Shereen Rayle's Blog, page 50

My Birthday In Italy

This year has been uncertain. While we have been able to do outdoor birthdays for everyone in the family, winter is a different thing altogether. I knew that having anything outside in December was not going to work, so I planned a destination birthday instead. Like our Destination Date Nights. I decided what I wanted to eat and then chose my theme based on that.

We ordered pasta, garlic bread, and tiramisu from one of our favorite restaurants, and I knew that I had to do Italy, but different tha...

Making Your London Trip Affordable

Last weekend we visited London on date night, because it's one of our favorite places. It can be really expensive if you don't plan ahead, but it doesn't have to be. We visited in 2019 and hope that won't be our last trip to the UK, so let's look at some fun ways to save money.

Buy the Explorer Pass

Our last trip, I worked with Explorer Pass from Smart Destinations and did a few things we hadn't done on previous trips. You can skip ticket lines, enjoy a list full of attractions, and save up to...

Taking a London Staycation

The last month has been a busy one, even without being able to do much outside, but we finally penciled in a Destination Date Night, where we visited London. As you might know, London is one of my favorite cities. It feels like home for me, but also like I can never explore it enough. The neighborhoods are all very unique, the food is delicious, the people are lovely, and the architecture is beautiful. 

Now that I think about it, maybe I should have saved London for my birthday this week,...

Get Your Car Road Trip Ready

I know some of you are getting ready to travel for the holidays. Maybe it's to a secluded place to spend some time away from home or to a family member's house. While many of us aren't going to be flying anywhere for a while, road trips are a much safer option. If you aren't renting a car, then you need to get your own road trip ready.

Have you checked your car recently?

I love a good road trip, but winter can be scary if you aren't ready for the weather conditions being thrown at you. This is...

How To Be a Responsible Local Tourist

In this time when we aren't traveling, Eric and I have been trying to find ways to explore our city while still staying safe. In addition to watching streaming concerts and comedy shows, we've been trying to get out and about to get some fresh air and out of the house. 

One of the things we enjoy doing is going to different food trucks, and that brings us within a lot of different murals around Portland. Our buildings are covered in amazing creations from local artists, and I love it. 

The old Sun...

8 Must-Do Road Trips

After almost a year of no travel, I've finally booked a vacation rental for a short road trip for February. We'll be traveling in our small pod (me, Eric, my mom, and the dog) for my mom's birthday, getting take-out and making our own food, then we'll take a few drives around the area, and hang out in the hot tub and around the fire pit. This got me thinking about socially-conscious road trips you could be taking. Here are 8 of the best ones:

I hope everyone's having a safe and healthy Thanksgivi...

6 Ways To Ensure Your Road Trip Doesn’t End Up Caked In Negativity

Road trips can be very fun and very rewarding experiences where everything is in the right place. The idea of hopping into a personal vehicle and setting off down the road for a few days or a few weeks can be quite dull for some, but the freedom and the adventure excite many people on the planet. Whether you’re looking to head into entirely new areas or you just fancy a girls’ weekend away some time, a road trip can be the exact thing you need. 

https://unsplash.com/photos/5d20kdvFCfA 

If you don...

8 Awesome Free Things To Do In Mexico City

Since we've been quarantining as much as possible during this pandemic, we've been learning about places we want to travel when we're able to again. We've added some places to the ever-growing list, including Mexico City. We've been to other places in Mexico, but I'd love to visit a more metropolitan area on my next visit South. 

While Mexico isn't that expensive to begin with, you can go even more budget-friendly by enjoying free things. To me, that means more money for eating out and/or splurgi...

Experiencing Mexico from Home

It's been a few weeks since Halloween, but we wanted to make a real destination date out of Mexico, so we swapped out our Day of the Dead backdrop for this lovely Mexican neighborhood backdrop and kept the ruins of Teotihuacán background. I went whimsical with my tablescape and added a few cactus to match the backdrop, the cutest little llama piñata you've ever seen, and a tiny sombrero that came as a set (we wore the other two).

If you've been to Mexico, you know it's very colorful and vintage l...

Why You Should Be Staycationing Now

A lot of the country is seeing rising Covid numbers and many states/cities are locking down or partially locking down again, including Portland/Oregon. Yes, we're all sick of staying in our houses (I mean, not me, but I am a complete introvert), because we haven't seen friends or family in person for months, but there are people out there ruining it for everyone and making this last longer, so plan yourself a relaxing staycation and try to unwind and de-stress. 

If you've been following along, yo...