Shereen Rayle's Blog, page 130

2014 Holiday Gift Guide for Travelers

It's that time again. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are here, which means gift-giving time. We all have that person on our list that is tough to buy for. They have everything or are super picky. Perhaps they are big on traveling and that makes it just a little bit easier to choose a gift for them. I've broken the list into three categories, depending on how much you can spend, with at least a few **suitable for packing in your carry-on** when you are traveling for the holidays and don't want...

Take a Summer Vacation this Winter in Gulf County

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Gulf County, Florida. All opinions are 100% mine.

It’s holiday time and that means spending the days with your family as much as possible. One of the best ways to do this, in my humble opinion, is to take a vacation. Wouldn’t you like to get away? And with temperatures steadily dropping (or, in some places in the country, becoming a winter wonderland overnight) you might wish to just go somewhere sunny and warm. Well, now’s the time to make y...

How Far Will Your $100 Go?

Sometimes you just need to choose a destination based on your budget, because there are some places that are awesome and budget-friendly while others take a lot more planning to get to. I love London, but I can't afford to travel there every year. In between the expensive vacations, we plan for more affordable ones. There is always somewhere exotic to go, even if you have a little bit of money to spend. The following infographic shows you the comparison between affordable destinations and mor...

Immerse Yourself in the History of Colonial Williamsburg

Last month I came home from a two-week trip to the east coast. We visited Virginia Beach, Washington, D.C. and Williamsburg. The trip took me back to my childhood, as I spent quite a lot of time in Williamsburg and couldn’t wait to share it with my husband. The area has changed quite a bit since I was there twenty-some years ago, but the feel of Colonial Williamsburg was the same and really made me glad we took this trip.

I don’t know if you’ve ever been anywhere where they do historical recre...

Visiting Montana For Less

Last month I was invited to a lunch with the Montana Visitor’s Bureau where I got to hang out with some really cool ladies from Missoula, Glacier National Park, Bozeman and more. I had toyed around with the idea of visiting Montana, but it’s one of those destinations that has just gotten pushed down the list of places to go, even though I live in Portland and the drive is shorter than the one to Reno, Vegas and Los Angeles, all of which I’ve made in the past – some more than once.
photo credit...

Websites + Apps for a Better Holiday Travel Season

So, we all know that holidays can be totally stressful, especially when you ad traveling to the mix. As much as I love to travel, when the airport is just a crush of people and you are looking at a security line so long you can't even see the front it just doesn't seem all that enticing. Usually I enjoy the trip to the airport – yes, I know that makes me a crazy weirdo – because I love the excitement of being there, knowing I'm going to be jetting off to a cool place, eating at plac...

Review: Travelon Anti-Theft React Tote

Having a great personal-size carry-on bag is important. I like to have one that I can also use as a weekender or can doubles as a work bag as well. Travelon has made a point to design bags that adapt to the different ways people travel. I have several of their carry-on bags and now have two versions of the React Tote. I love the first and the new one has only been improved by the changes, making this a bag you'll want to take everywhere with you. I had the privilege of using th...

Using Ebates to Save Even More on Travel

Did you know that you can basically get paid to travel and shop [for your travel gear and clothing] for things you buy everyday? You can and Ebates will pay you for it. I never buy or book anything without first checking Ebates. So, what IS Ebates? It's a fantastic - and free! - site that offers you cash back for purchasing from online merchants. If you plan to make a purchase anyway, you might as well get something for being a loyal customer (or even a new customer). 

Here...

What's on Your Travel Bucket List?

Life is too short to put off the things you've always wanted to do, including travel. In fact, with a bit of planning, you can make it to nearly any destination that you desire. Most of us have a travel bucket list, which I like to call a Live It List, because I'm actively working through it. We have planned to visit Puerto Rico in 2016 and hope to make it to Spain, Greece and Turkey in the next 10 years. As you know, we try to intersperse our expensive trips with more affordable ones - last...

Skip the Beach and Check Into a Salt Room

Here in Portland we don’t get a lot of sun, even outside of Winter. Much of the time you go to the beach, you still have to wear long sleeves or a rain jacket. Going to the beach can be super-relaxing and gives your body much-needed vitamins. Mostly I like to go to the beach to walk along the sand and then go shopping, but my husband likes to go and attempt to swim, then run back and lie in whatever sun there might be, which usually isn’t much. So, instead of wasting 3 hours driving to and fr...