Beautiful Life Beautiful World

Weekly Inspiration (January 08, 2017)

Your strength, power, radiance are perhaps like this tree ~ visible and vibrant against the white snow but you’re feeling defeated maybe even helpless against the bitter cold and can’t see it. Perhaps it seems like the nights are getting longer and that winter will go on forever. But this isn’t A Song of Ice…

Life, Love and the Pursuit of Travel Hacking Part #1 (My fave: credit cards/sign up bonus) TIME SENSITIVE/Last chance ~ Chase Sapphire Reserve 100K Bonus

I have talked to a number of people about my money saving post (click here for that post) and have had so many questions asked about my fave travel hack: credit cards that I figured that should do an in depth post. And since there is a very time sensitive promotion that is about to expire,…

Weekly Travel Inspo (January 1, 2017)

The beginning of the year is a great time to be reminded that “The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have.” – Anna Quindlen

2016 in Review

I don’t think that it would be hyperbole to say that 2016 has been an epic and magical year for me and I am amazed still by all that has happened. Here’s my year in review…

Life, Love, Travel & the Pursuit of Being Alive: Part: Part Two (Petra, Jordan + Logistics/Final Thoughts)

Petra is one of those places that either elicits a blank stare or complete excitement when I tell people I want to come here. So I learned from my young cousin to explain to the former in this way: Have you ever seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? Well, Petra is the real place…

Life, Love, Travel and the Pursuit of Celebrating Canada’s Birthday

Did you know that 2017 will mark the big 1-5-0 for Canada? And in true Canadian fashion, “Canada’s gift to you, the 2017 Discovery Pass will provide free admission for the entire year to Parks Canada places from coast-to-coast to coast!” Yes so click here for your Free 2017 Parks Canada Discovery Pass! This is…

10 Money Tips to Help You Travel Better (and Cheaper)

Obviously I saved money but that was only part of how I was able to travel for so long and to so many places. These are tips that I personally used/did and are geared towards how to best maximize your money for travel: from how to save $ to how not to spend any money…

Life, Love, Travel & the Pursuit of Being Alive: Part One (Amman, Madaba, Mount Nebo, the Dead Sea, Petra, Wadi Rum, Aqaba, Jordan)

In Jordan, I see countless stars filling up all the night sky, structures and monuments created thousands of years ago, ancient and modern history and civilizations, and I realize that I am but a tiny creature on one small planet in this vast universe occupying but a blip in time. But I do not feel…

Life, Love, Travel & the Pursuit of Kismet (Pamukkale, Selcuk, Ephesus, Izmir and Istanbul, Turkey: Part Two)

So time and again, I find that I am in the right place at the right time to meet the right people. It happens too frequently for me to say it’s just luck or good timing: is it my destiny to meet these people or is it my being open that allows for such meetings…

Life, Love, Travel & the Pursuit of Kismet (Following Destiny in Turkey ~ Cappadocia: Part One)

kis·met: fate or destiny How fitting that I become reacquainted with this Turkish word while here. Merriam-Webster’s definition is ‘a power that is believed to control what happens in the future’ and therein lies the important question: is fate something that controls us or something that we create? Is destiny a single line from one…

Life, Love, Travel & Home

So it’s pretty obvious that I like to travel right? But I’m not a nomad, so I really do like having a place that I can call home. And I don’t think these two loves are mutually exclusive and this post shows you how I have combined them…I think rather nicely if I do say…

Life, Love, Travel & the Pursuit of Dreaming a Little Bigger (Musings through Jordan)

‘What if I fall?’ enters my head as I near the edge. But then I think to myself ‘oh but darling, what if you fly? You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger my love…’