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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

  • 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
  • Small Ship vs. Large Ship: Which Nile Cruise Suits First-Timers?
  • Beach at Sunrise, Pyramids by Noon: A Day Across Egypt
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
Escape Guides

10 Hidden Beaches in Mexico You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

If you’re looking for an uncrowded escape, you need to know about these hidden beaches in Mexico. Everyone tends to gravitate towards Cancun, Tulum, Playa del Carmen, and to Cabos,…

read more
May 29, 2026
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
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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The Secret Beach on the Big Island
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Do You Know About the Florida Springs?
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Some of the Best Florida Beaches
  • I Sold All My Stuff. I Traveled The World. My Worst Fear Came True. Why I Still Don't Regret It.
    Travel Blog

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

    February 1, 2017 / 2 Comments

    Just over three years ago, I quit my job, sold everything I owned, and set off to travel the world. For anyone who is wishing they could quit everything and travel right now, I want to ask you a question. Why haven’t you done it? Yes, you. I know. You have a million reasons excuses about why all the travel bloggers you follow can do it, but not you. The real reason you haven’t done it yet is you are afraid. You have let fear stop you from following your dream. Are You Letting Fear Stop You? I was in the same place as you. I let fear stop me for the longest…

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

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  • Travel Tips

    How To Live A Life You Don’t Need A Vacation From

    January 16, 2017 / 16 Comments

    “Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should live a life you don’t need to escape from.”-Seth Godin The latest travel trend, especially among millennials, has been quitting your job to travel the world. While it’s something I glad I did, and I’m grateful for the experiences I had while doing that, it also didn’t solve all of my problems. I realized that I needed to go deeper. I realized that while I loved traveling and all the wonderful things that it brought to my life, I also needed to live a life I didn’t want to escape from. Many people see travel as the answer to ending…

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    If you love plants and flowers, you definitely want to visit the Lyon Arboretum Botanical Garden on Oahu

    Why You Shouldn’t Miss The Lyon Arboretum Botanical Garden On Oahu

    September 29, 2017

    How to Choose the Right Luxury Yacht Based on Your Needs

    September 19, 2025

    The Woman’s Guide to Solo Travel in Colorado

    July 10, 2026
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    Travel Tips

    7 Things To Love About Lisbon

    January 12, 2017 / 1 Comment

    I absolutely adored Lisbon, Portugal. Every single thing about it. I didn’t know much about it before I visited, so I wasn’t expecting much, but it completely stole my heart.  I have hundreds of things I loved, but here were my top 7, perfect if you are planning a 5-day vacation in Lisbon.  7 Things To Love About Lisbon 1.  Azulejos The azulejos, or colored tiles, decorated almost every building in Lisbon. The Portuguese first brought this tradition over from Brazil where they were used to keep out humidity. My favorite thing to do in Lisbon was to walk around and view the breathtaking tile work.   2.  Sunsets The sunsets…

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    October 15, 2026

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    April 21, 2015
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    Why You Don’t Want To Miss The Colorful Melissani Cave In Greece

    November 21, 2016 / 3 Comments

    Melissani Cave is a place you absolutely don’t want to miss on your trip to Greece. Also known as Melissani Lake, it’s on the island of Kefalonia. And after seeing a picture of it on Pinterest, I knew I just had to go. Melissani Cave is closest to Sami town and Agia Efimia, where I stayed. I’ve never seen water so many shades of blue in a cave. And, the light that filters in the opening of the cave creates water so clear that it sparkles. Board a boat and enjoy seeing the two chambers of this underground lake. Part of the lake has the sun streaming in, and the…

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    November 6, 2017
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    April 26, 2016
  • Costa Rica Doesn't Have Tacos And 5 Other Reasons I Decided Not To Move There
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    Costa Rica Doesn’t Have Tacos And 5 Other Reasons I Decided Not To Move There

    November 8, 2016 / 3 Comments

    “Maybe there´s no home, just road´s end.” ― Tony Cohan, On Mexican Time: A New Life In San Miguel When I was thinking of moving to Costa Rica, I got messages from a lot of you that you would be watching me, as you were also thinking of moving there. So, what happened? Why didn’t I move there? Well, it started out with the place I was volunteering not being what I had hoped it would be. It turned out that we would be staying in shared tents with cots that were a mile hike from the road on a slippery trail that crossed a stream in the jungle. A…

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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