My Top 10 Self-Improvement Books, Plus a Bonus

School was never my thing. Traditional school, at least. Sitting for hours amongst neurotic teenage girls in high school who thought their entire future depended on some algebra test was..detestable.. I didn’t buy into it. I went to an all girls high school, so the hormones ran high and so did the crazy. Learning, however, was always something I was …

The Necessity of Taking a Solo Trip

Since I’ve become more immersed in the travel community worldwide, I have noticed how polarizing solo travel is to people. Some people think it’s utterly preposterous, and some can’t go a month without a solo trip. I’m of the mindset “you do you”…which is how I live most of my life and how my brain has come to work. It …

My Favorite Shoe Brands

Once upon a time, I was smitten with the idea of owning shoes made by Prada, Fendi, and Christian Louboutin. These days, I find myself looking at shoes I can walk through Europe in, and I’ll admit, they are classified more as a “comfort shoe” than a sexy, head-turning foot piece. My everyday life doesn’t permit me to wear a …

5 Ways to Decorate Yourself for Carnival Season

Carnival season can be short or it can be long, but no matter what, when January 6th hits, it’s time to break out that purple, green, and gold. January 6th is a big date for us here in New Orleans. It’s called a myriad of things: Epiphany, King’s Day, the start of the king cake diet, and the most wonderful …

8 Things to do in Le Marais

When it comes to Paris, biting off more than you can chew on a trip is a recipe for disaster. I’ve been to Paris several times, and I have definitely toured around most of the central arrondissements, but I have chosen to get to know some more than others. Le Marais is one of the neighborhoods I think is worthy …

The Joy of Trip Giving

I had no idea how much joy gifting a trip to New York City would bring me. Months later, I am still beaming with how happy I feel from the short two nights we were there. So many elements made it one of the most worthwhile trips I may have ever planned. What made it so? You’ll have to read on to …

Wining and Hiking in California

I can’t think of two activities I like to do more while traveling. No matter which continent, country, state, or city I explore, I like to find wine to drink and trails to hike. If I’m being honest, which I will be, the wine is mostly my doing and the hiking is mostly my husband’s. Combined, we (and those activities) …

Paris Part Trois – Finally Someone to Talk to!

Getting on in Paris alone was quite interesting for me. I didn’t expect the goings on that I would experience, so when my favorite travel buddy (my husband) showed up after four days of me being on my own in Paris, I was happier than a pig in mud. Paris is filled with millions of people. They are everywhere, they …

Get off Your F*ing Phone and Spend Some Quality Time Together

Technology. Phones. WiFi. It’s never not there. You’re at dinner and want to know something, pull that phone out and look it up. You want to take a picture while you’re out? Pull out that phone and then…wait…let me check this message, and that one, and wait I have 54 notifications on Facebook. By the time I look up again …

Jet Lagged, Sick, and Alone in the City of Light

Paris. Have you been? What comes to mind when you think about Paris? For me, it’s wine, croissants, clothing, and cafes. It is now, anyway. I hated Paris the first time I went. I was 20 years old, American, and dumb as rocks when it came to anything international. No one in my family had traveled internationally so I was …