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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.
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Latest Blog Posts
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Every State’s Most Legendary Dive Bar — 100+ Years of History, Famous Regulars, and the Stories That Made Them
These aren’t just old bars. They’re the ones where Hemingway drank, where miners cashed paychecks for 120 years, where the same family has poured shots since before your grandparents were born. One per state — the real ones.
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Your Travel Credit Card’s ‘Free’ Perks Are Quietly Failing You — Here’s What Trip Delay Insurance, Lost Luggage, and Travel Portals Actually Cover
You signed up for the card because it promised ‘free’ travel protection. But when your flight was delayed 6 hours, you got nothing. Here’s exactly what these perks cover — and the fine print that voids most claims before you even file them.
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Americans Who Bought Property Abroad — What It Actually Costs, the Legal Traps Nobody Warned Them About, and Whether They Regret It
The fantasy: a $90,000 home in Portugal. The reality: foreign buyer restrictions, currency risk, a tax system you don’t understand, and a transaction that took 14 months. Real accounts from Americans who bought property abroad — the full picture, including the parts that didn’t make their social media posts.
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The Points and Miles Sweet Spots That Still Exist in 2026 — Specific Routes, Specific Programs, Actual Cents-Per-Point Values
Most points and miles advice is hopelessly vague or hopelessly outdated. Here are the specific routes, specific transfer partners, and specific redemptions where you can still get 4–10 cents of value per point — in a devalued, overcomplicated loyalty landscape.
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What Solo Female Travelers Actually Experience — Not What the Instagram Accounts Say, the Real Safety Picture by Destination
Travel content aimed at solo women is full of sanitized reassurances and affiliate-driven destination guides. The women who actually travel alone have more complex, more honest, and more useful stories. This is what the research and the real accounts actually say, by destination.
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Every Major US City Ranked by How Easy It Is to Visit Without a Car — Real Transit Scores, What You Can Do, and Where You’ll Be Stranded Without Wheels
Not every American city was built for walkability. Some will get you anywhere in 20 minutes on public transit. Others will leave you stranded in a hotel parking lot, dependent on Ubers that surge 3x after midnight. Here’s the honest ranking every carless traveler needs.
