Next Avenue • 11th July 2025

Pet Sitting for Fun Travel and Lodging

Some animal lovers will give you the run of their house when they go on vacation — if you will care for their pets while they are awayWhen I was 12, my friend Kim's parents asked me to watch their dachshund over a long weekend. It felt like a dream come true — having their house to myself and time with their adorable little dog. I fully embraced my new role as pet sitter.Decades later, now an empty nester, I have expanded my travels beyond the neighborhood but kept dogs, cats and even farm anima...

Next Avenue • 2nd April 2025

We Travel Everywhere — With Our Dogs

Once my husband and I became empty nesters, we couldn't wait to travel alone. Not only would we save money (two tickets instead of four) but my days of coaxing angsty teens into pleasant family dinners were over. Our new hurdle? We had no one to watch our dogs.

Business Insider • 6th March 2025

I stayed in 2 different treehouses on vacation. It was cool, but I wouldn't stay in this type of accommodation again.

When I decided to road trip through Washington state, staying in a treehouse was high on my list of priorities.

The Pacific Northwest is known for its lush scenery and treetop rentals, and I planned to take full advantage of the stellar views.

I booked two very different treehouse Airbnbs: one in Mukilteo that looked out over Puget Sound and a remote two-story house in the woods near Olympia.

Both stays felt oddly similar to camping. Although I was technically indoors, way up high in a tree,...

Insider • 15th January 2024

My secret to traveling on a budget costs $129 a year. I've used it to stay in waterfront homes and mansions for free.

Two years ago, I became an empty nester and wanted to start traveling. My travel list was long, but my budget was tight with a kid in college.

So, I star

Insider • 9th January 2024

The 4 things you definitely can't miss if you visit Sedona, Arizona

Sedona, Arizona, is an outstanding travel spot, drawing visitors with its radiant red rocks, exceptional hiking trails, and reputation as a spiritual mecc

Scary Mommy • 28th November 2023

My Destination Christmas Was A Complete Disaster

Two years ago, my husband and I road-tripped to Colorado with our kids for Christmas. I’d always dreamed of a destination holiday somewhere snowy and festive, and a previous skiing trip had been a huge success with both us and the kids. So I Googled “most festive places to spend Christmas” and found the ski town of Durango was in the top 10. It looked adorable and was the polar opposite of Houston, where we live, with its year-round heat and humidity.

My mom had passed a few months earlier and

WIRED • 22nd November 2023

10 Apps That Make Traveling Solo Easier—and Fun

I was driving alone through Montana, 1,900 miles from home on a two-lane road in the sticks, when my phone lost its signal. I was near my Airbnb cabin but may as well have been in Oz, with no idea what road to look for or where my next turn was. Did I mention it was getting dark?

Luckily, I’d jotted down the directions in my spiral planner, old-school style, that lay on the seat next to me, but with a little preplanning, the right apps can make solo travel safe, enjoyable, and easy. Having driv

Insider • 25th March 2023

I only book private Airbnb rooms in a shared home. My friends think I'm crazy for bunking with strangers, but I love it for 10 reasons.

Over the past few months, I've stayed in more than a dozen private rooms in Airbnb homes across the US. I find it to be such an incredible experience, I don't book hotels anymore. Two years ago, I became an empty nester. But as a remote worker with a case of wanderlust, I hardly wanted to sit at home. Eager to take more solo road trips across the United States, I made a list of places I wanted to see and off I went, from Zion National Park in Utah to the rolling hills of Vermont. Since then, I'v