Shereen Rayle's Blog, page 37

Lunar New Year Activities

This has been a very long, stressful week, so while I take a bit of time for myself before I come back with a full post of great things, I thought I'd show you a few highlights of the last couple of weeks that we've been doing Lunar New Year activities. It's been a lot of fun and I highly recommending doing things in your city if they are offered. 

This week we set aside some time to finally do our Lunar New Year Destination Date Night. I simplified with only one (really good, mind you) backdrop,...

Happy Lunar New Year

Cung Chúc Tân Xuân (or Gracious wishes for the new Spring in Vietnamese). It's the Year of the Tiger! I'll be doing Lunar New Year festivities this whole weekend, and I'll be following up with several posts. You can see my posts from last year here and here. If you are also looking to celebrate, here are some things to know and do:

I know this shows old years. Last year was the Year of the Ox, and next year will be the Year of the Rabbit

So, Saehae bok mani badeuseyo - May you receive lots of luck...

8 Alternative Budget Spring Break Destinations

Spring Break may be fast approaching, but non-essential travel is still kind of frowned upon, and you probably don't feel comfortable visiting a place that's packed full of drunken tourists. We all want to get away from home and have some fun, so if you're trying to take a trip that's somewhat safe and also budget-friendly, here are 8 options for you: 

Washington, DC - With Covid restrictions finally lifted, most of the museums have reopened. The weather is generally nice during the spring, so ea...

Tucson In Food Photos

Before I left for Arizona, I put out a call to my Tucson friends to give me their favorite places to eat in the city that wasn't Eegee's (because I was already going to go there). They, honestly, did not disappoint me and gave me way more suggestions than I had time to eat at. That's okay though, because I had a list of options for wherever I was, and I appreciate that.

When we lived in Tucson, we were very close to a couple of places, and one of my favorites was a 50s-style diner called Little A...

What's Australia Day All About?

Last weekend we took a staycation to Australia to learn about the country, do some sightseeing, and celebrate Australia Day. But what is Australia Day and why is it celebrated across the country? Like our Fourth of July, Australia has parades and fireworks and BBQs. 

If, like me, you thought this might be a fun holiday for all, even though Indigenous peoples are honored and celebrated, it's not a wonderful holiday for them. You can learn more about how those that don't believe this is a day for j...

Happy Australia Day Staycation

Happy Australia Day. This weekend we were finally able to get back into staycations and we "traveled" to Melbourne, Sydney, and Bondi Beach. It was a whole thing. I have been wanting to do Australia for quite a while, so when I saw that Australia Day was January 26th, I figured this was the month to do it. So, let's talk about it!

I, honestly, didn't do any research on Australia Day, but then I felt kind of bad, because it's right up there with Columbus Day and that sucks. Not only did the Dutch ...

De-Stress with SpectraSpray

We're all going through very stressful times right now. Not just because travel is, once again, an up-in-the-air thing, but everything is uncertain. We have to decide how to live our lives safely for ourselves and others, while also having to pretend some semblance of normalcy. It's hard and you may find yourself needing some help from...somewhere. Let SpectraSpray be part of that solution for you.

SpectraSpray makes vegan, organic, sugar-free, gluten-free, yeast-free, wheat-free, dye-free sprays...

What's Flying Like In A Pandemic?

Well, I did it. I finally got back on a plane. It had been 22 months since I did so, and I felt every day of that. Traveling is something that is a necessity in my life. Though we'd been doing Destination Date Nights, it only pushed off the wanderlust for so long. So, once we were all fully vaccinated and boosted, we booked a flight to Arizona to get away from the gross winter weather.

I had my doubts as to whether or not airlines would really enforce the mask rules, but I talked to several peopl...

Free National Park Days

Last post we talked about National Plan for Vacation Day. It's pretty awesome that there's a day for it. If you don't have a lot of disposable money right now, you aren't alone, and perhaps a free trip to a National Park is an option for you. These do sometimes take planning, since the parks can get real busy. 

With winter dragging on and some places still getting fresh blankets of snow, you might be ready to get out of town. In preparation for the warmer temps, or for those of you who don't care...

How to Celebrate National Plan For Vacation Day

January 25th is National Plan for Vacation Day. With January being the best month for booking travel and travel bouncing back from its two-year slump, you might want to definitely give it a go this year. Over the last 20+ months, many of us have found ourselves dreaming of big trips and longing for when we can get back out in the world. 

If this perfectly encapsulates your life right now, then perhaps now is the time to start planning your next trip and figuring out how to make it happen. With th...