Rob Taylor's Blog, page 10

Complete Olympic National Park Guide – Best Hiking, Beaches and Where to Stay

One of the most popular places or topics we write about is Olympic National Park. We’ve created so many articles and shared so much because it’s a dream destination for so many. It was our backyard for the longest time, so allow us to guide you and help you have an incredible time exploring. Our guide to Olympic National Park has everything you need to planning a great visit, seeing wildlife and visiting the most beautiful beaches in Washington.

If you have any questions about visiting Olymp...

Creating a Memoir: Flirting with Disaster Author Angie Orth Shares her Writing Journey

Writing a book is a major undertaking (I’ve done it twice and have more in the works) and it’s also a life dream for many. Angie Orth, our good friend and fellow traveler has completed her first major published work: Flirting with Disaster – True Travel Tales of Fear, Failure and Faith. From the creative process to finding a publisher, Angie shares her journey of sharing her first memoir.

So what does it take to go from having a life story to having a published hard-back book on the shelves?...

Fun Downtown Pensacola Things To Do: an Easy Florida Gulf Coast Trip

I love our hometown, but if I had to pick a new place to live, there are so many things to do in Pensacola, Florida and its islands that we would move there in a heartbeat. That’s not what this is about though. Having gotten to deeply explore the whole Pensacola area I have a great collection of unique things to do in each part of the city.

Pensacola is quite spread out and is very different from cities like Orlando or Naples, FL. I think it’s a mix of a few US cities: Savannah, GA; Mobile, ...

Pensacola, Florida: a Surprising LGBTQ Friendly Destination on the Gulf Coast

When I was first asked to visit Pensacola, Florida I didn’t know what to expect. Being very close to the FL/AL border and very near some towns that aren’t known for being very welcoming/inclusive to LGBTQ people, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It turns out that Pensacola is a surprisingly welcoming, open and supportive city, and that’s what we’re talking about in this episode. There are tons of things to do in Pensacola, but for now, let’s dig into why it’s such an inclusive destination when it ...

Summer Fun at Funtown / Splashtown Saco, Maine – Family Activities

Even though our visits to Maine are mostly hiking and visiting lighthouses on the coast, there’s a lot more to do for kids, including Funtown and Splashtown in Saco, south of Portland. Close to Old Orchard Beach Funtown and Splashtow are open seasonally and a good kid-focused activity to break up a road trip.

Remember those old theme parks like the Fun Forest at the Seattle Center (if you’re a Seattlite you know what I’m talking about)? Fun and games, free parking, snacks and candy… Funtown ...

Visiting Haleakala National Park with Kids

The absolute highlight of being on Maui is visiting Haleakala National Park with kids. This unique park is so completely different from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park or Mount Rainier National Park. We’ve explored Haleakala deeply and researched it ferociously, so we’re happy to share our tips for exploring this amazing crater with kids.

We’ve got the answers for anything you might wonder or need to know for visiting Haleakala National Park, from hiking in the crater to watching for endanger...

Visiting the UK: a first International family trip

Not everyone grows up traveling the world. I certainly didn’t, and I think it’s safe to say that most of us living in the USA didn’t get to venture from North America until we became adults. That’s rapidly changing with our generation (gens X and Y) and we’re making sure our kids have a viewpoint beyond America.

In this podcast episode we’ve got our friend Kate back with us. She’s been a guest before, including talking about travel anxiety and how to manage that. This time we’re chatting abo...

Best Unique Things to Do in Maui, Hawaii

Visiting Maui is a bucket list trip for a lot of people, and then there are those that have been visiting and returning to Maui continually since they were kids. We enjoy Maui too, but differently than most people we know and have talked to. We’ve picked our favorite things to do on Maui, considering what you can do that is accessible without trespassing on private land, what is safe to do with kids, and what visitors are welcome to enjoy.

Some may call Maui “The Valley Island”, others may c...

Visiting the Bahamas for Beginners: an Intro to Paradise

The Bahamas are so close to Florida that they are many people’s first taste of international travel. It’s an easy destination to visit, short travel time, and it’s a beautiful paradise… but most people’s first visit is via a cruise ship. That doesn’t have to be the case! With more than 700 islands, on this podcast episode we dig into why visiting the Bahamas is awesome and why they are MORE than a cruise port. Our chat is with Angie Orth, travel writer, host of the Traveling with AAA podcast an...

Epic Arizona Road Trip: From the Grand Canyon and Magical Sedona to Saguaro National Park

Arizona is awesome for a road trip. You might not immediately think of exploring the desert as an epic destination, but if you can visit in the winter, you’ll fall in love. We completed a very comprehensive road trip from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon, back through several National Monuments and Sedona, the down to Tucson and Saguaro National Park. From where to watch sunrise in Grand Canyon National Park to cactus safety in the desert, we’re talking about all of it.

Whether an Arizona road tr...