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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.
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Latest Blog Posts
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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Most points and miles advice is hopelessly vague or hopelessly outdated.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.
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The National Park Reservation System Is Broken — Here’s Who It’s Screwing Over, What the Parks Service Won’t Admit, and the Workarounds That Actually Help
Timed entry permits, recreation.gov lotteries, sold-out campgrounds booked six months out — America’s national parks have become nearly inaccessible for anyone who can’t plan half a year ahead. Here’s what went wrong, who’s getting shut out, and the tactics that still work.
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Countries Where Americans Are Actually Welcomed Warmly — And the Ones Where the Anti-American Sentiment Is Real and Uncomfortable
The “Americans are universally loved/hated abroad” debate misses the nuance entirely. Some countries are genuinely warm toward American visitors in ways that will surprise you. Others have real, palpable friction that no amount of being polite and learning a few local phrases will fully overcome. Here’s the honest geography.
