Category: Travel

  • The not-a-millionaire guide to the Maldives

    If you live in North America and aren’t a billionaire and/or a frequent world traveler, you probably have never really considered visiting the Maldives. And it’s alarmingly easy to spend your entire year’s salary there in a week. But you totally don’t have to. I can help. Overview The Maldives is made up of hundreds […]

  • Girls trip to Singapore

    Girls trip to Singapore

    First things first: Singapore is a fantastic destination for a girls trip. There’s shopping, nightlife, great restaurants, and tons to see and do (including plenty of Insta-ready photo spots). I did a girls trip to Singapore a few years ago, right around the time Crazy Rich Asians came out, and we also happened upon the […]

  • How to avoid crowds in Santorini

    How to avoid crowds in Santorini

    Santorini is incredibly beautiful, with adorable towns, delicious food, and sunsets that are famous around the world. Unfortunately, all those things mean it’s also ridiculously popular. But we managed to visit the island without getting caught in a crush of people, and I want to share how to avoid crowds in Santorini. Shoulder season The […]

  • The best Cherry Blossom Tea in DC

    cherry blossom tea in DC

    My friend Kelly went to every cherry blossom tea in DC to find the best, so you don’t have to suffer through the rest! Today’s blog post was written mainly by Kelly (with one section written partly by me, because we went together), and details the experience at Cherry Blossom tea at the Mandarin Oriental, […]

  • DC cherry blossoms without the crowds

    DC cherry blossoms without the crowds

    It’s cherry blossom time in Washington, D.C., and while there are always crowds, this year is particularly nuts because it’s the first Cherry Blossom Festival since 2019. We went to the Tidal Basin at 8 a.m today (Sunday) and it was already packed. But there’s a place you can go to see DC cherry blossoms […]

  • Tips for flying with a baby

    flying with baby

    The first time we flew with Arabella, she was only 3 months old, and I had no idea what to expect. I probably Googled every possible version of “flying with a baby,” “flying with an infant” and “traveling with baby,” and I read a ridiculous amount of tips and suggestions. I did similar searches again […]

  • What it’s like to do an OCONUS PCS during a pandemic

    OCONUS PCS during a pandemic

    Moving halfway across the globe is never easy. But add in a global pandemic, a stop movement order, local travel restrictions, and children, and a permanent change of station move outside the continental United States becomes pretty overwhelming. In 13 years as a Marine Corps spouse, I’ve been through more than my share of moves; […]

  • Fall in Shenandoah: Weekend trip from DC

    Fall in Shenandoah | Weekend trip from DC

    I am not a fall person. I mean, I like plaid. Coats and boots are cute. Pumpkin is delicious. But I don’t like being cold, and I had never really seen leaves change before moving to Maryland when I was 16, so that isn’t something I look forward to every year. But since we spent […]

  • Fukushuen Garden in Okinawa

    Family photos at Fukushuen Garden in Okinawa | Photo by Heather Johnson Photos

    A few weeks before everything shut down, we had photos taken at Fukushuen Garden in honor of Arabella’s first birthday. I had never been to Fukushuen Garden before, but I’m really glad we decided to do the photo session there because it is gorgeous! The beaches in Okinawa are really incredible, but after a maternity […]