Tag Archives: wanderlust

Travel the World by Book

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For many folks around the world, the last few months have come with a LOT of cancelled travel plans. Planned trips and vacations were put on hold. Spontaneous sojourns out of state aren’t happening any time soon. And searching flight deals on sites like Kayak just doesn’t give the thrill it used to.

It seems this summer is all about quenching your wanderlust in other ways. Ways that don’t require a passport or a suitcase.

Interested in traveling the world by book? Here are a few reading challenges/lists to help you do so —

50 States Reading List: Best Books Set in Every State

 

World Reading Challenge: Books Around the Globe 2020 
(and here’s 2019 & 2018)

 

12 Great Books to Feed Your Wanderlust

 

And here are a few books I’ve read and recommend for their power to transport you — 

International Travel:

AFGHANISTAN: Silent Hearts by Gwen Florio

ENGLAND: Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

GERMANY: My Berlin Kitchen by Luisa Weiss

NIGERIA: The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

RUSSIA: Lights All Night Long by Lydia Fitzpatrick

SINGAPORE: Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Domestic Travel: 

ALABAMA: Eveningland by Michael Knight

ARIZONA: The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

MAINE: Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

MASSACHUSETTS: Until We Meet Again by Renee Collins

NEW YORK: City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

WASHINGTON: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

 

Happy travels!

It’s totally possible to travel the world by book! Do you have any totally-transport-you book recommendations? Share them below!! xoxo

P.S. Need another way to choose a big stack of books? Check out this readathon.

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Travel: 5 ways to float a river this summer.

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float the river portland

Have you ever hopped in a river and made a day of twisting and turning along a watery path? Was it a lazy affair in an inner tube (perhaps with a floating cooler attached by rope)? Or were you going for the gold on some harsh rapids? Just for fun, here are five fantastic ways to float down a river…in case you get the hankering this summer. I’m feeling inspired for a road-trip already! Ready, set, FLOAT…

Above: White water raft the White Salmon River in Portland, Oregon

float the river mexico

Life-jackets in the River of Xcaret in Riviera Maya, Mexico

float the river hawaii

Inner tube the Lihue Plantation canals in Kauai, Hawaii

float the river arkansas

Canoe the Buffalo River in Ponca, Arkansas

float the river waterbom bali

Man-made currents in the Waterbom Bali Waterpark in Bali, Indonesia

Which would you choose?

(White Salmon River photo via Roadtrippers.  River of Xcaret photo via Beach Rove. Lihue Plantation photo via Roadtrippers. Buffalo River photo via Buffalo Outdoor Center. Waterbom Bali photo via Travel with Bender.)

 

mid-week round-up

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open shutters

How’s your week going? Enjoying this hump day? Yesterday I received a very exciting package in the mail…my wedding dress! I’m giving it a few more days to make sure I’m absolutely certain but I think this one is the one. Eeeee! Speaking of exciting–isn’t this week the best? Star Wars Day today, Cinco de Mayo tomorrow, and then Derby Day followed by Mother’s Day! Let’s celebrate ’em all! Now for some links…

How did a small Midwest town end up with America’s worst HIV problem?

Stories of childbirth are absent from literary fiction.

Coffee maker cooking.

I’m guilty of using this qualifier. Are you?

America’s most popular recipe site reveals a gap between foodie culture and what people actually cook.

This history of birthing babies in Appalachia.

4 men open up about the lives they can afford.

Made me laugh.

Kids try 100 years of brown bag lunches.

A $1,000 day in Paris for $100.

Wedding photographers reveal their most memorable shots.

I NEED a pair of these genius shoes!

mid-week round-up

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baby animal

Hello friends! What’s new this week? Not much ’round these parts. Just getting back to normal after several weeks where one or both of Chet and I were traveling. It feels good to get some extra work done and to give this blog some love (beyond just posting on Wednesdays, which was all I managed to squeak out last week). We also managed a trip to the beach on Saturday for some seaside nachos and several hours of sunbathing. (My nose and forehead got a lil pink. Resolved: Start upping my SPF game and/or get a really obnoxious beach hat.) And along with my love of pocket letters, I’ve been dipping my toes in planner decorating. I just can’t stop thinking about paper-craftin’, y’all. It is a problem! Ok, I think that’s everything from around these parts, now onto the links…

Good to know my beloved Subaru could become a house if the need arises.

This visionary sees food justice as a social movement.

Wanderlust? Let your zodiac sign point you in the right travel direction.

The cutest photo series ever. (Wedding reception goals?!)

The voyeur’s motel.

This 28-year-old choreographer is making waves in the ballet world.

Siestas: yay or nay?

College students share how deportation relief changed their lives.

Target hacks.

Hugh Jackman has a Fair Trade coffee company!

So interesting to think of the US divided into 11 nations. (My current city, however, doesn’t even fall into one of the 11…which honestly seems correct.)

Bridget Jones and the Millennial workplace.

P.S. You can find a little bit of career advice from yours truly in the new book, Corporate Survival Guide for Your Twenties: A Guide to Help You Navigate the Business World! I am so excited to be featured in this helpful resource for new professionals. The book is by fellow Miami blogger Kayla Buell and you can pre-order a copy on Amazon, if you’d like.  

mid-week round-up

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bursting flower

What are you up to this week, loves? Chet and I are back in Miami after a wonderful few days in Gainesville, FL with the Western Kentucky University Forensics Team. We were able to spend some time with dear friends, watch amazing and intelligent performances, and attend a super lively awards ceremony where the team was named NATIONAL RUNNER’S UP!!! Huge congratulations to the nicest group of college students I’ve ever met…you blew me away every step of the way. ❤ Dear people not involved in speech & debate, if you ever get the opportunity to attend and observe a national tournament, DO IT! You will be moved and challenged in ways you never thought possible. Sending a hug to everyone on this Wednesday, and here are some links for you to click and ENJOY…

This van dweller offers a peek into his minimalist life.

Whoopi Goldberg says it’s high time we do something about menstrual cramps.

Made me giggle.

“We hear a lot about how social media lets us present our glossy, perfect selves, but use social media enough and it will put you directly in touch with your own mistakes.”

Applauding Amelia Earhart’s adventurous spirit and style.

Late sleepers are made to feel like losers.

The superior social skills of bilingual individuals.

These beach towels are gorgeous works of art.

Biology student by day, writer of Wikipedia articles about lady scientists by night!

Transylvania’s underground amusement park.

A quiche to keep your brunch game strong.

Time-saving tips for busy folks.

mid-week round-up

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wood pile

Hi y’all! Hope everyone impacted by Winter Storm Jonas enjoyed their snow days. We had a picnic lunch by the ocean on Saturday and I enjoyed snapping pictures to send to my home-bound snow bunnies up north. Heehee! A sun-spotted sea captain warned me that I could still get sun-burned in “this cold weather.” (It was 70 degrees.) Noted, sir. This week I’m enjoying working with the sliding door in my bedroom wide open and re-watching the first season of Downton Abbey in the evenings (I’ve finally convinced Chet to watch it!). Have a lovely rest of your week, and here are a dozen things for you to click on if you so desire…

Have more Disney princesses than Ariel had their voices stolen?

Mass incarceration has created “million dollar blocks” in poor neighborhoods.

This Indian village welcomes the birth of baby girls in a beautiful (and smart) way.

A Jewish transgender man embraces life as a single father.

The ladies of So You Think You Can Dance – Season 12 are as fierce as ever.

This face mask sounds amazing!

Very clever tiny house design.

What do you think about this Making a Murderer theory?

I’m definitely guilty of taking a stealth vacation or two.

A few sites to see on the drive from Miami to Naples.

The birth of the Academy Awards.

Britney Spears is all of us. #SpiritAnimal

P.S. If you’re looking for a page-turner, I recently finished The Girl on the Train! So fast paced and gripping!

P.P.S. ICYMI – Baby Animals! Easy DIY on a Dollar Tree budget! 

mid-week round-up

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zebraWhat are you up to this week, loves? We saw a Bluegrass band play Monday night at the weekly Southland Jamboree. It was nice to have an excuse to eat dinner outside and we even (accidentally) showed up matching.  It took my mom pointing it out for us to notice! Thanks for all your love on my barrage of social media activity about our recent trip to Savannah. I had such a wonderful time and can’t wait to go back. And shout out to the new Mr. and Mrs. Berger!

OH, and speaking of Savannah, thanks to the million hour car ride I’m now obsessed with Snapchat. So…follow me at bberg1012 if you’re into Snappin’! Now onto the links…

America falls behind on language learning.

These new homes offer a (submerged) sea view.

A true icon of dance.

Your yoga flow with x-ray vision.

Illustrator says, “…animals lives are so sad and so weird.”

The shape of a healthy spine may surprise you.

Many women’s prisons use periods to punish inmates.

What to do on a short stay in Savannah.

A podcast featuring an interview with one of my ballin’ on a budget muses, Leanne Brown.

Absurdly unequal use of the term terrorism.

To Kill a Mockingbird tank for the literary lady.

Where my speech folks at? #ballotshame