All Posts
Let’s Chat
Follow along on my Journey!
I promise to share fun and infrequent updates
My Latest
Adventures
Well Hello
I’m Kate
For more than a decade and a half, I’ve helped people create a life by design through my lifestyle and travel blog.
I’m a mom of 3, a full-time romance author, and I’ve been to more than 40 countries and nearly all the states.
I’m happy you’re here.
Learn More >>
Shop my Favorites
5.3M
syndicated blog views per month
Latest Blog Posts
-
What a Travel Writer Actually Packs vs. What They Tell You to Pack — The Honest Gap Is Embarrassing
I’ve written three packing guides and I don’t follow any of them. Here’s what I actually put in my bag for a two-week trip, why the advice I give publicly and the choices I make personally are completely different, and what that says about packing advice in general.
-
These US Destinations Blew Up on TikTok in 2025 — Here’s What They’re Actually Like Now That Everyone Knows
Going viral changes a place. Sometimes for the better, sometimes permanently. We checked in on the US spots that hit TikTok this year to tell you what they’re actually like right now — crowds, costs, whether it’s still worth the drive.
-
Americans Tried to Travel Europe on $100/Day — Here’s What’s Real, What’s a Lie, and What Each Country Actually Costs
The ‘$100/day in Europe’ dream is more complicated than the travel bloggers who live there on a fixed income make it sound. Country by country, here’s the honest breakdown of what you can actually do and where the math breaks down entirely.
-
The Budget Airline Survival Guide: How to Fly Spirit, Frontier, and Allegiant Without Getting Hit With $200 in Surprise Fees
That $49 flight isn’t $49. But it can still be a deal — if you know exactly how these airlines work and where they’ll try to extract money from you at every step. Here’s how to actually win at the budget airline game.
-
Every State Has a Famous Small Town — Here Are the 50 That Actually Earn the Hype
Not the ones on every clickbait list. Not the ones that peaked in 2019 and are now half empty storefronts and Instagram tourists. The small towns on this list still deliver — real character, real food, real reasons to go.
-
Airbnb Hosts Finally Said the Quiet Part Out Loud — Here’s What Guests Do That Costs Everyone Money
We talked to dozens of Airbnb hosts across the country, and they have feelings — a lot of them. From the guest who left every single light on for four days to the one who cooked fish at 11pm and fogged up the sensor, here’s what’s really happening behind those five-star facades.
