Very early in our relationship, Andrew and I made a suggestion to one another: What if we banned social media while we were on vacation? No checking Facebook, no posting on Instagram, no checking emails. We wanted to spend as little time as possible looking at our phones and as much time connecting with one another and exploring the place we were visiting. The result is amazingly freeing. Some people have described doing this as …
Category: Travel
The Inca Trail, Peru
In 2012, Andrew and I traveled to Peru to hike the Inca Trail, a 4-day, 3-night hike to Machu Picchu that takes you up and down mountain trails and to many pristine and otherwise inaccessible Incan sites along the way. We flew into Lima, then hopped a short flight to Cusco, where we stayed for a few days to help acclimatize to the altitude. Cusco is situated 11,152 feet above sea level, so altitude sickness is …
My Favorite New York City Museums
New York has an absolute wealth of museums to visit. In my 10 years living in New York, I’ve spent a considerable amount of time in many of them, so I thought this might be a good place to share some of my favorites, as well as a few I think you should skip. The Met What to see: No trip to New York is complete without a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. …
A Bachelorette in Snowshoe, WV
This January, we celebrated my friend Lexy’s bachelorette weekend at the Snowshoe ski resortin West Virginia. We rented an adorable cabin in the Treetops section of the resort. The cabin was absolutely perfect, with rustic ski decor, cute bunk rooms, and a cozy fireplace. Our first night there, we made dinner together, had a lingerie shower, and played a ton of bachelorette games created by my talented friend Jae. She delivered the most impressive game …
Bar Harbor, Maine
Andrew and I first vacationed in Maine in 2013 and fell in love with this beautiful island. We’ve been back every year since and feel like Mt. Desert Island is our home away from home now. We even got married there. Here are a few of our recommendations for things to do (and for more ideas, check out Our Acadia). Where to Stay The Asticou Inn Andrew and I love the Asticou Inn—we got married …
Salzburg, Austria
Our last stop on our 2015 Europe trip was Salzburg, Austria. We had a bit of trouble leaving Venice as we could not find an operational station to buy tickets for the public ferry. After multiple attempts, we decided to try buying one on the boat and were successful. Our 5-hour drive to Salzburg took us through 27 tunnels. Our first stop in Salzburg was the Mirabell Gardens, which are filled with fantastic sculptures, from …
Venice, Italy
I’ve actually been to Venice three times now, but my favorite trip was my latest, with Andrew on our 2015 trip that started in Munich. We drove from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Venice, which took about five hours—on the longer end of what I’d recommend for a mid-trip drive, but totally worth it. As there are no cars allowed in Venice, we parked ours in one of the large garages at Piazzale Roma and took the public ferry …
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
Our next stop after Munich was Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a town I still am not confident I am accurately pronouncing. I chose it because I wanted to stay somewhere in the Alps that would have that classic Bavarian character. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a popular ski town close to the highest peak in Germany, the Zugspitze, and we loved our stay there. I would definitely go back. We set out from Munich in our rental car and finally figured …
Family Pumpkin Picking, Wightman’s Farm, NJ
My husband has been taking an annual October trip to Wightman’s Farm in New Jersey since he was a kid. He and his brother have continued the family tradition, so we rent a car each year and head out to New Jersey for pumpkin picking, a hay ride, and a try at the pumpkin slingshot. Our nieces, who are now 8 and 4, are the ostensible reason for this trip, but I think it’s as …
Munich, Germany
In 2015, Andrew and I took a 10-day trip to Europe, with stops in Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Venice and Salzburg. We arrived in Munich on Andrew’s 30th birthday. On the flight over, we experienced the marked differences between American airlines and European ones as our short flight from New York to DC only offered us a “water service” while our Lufthansa flight to Munich served free wine all night. Our arrival in Germany began with a …
Caitlin Kenney Smith 