• Start Here
  • Contact Me
  • Advertise/Hire Me
  • Privacy Policy
This Way To Paradise

  • 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
  • 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

  • The Power of Adventure Vacations: Exploring Nature and Curiosity
  • The World’s Most Exciting Long-Distance Travel Routes
  • What to pack for the Camino de Santiago (and what to send ahead)
  • Trading Palm Trees for Twinkle Lights: Finding Winter Paradise in Europe’s Festive Old Towns
  • Hidden Alpine Destinations That Deserve More Attention
  • Castaway Resort, Koh Lipe, www.thiswaytoparadise.com
    Travel Blog

    3 Thailand Beaches That You Just Shouldn’t Miss

    September 3, 2013 / 13 Comments

    Everyone loves Thailand beaches.  The question that everyone has when booking their holidays to Thailand is which ones they should visit.  Well, I have found three stunning Thailand beaches that not only will make you feel like you have found Paradise, but also aren’t crowded with hordes of people.  These beaches will make you feel like you have truly escaped. My Favorite Thailand Beaches 1.  Sunrise Beach, Koh Lipe Koh Lipe isn’t the easiest island in Thailand to get to, but it is worth the journey. This is an island that isn’t overrun by tourists. In fact, there isn’t even a 7-11. Sunrise Beach was by far my favorite Thailand beach.  I…

    Read More
    paradise

    You May Also Like

    Edinburgh

    5 Reasons Why You Need To Book A Flight To Edinburgh Right Now

    September 29, 2014
    nadine happier than a billionaire interview

    How To Be Happier Than A Billionaire: An Interview With Nadine Hays Pisani

    September 8, 2014
    San Miguel de allende mojito it's not you, it's me

    San Miguel, “It’s Not You, It’s Me”

    February 16, 2014
  • Bali Offering www.thiswaytoparadise.com
    Travel Blog

    11 Things To Do In Bali That You Won’t Find On TripAdvisor

    August 25, 2013 / 22 Comments

    I fell in love with Bali the moment I first saw it. The sensuous sandalwood smoke curling itself upward to mingle with my breath and remind me to be fully in the moment, the smiling happy people who wanted to know everything about me, the colorful flowers everywhere. It was the first place that I traveled to that felt completely exotic. There were so many things to do in Bali, and I fluttered around from place to place trying to do them all.  But seven years later, I still felt like I needed to go back.  I had done all the touristy things, but Bali was still calling to me.…

    Read More
    paradise

    You May Also Like

    What No One Tells You About Beach Living

    What No One Tells You About Beach Living

    August 15, 2016

    Love in the city: An essential guide for your first London visit

    October 27, 2025
    What To Do In Bali: Bali Tours With Locals

    Why I’ll Probably Never Go Back To Bali

    September 14, 2015
  • Val in her empty house
    Travel Blog,  Uncategorized

    How I Feel After Selling It All To Travel The World

    July 9, 2013 / 67 Comments

    Yes, I did it.  Exactly six weeks after getting back from a three-month sojourn to Asia, I came back home and decided to do what many other travel bloggers and nomads have already had the courage to do.  I sold just about every item I owned, so that I, too, could travel the world.  When I was in the midst of the “biggest garage sale on earth”, I couldn’t help but tell my story.  So many people, as they grabbed up all of my stuff, would comment, “I don’t think that’s something I could ever do.  I could never get rid of my stuff.” It’s funny because I once thought…

    Read More
    paradise

    You May Also Like

    Ocean Waves

    Happy On A Local Beach In Phuket!

    January 30, 2013
    SUNSET FOR ONE: THE GOOD AND BAD OF TRAVELING ALONE THROUGH THE REMOTE ISLANDS OF INDONESIA

    Sunset For One: The Good and Bad Of Traveling Alone Through The Remote Islands of Indonesia

    July 24, 2017

    You Must Speak Like Water

    January 24, 2013
  • Val with Guru Made, healer, Bali
    Travel Blog

    The Top 29 Things I Learned From My Travels

    May 15, 2013 / 58 Comments

    This has been the longest time I have traveled. And it has been an amazing journey. I have seen amazing things, grown as a person, realized my own strengths and weaknesses, changed my eating habits, gone to incredible healers who have brought healing to my body and soul, and have expanded my outlook on life.  Here are the top twenty-nine things that I learned.1. The greatest thing about traveling had nothing to do with the beaches that I saw, the temples, or even the food. It’s not about rushing around to see the sights. The best part of travel were the people who I met. I loved seeing what we…

    Read More
    paradise

    You May Also Like

    Costa Rica Doesn't Have Tacos And 5 Other Reasons I Decided Not To Move There

    Costa Rica Doesn’t Have Tacos And 5 Other Reasons I Decided Not To Move There

    November 8, 2016
    Are You Already Living Your Biggest Fear?

    Are You Already Living Your Biggest Fear?

    October 17, 2016
    artist in chaing mai

    The Credits: Meet John Monoon, The Coolest Artist In Chiang Mai

    September 15, 2014
  • Baby in orphange in Sri Lanka
    Travel Blog

    Being A Temple Instead Of Visiting Temples-My Visit To An Orphanage In Sri Lanka

    May 3, 2013 / 26 Comments

    For those of you who have followed along, you know that my visit to Sri Lanka has not been the greatest.  It has been unsafe to travel here as a single woman, and many unfortunate things have happened to me along the way.  This is a sad country with an even sadder government, and the people who I have met have talked about their feelings of repression, and how they envy my freedom as an American.  The person with the most moving story was my driver, Michael. Michael told me the story of how when he was 28 years old, he traveled to the Philippines.  He happened to fall in…

    Read More
    paradise

    You May Also Like

    Ocean Waves

    Happy On A Local Beach In Phuket!

    January 30, 2013

    How to Master the Art of Packing Light without Sacrificing Style

    April 2, 2025
    Riding an Elephant

    White Knuckles-Surviving Scary Situations And Letting Go of Fear

    January 20, 2013
910111213

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