how does social

There are many great museums in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and I visited three of them while exploring the city on a trip with Marriott. During my weeklong trip exploring my own backyard, we made our way to the Walker Art Center & Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Mill City Museum, and Foshay Tower Museum and Observation Deck. Of course, there are several other wonderful museums in the city, such as the Minneapolis Institute of Art, The Museum of Russian Art, Weisman Art Museum, American Swedish Institute, to name a few. But, for now, let's dig a bit deeper into the three museums I visited on this... Continue reading

Berlin, Germany, is a city that has always intrigued me. There really is no place quite like it. The history from the past combined with the culture of today has created a contrasting mix full of surprises. During our five days exploring the city, we dove headfirst into some fascinating experiences. We learned about the evolution of Berlin's coffee culture, dug into the street art scene, learned... Continue reading

Budapest, Hungary, has intrigued us for quite some time. From the beautiful architecture, to the magnitude of thermal baths and cave systems that run underneath the city, to the food and ruin pubs, and the storied history of the city, Budapest just sounded like one of those cities we would enjoy. And, I would have to say, our assumptions were more than correct. Budapest quickly became one of our favorite cities in Europe. During our five day visit, we spent time relaxing in coffee shops, wandering around the gorgeous city streets, hopping around ruin pubs, taking a cooking class, visiting museums, ice skating, soaking in thermal baths, strolling through Christmas Markets, and attempting to explore the caves...more on that below. It was a wonderful time and I can guarantee we will be back... Continue reading

Chicago, Illinois, is a city we have visited many times over the years, but most of our visits have been prior to our travel blogging days. Because of this, we have only written a couple of posts on the Windy City, so it was about time for a return visit. Chicago is located an easy 6 hour drive from our home in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and even though we only had a couple of days open in our schedule and the weather was cloudy and overcast, we still packed in quite a bit of fun! The whole trip started with my childhood obsession with the TV show, Saved By The Bell. There is a pop-up restaurant called Saved By The Max (based on the restaurant in the show) that opened in Chicago last summer, and I was dying to visit. Since it is a temporary restaurant that is only open until the end of May... Continue reading

We shared a ton of photos from our time in the Galapagos Islands in our latest photo essay, so now it's time to share a bit more (ok a lot more) about the tour itself. The Galapagos has always been high on our "wish list" of destinations, and we are so happy that we finally had the chance to visit. The islands are, of course, known for their abundance of wildlife, but they offer so much more than that when you have the chance to dig just a little bit deeper. Our trip started off with a couple of days on our own in Quito, Ecuador, and then it was time for our tour with Galakiwi to begin. Galakiwi is one of the few companies offering land based tours through the Galapagos Islands, and they hosted us on the tour as part of a media/press trip. Galakiwi focuses on sustainable travel throughout the islands, and since the owners and staff live and work on the islands themselves, they really know the Galapagos well. We had such an incredible time throughout the entire trip, and I have to... Continue reading

Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri, is a region that is filled with a wide range of adventurous opportunities. We were invited by Visit Table Rock Lake to discover the fabulous nature around the area, and we couldn't wait to jump in and explore. Table Rock Lake isn't too far of a drive from our home base in Minnesota, so we packed up our car and decided to make a road trip out of it. Throughout our week in the area, we managed to find so many fun experiences, such as kayaking, hiking, ATVing, zip lining, moonshine tasting, and more. Even though our schedule was packed to the brim, we... Continue reading

New Mexico is a state that has intrigued us for quite some time. White Sands National Monument was the main reason we wanted to visit New Mexico. But, when we started planning our road trip, we found so many other exciting adventures in New Mexico, too. We couldn't wait to set out and explore, and after we went through our road trip check list (servicing and cleaning our car, checking trip... Continue reading

I've wanted to visit Singapore ever since elementary school when I heard that chewing gum was banned there. The more I learned about the city-state, the more intrigued I became. I'm so glad we finally had a chance to visit and explore all the wonderful adventures in Singapore. I always hear that Singapore is only worth a few days of your time since it is such a small country. Well, after spending... Continue reading

Slovenia is a country full of outdoor adventures, historic cities, and adorable villages. At only 7,827 square miles in size (roughly the same size as Massachusetts), Slovenia is a small country. But just because its small, it doesn't mean that there is nothing to do. Slovenia is home to a diverse range of landscapes and the perfect place for a road trip. You can find craggy mountains in the Julian Alps, turquoise rivers and lakes, towering waterfalls, forests, rolling hills, farmland, vineyards, deep caves, and even a bit of coastline along the Adriatic Sea. There are so many adventures in Slovenia to pick from that we had a hard time narrowing down our options! During our summer visit, we spent two weeks road tripping around Slovenia. Because we found cheap mistake airfare to Budapest, our trip started in Hungary. On our first day in Budapest, we met up with local friends who cooked us an amazing dinner. Then, it was time to head to Slovenia. We started our trip by spending the... Continue reading

We grew up in the small town of Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, in Otter Tail County. I've always had the attitude that exploring your own backyard is important-so many people seem to never try anything new when they are at home. Throughout our childhood, we've explored much of our hometown area, but there are still so many places we have yet to see. Because we always have fun being a tourist at home, we partnered with the Otter Tail County tourism board to "Find Our Inner Otter" one weekend this summer. While we have many favorite adventures that we wanted to revisit, we made a point to add some... Continue reading

We were nearly finished with the Johnston Canyon hike when we encountered a line of people blocking the path in front of us. No one seemed to know what was happening-the only thing we knew was that we were stuck for the time being. Because the trail was a narrow catwalk attached to a cliff and hanging over the river, there were no alternate routes to take. After 20 minutes or so, the line started to move at a glacial pace. Once we made it to the front of the bottleneck we gasped with horror. The trail and metal guardrail were twisted into a pretzel. We were rushed over the damaged trail, and... Continue reading

Would you believe these scenes are located in Nebraska?! I have to say we never expected to find landscapes like this in a state that we normally associate with cornfields and plains. There is much more to Nebraska than fields, and we were surprised time and time again during our road trip throughout the state. To reach the park, we drove along a bumpy gravel road for what seemed to be an... Continue reading

If there is a body of water nearby, it's a safe bet to assume we will try to find a way to paddle. Clear Lake in Canada's Riding Mountain National Park was no exception. We joined a midmorning tour and were excited to get out kayaking on Clear Lake. It was great to learn a bit about one of the iconic lakes in the park. Parks Canada offers a variety of activities during their summer programming every year, and we had the chance to participate in a couple of them: Driving Safari - Meet the Bison and Paddle Clear Lake. Our 9:00 a.m. paddling tour met at the Riding Mountain National Park Visitor Center in Wasagaming, so we showed up and hoped the rain would hold off for a couple of hours. Once our group was all in attendance, we made the short walk over to Clear Lake to get our gear in... Continue reading

Staying 6 feet apart, wearing a mask, and social distancing are all common terms in our language these days. But just because we can't go out an explore like normal, it doesn't mean that we can't go out at all. When the days seem to blend together, we always like to get outdoors to try something new, especially in the place we call home: Minneapolis and Saint Paul in Minnesota. Whether you live in the Twin Cities, the state of Minnesota, or further afield and are looking for a fun road trip, there is plenty to do in Minneapolis. We created this list to showcase some ways that you can enjoy the metro area this summer. In a city filled with nature, there is ample room to get outside and explore while still social distancing from others. Minneapolis is home to a wide range of parks, bike... Continue reading

We haven't had a chance to share all of our travels prior to 2020 yet, so we figured that this year of limited travel would be the perfect time to share some of our past experiences. We hope you enjoy! "Hey you, in the black...come over here, you're first." the paragliding guide instructed as she pointed right at me. I followed my orders, and nervously made my way over to the parachute that... Continue reading

Located in the far reaches of northern Minnesota, lies the wilderness of the Gunflint Trail and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA). This area is dotted with forests, lakes, rivers, wildlife, and beautiful vistas in every direction. One of the most popular adventures in the area is to take a multi-day canoe trip and camp along the shores of the many lakes in the region. We've always wanted to take a longer canoe trip in the Boundary Waters, but we just haven't made it happen yet. Fortunately for us though, our trip to Cook County this summer included a morning of paddling and portaging a canoe through the area. We were set to go canoeing to Ham Lake and couldn't have been more excited! After spending the night at the lovely Loon Lake Lodge, we made our way over to Tuscarora... Continue reading

When we planned a winter trip to Alaska, one of our big hopes was that we'd get to see the aurora borealis. We didn't book a northern lights tour, but we had rented a car so we figured we'd do some northern lights chasing on our own. During our visit, the aurora forecast in Anchorage looked pretty promising. The question we asked ourselves over and over during the week was, "Would the weather cooperate, and would we be lucky enough to get to the right place at the right time? " Every evening before we went to bed, I would check both the weather forecast and the northern lights forecast. And,... Continue reading

We visited London on the last day the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace were open for the year, and due to a surprising urge to get a glimpse into the royal lifestyle, I booked tickets for a tour. There are multiple tour options that run during different months throughout the year-you can visit the State Rooms, the Royal Mews, the Garden Highlights and the Queen's Gallery. Because I just wanted to... Continue reading

My ears began to pop as the elevator rose 113 stories in only 58 seconds and the views out the elevator's glass front and glass floor became expansive. Weighing in at 130,000 tons and standing at a height of 1,815.4 ft tall, the CN tower is one of the tallest towers in the world.There are two observation decks; the main deck is three floors that range between 1,122 ft and 1,151 ft high, or 112-115 stories high. The lower level hosts an area with a glass floor and gives you a chance to walk around on an outdoor viewing area, while the second floor is the look out level with views from large... Continue reading

Whenever I find clothing that is perfect for travel, I can't help but get excited. There's something that's comforting about knowing exactly what I need to pack-I can just grab my go-to clothing items and pack with ease. So, I was thrilled when we were introduced to Anywhere Apparel, a clothing brand that is perfect for travel and also happens to be based in our hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota. Anywhere Apparel launched in 2016, first with a Kickstarter campaign in January and then with their retail website in August. The idea was born when the founders, Nick and Kelly, were heading out on a round the world trip-they were traveling to five vastly different destinations in 17 days. Like most travelers, they had trouble packing light and couldn't find the right clothing that was versatile... Continue reading

Bruges is a charming town in the West Flanders province of Belgium-it also happens to be the capital. At one time, the city was considered one of the most important commercial cities in the world, due to its important port activity. Because of the numerous canals throughout the city and their direct access to the nearby sea, Bruges was able to capitalize on trade. After many economical ups and downs, the city found its stride in tourism and in 2002, was designated the 'European Capital of Culture', now attracting millions of visitors per year, and when walking around, I can see why.When you... Continue reading

We recently road tripped to Wisconsin in partnership with Land's End to join in on the Land's End Heritage Tour. Our mission was to explore the beauty that the great state of Wisconsin has to offer. We grew up in and currently live in Minnesota–Wisconsin's neighbor to the west. Being from the midwest, we know how many great adventures this area has to offer, so we are always excited to head out and explore our neck of the woods. For this road trip, we made our way to Door County, which is a small peninsula bordered by Lake Michigan on the western side of Wisconsin. And wow, we were in awe... Continue reading

Towering canyon walls stand on either side of you. Wading upstream, you travel through a river in ankle to waist deep waters. A walking stick in one hand keeps you steady, while a snug dry suit keep you warm from the icy water at your feet. That's what we found while hiking The Narrows in the winter, and this trail in Zion National Park was every bit as stunning as we imagined. We were invited... Continue reading

We have long been believers that aerial views from above are some of the best views you can get, and zip lining is no exception. We've been zip lining in quite a few different locations over the years. Some of the spots we've zip lined at were the Grand Canyon, the rocky landscapes just outside of Las Vegas, the rainforest of Puerto Rico, Spokane, and even at the Mall of America. One place we hadn't even considered as an option previously was zip lining in the far reaches of northern Minnesota. So, when we spotted zip lining at Towering Pines Canopy Tour on our itinerary for our project with Visit Cook County, we were extremely excited. Flying over the forests of northern Minnesota was going to be a spectacular sight indeed. Towering Pines Canopy Tour is located at Gunflint Lodge which means it is situated about 43 miles up the Gunflint Trail. The resort is located on the shores of Gunflint Lake; the lake straddles the border between the USA and Canada. At one point during our zip... Continue reading