Travel tips, guides, and real life stories to inspire your next adventure. Go explore!
Living Big Travel started in 2014 from a seed of an idea - a hunch really - that if given a hand to hold, a plan to latch on to, and a community to join - more people (women in particular) would be traveling the globe. That hunch turned out to be true, put Living Big Travel on a path that…
Read MoreI’ve had the good fortune of traveling to Dubrovnik, Croatia about a half dozen times now. It’s really as stunning as your neighbor, BFF’s Mom, and college roomie have told you. But one key characteristic that often goes unnoticed is the fortified walls that surround the ‘old town’ portion of Dubrovnik.
Read MoreIt strikes me as so peculiar when I first discover a mash-up of these two countries in an unlikely place: at Vatican City. For over 500 years a special group of Swiss military guards have taken on the role of the chief army charged with protecting the Pope and Vatican City.
Read MoreThis post is about something you might have heard about Switzerland, can often feel when you’re in Switzerland, but isn’t a topic often mentioned in travel stories - and that’s the long Swiss history of independence and neutrality.
Read MoreIf due to travel restrictions, personal preferences or otherwise your 2021 travel plans are more road trip, and less jet-setting global travel than we’re here for YOU! Starting off our road trip blog series are 3 amazing destinations in OREGON (my home state) that are amazing single-stop destinations accessible for most of you by car or domestic flight, or part of a multi-stop road trip.
Read MoreI’m frequently asked about the Basque Country - where is it, what is it, and why can’t I find it on my map? While there is a LOT to see/do/experience in this area, you could also just build an entire visit around food, and I promise you’ll be more than satisfied!
Read MoreWhen you arrive in Iceland you’ll hear all about glaciers, geothermal waters, elves, northern lights, and puffins. And if you’re a keen traveler you might have heard, or quickly find out about Icelandic horses. These horses are stunning - smart, beautiful, and so gentle with riders with a wide range of experience. But they also have a unique background (some of it rooted in folklore!) attributes and traditions.
Read MorePeru is a country known for its rich history and traditions in general, so the holiday season does not disappoint. Mixing ancient Inca culture with a heavily Roman Catholic influence from Spanish settlers, being in Peru for the holidays brings its own special, spiritual magic.
Read MoreAs you travel throughout Thailand you’ll start to notice a consistent icon: what first appears to be a small house on a pedestal is actually a spirit house, or San Phra Phum in Thai. You’ll find spirit houses outside 5* hotels, small cafes, family homes and everything in between. Spirit houses are a space for the living to honor the spirits that own the land that their homes, buildings and business are built upon.
Read MoreI started Living Big Travel in 2013, and at its core then and now is Connection. It started with reconnecting with myself after a transformational 5 month solo adventure, evolved to finding ways for small-groups of women to connect to themselves, each other and unique experiences on our Hosted Adventures, and most recently - with our new focus on custom Travel Design - we’re focused on creating custom travel experiences that allow clients to connect with their friends, family and travel mates without the stresses and challenges that often come with planning your own trip.
Read MoreWHEW! You made it to the third, and final part, of this blog series! Part 1 outlines what led to this adventure, and Part 2 outlined all the details of where I went on my 5 month solo adventure. Part 3 is all about what I learned along the way as I was planning the trip + traveling ‘with’ myself for 5 months.
Read MoreIn May 2013 I set-out on my first long-term solo travel adventure. To read more about what led to this adventure, how I saved the money to quit my job and travel for 5 months. Here’s a preview of how the experience unfolded:
Read MoreIf I put myself back to a previous phase of like, circa 2011 or so, life looked so very different. It wasn’t bad - don’t get me wrong, just different. I was a hitting a stride in my corporate marketing career, having fun with friends, traveling a bit, and overall setting out on a life-path I thought I was meant to live.
Read MoreWith the state of the world being what it is now, I’ve been finding it difficult to dream about traveling. In my room, I have a whole wall dedicated to photos from my travels. When I have an off day, one of my favorite things to do is look up at the wall to see all the faces I have met and reminisce on all the stories I made with each person.
Read MoreWhile the state of the world requires us to sit tight, postpone travel and slowwwwwww down, it doesn’t mean we have to stop dreaming, imagining and planning our next adventure! To help with all that dreaming, imagining and planning, we want to provide as much content and advice as we can!
Read MoreIn the past few weeks there has been a lot of questions and dialog about Coronavirus, and the risks and impact on travel. And rightly so; anytime there is a health situation that impacts a global community of people, it gets our attention.
Read MoreYou just got engaged - congratulations! While at first glance all the wedding and honeymoon planning might be exciting and fun, but to get real for a minute: your days are also full of work, maybe kids, taking care of a home, pets, family members, extracurricular interests, etc…..
Read MoreWhen I was 21 I decided to pack my life up into a 70-liter backpack and my 30-liter daypack to venture through South America for six months by myself. During my trip, I traveled to Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Belize, and Mexico. During this journey, my love for South America grew and I want to inspire more people to see this beautiful continent. Here are five reasons I fell in love with South America and why you might too!
Read MoreThe holidays are magical, right? They’re all about family meals where everyone gets along, turkeys that are perfectly moist, receiving gifts you’ve always wanted but never put on a wish list, eggnog that doesn’t add to your waistline, seamless travel experiences and more. Right? Um, no. Actually not at all.
Read MoreItaly in the fall, does it get any better?
The answer is yes - it sure as heck does! But only if you’re traveling with a group of amazing women who arrive excited to see, experience, taste and laugh their way through an adventure together!
Read More
