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This Way To Paradise

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  • About Me
  • Travel Tips
  • Escape Guides
    • Belize
      • Ambergris Caye
      • Caye Caulker
    • Cambodia, Koh Rong Samloem
    • Costa Rica
      • Arenal and La Fortuna
      • The Osa Peninsula, Corcovado National Park
      • Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
    • Dominican Republic
    • Guatemala
      • Lake Atitlan
    • Indonesia
      • Ambon, Maluku
      • Bali
      • Gili Islands
      • Kai Island, Maluku
      • Raja Ampat
      • Sumatra-Belitung Island
    • Mexico
      • Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo
      • La Paz
      • Patzcuaro
      • San Miguel De Allende
      • Todos Santos-The Antidote To Cabo!
      • Zipolite Beach: A Complete Travel Guide
    • Portugal
      • Beach Porn Alert: 7 Reasons Why You Need To Put Lagos, Portugal On Your Bucket List Now
      • The Top Portugal Beaches To Visit
    • Sri Lanka
      • Colombo, Sri Lanka
      • Ella
      • Mirissa Beach
      • Yala National Park
    • Thailand
      • Bangkok
      • Koh Lipe
      • Phi Phi
      • Phuket
      • Railay Beach-Krabi Town
      • Your Thailand Songkran Water Festival Guide
  • Places To Stay
  • Food
  • Contact Me
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Travel Tips
  • Escape Guides
    • Belize
      • Ambergris Caye
      • Caye Caulker
    • Cambodia, Koh Rong Samloem
    • Costa Rica
      • Arenal and La Fortuna
      • The Osa Peninsula, Corcovado National Park
      • Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
    • Dominican Republic
    • Guatemala
      • Lake Atitlan
    • Indonesia
      • Ambon, Maluku
      • Bali
      • Gili Islands
      • Kai Island, Maluku
      • Raja Ampat
      • Sumatra-Belitung Island
    • Mexico
      • Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo
      • La Paz
      • Patzcuaro
      • San Miguel De Allende
      • Todos Santos-The Antidote To Cabo!
      • Zipolite Beach: A Complete Travel Guide
    • Portugal
      • Beach Porn Alert: 7 Reasons Why You Need To Put Lagos, Portugal On Your Bucket List Now
      • The Top Portugal Beaches To Visit
    • Sri Lanka
      • Colombo, Sri Lanka
      • Ella
      • Mirissa Beach
      • Yala National Park
    • Thailand
      • Bangkok
      • Koh Lipe
      • Phi Phi
      • Phuket
      • Railay Beach-Krabi Town
      • Your Thailand Songkran Water Festival Guide
  • Places To Stay
  • Food
  • Contact Me

Recent Posts

  • Small Ship vs. Large Ship: Which Nile Cruise Suits First-Timers?
  • Beach at Sunrise, Pyramids by Noon: A Day Across Egypt
  • Lost and Found: Unforgettable Moments in Greece
  • Santorini vs Mykonos: Which Island Is Worth Visiting
  • What No One Tells You About Beach Living in Dubai
Travel Tips

San Pancho & Sayulita Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Know

I just got back from my travels to San Pancho and Sayulita in Mexico, and I had a wonderful time. These two beach towns are right next to each other,…

read more
November 28, 2025
Escape Guides

The Ultimate Olympic National Park Itinerary: Best Things to See and Do

It can definitely get a little overwhelming when trying to plan an Olympic National Park itinerary. There’s a lot of beautiful things to see and do, and you definitely will…

read more
September 5, 2026
Escape Guides

From Dolphins To Fish Tacos: The Best Things To Do In Loreto

I just returned from Loreto, Mexico, and while I can’t say it was my favorite place in Mexico, it still had its charms. Zipolite still gets my vote for being…

read more
August 5, 2025
Travel Tips

Unforgettable Things To Do in Portland, Oregon

I moved back to Portland, Oregon after living in Charleston, SC and St Pete, FL the past four years. Moving back has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever…

read more
April 1, 2025
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My Favorite Greek Island
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Sacred Sites of Mt Shasta
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Best Things To Do in Milos, Greece
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Some of the Best Florida Beaches
  • Travel Tips

    Small Ship vs. Large Ship: Which Nile Cruise Suits First-Timers?

    October 22, 2026 / No Comments

    Book a Nile cruise for the first time, and you’ll hit the same wall almost immediately: half the articles insist a tiny sailing boat is the only real way to see Egypt, while the other half push a floating hotel with a pool and a spa. Both are describing the same stretch of the Nile River between Luxor and Aswan, and both are right for somebody, just not necessarily for you.   Before going further, one clarification saves a lot of confusion. A large ship on the Nile River does not mean anything close to an ocean megaship. There’s no rock-climbing wall, no ice rink, no 4,000 strangers. It means…

    Read More
    paradise

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  • Travel Tips

    Beach at Sunrise, Pyramids by Noon: A Day Across Egypt

    October 22, 2026 / No Comments

    The day can begin with the Red Sea still reflecting the first light and end with the memory of pyramids rising from the desert outside Cairo. Few journeys in Egypt create such a dramatic change of scenery in such a short period: peaceful resort gardens give way to airport gates, ancient stone replaces turquoise water, and the relaxed rhythm of Hurghada suddenly becomes the movement and energy of the capital. A successful day between the two cities is not about proving how many attractions can be visited before the return flight. It is about choosing a handful of experiences carefully enough that each one feels distinct, meaningful, and worth the…

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  • Travel Tips

    Lost and Found: Unforgettable Moments in Greece

    October 22, 2026 / No Comments

    Some of the moments you remember most from a holiday are the ones where it feels, in the moment, that everything is falling apart. In Greece, that might mean stepping off a ferry without your favorite sunglasses, following the wrong cobbled street back from dinner or watching one flip-flop drift towards the horizon while you stand helplessly in the shallows. Small mishaps can nudge you away from the version of a trip you planned on your phone and into something more spontaneous. You slow down, ask for help and often notice far more of the place around you. The Mishap Moment There is usually a brief moment of disbelief when you realize…

    Read More
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    Valen Dawson at the Castaway Resort, Koh Lipe www.thiswaytoparadise.com

    Other Travel Articles Written By Valen Dawson

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    Smart Planning for Cross-Country Trips with Your Infant

    March 17, 2025

    10 Bucket List Destinations You Need to Visit in Your Lifetime

    July 22, 2026
  • Travel Tips

    Santorini vs Mykonos: Which Island Is Worth Visiting

    October 22, 2026 / No Comments

    Santorini and Mykonos show up on almost every first-time Greece list, and they get bundled together so often that people assume it’s the same trip with a different ferry ticket. It isn’t. One island is built around a view you’ll still be thinking about months later. The other is built around long beach days and nights that end after sunrise. I can’t tell you which one is better, but I can help you work out which one suits you. Here’s how they compare. The Short Answer Pick Santorini for scenery, romance and a slower pace. Pick Mykonos for beaches, nightlife and a sociable, stylish crowd. Both are expensive in summer,…

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    This Is Not Another Boring Packing List

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    10 Bucket List Destinations You Need to Visit in Your Lifetime

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    Do People Still Hook Up When Traveling or is Gen Z Over It?

    February 3, 2026
  • Travel Tips

    What No One Tells You About Beach Living in Dubai

    October 21, 2026 / No Comments

    The photos make it look effortless. A balcony, a turquoise sea, a skyline glowing behind the palms. Coffee at sunrise, a swim before work, sunset on the sand. Some of that is true. A lot of it depends on where you live, when you swim and what you sign. Dubai is also changing fast along the water. The city has only about 21 km of public beach today, and its master plan aims to grow that to 105 km by 2040. The plan also sets aside stretches for night swimming. So the beach you buy near today may look very different in a few years. Here’s what the glossy listings…

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About Me

I am always looking for the perfect escape, the perfect paradise, the kind of place that tosses your cares into the sea. Fortunately, I have discovered many! I created this site to show you where to go and how to get there. My goal is to show you that Paradise is only a plane ticket (or boat ride) away. I have inspired many others to travel and to create a better life. I am available for inspirational speaking, coaching, writing, travel planning, and photography.

©2026