Exploring Adventures at Home & Abroad
Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd With full time jobs, it’s no secret that we do our best to fill every available weekend with an adventure. This year, with the Fourth of July falling on a Tuesday, we saw another opportunity to […]
Written by Julie Boyd | Photography by Julie Boyd Over the past few years Brian and I have learned some tips and tricks for making sure we are prepared for our hikes. Some things may seem obvious, but sometimes even the most experienced hikers are […]
Written by Julie Boyd | Photography by Julie Boyd
Photography is a huge passion of mine, so taking great photos when traveling comes naturally to me. However, just because you are not a photographer, doesn’t mean you can’t take great images as well! After all, some of these trips are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, so having a good photographic record of them is important. Remember, that taking a great photo is not about having the best camera. Understanding light and composition is the key to taking great pictures, and if you understand how they work together, you can create powerful images even with your iPhone. Here are some tips to get you started on taking great travel photos.
Written by Julie Boyd | Photography by Julie Boyd The Point Reyes National Seashore is a nature preserve located on a peninsula just north of San Fransisco. It is a diverse and special place, as the San Andres Fault divides it from the mainland, making […]
Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd London, one of the world’s most popular destinations, and one of our favorites, is a city that offers visitors a magnitude of choices to explore. Interested in history? London has you covered. The city has played […]
Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd
Without question, we live in a pretty incredible time period in human history. Thanks to technological advances, the world is at its most interconnected, making travel accessible to the masses. Much like it has been since people first roamed this earth, the world can also be a dangerous and scary place. Turn on the evening news and there are no shortage of everyday incidents, from those that affect our neighborhoods, to events that can impact our entire existence. At times, it can seem like there is no sense in leaving your home and putting yourself at risk. But travel is an essential part of understanding one another and learning that, despite our differences, we are all the same. Here are some of the reasons why we travel, and why you should too.
Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd With the recent move to Northern California, Julie and I had been craving our next adventure, specifically something outdoors. Our trip to Europe over Christmas break had satisfied our desire to travel abroad, but focused entirely on cities (after […]
Written by Brian Callender and Julie Boyd| Photography by Julie Boyd You may have noticed we have been a bit quieter on the blog than normal, and that is because there have been some changes behind the scenes. Earlier this year, I (Brian) had the opportunity […]
Written by Brian Callender & Julie Boyd | Photography by Julie Boyd
Cities, no matter the size, have their hallmarks, their must visit destinations. Chances are, if you find yourself in a big city, there will be no shortage of such places that will make your to-do list. Smaller, less sought after destinations, may have a much more limited selection of “musts,” but still something that locals can point to as the place to be. Come to Irvine here in Orange County and we’ll show you…the Irvine Spectrum? In fairness to our hometown, they do have a ferris wheel! 🙂 These are of course, the biggest draws for tourists, which means you will seldom find yourself alone. But crowds aside, one of the best aspects of visiting these hotspots is for the most part, braving the hoards of people is well worth it. London, of course, is a big city with a long list of places you simply must visit. On our second trip to London, we were excited to visit the infamous Tower of London.
Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd We’re currently in the midst of a Southern California winter, which means short periods of rain mixed with the usual sunshine and cooler nights. While we have seen more rain this year than has come in quite […]
Written by Julie Boyd | Photography by Julie Boyd Jasper National Park has a rugged beauty that calls to be explored. It is Canada’s largest National Park, and is home to some pretty epic scenery, including giant glaciers, thundering waterfalls, and quiet alpine forests. Brian and I […]
Written by Julie Boyd | Photography by Julie Boyd
Last summer Brian and I took a 17-day trip to Europe. Without a doubt, my favorite part of the excursion was the time that we spent exploring the rugged beauty of the Scottish Highlands. We rented a car and nearly traversed the entire isle over a 24 hour period. This week, travel back with us and enjoy some of my favorite photos of the Scottish Highlands!
Written by Julie Boyd | Photography by Julie Boyd Brian and I spent a week exploring the Canadian Rockies this past summer, and I was in heaven as there is no shortage of beautiful scenery in Banff National Park. Before flying up to Alberta, Canada, […]
Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd On Friday morning, we awoke early for our final full day in Canada. Before making the long drive back to Calgary in preparation for our flight on Saturday morning, we wanted to make the most of […]
Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd
After completing a full day of driving along the Icefields Parkway, (read: part one and part two) it felt amazing to drop our bags off at the hotel, shower, and head into town for dinner. While the city of Banff was crowded with tourists roaming its streets, Jasper had a more relaxed vibe. Walking through the quaint town streets, we eventually decided on pizza at Famoso Neapolitan Pizza. Between all the walking and driving that day, pizza and beer was a well deserved meal! The next morning, we set out to explore Jasper National Park.
Written by Julie Boyd | Photography by Julie Boyd “The mountains are calling, and I must go.” – John Muir I was exhausted. I had just finished teaching a workshop on essay writing, shot my last wedding of the year, and I made it through mourning the loss of […]
Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd With Banff squarely in our rearview, we continued our journey along the Icefields Parkway, headed for the town of Jasper. If you’re a fan of stunning mountains and breathtaking waterfalls, then this is the place to be. […]
Written by Julie Boyd | Photography by Julie Boyd
Winter is a magical time to visit Yosemite National Park. The valley is dusted with snow, the waterfalls are icy, the weather is chilly, and the summer crowds have dispersed. If you are lucky, you’ll get to witness the splendor of seeing the clouds roll back to reveal the valley after a winter storm, or maybe catch the last rays of light on Horsetail Falls as they illuminate the water, and it appears to turn into liquid fire.
However, one of the drawbacks to visiting in the winter is the snow and ice limit the opportunities for hiking and exploring. Most trails that have any elevation gain are closed, which can be a bit of a bummer if you prefer outdoor adventures over sipping hot cocoa in the lodge. While we love both, on this trip we opted for a snowshoeing adventure!
Written by Julie Boyd | Photography by Julie Boyd Joshua Tree National Park lies in California’s Mojave Desert. While Brian and I prefer mountain landscapes, there’s no denying that Joshua Tree has a unique beauty that makes it worth visiting. Ranging from broken up rock […]
Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd Fresh off an awesome hike to the Plain of Six Glaciers, we still had several hours of sunlight left to explore the area before sunset. Julie had come across Takakkaw Falls while researching the trip, and […]
Written by Julie Boyd | Photography by Julie Boyd
This visit to Yellowstone National Park was in conjunction with my trip to Grand Teton National Park back in 2011. Since my family and I had already explored Yellowstone in depth a few years before, we decided to only take a brief stop in the park on our way to Glacier National Park. Don’t get me wrong, we could have easily spent a few days exploring this enormous park further, however, we ultimately decided that we wanted to spend more time in a new place (Glacier).
Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd As we planned out our Canadian adventure, Julie and I each had a long list of “must visit” locations. Many of these destinations were shared, and that was especially true of Moraine Lake. If you spend any time […]
Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd As mentioned in our last post, while visiting Banff, we opted to stay outside the park in Kananaksis Country. We spent most of our first day in Calgary, but after checking into our hotel, we decided there was […]
Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd
Off to Canada!
Julie and I had been attempting to make a plan to visit Canada for what seemed like the past few years. We previously had reserved hotel rooms in Vancouver a couple winters back, but ended up cancelling that trip in favor of a California road trip. After reading a post by one of my favorite travel bloggers about visiting Alberta, we were convinced it was time to put our daydreams into action and plan our next trip. Planned earlier this spring, our journey would take us to two of the big national parks in Alberta, Banff and Jasper, as we immersed ourselves in the Canadian Rockies. Giant mountains, blue lakes, endless scenery, we couldn’t think of a better way to spend our summer vacation, and off to Canada we went.
Written by Brian Callender I’ve talked about before, the ways in which “travel hacking” has played in important role in helping us travel. Much of our every day credit card spend is done through the Chase Sapphire Preferred, and I detailed here why I love the card. […]
Written by Julie Boyd | Photography by Julie Boyd Grand Teton National Park is truly one of the most breathtaking mountain landscapes in the United States. The jagged peaks of the 40-mile-long Teton Mountain Range are unobstructed by foothills and tower over 7,000 feet above the […]
Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd
Julie and I love to travel which should come as no surprise, after all, it’s why we started this travel blog. We love sharing our experiences, and hope that we can encourage more people to get out there and explore the world!
One of the most common issues we’ve come across when planning our trips, is how to schedule around our work commitments. We both have full time jobs which are our primary focus (bills have to get paid!), so we often need to get creative and plan our vacations well in advance. Life is all about finding balance, right? In particular, Julie’s teaching schedule is such that we have two open periods for longer trips. Summer, the peak and busiest of travel seasons. And winter, where depending on the destination, there’s a chance you may encounter some rough weather. The key for us, is making the most of every available opportunity to travel, no matter the size of the trip. Here’s how we do that.
Written by Julie Boyd | Photography by Julie Boyd While Brian and I not-so-patiently wait for our trip to the Canadian Rockies later this month, we thought it would be fun to revisit some of our past trips in a new series called Time Travel […]
Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd Growing up, I spent a good chunk of my childhood in Pasadena. My mother grew up there and my grandparents lived in the same house until I was early into my teenage years. Despite this, I […]
Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd
Summer has officially made its way to Southern California, so we have our fans and air conditioner working overtime. All this heat has us daydreaming of cooler locales, foggy mornings, rainy afternoons, and snowy weekend getaways. In that spirit, we’re excited about our next two planned trips! Here’s what we’re looking forward to as we hit the halfway point of 2016: