I can’t say enough great things about our trip to Grand Teton National Park - we spent 4 full days exploring the park, but you could definitely do it in 3. I wouldn’t try to shorten it anymore than that or you are going to miss some very worthy highlights. The best part is that there is something for everyone - hiking, biking, swimming, and kayaking. Plus plenty of great food!

Keep reading for our recommendations on the best hikes, kayaking, beaches, sights, food, lodging, and much, much more…

Packing for any extended trip is tough, but especially challenging when you've never gone on a trip like it before!  Packing for our family trip to Africa was that challenge for me. 

Wanting to hit comfort plus have decent style?  Here are some of the key pieces that helped us along our way that will give your packing list a boost!

I couldn't stomach spending $1,500 USD or more on a yoga retreat, so I decided to DIY my own - and it wasn't nearly as hard as you might think!

It's a little more work figuring out the what/where/how of things, but with everything essentially walk able in Ubud, it was a really enjoyable experience.  Plus relaxing... holy moly, I was relaxed.   I'm hoping that the next person who travels to Bali and tries to DIY their own retreat has a little easier time than I, with the help of this post, because you should enjoy and explore every minute of it.

Buying an open bus ticket is one of the most convenient and budget conscious ways to make your way backpacking from north to south (or visa versa) through Vietnam.  Almost any tour agency offers them, but not all companies are equal. 

Onto a city full of adventure with new weather to boot! Time to dig down in that backpack and pull out a jacket.  My afternoons were spotted with rain showers, I hope you get luckier than I did.  

Arriving in Da Lat after being in the tropics of Southeast Asia is somewhat of a surreal experience.  You wind along curvy, narrow, and very steep roads up the mountains until you arrive in the city.  At the center of it is a small lake, almost looking like something out of Switzerland or Germany - complete with swan boats!  Plus, cool weather!  No more sweating from just walking outside - I actually wore pants and a jacket.  A first for sure.  

Hoi An was one of the most picturesque towns in Vietnam, with charming colorful old buildings, great food, beautiful beaches, and of course shopping.  You can spend anywhere from two days to a week and not run out of places to explore.  So, rather than sharing a day by day itinerary for this town, I've decided to share my top ten things to do in Hoi An.

When I started traveling north from Ho Chi Minh City, the first stop on most of the "open bus" tickets are in Mui Ne.  It's about a 4-5 hour bus ride north of Ho Chi Minh, located along the east coast.   A lot of backpackers and other travelers stop here because of the famous sand dunes - which is just one of the sights to take in.    Though obviously I agree that the sand dunes are a "must-see" in Mui Ne, there are a few other things worth grabbing your attention.  

When flying into Vietnam, there are two major airports - Hanoi in the north and Ho Chi Minh City in the south.   Pretty much one of these has to be your starting destination if you're flying in from anywhere but locally.  For me, it was Ho Chi Minh City. 

Ho Chi Minh City was formerly called Saigon, but was renamed officially after the revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh, although the name Saigon is still widely used.   The city has a rich history, used by the Khmer as a seaport in the 17th century, then under French influence until the mid twentieth century, then became the capital for an independent republic of South Vietnam, but today, still remains the largest city in Vietnam as a whole. 

With such a varied history, there is a wide mix of influence that shaped the city, making it worth spending a couple of days here to take in those experiences.

When planning for Siem Reap, I thought that all there really was to see was Angkor Wat.  But, boy was I wrong!  We were only in Siem Reap for three days, splitting up the third day to take in different sites, but if I could do it again, I would want to see everything that our group saw collectively.  That's why I would say spend three full days in Siem Reap.  Most of the time because of flights, you'll end up spending two half days and two full days, so here's what I would consider the quickest itinerary where you can see it all (well, still almost, there's always more that you can find).  

Honestly, Hong Kong wasn't my first choice in cities to visit.  All I knew about it was that it was big and full of skyscrapers.  In fact, it is the city with the most skyscrapers in the world (meaning buildings that are over 45 stories tall).  It's a big city, full of hustle and bustle, but it's still worth spending three days there to experience the highlights and check out the culture.   Here was our itinerary, the highs and the lows.

Hiking up Kilimanjaro takes a lot of work and preparation.  I couldn't have gotten ready for this trips without scouring the internet and blogs for packing lists, tips, and tricks to held me on my way.  Feeling like you're ready for the trip is a huge way to help yourself mentally prepare and become confident that you can make it to the Summit!

Let me start with the many thank you's - Thank you to GreenPaw Adventures, our amazing guides and porters, and of course, my fellow hikers for all their hard work and fierce determination to make it up the mountain.  

We did the 6 day route up Machame Route to Uhuru Peak then return via Mweka route.  This is one of the more popular routes for those hoping to summit in just a week’s time and I can see why.  Plenty of beautiful viewpoints, plus lots of opportunity for acclimation to defeat altitude sickness!

Even though we'd only been on our GIVE program for 8 days, we were blessed to be a part of a project that was over four years in the making! 

school, musicians and local community members began to arrive to celebrate the opening of Skuli Ya Kairo Give.  The GIVE program had been working on the school for over four years, and it was the day that Nursery Schools Level 1 and 2 plus Primary Schools Levels 1 and 2 were set to open.   The excitement in the air was electric, and the more that you looked around, you couldn't help but grin from ear to ear!

At the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia sits one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World - Victoria Falls.  Formed from a drop in the gorge in the Zambezi River, the falls are one of the most impressive in the world.  They rival that of Niagara Falls in size - just depends on which way you measure!  

When I signed up to travel to Tanzania with GIVE, I didn't know what to expect.  I had always envisioned traveling to Africa for a volunteer opportunity, but what I found when I arrived was even more amazing than I anticipated.

After arriving on the island of Zanzibar, we settled into our hotel, Baby Bush Lodge, and then were off to see the school which we would be help building for the next ten days.  During orientation, I was hooked on a few things that our leads told us stuck with me for the duration of the trip (by way of my journal). 

If you are looking for a day trip outside of Capetown, heading down to "The Cape" is a great way to spend it.  

It's less than a 2 hour drive from Capetown and there are plenty of worthwhile stops along the way.  It's a great chance to visit a wondrous spot where you feel like you're standing on the edge of the world!

South African wines are becoming an up and coming trend as a new wine on the circuit.  They've been around since approximately 1659, but they're just starting to fill the shelves of liquor stores in the United States.  And just outside of Capetown, there is a region called the Stellenbosch Mountains - which is responsible for some of those delicious Cabernet Sauvignons hitting shelves.

On our travel along the Stellenbosch Wine Route, there were two stops that you need to put on your "Don't Miss" List!

When you first mention South Africa to anyone unfamiliar with the area - two cities to visit come to mind - Johannesburg and Capetown.  Johannesburg, the capital city.  And Capetown, the southern city on the sea.

Exploring Capetown was fun, but overwhelming, as our family didn't have a definitive plan for the city.    Within the city, we hit just a few of the highlights.  If I could do it again, I would choose (almost) the same three, because they were all extraordinary. 

It's a disease you can only catch on safari.  You don't know it's coming until it hits you, and when it hits you, you don't even know that it's real. It feels something like what I imagine a heart attack feels like. But instead of speeding up, your heartbeat slows until you feel like it's beating in your head.  

It's the short shorts, the perpetually wind-blown hair -- those boots.  Women fall in love with them, men want to be them. Everything about the boys in khaki is dangerous, and you're a apparently a daredevil.  

On our first game drive, I fell in love with this place.   The scenery, the animals, the people.  Simply everything about it.  Riding in one of the open air land cruisers, through scenery that I had only ever seen on TV, just blew me away.  It's hard to describe the overwhelming feelings of majestic freedom that you are undertaking. 

At the 2005 Standford University Commencement, Steve Jobs said, “Don't be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice.“

One of my dreams, as long as I can remember, has to been travel.  EVERYWHERE.

In the past four years since graduating from college, I have tried the traditional route of working a 9 to 5.  And it's always left me wondering what else is out there?  What possibility haven't I explored?  And what stones have I left unturned?

Now there are a million and one ways to make a difference, don't get me wrong.  But, one of my dreams forever has been to volunteer in Africa, deep down in my gut - I know this is one thing that I have to do.

Earlier this week, I received an email, simply titled "Exploring the World on Foot."  I thought, what in the world?  Hiking the planet?  What about the oceans?

The email read one line: "A friend sent me this today. Thought you’d appreciate it."

Changing your legal name upon marriage is a royal pain in the arse. It involves a lot of paperwork and a LOT of time in various government offices, where things move at a glacial pace and people manage to be so grumpy upon arrival that I have never braved such offices past noon.

I didn't even begin changing my name until nearly after a year after we got married, putting it off for vacations abroad (afraid that a replacement passport might not arrive in time) and later to complete the purchase of our first home without any unnecessary upheaval.

So, you may have noticed there was no GYST Sunday post this week because our collective shit was just not together.

Melissa and I spent the weekend in New Orleans in a house off Bourbon and Dumaine celebrating the upcoming marriage of a close family friend. Being a bachelorette weekend, we spent much of our time on or around Bourbon Street in various degrees of costume. As such, this post will focus on enjoying yourself in the more touristy haunts of the French Quarter; a rundown of destinations off the beaten path is for another time.

A year ago today, I stepped foot on the fourth continent in my goal to make it to all seven.  The continent of South America.  Location Lima, Peru.  12:15a.m.  With three of my best friends, we went backpacking for just a week, but the number of adventures that we crammed in that time would astonish you.

Every trip is unique.  That being said, you have to figure out the right trip for you.  I’m not saying Mom and I’s method was perfect, but we did see the highlights… which if you’re in a limited time frame like we were, might be all that you are able to do.  Anyway you spin it, I was able to visit my fifth continent, starting in Beijing, China.