• 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
  • Rice fields in Ubud
    Travel Blog

    Watching The Rice Grow-What I Learned In Bali

    March 5, 2013 / No Comments

    No matter how far you may travel, you will always return to the place inside of you. I am not sure that you will really get to read these words. I am pretty sure that I am living on the edge of a dream. The edge of my dream. The dream that I have dreamed my whole life which ended here. Either that, or I have actually died and have truly found Heaven. I am in the middle of a stillness.  A stillness so deep and so profound that, yes, I actually can see the rice grow.  I am living in my dream house.  A house with no walls.  No…

    Read More
    paradise

    You May Also Like

    Bali Offering www.thiswaytoparadise.com

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

    August 25, 2013
    Nagarkot sunrise

    The Sunrise That Should Be On Your Bucket List (Nagarkot, Nepal)

    October 21, 2014
    artist in chaing mai

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

    September 15, 2014
  • Sky view of clouds from airplane
    Travel Blog

    Yep, I’m A Goofball-How That Fact Saved The Day (And Had Half of SFO Airport Cheering Me On)

    March 2, 2013 / 13 Comments

    I have been convinced that I am half-mermaid ever since I was a child and saw Darryl Hannah in Splash. Later on, when people told me that I looked like her, I knew it had to be true. And, I seem to be the kind of person who doesn’t quite fully understand what to do with her legs. I am always running into stuff, tripping, and very much accident prone. I often am amazed when I take a flight that my whole body arrived at my new destination, and surprised that my head isn’t still stuck back at the departure gate. The thing is, when people first meet me their…

    Read More
    paradise

    You May Also Like

    artist in chaing mai

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

    September 15, 2014
    Sunset on the Kei Islands, the Spice Islands of Moluku, Indonesia

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

    March 23, 2013
    The Exciting 5 Reasons Why I'm Moving To Hawaii Now

    The Exciting 5 Reasons Why I’m Moving To Hawaii Now

    March 21, 2016
  • Oaxaca Market People
    Travel Blog

    Para Hoy-For Today (Life In Mexico)

    February 26, 2013 / No Comments

    “Pará hoy”?  the avocado seller asks. I nod. Yes, today. I have no life beyond today. -Tony Cohan Perhaps the greatest thing that I learned on my trip to Mexico, on that Mexican time was that there is only today. Perhaps that is why tears welled up in my eyes when I was airlifted back into a life  that seems all too often to take me out of the present and into some future. Future plans, future moments….I really don’t want any of it. In Mexico, when you ask a restaurant if they will have a reservation for you, the answer is maybe. Always maybe. After all, you never knew…

    Read More
    paradise

    You May Also Like

    Mangosteen

    Phuket-How I Created My Own Sanctuary Among The Crowds

    January 28, 2013
    Raja Ampat Coral

    Being Circled By Sharks-My Adventures In Raja Ampat

    March 29, 2013
    Why You Don't Want To Miss The Enchanting Kauai North Shore

    Six Things I Learned From Living In Hawaii

    June 19, 2017
  • Val eating fish in Mexico
    Travel Blog

    Lost In Translation-How My Spanglish Almost Caused Me To Starve To Death

    February 25, 2013 / 9 Comments

    We must all eat to live; some more urgently than others. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am easy-going, upbeat, and positive UNLESS I am hungry. When my blood sugar gets low, I don’t manage very well.  The world seems to tilt on its axis, my stomach starts to feel like it’s eating itself, and I lose all sense of balance and equilibrium.  Especially with my mood.  While, I try to learn the basic phrases in the language of the places that I travel to, I am learning that one of those basic phrases needs to be, “I need food now!!!” I really should know this by now.…

    Read More
    paradise

    You May Also Like

    Boat in Belize

    Where I Found Happiness In Belize (It Wasn’t Where You Might Think!)

    February 15, 2013
    Footprints in the sand Raja Ampat

    Trapped in the Mosquito Netting-More Adventures From Raja Ampat

    March 29, 2013
    traveling to Iceland reasons to visit Iceland

    Big Announcement: 11 Reasons Why I Will Be Traveling To Iceland

    October 20, 2015
  • Boat in Belize
    Travel Blog

    Where I Found Happiness In Belize (It Wasn’t Where You Might Think!)

    February 15, 2013 / 4 Comments

    I admit, I was searching for happiness when I booked my plane ticket to Belize.  You see, I spend most of my time in  Portland, OR where in the winter, the only sun we see is the picture of the one on the Weather Channel.  It was March, and I absolutely couldn’t handle another day of rain.  So, I booked a ticket leaving for Belize three weeks later.  I was feeling blue, and I thought the sun, the sand, and the sea would bring me some much-needed happiness. And yes, while the beauty there did make me feel happier, the true joy that I discovered was the people themselves.  The…

    Read More
    paradise

    You May Also Like

    traveling to Iceland reasons to visit Iceland

    Big Announcement: 11 Reasons Why I Will Be Traveling To Iceland

    October 20, 2015
    Ocean Waves

    Happy On A Local Beach In Phuket!

    January 30, 2013
    Footprints in the sand Raja Ampat

    Trapped in the Mosquito Netting-More Adventures From Raja Ampat

    March 29, 2013
1213141516

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