First of all, thanks so much to the lovely Tiara for having me today while she’s out having fun on her honeymoon in sunny Mexico. As much as I love the winter here in Tahoe, I’m definitely more than a little jealous! So while she’s having drinks by the pool, let me tell you a little bit about moi. My name is Jane and I blog over at In the Pink and Green, which is basically my little corner of the internet where I showcase my passions–fun times with family and friends, travel and the outdoors, style and beauty, and last but not least–food! My husband and I started eating (mostly) Paleo about a year ago, and the recipes I feature on my blog are a mix of healthy Paleo dishes with some indulgent desserts thrown in the mix! Although I’m originally from Michigan, I’ve been happy to call Tahoe home for the past year, and like Tiara, I definitely enjoy all that this beautiful place has to offer! So now that your up to speed on me, time to dive in to today’s topic…a subject near and dear to my heart and perfectly fitting seeing as Tiara’s currently on her honeymoon–travel!

When Tiara asked me to guest post for her on a travel-related topic, I couldn’t make up my mind exactly what to talk about. Since getting married in June of 2009, my husband Cameron and I have lucky to be able to take some great vacations. While we’ve really enjoyed getting to travel all over the US–that’s what happens when you’re from Michigan, your husband is from Oregon, and you’ve lived in four states since tying the knot! However, the trips that really stick out in my mind are the three times that we’ve traveled outside of the country since getting married. So rather than just pick one favorite vacation, I thought I’d briefly talk about and share a few photos from each of these beautiful places!

Jamaica

We went to Negril, Jamaica for our honeymoon in June 2009 and stayed for a week. After our wedding we just wanted somewhere that we could go and relax, and Jamaica was the perfect place to do that. We stayed at a hotel that had meals and drinks included, but it was a little smaller and lacked some of the amenities of larger resorts. However, it was a great deal and overall traveling to Jamaica was fairly affordable, so I’d highly suggest it if you want to go to the Caribbean on a budget. We were able to snorkel, lay on the beach, and hike through waterfalls–good times!

 Europe

In May of 2010, my husband and I took a six-week trip to do the whole cliché backpacking around Europe experience. And it was AMAZING. We decided to take the trip because my husband had just finished grad school and had a break before starting his new job and I’m so glad we did it. We started out in London, then went to Paris, Bruges, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Salzburg, Berchtesgaden, Munich, Venice, Rome, Cinque Terre, Interlaken, and Frankfurt. To be able to see so much of Europe was incredible; the landscape is beautiful, the food is so so good, and the different cultures are fascinating. We got the full backpacking experience as well–carried just our backpacks for six weeks (a feat for someone who is a compulsive overpacker!), we stayed in hostels (some nicer than others…), and had an unlimited Eurail pass (so convenient!). Plus, we were able to celebrate our first wedding anniversary in one of the most beautiful countries on Earth–Italy! I’m dying to get back to Europe soon, but nothing will ever top that first trip!

{Paris}

{Prague}

{Salzburg–that’s the house from the Sound of Music in the background!}

{Venice}

{The Swiss Alps}

 Turkey and Israel

Two months ago, my husband and I took a trip to the Middle East where we spent three days in Istanbul and eight days in Israel. Both were places on our bucket lists, and they were absolutely magical to visit. Istanbul is an extremely vibrant city that has soon much interesting history, and we packed our three days there full of sightseeing. Our time in in Israel was jam-packed; we got to see so much of the county and it was really moving to visit a place of such spiritual significance to us both. The food was amazing and despite what you see on the news, we felt very safe. I’d highly recommend everyone visit Israel!

{The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul}

{Boat cruise on the Bosphorous River}

{Tel Aviv}

{The Sea of Galilee}

{Jerusalem}

{The Western Wall}

We’ve been fortunate to have some really amazing international adventures during the past 3.5 years of marriage, and I’m excited to continue traveling with my husband in the years to come. As for where we’re headed next, I know we’d both like to travel to another continent (or two) before we have kids so some of our top choices for future trips would be Thailand, Peru, Argentina, or New Zealand! We’ll see where life takes us…
{You can read more about our travels here}

Thanks so much to Tiara for having me today, and I hope you’ll stop by In The Pink & Green and say hello!