Shereen Rayle's Blog, page 44

Dad & Grad Travel Gift List 2021

Guess what? We're finally getting back to normal and people will be traveling and living a life outside of their home and local grocery store. With Father's Day coming up quick and everyone graduating right now, travel gifts can really go a long way in making your recipients extra happy. 
Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

We're seeing things start to open, and even if we aren't taking advantage of those early opportunities to stay healthy, having a travel bag packed and ready is a great thing ...

12 Budget Fall Travel Destinations

With things opening back up and travel being more than just optimistic in the coming months, I thought you might like to read about some places that are generally affordable in the fall. We're planning a road trip to Vegas, and are already looking forward to traveling farther in the future. If you're also dying to pack a bag, here are some places to plan to go to.

As you know, destinations have on, off and shoulder seasons, where on season is the most expensive and busiest, off season is the chea...

Tips For Traveling With Kids

Traveling is coming back, and if you're hoping to get away later this summer or  in the fall with your family, you're going to need to strategize. I know many people are planning road trips, but if you're chancing air travel, you're going to need some tips besides bringing masks and hand sanitizer. 


Traveling with kids is not always easy or cheap, but you can make it a bit easier on yourself by planning ahead. No last-minute packing or planning, because it can definitely mean the difference betwe...

Myanmar Travel Tips

Last week we had a destination date night staycation in Myanmar (or Burma) and we really wanted to immerse ourselves in this culture with the food and online tours and call a bit of attention the military coup that is currently happening there. We stand with the citizens of Myanmar and we hope that we will have the chance to visit their beautiful country at some point in the future. If you're looking to plan a trip in the future or just want to know more about the country, I've pulled two great ...

Myanmar, But Without the Military Coup Part

We're still celebrating AAPI Heritage Month and this has been an interesting month for learning things. We have previously "traveled" to Japan, China, Thailand, and Mongolia just a few weeks ago. Funnily, we've never actually made it to Asia, though we have plans to visit Japan in the somewhat near future and we've just made plans to visit Sri Lanka and the Maldives in 2023. 

Our neighborhood just got a new Burmese restaurant that I wanted to try, so I decided to do a whole staycation around it. ...

10 Free Things to Do In Amsterdam

Amsterdam is an amazing city full of beautiful buildings and museums and artwork, but with so much stuff to do, it can be difficult to stay on budget if you don't plan some free and cheap activities during your trip. Here are 10 of my picks for freebies to plan a trip around when we're not just enjoying an Amsterdam staycation at home.
Photo credit: Nancy Jennings*
1. Amsterdam Street Art

By now you know that I love street art. It's free and it can really give you a feel for the city you're in, sin...

How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Now that we've not been traveling for a while and the travel industry is trying to bounce back, we can see the impact our past trips have had on the environment, and we can look at ways we can change what we do and how we do it to reduce our carbon footprint. While travel doesn't always feel like it's great for the environment, especially when you're getting to your destination on a a huge plane that burns a ton of fuel, there are many things you can do to offset your travel carbon footprint. 
Pa...

Celebrating in Amsterdam at Home

A few weeks ago, we decided to "travel" to Amsterdam on our Destination Date Night in order to celebrate King's Day, the day when the Dutch throw a big party for their king's birthday. People wear a ton of orange and cram onto boats and the waterfront and drink a lot, because that's how most of the world parties. I also wanted an excuse to eat a lot of waffles.

If you want to know more about King's Day, you can see my post here, but we learned as we ate and had a two-person dance party to enjoy o...

My Mongolia Wish List

I know Mongolia is a large country. At roughly a quarter of the size of the continental U.S., it may be difficult to see everything you want in one trip, but maybe not, if you plan strategically. The country doesn't really have a good tourism network yet, which means you'll likely be one of very few tourists wherever you go, you may have to wait until you arrive to arrange tours and tickets.

Photo by Batgerel Batkhurel on Unsplash

Yes, I enjoyed learning more about Mongolia at home, but nothing be...

Traveling Tips for Mongolia

We're looking a bit more at Mongolia today, with an infographic that gives us all the necessities, including were to go, what you need, useful phrases and important cultural norms. As I mentioned in my post for our staycation, Mongolia is pretty different from anywhere we've ever traveled, but those differences are what make it so interesting and special.

Have you ever wanted to visit Mongolia? If not, do you have a non-traditional travel destination on your list? What makes it so appealing to yo...