My husband and I started traveling very early on in our relationship. Our first trip was just under a year in while we were seniors in college and it was a road trip to Baltimore and Washington, D.C…………… In retrospect it was super ballsy to go on a road trip, sleep in the car one night no less, with someone who I was pretty convince (aka 10000% sure) I was going to marry but had been dating for less than a year. Oh and we were college level broke. But hey! It not only worked out but quickly set us off on a score of trips that have only brought us closer together (even when we argue about the right way to walk on the side of the road in Italy…).
This is a list of all of our trips, with related blog posts linked below!
2013 Spring Break Baltimore & Washington, D.C…………… Road Trip
Trip Stats:
- Length: 9 days
- Accommodations: our car (seriously), Best Western in McLean, VA, the floor of my sister’s dorm in Johns Hopkins, & some hostel in D.C……………
- Favorite Memory: eating at a hole-in-the-wall Ethiopian restaurant in D.C…………… because we got to step into a different world for a bit!
- Least Favorite Memory: nearly freezing to death in the car, I underestimated late February temperatures in the South
Blog Posts:
- Travel Tips: Traveling as a Couple
- Travel Tips: Surviving your Summer Road Trip
- Catholic Culture: Traveling during Lent
- Travel Tips: Planning a Trip when Money is Tight
2013-2014 Winter Break Italy Trip
Trip Stats:
- Length: 14 days
- Accommodations: a combination of hostels & tiny studio apartments
- Favorite Memory: mass at St. Peter’s Basilica with Pope Francis at his first Christmas Vigil – I still can’t believe I got those tickets!
- Least Favorite Memory: being a wimp going to bed early on New Year’s Eve while in Florence
Blog Posts:
- Christmas in Italy: Milan
- Travel Tips: Holiday Travel
- Not all those who wander are lost…but I am!
- AP Art History Hunting in Vatican City
- AP Art History Hunting in Rome, Italy
- Tivoli Day Trip
- Travel Tips: Traveling as a Couple
- Travel Tips: Visiting Catholic Churches
- The Churches of Florence
- Florence: The city of rebirth, art, & the Medici
- Day Trip from Florence: Fiesole
- Venice: The city of the Rialto, Renaissance engineering, & the sea
- Amsterdam vs Venice
2014-2015 Winter Break Virginia Road Trip
Trip Stats:
- Length: ~8 days
- Accommodations: a glam yurt (Mongolian tent) on the Shenandoah Valley BlueGreen timeshare resort
- Favorite Memory: visiting the gorgeous Luray Caverns for the third time
- Least Favorite Memory: freezing in a horse-drawn carriage ride
Blog Posts:
- Travel Tips: Holiday Travel
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Family
- Travel Tips: Surviving your Summer Road Trip
- Travel Tips: How Not to Break the Bank for Holiday Travel
2015 President’s Day Weekend Savannah Road Trip
Trip Stats:
- Length: 3 days
- Accommodations: AirBnb room in a historic home
- Favorite Memory: mass in the gorgeous St. John the Baptist Cathedral
- Least Favorite Memory: expecting, and not finding, a plantation at Wormsloe Historic Site
Blog Posts:
- Travel Tips: Traveling as a Couple
- Travel Tips: Surviving your Summer Road Trip
- Travel Tips: Visiting Catholic Churches
2015 Spring Break Colombia Trip
Trip Stats:
- Length: 8 days
- Accommodations: hostel in Bogota & my best friend’s student housing in Tunja
- Favorite Memory: spending a Friday of Lent inside the immense Salt “Cathedral” in Zipaquira
- Least Favorite Memory: the mini-bombs that went off at the university while we were there from student protestors
Blog Posts:
- Salt Cathedral Zipaquira
- Colombian Cuisine
- Catholic Culture: Traveling during Lent
- Travel Tips: Planning a Trip when Money is Tight
- Travel Tips: Visiting Catholic Churches
- Planning vs Reality: 2016 Colombia Spring Break
2016 Summer Cape Cod Trip
Trip Stats:
- Length: 8 days
- Accommodations: Will’s aunt’s house for FREE
- Favorite Memory: walking around the incredibly charming Martha’s Vineyard
- Least Favorite Memory: not finishing the Museum of Fine Art (I went back another time!)
Blog Posts:
- 2015 Summer: Cape Cod
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Family
- Travel Tips: Planning a Trip when Money is Tight
- AP Art History Hunting: Museum of Fine Art, Boston
2015 Summer AP Art History Institute, Panama City Beach, Florida
Trip Stats:
- Length: 7 days
- Accommodations: AirBnb studio apartment
- Favorite Memory: seeing the sunset on the beach
- Least Favorite Memory: the trashy people all over the place
Blog Posts:
- Teacher Tips: Surviving Summer
- Travel Tips for Teachers
- Travel Tips: Surviving your Summer Road Trip
- Travel Tips: Traveling as a Couple
2016 Summer Costa Rica Honeymoon
Trip Stats:
- Length: 6 days
- Accommodations: AirBnb room in Jaco Beach & an AirBnb house in the mountains in Monteverde
- Favorite Memory: walking out onto our porch nestled in the mountains
- Least Favorite Memory: the trashy town by Jaco Beach
Blog Posts:
- Honeymoon Fails
- Selvatura Park: Not for the faint of heart
- Monteverde AirBnb Review
- Jaco tacos & other food reviews
- Beach Bums: Camera Roll
- Pura Vida: Honeymooning in Costa Rica
- Cafe Monteverde Tour
- Travel Tips: Traveling as a Couple
- Miss to Mrs: The Official Roadmap
2016 Thanksgiving New York City & Boston Trip
Trip Stats:
- Length: 8 days
- Accommodations: my cousin’s studio apartment in NYC for FREE & Will’s aunt’s house in Cape Cod for FREE
- Favorite Memory: Seeing my first Vermeer in person at the Frick Collection
- Least Favorite Memory: squeezing 3 adults into a tiny studio apartment but hey it was FREE!
Blog Posts:
- 2016 Thanksgiving: Eating in the Big Apple
- 2016 Thanksgiving: AP Art History Hunting
- 2016 Thanksgiving NYC & Boston Itinerary
- Falling in Love with Autumn
- Travel Tips: Holiday Travel
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Family
- Travel Tips: How Not to Break the Bank for Holiday Travel
- 11 Favorite Things to do in NYC
- AP Art History Hunting: NYC
2016-2017 Winter Break Germany Trip
Trip Stats:
- Length: 14 days
- Accommodations: various AirBnb apartments
- Favorite Memory: the scary, crazy night that was New Year’s Eve
- Least Favorite Memory: the overnight train from Munich to Berlin where Will & I had to share a bunk bed
Blog Posts:
- Travel Tips: Dressing for the Cold
- Travel Tips: Holiday Travel
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Family
- Travel Tips: How Not to Break the Bank for Holiday Travel
- Travel Style: Winter in Germany
- Top 10 Experiences from Germany
- AP Art History Hunting in Germany
- So long, farewell Germany!
- 2016 Winter Germany Itinerary
- German Culture: Food
- Aachen AirBnb Review
- Aachen: Thermal Baths
- Aachen Dom
- Aachen: The city of thermal baths, the Dom, & Charlemagne
- Christmas Mass in Aachen
- Travel Style: Looking Polished While Traveling
- Cologne AirBnb Review
- Cologne: The city of the Rhine, the Cathedral, & the Three Kings
- Upper Middle Rhine Valley
- Black Forest AirBnb Review
- The Black Forest
- Photo Diary: Driving in Germany
- Travel Tips: Visiting Neuschwanstein Castle
- New Year’s Eve in Munich
- Munich: The city of Oktoberfest, Bavarian kings, & art history
- Munich AirBnb Review
- Day trip from Munich: Dachau
- Berlin AirBnb Review
- Day Trip from Berlin: Potsdam
- Top 8 Berlin Museums
- UNESCO: Berlin Sites
- Berlin: Where East Meets West
- Berlin: The city of the Wall, Prussian power, & museums
2017 President’s Day Weekend Tampa Bay Trip
Trip Stats:
- Length: 3 days
- Accommodations: AirBnb in a suburb outside of Tampa
- Favorite Memory: spending time in the Dali Museum alone as Will chaperoned a Marine Science Bowl team
- Least Favorite Memory: my car battery 100% died as I pulled up to my uncle’s house
Blog Posts:
- Travel Tips: Traveling as a Couple
- Tampa Sunken Gardens
- Travel Style: Long Weekend in Tampa
- Hello Hyde Park Village
- Tampa Here we Come
- What we did in the Tampa Bay Area
2017 Spring Break Belgium & The Netherlands Trip
Trip Stats:
- Length: 8 days
- Accommodations: AirBnb studio apartment in Brussels & a hostel in Amsterdam
- Favorite Memory: each of the beautifully quiet Beguinages (Bejinhofs)
- Least Favorite Memory: not getting to see my favorite painting, The Milkmaid, because she was in Paris and I didn’t know
Blog Posts:
- Travel Tips: Traveling as a Couple
- Catholic Culture: Traveling during Lent
- Travel Tips: Visiting Catholic Churches
- Amsterdam vs Venice
- Planning vs Reality: 2017 Belgium & The Netherlands Trip
- Travel Style: Belgium & The Netherlands
- Ghent: The city of Van Eyck, belfry, & french fries
- Brussels: The city of Victor Horta, La-Grand Place, & chocolate
- Bruges: The city of beer, canals, & a beautiful beguinage
- UNESCO: Flemish Beguinages
- 2017 Spring Break Belgium & Amsterdam Accommodations
- Reypenaer Cheese Tasting Room
- Amsterdam: Day 1
- Amsterdam: Day 2
- Amsterdam Day Trip: Windmills & Tulips
2017 Summer NEH Religious Worlds of New York Program + Road Trip
2017 Summer NEH Religious Worlds of New York Program + Road TripTrip Stats:
- Length: 7 days + 3 weeks
- Accommodations: air mattress in my best friend’s living room, my cousin’s studio apartment in D.C……………, & dormitory at the Union Theological Seminary in Morningside Heights, NYC
- Favorite Memory: seeing one of my best friends after such a long time & hanging out with her and her husband
- Least Favorite Memory: the heat that is involved in a summer trip through the South & NYC
Blog Posts:
- Travel Tips: Planning a Trip when Money is Tight
- 2017 Summer Road Trip Itinerary
- Travel Tips: Surviving your Summer Road Trip
- Photo Diary: Colonial Williamsburg
- Travel Tips: Visiting Catholic Churches
- NEH Religious Worlds of New York: Itinerary
- Religious Worlds of New York
- NEH Religious Worlds of New York Reading List
- Religious Worlds of New York Site Visits
- Religious Worlds of New York Curriculum Projects
- Puja at the Hindu Temple Society of North America
- Travel Trips: Dressing for a Mosque
- Religion on the Upper West Side: Connect, Conflict & Coexist
- Travel Tips: Dressing for Houses of Worship
- Visiting St. John the Divine
- Worshiping at Convent Avenue Baptist Church
- Jumma Service at Islamic Cultural Center of New York
- Experiencing a Sufi Zhikr Service
- 10 Reasons I love NEH Summer Institutes
- 10 Reason to Choose the NEH Religious Worlds of New York Summer Institute
- Teacher Tips: Surviving Summer
- Travel Tips for Teachers
- Travel Tips: Preparing for an Extended Summer Program
2017 Fall Weekend Washington D.C…………… Trip
Trip Stats:
- Length: 3 days
- Accommodations: random hotel picked by my travel companion
- Favorite Memory: seeing a few new pieces from the AP Art History curriculum
- Least Favorite Memory: not seeing The Milkmaid by Vermeer because she was the ONE piece from the exhibit not to cross the Atlantic Ocean
Blog Posts:
2017 Thanksgiving Southern California Trip
Trip Stats:
- Length: 9 days
- Accommodations: AirBnb room in San Diego, my aunts house outside of L.A.., & AirBnb room in Canyon Lake
- Favorite Memory: meeting awesome family for Thanksgiving
- Least Favorite Memory: our flight on Frontier over was the most uncomfortable thing ever
Blog Posts:
- Photo Shoot at San Juan Capistrano
- Angel Time & San Juan Capistrano
- San Diego: The city of Balboa Park, cliff-side beaches, & the Zoo
- Travel Style: When you want your husband to look nice but it’s hot outside
- History of San Juan Capistrano
- 2017 Thanksgiving SoCal Itinerary
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Family
- Travel Tips: How Not to Break the Bank for Holiday Travel
2017-2018 Winter Break Yucatán, Mexico Trip
Trip Stats:
- Length: 9 days
- Accommodations: my aunts beach house outside of Progresso & hotel in Valladolid
- Favorite Memory: walking along the beach, buying fresh fish from the boat & frying it at home
- Least Favorite Memory: the crappy, rainy weather we had for New Year’s Day
Blog Posts:
- #95. The Virgin of Guadalupe (Virgen de Guadalupe). Miguel González. c. 1698 CE. Based on original Virgin of Guadalupe. Basilica of Guadalupe, Mexico City. 16th century CE. Oil on canvas on wood, inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
- A Day at the Beach House
- Catholic Culture: Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Travel Style: Yucatán, Mexico
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Family
- 2018 Winter Yucatán Itinerary
- AP Crossover: Virgin of Guadalupe
- Travel Tips: Visiting Catholic Churches
2018 President’s Day Weekend New York City Trip
Trip Stats:
- Length: 3 days
- Accommodations: my aunt & uncle’s house in Long Island, New York
- Favorite Memory: being in the city when my baby cousin was born & winning the baby delivery pool
- Least Favorite Memory: only having a weekend with family in one of my favorite places & the fact that Will couldn’t join me
Blog Posts:
- 11 Favorite Things to do in NYC
- Travel Tips: Dressing for the Cold
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Family
- AP Art History Hunting: NYC
2018 Summer Andalusia, Spain Trip
Trip Stats:
- Length: 9 days
- Accommodations: AirBnb apartment in Cordoba, AirBnb apartment in Granada, & an AirBnb apartment in Seville
- Favorite Memory: although there were many, stepping inside to the rhythmically gorgeous Mezquita in Cordoba was a dream
- Least Favorite Memory: missing our flight in Madrid to Seville, luckily the next flight was only an hour afterwards but it sucks when you are in an all out sprint in the airport just to realize there was no way you were ever going to make it
Blog Posts:
- AP Crossover: Great Mosque of Córdoba & Alhambra
- Celebrating our Anniversary in Spain
- Travel Tips: Getting an International Driving Permit
- #56. Great Mosque. Córdoba, Spain. Umayyad. c. 785–786 CE. Stone masonry.
- Hospital de la Caridad, Sevilla
- #65. Alhambra. Granada, Spain. Nasrid Dynasty. 1354–1391 CE. Whitewashed adobe stucco, wood, tile, paint, and gilding.
- 2018 Summer Andalusia Itinerary
- Seville AirBnb Review
- UNESCO: Alhambra, Generalife, & Albayzín, Granada
- UNESCO: Cathedral, Alcázar & Archivo de Indias in Seville
- Travel Style: Andalusia, Spain
- Travel Tips: Planning a Trip when Money is Tight
- Cordoba AirBnb Review
- Medieval Al-Andalus
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Family
- Eating in Andalusia, Spain
- Stressing Out over Planning
- Travel Tips: Buying Alhambra Tickets
- Travel Tips: Visiting the Nasrid Palace
- Granada AirBnb Review
- Travel Tips: Visiting Catholic Churches
- Reality vs Planning: 2018 Andalusia Spain Trip
2015 Summer NEH Reverence for Words: Understanding Muslim Culture through the Arts Program, New York City, New York
Trip Stats:
- Length: 2 weeks
- Accommodations: NYU dormitory in Brooklyn
- Favorite Memory: encountering truly breathtaking Islamic poetry and music for the first time
- Least Favorite Memory: there were a few lectures that didn’t jive with me or rambled without purpose
Blog Posts:
- NEH A Reverence for Words: Understanding Muslim Culture through the Arts Reading List
- Travel Trips: Dressing for a Mosque
- 10 Reasons I love NEH Summer Institutes
- Teacher Tips: Surviving Summer
- Middle East & Islam Blog Posts
- The Diversity of the Islamic World
- Teacher Tips: Applying for Summer Programs
- Travel Tips for Teachers
- Travel Tips: Preparing for an Extended Summer Program
2018 Fall Weekend Daytona Trip
Trip Stats:
- Length: 2 days
- Accommodations: AirBnb on Daytona Beach
- Favorite Memory: walking around this beautiful garden/nature preserve hearing nothing but the crunching on my own shoes
- Least Favorite Memory: I got bored alone on day 2 while Will was in his tennis workshop
Blog Posts:
2018 Fall Weekend Cape Cod Wedding
Trip Stats:
- Length: 2.5 days
- Accommodations: the hotel suggested for the wedding
- Favorite Memory: attending the lovely wedding of Will’s cousin & the fantastic family part afterwards
- Least Favorite Memory: that we couldn’t stay longer in the gorgeous New England fall
Blog Posts:
2019 Spring Break Athens & Aegean Cruise School Trip
Trip Stats:
- Length: 8 days
- Accommodations: hotel chosen by travel company & Crystal Cruise Ship
- Favorite Memory: spending the day wandering around Rhodes in peace
- Least Favorite Memory: trying to keep track of 40+ participants at one time & trying not to lose anyone
Blog Posts:
- Catholic Culture: Traveling during Lent
- Travel Tips for Teachers
- Travel Tips: Preparing to Chaperone Abroad
- Travel Tips: Visiting the Acropolis
- Reality vs Planning: 2019 Athens & Aegean Cruise Trip
- Travel Style: Greece
- 2019 Spring Break Greece Itinerary
- UNESCO: Acropolis, Athens
- UNESCO: Archeological Site at Delphi
- UNESCO: Medieval City of Rhodes
- Travel Tips: Chaperoning an International School Trip
2018-2019 Winter Break Umbria & Tuscany, Italy Trip
Trip Stats:
- Length: 10 days
- Accommodations: monastery in Assisi with French cloistered nuns, AirBnb apartment in Siena, youth hostel in Rome, & airport hotel in Copenhagen
- Favorite Memory: exploring the adorable town of Pienza
- Least Favorite Memory: Will getting sick and having to adjust our day-to-day plan so he could rest
Blog Posts:
- #49. Santa Sabina Rome, Italy. Late Antique Europe. c. 422–432 CE. Brick and stone, wooden roof.
- #32. Tomb of the Triclinium Tarquinia, Italy. Etruscan. c. 480–470 BCE. Tufa and fresco
- Travel Tips: Staying in a Monastery vs a Hostel
- Travel Tips: Staying in a Monastery vs a Hotel
- 2018 Italy Planning: December Edition
- 2018 Italy Planning: November Edition
- 2018 Italy Planning: October Edition
- 2018 Italy Planning: September Edition
- 2018 Fall & Winter Travel
- AP Art History Hunting in Rome, Italy
- Travel Tips: Visiting Catholic Churches
- Planning vs Reality: 2018 Umbria & Tuscany Italy Trip
- Travel Tips: Traveling as a Couple
- AP Art History Hunting in Vatican City
2019 Summer Dimensions of the Middle East Program, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
Trip Stats:
- Length: 1 week
- Accommodations: hotel in downtown Durham (provided by the Qatari Foundation International)
- Favorite Memory: hearing the sorrowful and emotional music of a Muslim rapper
- Least Favorite Memory: the bigoted “reporter” who wrote a nasty anti-Islamic article on the program
Blog Posts:
- Travel Trips: Dressing for a Mosque
- Teacher Tips: Surviving Summer
- Travel Tips for Teachers
- Middle East & Islam Blog Posts
- Maps & the Middle East
- Dimensions of the Middle East: Itinerary
- Dimensions of the Middle East Reading List
- Teacher Tips: Applying for Summer Programs
2019 Summer NEH Teaching the Holocaust through Visual Culture Program, Brunswick, Maine
Trip Stats:
- Length: 2 weeks
- Accommodations: dormitory at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME
- Favorite Memory: getting to meet eminent scholars of Holocaust & Nazi art research
- Least Favorite Memory: the debacle of my canceled flight home that caused me to stay an (expensive) night in Boston
Blog Posts:
- 10 Reasons I love NEH Summer Institutes
- NEH Teaching the Holocaust through Visual Culture: Budget Reflection
- Teaching the Holocaust through Visual Culture: Itinerary
- NEH Holocaust through Visual Culture Reading List
- Teacher Tips: Surviving Summer
- Travel Tips for Teachers
- Travel Tips: Preparing for an Extended Summer Program
- Teacher Tips: Applying for Summer Programs
2019 Thanksgiving Charleston Road Trip
Trip Stats:
- Days: 8 days
- Accommodations: Riverside Hotel in St. Marys, GA, AirBnb room in Beaufort, SC & our friends’ house outside Charleston, SC
- Favorite Memory: the feral horses on Cumberland Island were just such a delight, especially on the beach
- Least Favorite Memory: having to grade DBQ essays while on the trip, I did not plan that out well
Blog Posts:
- Travel Tips: Traveling as a Couple
- Travel Tips: Surviving your Summer Road Trip
- Travel Style: Thanksgiving Charleston Road Trip
- 2019 Charleston Road Trip Planning: Budget Reflection
- 2019 Charleston Road Trip Planning: The Final Countdown
- 2019 Charleston Road Trip Planning: Scheduling & Budgeting
- 2019 Charleston Road Trip Planning: Booking
- 2019 Charleston Road Trip Planning: Making the List
- 2019 Charleston Road Trip Planning: Formulating the Idea
- Photo Diary: Cumberland Island
2023 Summer Knoxville, Tennessee Trip
Trip Stats:
- Days: 4 days
- Accommodations: my friend’s house
- Favorite Memory: in one day I visited one of the three sites of the Manhattan project and then in the afternoon I sung “Amazing Grace” in a tiny church in a valley nestled among mountains
- Least Favorite Memory: having to pee on the side of the mountain begging my 3 year old to not run away
Blog Posts:
- Teacher Tips: Surviving Summer
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Little Kids
- 2023 Summer Knoxville: Budget Reflection
2023 Summer NEH Diverse Historical and Cultural Perspectives in Native American and African American Art Program, Toledo, Ohio
Trip Stats:
- Days: 6 days
- Accommodations: the shittiest AirBnb imaginable split with two other program participants
- Favorite Memory: strolling the museum halls, specifically this one piece about the strength of pregnancy (being pregnant myself)
- Least Favorite Memory: staying in the worst AirBnb I could imagine, it didn’t even come with toilet paper and the neighborhood was mostly boarded up
Blog Posts:
- Teacher Tips: Surviving Summer
- Travel Tips for Teachers
- 10 Reasons I love NEH Summer Institutes
- NEH Diverse Historical and Cultural Perspectives in Native American and African American Art: Reading List
- NEH Diverse Historical and Cultural Perspectives in Native American and African American Art: Itinerary
- 2023 NEH Diverse Historical and Cultural Perspectives in Native American and African American Art: Budget Reflection
- NEH Maria Martinez Art Minute
- Teacher Tips: Applying for Summer Programs
2023 Summer Daytona Beach, Florida Birthday Trip
Trip Stats:
- Days: 6 days
- Accommodations: my parents timeshare, which ended up as a kinda crappy hotel
- Favorite Memory: wading in tidal pools with my toddler
- Least Favorite Memory: William was going through a really difficult phase falling asleep, napping & waking up extremely early; we ended up leaving a day early just to get some rest
Blog Posts:
- Teacher Tips: Surviving Summer
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Little Kids
- JSTOR Daily: Five Types of Summer Vacation
2023 Fall Long Weekend Regeneron Conference, Washington D.C……………
Trip Stats:
- Days: 3 days
- Accommodations: a VERY nice hotel (paid by Regeneron)
- Favorite Memory: getting to hang out with my cousin and her fiancé for the day
- Least Favorite Memory: trying to eat any meal with my toddler when I was by myself
Blog Posts:
- AP Art History Hunting in D.C……………
- Travel Tips for Teachers
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Little Kids
- Teacher Tips: Applying for Summer Programs
2024 Spring Break South Florida Road Trip
Trip Stats:
- Days: 6 days
- Accommodations: my parent’s house
- Favorite Memory: Butterfly World and the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery and Science were unexpectedly hella cool
- Least Favorite Memory: William refusing to nap every day damn
Blog Posts:
- Travel Tips: Surviving your Summer Roadtrip
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Family
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Little Kids
- 2024 Spring Break South Florida Roadtrip: Budget Reflection
2024 Summer Lakeland, Florida Birthday Trip
Trip Stats:
- Days: 4 days
- Accommodations: AirBnb house
- Favorite Memory: falling in love with Lakeland overall; we had a fantastic date night
- Least Favorite Memory: accidentally paying $30 for terrible cupcakes because I didn’t plan on a birthday dessert for my son
Blog Posts:
- Travel Tips: Surviving your Summer Roadtrip
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Family
- 2024 Summer Plans
- 2024 Summer Lakeland: Budget Review
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Little Kids
2024 Summer Cancer Research Conference for Science Teachers, University of Florida
Trip Stats:
- Days: 2.5 days
- Accommodations: Hilton right by campus (paid for by the conference)
- Favorite Memory: both boys passing out in the stroller so I could enjoy the Harn Museum to myself for an hour
- Least Favorite Memory: having a potty training toddler screaming they need to poop but not doing it over and over again on the drive
Blog Posts:
- 2024 Summer Plans
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Little Kids
- Teacher Tips: Applying for Summer Programs
2024 Summer Research Workshop, Ocala, Florida
Trip Stats:
- Days: 2 days
- Accommodations: AirBnb house
- Favorite Memory: the surprise wild monkeys in Silver Springs State Park & the amazing Appleton Museum of Art
- Least Favorite Memory: the heat made walking around with two littles difficult
Blog Posts:
2024 Fall Long Weekend, New York City, New York
Trip Stats:
- Days: 3.5 days
- Accommodations: my aunt & uncle’s house on Long Island
- Favorite Memory: seeing my sister & meeting my niece for the first time
- Least Favorite Memory: oh New York traffic will all be a negative
Blog Posts:
- 11 Favorite Things to do in NYC
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Little Kids
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Family
- AP Art History Hunting: NYC
- Enjoying the Great Outdoors while in NYC
2024-2025 Winter Break Knoxville Birthday Trip
Trip Stats:
- Days: 5 days
- Accommodations: AirBnb house
- Favorite Memory: getting to spend a lot of quality time with old friends
- Least Favorite Memory: the flight was thankfully short, but the baby is way too big to be a lap infant (at 1 years old!)
Blog Posts:
2025 Spring Break New York City + Woodstock Trip
Trip Stats:
- Days: 6 days
- Accommodations: my aunt & uncle’s house on Long Island + VRBO in Kingston
- Favorite Memory: spending our last evening at my cousin’s cabin on the mountainside with my boys playing as he cooked us dinner
- Least Favorite Memory: going to two museums specifically to see two artworks from the AP Art History curriculum for both of them to not be there
Blog Posts:
- 11 Favorite Things to do in NYC
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Family
- AP Art History Hunting: NYC
- Museums with Kids (& Fidgety Adults)
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Little Kids
2025 Spring Weekend Washington D.C…………… Wedding
Trip Stats:
- Days: 2 days
- Accommodations: an AirBnb with my parents
- Favorite Memory: my cousin getting married to an amazing husband, obviously
- Least Favorite Memory: leaving my boys behind for the weekend
Blog Posts:
2025 Summer AP Art History Reading Salt Lake City, Utah Trip
Trip Stats:
- Days: 8
- Accommodations: Sheraton Hotel (paid for by College Board)
- Favorite Memory: crossing another AP Art History 250 image off my list! Spiral Jetty
- Least Favorite Memory: grading essays for 8 hours 7 days in a row is grueling, but not as bad as I thought!
Blog Posts:
- An AP Art History Pacing Guide
- 2025 Summer Plans
- Teacher Tips: Surviving Summer
- Travel Tips for Teachers
- Travel Tips: Visiting Spiral Jetty
- AP Art History: AP Read Reflection
- AP Art History: 2025 Read Schedule
2025 Summer ASRT Research Workshop, Ocala Florida Trip
Trip Stats:
- Days: 5
- Accommodations: VRBO House
- Favorite Memory: standing on the riverbed with my feet in the water holding my three-year old’s hand as he giggles with glee
- Least Favorite Memory: the literal panic attack I had after getting politely told to get off the glass bottom boat because the 18 month old was screaming
Blog Posts:
2025 Summer Roadtrip + Sphere Summit Program, Washington, D.C…………… Trip
Trip Stats:
- Days: 12ish (4ish days on the road, 1 week with my parents in DC and 4 days in my Sphere Summit program)
- Accommodations: VRBO House
- Favorite Memory: 100000% eating a fancy dinner + drinking champagne in the Library of Congress – surreal!
- Least Favorite Memory: standing outside the VRBO house past 11pm with two grumpy children in the rain unable to get in because the code was wrong. The problem was eventually solved but took almost an hour. Oh and then at the tail end my husband + children got Torovirus, gave it to my cousin and her husband and then I was the last to succumb (thankfully after we had arrived home)
Blog Posts:
- 2025 Summer Plans
- Travel Tips: Surviving your Summer Roadtrip
- Teacher Tips: Surviving Summer
- Travel Tips for Teachers
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Family
- AP Art History Hunting in Washington, D.C……………
2025 Thanksgiving Break Sedona, Arizona Trip
Trip Stats:
- Days: 8 days
- Accommodations: AirBnb House for 11 (my parents covered this for my sister & I as Christmas gifts)
- Favorite Memory: those red rocks from all sides, every angle, were break taking – even more than the Grand Canyon IMO
- Least Favorite Memory: it ended up not being a big issue but we had a live wire Will accidentally stepped on and a gas leak
Blog Posts:
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Family
- Planning vs Reality: 2025 Thanksgiving Sedona
- Travel Trips: Planning a Trip without Really Planning
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Little Kids
2025 Winter Break Birthday, New Orleans, Louisiana Road Trip
Trip Stats:
- Days: 8 days
- Accommodations: Hotel in Tallahassee + AirBnb House
- Favorite Memory: the Sugar Bowl Parade was (surprisingly for me) the absolute highlight, my kids had a blast and it was a unique event that you can only participate in once a year. Plus my eldest got 84 beaded necklaces!
- Least Favorite Memory: no real negatives except the 9.5 hour drive home we did in one day (by choice); my kids did really well, I just hate being in the car that long.
Blog Posts:
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Family
- Travel Tips: Traveling with Little Kids
- 2026 Winter Break New Orleans: Food
- 2026 Winter Break New Orleans: Budget Reflection
2026 Summer AP Art History Reading Louisville, Kentucky
Trip Stats:
- Days: 15 days (Will & the boys with me for 5 days)
- Accommodations: Embassy Suites Downtown
- Favorite Memory: I love reconnecting with colleagues, now friends, from around the country – it’s a lot of fun spending a week or two with other people who like art & history
- Least Favorite Memory: after 13 days straight sitting at a computer, my neck was absolutely killing me and part of my shoulder is frozen – I knew that was the job description and I should have prioritized yoga and working out more to offset it
Blog Posts:
- An AP Art History Pacing Guide
- Teacher Tips: Surviving Summer
- Travel Tips for Teachers
- AP Art History: AP Read Reflection
- Lesson Plan: The 100 Best Artworks About America
2026 Summer East Asia Under Mongol Dominance Boulder, Colorado – UPCOMING!
Trip Stats:
- Days: 6 days
- Accommodations: University of Colorado dormitory
- Favorite Memory:
- Least Favorite Memory: