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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

  • 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
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
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

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…

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August 5, 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
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My Favorite Greek Island
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Some of the Best Florida Beaches
  • Archangel Michael Celebration, San Miguel de Allende
    Travel Blog

    Slowing Down: How I’m Learning To Live The Good Life In Mexico

    September 30, 2013 / 25 Comments

    La Buena Vida-“The Good Life” That’s what they call it here, and you hear it a lot. But you don’t just hear it. You live it. I haven’t been here very long, but already I am learning to embrace the art of slowing down. I am embracing imperfection, and I am living fully in the moment in a way that I never have. Oh, yes, at first, I tried my old ways. Trying to do too much, scheduling too many activities in a day, but then something happened. That something that happened took me by the hand and called to my heart, and said, “Slow down.” “What are you hurrying…

    Read More
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    The Best Beach In The World-Spellbound On Belitung

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    Join Me For A Magical Walk Through San Miguel de Allende

    September 22, 2013 / 20 Comments

    Magic is the energy I feel each day when I awake in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.  Suspended in time is what I feel when I walk through San Miguel de Allende’s cobblestone streets.  The days seem to end before they even began. You have filled my senses to the brim during your sunlit days.  The sound of church bells fills my ears mixed with the crackle of thunder and fireworks being shot through your cannons. The smell of your chilies mingled with lavender and mint from your gardens stirs me. I am seduced with the beauty of your doorways.  Each doorway the hues of  paprika, mustard, and naranja, burning into…

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    The Powerful Reasons You Should Follow Your Dreams

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    I’m Giving Up (And Why That’s A Good Thing!)

    October 14, 2013
  • Journeying Home www.thiswaytoparadise.com
    Travel Blog

    Where Is Home?

    September 13, 2013 / 21 Comments

    Don’t worry that your life is turning upside down.How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come? -Rumi Where is home?  This has been a question that I’ve asked myself over and over through the years. Growing up, we moved thirteen times before I even made it out of high school.  I learned early on that a home is not a house.  Growing up, my home was my family, the laughter we shared in each house we lived in, the work we did together to create a nice place to be.   Growing up, this was home.  No matter where we…

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    Day Of The Dead (Dia de los Muertos)-It’s So Alive

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

    March 2, 2013
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    10 Reasons Why Ibiza Is The World’s Utopia (#4 Will Take Your Breath Away)

    April 29, 2014
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    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…

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

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    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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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