced. I say try the food, relax a little, and then get back into a routine when you're home. If you travel more frequently though, or for a longer period of time, then it definitely pays to keep your indulgences in check. Here are my practical tips on how to stay in shape on vacation that don't include any scams like detox tea or involve you eating lettuce as a meal. Just practical and useful advice to help bring balance to your travels.

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UPDATED FEB 2020. When you start adding up the cost of a vacation, it can seem overwhelming and too expensive sometimes. The trick is really just knowing where to invest your money. Today I'm sharing a useful guide on how to plan a travel budget to sort through which expenses to splurge and skimp on. If you have any questions, just let me know.

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UPDATED FEB 2020. We all want a photo memory of our memorable life experiences. One of the challenges of traveling solo is getting nice travel photos that actually include you in them. Here's my guide on how to get photos as a solo female traveler. I'm sharing the methods I use the most, as well as some that I don't use so you have a few options to choose from. Find what works for you and if you have any questions or more tips, just pop them in a comment.

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UPDATED FEB 2020. How can I travel as much as you? I've been asked this a fair amount but it's a question that makes me uncomfortable so I've always been hesitant to talk about it here. I have tips that I feel are useful though, so I got my thinking cap on and reframed the question to share these tips for how to travel more with a full time job. Despite what the social media clickbait travel influencers will tell you, you don't have to quit your job and travel. There's no such thing as that anyway because unless you're a rich kid everyone is working. You can still work hard in a career you love, have a home base, and follow your travel passions. Here are my tips to help you find that balance.

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UPDATED FEB 2020. Planning your trips can sometimes be overwhelming, especially when you're first starting out. Today I'm sharing a pre travel checklist to help streamline things for your next trip. Of course, there's no such thing as a 'one size fits all' since we all have different circumstances. You may need to make some minor adjustments, but this will definitely have you covered for the most part or at least get the mouse in your brain on the wheel and ready to get organized.

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UPDATED FEB 2020. Let's talk about money. 'Eeeeeeeeeeekkkkk!!' I can hear you say it now, but don't run away just yet. I have a real talk guide here to hopefully help you find new suggestions on how to save money for travel. Budgeting, in general, is hard. It takes sacrifice and whether you reach your goals or not will come down to 100% accountability on your part. Many of the posts like this that I see focus on how to make more money, but I think before you burn yourself out trying to make more money, learn to live off less. I like to tighten the budget in everyday life so that I can enjoy things while I travel. Live poor, travel well is my motto. But, whatever your style and whether you want to save money for traveling or something else, here is a guide of real-life tips to reduce your monthly expenses.

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UPDATED FEB 2020.... And these are a few of my favorite travel things. In today's post, I'm doing a rapid-fire list of my favorites to share some of my go-to tips, items, and inspirations for travel. Share your own in the comments!

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UPDATED FEB 2020. Many travel blogs will have you believe that amazing travel experiences can only be had in glamorous or far off destinations. I am here today to call bullshit. Sure, by traveling far you can have awe-inspiring travel experiences and I am a big supporter of global travel. But it's not the only way you can have a memorable time. When I started this blog, I wanted to inspire people to see the beauty of the world, even in their own backyard. It's been a guiding thought in my head for the last couple of years and yet, I haven't stopped to write a post on how to travel more often by exploring your own backyard. So if you want to travel more but don't have the cash or annual leave to travel to far off places then you're in luck. Today I'm sharing some tips on how to travel more in your local area.

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UPDATED FEB 2020. If you have been on a solo trip, or even brought up the idea of going on one, then I am sure you are familiar with the ‘world is a scary place’ comments that go with it. They’re not wrong either. The world can be a scary place and unfortunately, bad people do exist. That shouldn’t stop you from living a full life and exploring the world though. While you can’t stop bad people from doing bad things, you can reduce the likelihood of it happening to you. Prepare for your adventures with this jam-packed guide of real-world solo female travel safety tips that put the control back in your hands.

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UPDATED FEB 2020. Well, what an intense week that was. The good news is that the election campaigning is officially over. Don't worry this isn't a political post. This is simply some lighthearted relief for all of us, no matter who you voted for because we do have some things in common. Like, I think we can all agree that the true winner was the Obama/Biden, the Joebama, memes. They really were the memes that united America, weren't they? Another thing we all have in common is that most of us probably need a laugh and a holiday. With that in mind, here are some funny money saving tips to help you save extra money for your travels.

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UPDATED FEB 2020. Are you looking to take your travel photos to the next level? Well, you're in luck because here are my top 6 travel photography tips for beginners to help you get the most out of your camera and improve your shots. I've also added how to create and save your own presets at the end too. I hope this helps and if you have any questions, let me know.

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UPDATED FEB 2020. Do you sometimes feel like you're too scared to travel? That's probably rightfully so. After all, day in and day out we are bombarded with news and images about just how scary the world can be. This constant flood of stories of mass shooting here, terrorist attack there and one in a million freak accident somewhere else subtly morphs our views on the world around us. The good news is that there's also a world of wonder out there and it is very possible to overcome these fears so that we can experience all the goodness that travel has to offer. In today's post, I'm sharing my tips on how to overcome your travel fears and see the world.

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UPDATED FEB 2020. When we found out we were moving to Italy my first priority was getting my two dogs, Bella and Coco Chanel, ready to move. We had 30+ hours of travel ahead of us with the dogs at our feet, followed by a transition phase of living in a hotel so it definitely got a little stressful for them and us. But, with a little patience and perseverance, we got through it. Today I'm sharing my top tips for flying with a dog in cabin to help you prepare yourself and your pets for the journey.

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UPDATED FEB 2020. Traveling is such a fun experience, but the part when you are cramped up in the plane for long periods of time is not really the best part is it? For those short trips that are only a few hours long it’s pretty easy to get through, but what about the long travel days where every minute feels like an hour? Those ones can be harsh. Here's my long haul flight checklist to help you get through those days that feel like forever.

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UPDATED FEB 2020. I'm sure you know this by now, but the ocean is my happy place. I always feel so comfortable and peaceful in the water whether I am swimming or snorkeling. I'm always left wondering why Ariel would want to trade her mermaid life for a life on land? I suppose the grass is always greener on the other side, right? Anywho, today I'm here to share some beginner snorkeling tips and tricks to help you get started on your water adventures.

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UPDATED FEB 2020. I remember when I first visited Hawaii and was really proud to have bought a disposable underwater camera for the trip. When I saw something cool in the water, I proudly went through the *wind, wind, wind, click* process to take a photo. When I got back to Australia, the first thing I did was take my $12 camera to the store to be developed. One hour later I had 24 photos in my hands. There's nothing cooler right? Yes, yes there definitely is and it's called a GoPro. Today I'm sharing a guide on how to care for your GoPro after you take it on water adventures.

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