Shereen Rayle's Blog, page 153

Eat Mobile: Portland's Food Cart Festival

2013 was our second year to experience Eat Mobile, Portland's annual food cart fest that brings together 50 of the city's best carts who give out some of their tastiest samples and compete for the coveted Carty Award. You pay for your admission bracelet weeks in advance (because the event sells out) and then all the samples are free. You only pay for alcoholic beverages or bottled water, though Vitamin Water is free, since they are a sponsor  of the event. Not only is this festival fun...

Infographic: Monterey Bay Aquarium Joins CityPASS

Has anyone thought about planning a trip to the Bay Area this summer? If you have, yet another reason to go is to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium. They just joined the CityPASS program, giving you an even better deal on your San Francisco trip. If you aren't familiar with CityPASS, you can learn more about it from my review. Basically, you buy one card per traveler, skip the ticket lines and go straight to the entry gate at participating merchants. It saves you time, but because you are buy...

Review: Bluff Works Travel Pants for Men

Packing isn’t always the
easiest thing to do, especially when you are trying to get everything you need
into a carry-on. Add into the mix a variety of activities on your trip and it
can be hard to figure out how all the clothes you need to bring can mix and
match. Well, for guys, Bluff Works has the item of clothing that can save you
some serious space and help you pack more quickly and with less stress. They
make travel pants great for work and play.









Women have their little black
d...

Gay Days at the Happiest Place on Earth

I can count the number of people I've met on one hand who don't squeal in delight over a potential trip to Disneyland. I'll tell you right now, I don't want to know what their idea of a fun trip is if dancing princesses, parades and awesome rides aren't exciting to them in the least. I can get not wanting to be around a million kids all day, but when it comes to the magic of Disney, I don't understand how you can't get swept up in it all and become a big kid yourself. In short, how can yo...

Infographic: Using Hotel Reviews

I don't know about you, but the first thing I do before I book a hotel (or tour or go to a restaurant, etc.) is look at the reviews. Just because the website looks good doesn't mean that it is accurate. In fact, I've been to several that didn't look anything at all like the photos they posted. I am almost more interested in seeing visitor photos than what they have to say about the thing/place they are reviewing. It's actually more important to look at the reviews when you're a budget trave...

5 Affordable Wine Getaways

Not all vacations are created equal. I don't get away to go hiking or rock climbing, but I also don't go on shopping trips. I like to see and eat as much as possible, but I know not everyone likes to travel like I do. Maybe you like to go RVing or spend your time diving off different coasts or even put a majority of your budget towards golfing around the world. If you are a wine-lover on a budget looking to just relax and unwind, here are some unique destinations that allow you to incorpora...

Super Useful Travel Links

Happy Friday everyone! I thought this week would never end, but the weekend is almost here. You won’t be shocked to know that with all the stress of the week, I have been thinking more than ever about getting out of Dodge. Unfortunately, I don’t have the budget for it, so I found some links to make your next week easier, more enjoyable and more affordable. Enjoy!






Photo credit


Ever wonder what happens to all the unused or partially-used bars of soap in hotel rooms if you don’t stick t...

We Heart You, Boston

This week has been a hard one for the fine people of Boston, as well as all the visitors who were running in or supporting the marathon. Bad things happen and we can only hope they get resolved and move on. I am sending good thoughts for the victims and their families and decided we should honor them and their city with a post on fun things to do in their fair city.






This photo of Fenway Park is courtesy of TripAdvisor



Boston, Massachusetts is an overlooked seaside destination. It is c...

Your Starter Travel Wardrobe

When you go on vacation, packing is often a step that people hate. I just think of it as a possibility to come up with a basic wardrobe that will get me through most any situation. You don't have to pack for Armageddon and bring everything you own with you. Think of it as packing as few necessities as possible, because you will also have to carry that closet with you. Now, you know I don't like to waste money, so my choices have to fit in a carry-on and any personal item sized bag...

Live and Learn: Los Angeles (Part 2)

Los Angeles is awesome. There are so many things to do in and around it, but people tend to get all riled up about how crowded it is that they can’t see how much there is to entertain you. I’ve probably made 15 trips to LA and Anaheim growing up (and grown up), so you would think that by now I’d have it all down. This last trip was the longest I’d ever been in SoCal and decided to do more than make a quick trip into Hollywood for a friend’s birthday. I did one thing right: this time I did...