After three years of submitting an application for a backcountry permit to hike the Grand Canyon, rim to rim, we’ve come to my fourth attempt. It’s a pretty discouraging process to hear, year after year, that my application has been denied when I only want to visit the Grand Canyon and do the infamous hike. Here’s how it went.

The plan was to travel to Iceland one week on my own, and one week with friends that were to join me. That turned out not to happen at all. I was on my own for two weeks in Iceland, but it wasn’t my first rodeo (travelling solo as a female), This is how the 14-day trip went in 30 seconds per day.

After the first few days of being in Iceland (training to scuba dive in a dry suit between tectonic plates), every other day of the two weeks was spent hiking. Some were smaller trails, some longer, some more strenuous, some full of tourists, some alongside waterfalls, and I am going to rank them all. At least all of the trails that I managed to hike.

After having visited Iceland a few weeks ago, and going through the dry suit course, I wanted to share the experience and the dive in the clearest water in the world, which also happens to be the only place in the world where you can dive between tectonic plates.

After having gone and returned from a two week trip to Iceland, I want to share the items I ended up packing, some things I forgot, and some things that I didn’t need but did end up bringing. Learn from my mistakes!

If you haven’t already been to Iceland, and are on the fence about whether or not it’s worth the money (because yes, it is an expensive country - or maybe just for me!), here are a few reasons why it’s worth the journey. It wasn’t even on my list of places to go because I did not know all of the wonderful things available there, but I regret nothing. In addition to being an incredible country, it’s commonly listed among the most safe countries for solo female travellers.

Well we were already in the area, being in South Dakota to visit Badlands National Park, so why not visit another national park? These particular parks are located in the Dakotas, probably one of the least visited states in the United States so I am not sure when I am going to be in the area again.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is separate, there are three units (technically), but we went to the north and south unit. It wasn’t the “best” weather being overcast, cold, windy, a bit rainy, and maybe that meant less people visiting the park. Jaron, the park ranger at the Visitor Center, assured us that there was not a big chance of rain. And it turned out still to be gorgeous and maybe just the right weather for visiting.

Our annual trip to a national park has come and gone, and this year we chose to visit the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. We did a few of the hiking trails, or tried to, and learned lots along the way. Come along as we share our experience, if you’re trying to visit the various national parks or if you just like to tag along in the fun.

AllTrails lists Black Elk Peak Loop: South Dakota Highpoint as the #1 hike in South Dakota. This rating is based on how other hikers have rated the trail. It’s a little surprising because, as an outsider, I would think the best hike might possibly be in the national park, the Badlands. Instead Black Elk Peak Loop: South Dakota Highpoint lies in the Black Hills National Forest. Join us as we trek up to see what the fuss is about and judge for ourselves.

I just finished all 5 units of Pimsleur Spanish, which comes out to 4500 minutes, or 75 hours of language lessons. But does Pimselur work? What even is the Pimsleur method? I wanted to share thoughts on my experience, and explain what Pimsleur is… and if I would even recommend it to other language learners. It’s just one of the many options that is available to those learning a language.

There are plenty of people that really enjoy the art and history that is so popular in Santa Fe, New Mexico. But I’m not one of them. I appreciate that they exist and I appreciate that other people appreciate it, but I would rather find one of the many trails that are splattered all over the surrounding area. I’ve selected one to add to my travel vlog called the Atalaya Trail; it’s my mom’s favourite and I’ve done it only once before with my cousin. Hiking is one of the many things to do in Santa Fe, New Mexico, so join me as I embark on this solo adventure.

If you don't want to deal with the super expedited US passport renewal process, then check your passport now! I do not recommend this method to renew your US passport, but if you have to do it, then here is all the information you will need. Good luck!

I missed cherry blossoms the last time I went to Japan, but found out quickly that there are cherry blossoms in Portland Oregon, which is where my sister lives. I don’t know what I love about cherry blossoms but I wanted to share my experience in case you would also like to visit.