A Girl Named PJ

With our family vacation less than a month away(!), I’m getting more and more excited about the memories we might make during that week together. In my experience, the things I remember most about my travels are the random bits, not necessarily the sights outlined in my tour books.

For example, I loved seeing Madrid’s historical landmarks when I traveled to Spain with a friend during college, but one of my favorite memories from that trip was when she and I made an emergency stop to the department store El Corte Ingles to buy me a new suitcase. Oh, and neither of us were fluent in Spanish…

I asked three bloggers to share their vacation memories, either a favorite destination or a highlight from a past trip. Enjoy!

“Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland is one of my favorite places I’ve been because it is an area where natural beauty meets activity and history. You can’t help but stumble on the ruins of an ancient castle as you make the winding drive across the coast. With miles of trails through some of the most stunning areas of Ireland, including Word Heritage Sites and breathtaking cliffs, it’s a part of the world you never want to leave.”
— Rebekah, Honeysuckle Life

“I count my many trips to New York as some of my favorites, but my most amazing trip (so far) has to be the one we took with good friends to Beijing and Shanghai almost a year ago. I knew China was going to be different, but I wasn’t really prepared for just how different. The food, the people, the terrain, the fashion, the language and even the air is different in China. Being a food writer, the cuisine was one of the things I was most excited to experience. I wrote blog posts about much of the food we tried, but my hands-down favorite thing we ate were dumplings at Yang’s Fry Dumpling. I’d travel halfway around the world just for another bowl.” — Sarah, Omavore

“Have you ever let your friends talk you into running off the side of a perfectly good mountain? I have. On a bright, crisp morning in Interlaken, Switzerland my two best friends and I wanted to be a little daring. We decided to try paragliding there (although I was really hoping to go Zorbing – where you get into a giant inflatable ball and roll down green hills. How can that not be fun and hilarious!?) Before we could fly, we got paired up with a pilot and once our parachutes were laid out behind us, we started running. You feel a bit like you are running to your death, but then the chute billows out behind you and lifts you high above the trees before your feet run out of mountain. My heart went from almost jumping out of my throat to nearly stopping over the breathtaking valleys and mountains surrounding us. It is difficult to put into words, but it was the most alive I had ever felt. The things that scare me usually end up being the most memorable and life changing, so now I try and challenge my bravery more often.”
— Corey, Better with June

P.S. – How about a cabin retreat? Plus, a new community-based travel blog.