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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

  • Monaco in One Day: The Ultimate Guide to What to See and Do
  • The Best Beach Destinations for Singles Looking for Romance
  • How to Find a Secluded Beach Getaway Without Spending a Fortune
  • How to Find Your Own Paradise on Vacation
  • From Theme Parks to Coastal Escapes: Planning a Florida Vacation That Has It All
  • 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
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    I Sold All My Stuff. I Traveled The World. My Worst Fear Came True. Why I Still Don't Regret It.

    I Sold All My Stuff And Traveled The World. My Worst Fear Came True. Why I Still Don’t Regret It.

    February 1, 2017
    Beach View Gili Air

    Learning To Slow Down On Gili Air

    March 12, 2013
    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.…

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    Riding an Elephant

    White Knuckles-Surviving Scary Situations And Letting Go of Fear

    January 20, 2013
    Imperfection Peeling paint building in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

    Embracing Imperfection: 3 Magical Ways Mexico Is Causing Me To Love My Flaws

    October 7, 2013
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    Going Home To San Miguel de Allende-An Update

    December 27, 2014
  • 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…

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    Trapped In Asia: How It Took Me 2 Credit Cards, 5 ATM Machines, 4 Travel Agents, And A Bike Ride Through Horse Dung To Buy A Plane Ticket

    March 10, 2013

    If You’re Researching a New Country to Explore, Visit These Websites

    March 4, 2026
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    Being Circled By Sharks-My Adventures In Raja Ampat

    March 29, 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…

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    First Impressions Of Crete

    March 18, 2014
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    Being A Temple Instead Of Visiting Temples-My Visit To An Orphanage In Sri Lanka

    May 3, 2013
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    Six Things I Learned From Living In Hawaii

    June 19, 2017
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    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…

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    Going Outside Of My Comfort Zone On The Spice Island Of Kei Kecil

    March 23, 2013
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    The Credits: Meet Tinmyint From Yangon, Myanmar

    June 13, 2014
    Val in her empty house

    How I Feel After Selling It All To Travel The World

    July 9, 2013
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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