Sedona, AZ Bucket List

Sedona, AZ is already a bucket list destination for hikers, photographers, spiritualists, and vanlifers, but what do you do once you get to Sedona? From the crowded trailheads, to the must-see Uptown Sedona, this is everything you need to do and see in Sedona, AZ.

What to know before you go…

The best time of year to visit Sedona, according to the weather, is between October and April, but the best time of year to visit according to the crowds is in the summer. Sedona is located in Northern Arizona, so it gets really hot in the summer, making it almost impossible to hike. In the winter, though, the crowds make it so that you need to choose a hike the night before, and get there first thing in the morning in order to find a parking spot that allows you to actually hike.

Most hikes in Sedona that aren’t affiliated with a state park are dog friendly, so feel free to bring your furry friend along!

On the Soldier’s Pass Trail

Visiting Sedona Vortexes

Sedona is a highly spiritual location full of energy Vortexes. These are natural spaces that are known to be super energetically charged, so much so that spiritual people can feel an energy shift while they are near them. You can recognize them by the swirly “vortex trees,” and they’re often found at the top of hikes like Cathedral Rock and Boynton Canyon.

At the Boynton Canyon Mesa

Hikes You Should Do

Sedona is known for hiking. This is the main thing we do whenever we visit Sedona, and there are so many trails, I definitely haven’t hiked even close to all of them. These are my favorites for first time visitors, though, so that you get the best experience.

Devils Bridge: 4 miles RT, easy-moderate. Devils Bridge takes you to the famous bridge arch formation, where you can get your perfect picture. The trail starts on a 4x4 dirt road, and eventually climbs to the viewpoint. Be careful on the bridge though—it’s narrow!

Devils Bridge Trail

Cathedral Rock: 1.2 miles RT, moderate-difficult. Cathedral Rock is a straight ascent of about 700 feet up to a beautiful viewpoint and spiritual vortex. This hike involves some heavy rock scrambling, and I highly recommend going in real hiking boots.

Solider’s Pass Trail and Seven Sacred Pools: as long as you want it to be, easy-moderate. The Seven Sacred Pools are an easy .25 miles from the trailhead, but if you want to go to Soldier’s Pass or the nearby caves, you’ll be doing about a 4 mile hike. We liked returning by walking the 4x4 road to avoid crowds going to the Seven Sacred Pools from Jordan Pond.

The Birthing Cave: 2 miles RT, moderate. This cave trail is easy until it reaches a steep ascent during the last .25 miles to the top. Traditionally, Hopi women came here to give birth, which is part of how it got its name (the other reason being its yonic shape). This is a very busy trail, so be prepared for crowds, and if you want a picture perfect scene for the ‘gram, get there early!

Cathedral Rock Trail

Healthy Hippie Bites

Sedona is a true hippie town full of amazing plant based food. These are my favorite spots for any meal, any time of day.

ChocolaTree: If you’re looking for amazing lunch or dinner food, ChocolaTree has you covered for vegetarian food. With options for any budget and diet, including raw vegan, you’ll love this organic eatery. My favorite thing to order at ChocolaTree is the Mushroom Fantasy.

Local Juicery: If you’re looking for a quick bite for lunch, Local Juicery is an amazing choice. From smoothies and juices, to easy on-the-go meals, this is the place to stop for any food you’re craving. My favorite thing to order here is the Avocado Toast.

Berry Devine: For anyone trying to cool off after a hike, Berry Devine has got you covered. This acai bowl place carries organic acai soft serve perfect for quenching any thirst. My favorite thing to order here is the Vortex Bowl with agave instead of honey and vegan granola.

At a Vortex just after sunrise

Visit Uptown

Shopping, believe it or not, is another thing you have to do in Sedona. But not just any shopping: crystal shopping. Sedona’s Uptown is their version of downtown, with shops after shops, and restaurants you won’t find anywhere else. Aside from the clothes and art galleries, you’ll find endless metaphysical shops in Uptown, and these are the perfect spots to buy crystals and other spiritual goodies during your trip. My favorite metaphysical shop in Uptown is called the Center For New Age, a shop where the spiritual energy is high, and you’ll find the most genuine crystals in town. They also have affordable incense, a spiritual bookshop, and a vortex at the back of the store.

Sedona, AZ is one of my favorite places in the US, and as a spiritualist, it’s a must see for anyone who connects to the energy of the universe. Even if you’re skeptical, no one can doubt that the hikes here are incredible, and there’s no chance that there is a more beautiful desert town in the Southwest.

Live in a van? Check out last year’s Vanlife Guide to Sedona at the link below!

My Must-Visit Spots in San Diego, CA

It’s no secret, if you’ve been following me a while, that cities aren’t really my thing. But when I was on my way back to my home base from my 3 weeks in Arizona, I really wanted to see where else I could fit into my route before taking a break from vanlife for a bit to get my WFA certification. A lot of my van fam had headed out to San Diego after Arizona, and it’s kinda the place to go for people in vans in the colder months because we, like birds, go south for the winter.

Now, it’s not that cities don’t have a ton to offer. There’s culture, food, and plenty to do. But there tends to be a bit more chaos in cities than I like. It’s a bit harder to park the van, and there are more rules about where you can sleep at night. I also tend to feel a little disconnected when I spent too much time in a city (truly, the forest is where I belong). But I went to San Diego anyway. So, for anyone in a van (or not!) who’s planning a trip to San Diego, these are my favorite places I went while I was there.

La Jolla Cove

Sunset Cliffs and Ocean Beach

The beach towns tended to have a little more space for big ol’ Sequoia, so the first place I went was Ocean Beach. Sunset Cliffs is a natural park known for towering cliffs over the ocean. Lots of people come here to see the views, surf the waves, or watch the sunset because, well, it’s called Sunset Cliffs for a reason.

Ocean Beach is also home to a very cool nighttime farmer’s market on Wednesdays (starting at 4pm), where they have music, vendors, and tons of vegan food available.

Sunset Cliffs, Ocean Beach

La Jolla

La Jolla is one of the most crowded and complicated areas to visit if you have a van. Parking here is an absolute nightmare, and my one tip is to try to park as far from the actual coves as you can walk. I ended up finding parking over by the La Jolla Underwater Park (I believe), and walked the beautiful cliffside trail to the coves (which was only about a half mile and incredibly gorgeous).

La Jolla is one of the nicest areas I visited in San Diego. It’s full of touristy shops, expensive restaurants, and sea lions. Yes, sea lions. These gorgeous animals are what La Jolla is known for, so make sure you go to the coves and say hi (just don’t get too close! Remember to Leave No Trace!).

The sea lions of La Jolla

Mission Bay Park

This was a great little spot to go and relax, make lunch, and get some work done. It’s definitely not a place to plan on spending your entire day unless you have a kayak or paddleboard, but it did give me some beautiful views while I did some writing. A lot of people come here to walk or ride their bikes along the shore, get a work out in, or let their kids run off some steam. There’s also tons of parking during the day so if you’re looking for a place to just relax, hop on your hotspot, or take a walk, this spot should be on your list.

If you’re interested in pursuing the full time travel life and want to know the best way to make money online, check out Wired Creatives HERE!

Mission Bay Park

Where I ate

I usually don’t talk about veganism on the blog, but honestly, a huge portion of what I do in cities is food related. Cities make it really easy to spend all your money on food. Luckily, because I have a kitchen, I did cook most of my food, and I had plenty of snacks with me, but there were a few points where I did buy food out. A favorite in Ocean Beach is Plant Power Fast Food. I used to work at one of their other locations, and it made for a super convenient place to grab a bite on the days when I was in OB. They also have WiFi, so it was a bit of a win-win.

I did also get an awesome meal at the OB farmer’s market on the Wednesday that I was there. They had tons of vegan spots at the event, but I found a vegan Chinese food place with no line that gave me an incredible amount of food for $12.

I also headed out to the University Heights area near SDSU where I went with a friend for dinner. We met at Plumeria Vegetarian Restaurant, a sit-down vegetarian Thai food place that was almost as good as the real deal.

The last place I ate out at was Loving Hut in Scripp’s Ranch. I wasn’t planning on heading out this way again, and then I found out that my childhood best friend was also in town, so I went out to where she grew up (and where I had visited with her mom a few days before), and she took me here. This place has amazing food and enormous portions. Would definitely recommend!

La Jolla Underwater Park, view from a coastal trail I parked near

San Diego was an interesting first real city experience in the van. I did really enjoy my time there, despite the absolute chaos cities tend to bring. So, if you’re planning your own trip to Southern California anytime soon, make sure these spots are on your list—they’ll be sure to give you a pretty complete San Diego experience.

10 Tips for Making it Through Long-Haul Road Trips

In my world, I do a lot of driving. In the past year, I’ve put about 20,000 miles under my wheels (in two separate vehicles of course), and while I like to keep my drives short (3-4 hours if possible), there are some days when you just can’t avoid that 6-12 hour long-haul. Doing drives like this to get to a destination can be grueling, especially if you’re solo, so whether you’re a full time vanlifer like myself, or a casual traveler looking to get that road trip fix in this spring, here are my best tips for surviving a day on the road.

Disclaimer: this post may contain affiliate links

My first tiny home, in Badlands National Park, SD

1: Be prepared for time zone shifts

If you’re traveling coast to coast (or in any vaguely horizontal direction, really, if you’re not just road tripping in the states), it’s super important to be prepared to shift in your time zone. This can affect your arrival time greatly, and will affect you more if you’re moving West to East, rather than East to West, since you’ll be arriving an hour later than planned. Keep this in mind when doing any type of long haul drive, so that you can plan accordingly for any way that this might throw off your plans.

Sedona, AZ (photographer: Brien @theotherground)

2: Snacks

Obviously, you can’t have a proper road trip without snacks. But, they’re even more important when you’re putting major miles behind you, especially if you’re driving solo. Calories keep you awake, and sometimes, you won’t want to stop for lunch, especially if you’re trying to make it to a destination by a certain time. I always keep a few snacks with me in the front of the van so that I don’t have to pull over to find something to eat every time I start getting tired.

A favorite healthy snack of mine lately is Bobo’s Oat Bars. They’re vegan, oat based, and super yummy! Pick yourself up a box HERE!

Bobo’s Oat Bars make fantastic road trip snacks

3: Water

As essential as snacks, water is something we often forget about while driving, especially if you’re driving solo. The thing is, being in the car all day singing along to the radio is incredibly dehydrating, and you’ll only get tired faster if your body needs something you aren’t giving it.

If there’s nowhere to fill up my reusable bottle, you’ll nearly always see me sipping on a Surfwater—bottled water packaged in the world’s most recyclable material: aluminum!

Surfwater aka the best water at El Matador Beach in Malibu (photographer: Alex @alx.vu)

4: An amazing playlist

Nearly as essential as food and water, having great, inspiring music to listen to is a must. I have about 10 very similar but very different road trip playlists that I recycle depending on my landscape, but my favorite artists to listen to on the road are: Lord Huron, The National Parks, Frenship, and Mogli. Oh, and the soundtrack from David Attenborough’s Our Planet. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it!

Here are some links to my current favorite Spotify playlists:

Vanlife

The Ultimate Roadtrip Soundtrack

Pacific Coast Highway

Our Planet

The van on Joshua Tree BLM land

5: Take Breaks

I cannot stress this one enough! If you’re traveling solo, please take breaks. This is what rest areas are for, and if there are none, gas stations and truck stops are amazing too. I recommend taking a break every 1-2 hours so that you can breathe, use the bathroom, change your music, make a sandwich, anything! Just take your eyes off the road and your hands off the wheel for 10 minutes. It’ll wake you up and make for a safer and less frustrating drive.

Bison on the road in Yellowstone National Park

6: Be aware of agricultural checkpoints

This might only be a thing in the United States—I’m not sure of agricultural laws in other countries—but if you are driving over state lines in the US, be aware of agricultural checkpoints. This is similar to how you have to declare certain items when you fly into a new country or back into the US. They will ask whether you have any fruits, veggies, plants, etc… in the vehicle, as exposing the local agriculture to those plants could affect the environment. As far as I remember, the only agricultural checkpoints in the continental US are at California entry points.

Hoyt Arboretum, OR. When you drive from Oregon to California, you will be asked if you’re carrying any produce.

7: Comfy clothes

This might go without saying, but driving in comfortable clothes will make all the difference. It’s also important to wear clothes for the weather later in the day. The other day, I drove 6 and a half hours from Tucson to San Diego and while it was freezing in the morning, as soon as I hit the Southern Californian desert near the Mexico border, it was hot and sunny! Considering the fact that my van has no AC, it was important that I drove in clothes made for warm weather so that I wouldn’t need to keep stopping to put on or take off a jacket.

One of my favorite brands of ethical and comfortable clothes is Wholesome Culture. They use organic cotton, water based ink, and donate money to animal sanctuaries for every purchase made. Check them out HERE!

Sporting my favorite Wholesome Culture T-shirt on a hike through Mammoth Cave National Park, KY. It says “There is no Planet B.”

8: Keep an eye on your cell service!

So often during long-hauls we drive into areas with no cell service without realizing it. Especially if you’re unfamiliar with the area, it’s crucial to either download your maps before, carry a paper map (for really remote areas like Montana, Canada, Alaska, and even parts of Utah/Nevada), or make sure that you do not exit your already functioning navigation. As long as you start your navigation in either Google Maps or Apple Maps, it will keep you on track even when you do lose service, but as soon as you exit, you won’t be able to just pull it right back up if you’ve got no bars. When I was driving from Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada to Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, there was no service for the first hour of my drive, and being my second day on the road, this was incredibly stressful. Make sure you know the general direction that you’re going, and if you can find a Pilot or Flying J truck stop (in the states), go in and ask if they have WiFi so you can download a map—they usually do!

Glacier National Park, MT: one of the most remote places you can drive to. Definitely download your maps before leaving West Glacier!

9: Get off the highway and explore

If you’re not in any rush, why make it a long-haul drive in the first place? Drive in your direction until you find something interesting and then make a little detour. You never know what you might find, and there’s always the chance of an unexpected adventure. Long-haul drives are grueling and unless you have a time limit, unnecessary. Let yourself explore more instead.

One of the best detours I’ve ever made! The Salton Sea, CA. Learn more about this place HERE!

10: Take it all in…

It’s so easy when you’re road tripping to make it about the destination. But the truth is, the journey is often the most fun and beautiful part. Some of my favorite experiences on the road, and my most important revelations have come from the actual driving, not the arriving at my destination. It’s so important to take time to realize the landscapes you’re driving through, the lives of the people in the towns you’re passing by, and really, how small the world is when you really think about it.

Lake Crescent, Olympic National Park, WA

The world is far more connected than we like to think. Nothing is as far away as our maps suggest—really, it’s just one 12 hour drive. Take the time to appreciate the distance, it will make all the difference when it comes to surviving that long drive (oh, and of course, all the other stuff too).

Three Must-Visit Spots in Laos

I recently returned from Southeast Asia, where I volunteered for a month in Thailand and Laos with GIVE Volunteers. It’s no question that, of the two countries, Laos made the bigger impact on me as a person, a traveler, and a global citizen. Laos is an incredibly special country, and the truth is, two years ago, like many of you, I had no idea it even existed.

Laos is a small, landlocked country just north of Thailand. It borders four other countries as well: China, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Cambodia. It’s known for its mountains, Buddhist culture, and waterfalls.

During our time in Laos, we visited three major spots (IE: one city, one backpacking village, and one remote village). This is the best journey through this beautiful country that will show you the best of Laos, from Luang Prabang to Sop Chem.

View from the Nam Ou River

Luang Prabang City

Not to be confused with Luang Prabang Province, Luang Prabang City is the first part of Laos I got to experience. It’s a clean city with plenty of hostels (we stayed at Mao Pha Sohk Guesthouse), vans available as public transport, markets, and culture.

Luang Prabang is gorgeous, even for a city, and is home to a fantastic array of restaurants (Coconut Restaurant is a crowd favorite), as well as a huge night market that happens daily, starting at 5pm (Laos time). Our first day started with participating in the Alms ceremony, where we gave rice to monks as they made their way to temple. This is definitely something to experience, even though it starts at 5 am daily.

Another must-see in Luang Prabang is Tat Kuang Si National Park. This National Park is home to Kuang Si Falls, the famous waterfalls that are known as being one of the most beautiful places in the world, and the Free the Bears Moon Bear Sanctuary (who accept donations HERE). Both spots are incredibly important to witness for that perfect balance of cultural understanding and natural beauty.

The last must-see in Luang Prabang is the UXO museum. The UXO museum stands for the fact that Laos is the most bombed country and the most affected by the Vietnam War. Still, there is unexploded ordinance scattered throughout the country. True responsible tourism is understanding the culture, and there is no such thing as understanding Lao culture without talking about UXO.

View from Mao Pha Sohk Guesthouse at sunrise

Ban Sop Chem

Sop Chem is easily one of my favorite places on Earth. Sop Chem is a remote weaving village located directly on the Nam Ou River, and the best way to access it is by boat.

Sop Chem thrives on tourism. Most tourists just come for a day trip from Nong Kiaw, but there is a hostel in Sop Chem if you’d like to stay the night and experience this remote village for the night.

Here, we volunteered at the local school and permaculture plot, but also participated in plenty of cultural activities that tourists would also be able to experience, such as shopping for hand-woven fabrics, hiking to the Power China dam site, and exploring Tam Lom, a cave where the villagers of Sop Chem hid during the war (but please don’t go without a guide).

The people of Sop Chem are some of the most welcoming I’ve ever met, so stay a while if you can, pet the dogs, and play cards with the local kids—this is an experience like no other.

Ban Sop Chem

Nong Kiaw

Nong Kiaw was the backpacker village we stayed in on our way back to Luang Prabang from Sop Chem where we stayed in the Sunrise Hostel, and spent my birthday adventuring. There is so much nature to experience in Laos, and a lot of those beautiful places are right in Nong Kiaw.

Two of the most notable are the Pha Thok Cave and Pha Deang Peak hike. The Pha Thok Cave is another combination of nature and culture, as it gives you another perspective into the history of the country during wartime. Pha Deang Peak is a strenuous, approximately 6 mile hike that gains 3,000 feet in elevation from bottom to top. This is a genuine mountain summit hike, but it comes bearing some of the best views in the country.

View from Pha Deang Peak, Nong Kiaw

Laos is truly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. It’s known for village communities, mountains, and rivers, and the culture is like no other. I hear a lot of talk about visiting Southeast Asia, and Laos should be on everyone’s list, if not for the beauty, then for the culture.

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Laos (other than Sop Chem, which is a good break from being on the grid) is incredibly backpacker and digital nomad friendly. Learn how to work and make money online with Wired Creatives HERE!

What It's Really Like to Volunteer Overseas

The Truth About Voluntourism

Lately, I’ve seen a lot of talk about voluntourism online, and the majority of it is, unfortunately, negative. There is a huge stigma being created by the western online community telling people not to volunteer overseas for a number of reasons, but the truth is, volunteering overseas is the most effective way to travel as a conscious consumer and practice true responsible tourism.

I recently had the chance to volunteer with GIVE Volunteers in the Southeast Asian countries of Thailand and Laos. In both countries, I worked on sustainability, permaculture, and English education projects with locals, and experienced what life in these countries is like. Through my work, I’ve gained global citizenship through bringing together people who never would’ve met in an effort to create a better and more connected world, and I’ve become so close to the cultures of these countries that the remote Lao village of Sop Chem started to feel like home.

This is the truth about voluntourism, from someone who has actually done it, been to the countries, and seen the strife and kindness of their people firsthand.

Mueang Khong, Thailand

What is GIVE?

GIVE stands for Growth International Volunteer Excursions. I first learned about GIVE when a recruiter named John came into my Economics class during my senior year at my university. He handed out probably 500 flyers just to that one class, but when I showed up to the info session, only about 10 people sat in the room. Him and my now good friend, Jess told us about the program and its goals to “inspire growth, empower global citizens, and ignite sustainable change worldwide.” I had my heart already set on Thailand, but Jess convinced me to also do the Laos program, even though I hadn’t even heard of the country prior to receiving that flyer. Jess ended up being my guide in Laos, and the trip inspired me to continue creating change with my life. I realized that what I do matters, and can have a larger impact than what I was doing back at home, and because of that, I can genuinely say that GIVE changed my life, and I’ll get to how in the following sections.

(If you sign up for a GIVE trip, make sure you put me, Halle Homel, down as a reference!)

I decided that this trip was a good fit for me because, as a full time traveler, I’m always looking for ways to incorporate as much responsible tourism as I can, and volunteering overseas truly is real responsible tourism. Responsible tourism is more than just Leave No Trace, being a conscious consumer, and even working in your destination to create change. In my eyes, responsible tourism combines all of these things with cultural immersion, so that you as a traveler, have the education to truly understand the place you’re visiting through the eyes of its citizens, which will allow you to really be able to help in the way that they need. GIVE is incredibly good at communicating with the locals in the villages we worked in (Mueang Khong, Thailand and Sop Chem, Laos), and finding out exactly what they needed help with, which included everything from help composting the permaculture plots in Thailand to teaching the children of Sop Chem how to say “tomato” or ask for help in English.

Sop Chem, Laos

How sustainable is it, really?

We all know that flying isn’t the most sustainable form of travel, but giving back to the country you’re visiting is a great way to offset that carbon footprint. What I loved about this trip was that everything we did was based around sustainability, and every excursion wasn’t simply an excursion with a pretty view—each one had an educational purpose that would open our eyes to the culture a little bit more (for example, going caving where Sop Chem villagers hid during the Vietnam War, or trekking for elephants with their mahouts to learn about responsible elephant tourism). But on top of our excursions being beneficial to us and the country, we were working specifically on a lot of sustainability projects.

Permaculture stands for Permanent Culture and Permanent Agriculture, meaning the entire point behind permaculture is to create long lasting agriculture that can help a society move forward in its development through creating independence. On top of that though, our permaculture projects involved caring for plants (hello oxygen), and building a house out of earth bricks (made from mud, sand, and rice). These projects are so good for the planet, and will help move these communities further down the path to development as time goes on.

We also worked on projects with FORRU, a forest restoration group in Thailand, to make sure that new trees were able to grow, and Free the Bears, an animal sanctuary in Tat Kuang Si National Park in Laos. Free the Bears rehabilitates moon bears rescued from the illegal wildlife trade, often from malnutrition, and keeps them safe from hunters. Without both of these groups, our environment might be suffering quite a bit because moon bears are a keystone species, and, well, we know we need more trees.

One of our permaculture plots in Mueang Khong, Thailand

Traveling as a Local

I see a lot nowadays about traveling as a local, and when you volunteer overseas, you’ll have the chance to truly do so. Because your purpose for being in the country is to help out communities that need you, you’ll be living in those communities while you’re there, which will let you get acquainted with the locals on a more intimate level. In Sop Chem specifically, we spent an entire week off the grid, living in the local hostel and becoming fast friends with the locals. We learned how to weave and make rice wine from the people in the village, did a homestay for one night, taught the local children and women English so that they would have more job opportunities as adults, and hung out with the local puppy, a good girl named Bagel. We learned plenty of words in Lao too, and by the end, found it hard to break our habit of saying “Sabaidee!” instead of “hello.”

Local children in Sop Chem playing by the Nam Ou River

How much adventure is there in a volunteer trip?

I know many people travel for site seeing, not to work, or sleep in a local’s home, but the thing about GIVE is that you get a little bit of both. You’ll get that true cultural immersion, but you’ll also get plenty of opportunities for site seeing, as well as excursions you wouldn’t get as just a backpacker since you’ll already be in more remote places.

In Thailand, we got to experience the Buddhist temples, caving, waking up for sunrise, learning to make Pad Thai, weaving with the Karen Tribe, and basket making with the Lasu Tribe, all before building our own bamboo rafts to take down the river from the village of Ba Ko Lam to Pong Nyen, with an elephant trek in between.

In Laos, there was definitely more time to chill in the hammocks or walk down to the river, but we also went caving twice, hiking multiple times (once to the Power China dam being built in Sop Chem and once to Pha Deng Peak in Nong Kiaw), to Kuang Si Falls in Tat Kuang Si National Park, and learned local skills from the people of Sop Chem. We also participated in the morning Alms Ceremony and learned to meditate from a Buddhist monk (and friend of one of our guides).

Me and Mai Boon Si, one of our two elephant friends in Ba Kao Lam, Thailand. Stay tuned for a whole piece on elephant tourism coming soon.

What about the children?

Okay, if you’ve read literally anything about voluntourism prior to this, you’re probably yelling at me for volunteering with children at all overseas. Many people believe that it is cruel to give them our attention and then leave (I do plan on returning to Sop Chem though). But the truth is, these kids rely on us. We didn’t get to work much on the education projects in Thailand due to them being on winter break, so I’m going to talk mostly about Laos here. In Sop Chem, there is no English education program in the school, and yet a Lao person who speaks English is more likely to get a higher paying job as an adult. Sop Chem only has a primary school, and their teacher does not get paid. Their English classes are only taught by volunteers, and the classes are not mandatory, so the children choose to be there, to better their education. Without volunteers, they wouldn’t even have that choice. When the students show up enough, they earn points that GIVE keeps track of so that some children can earn scholarships for secondary education (high school), as they have to go to a neighboring village and live in the dorms to do so. The families of Sop Chem make far less than the national average (only about $1000 USD per year. You can support the women of Sop Chem HERE), so the opportunities of these children are minimal.

Volunteers help to make those dreams a reality, and for some children, like a girl named Noona who liked to hang out and play cards with me in the restaurant where we ate our meals, that education would allow them to become the person they dream of being. For Noona, she remembers every single volunteer by name from the past three years. She is about 7 years old, and speaks some of the best English in the village. If GIVE hadn’t given her that opportunity, she might never realize her potential, and might not have the chance to continue onto secondary school.

The mountains of Sop Chem, Laos. Good vibes to another beautiful day in paradise.

How can voluntourism change your life?

I said earlier in this piece that volunteering overseas changed my life, so before I finish up, I just want to touch on that a little. It’s so easy to only travel comfortably, but that’s never quite been my speed. I easily could’ve just booked a tour around Southeast Asia during this time, instead of spending the majority of my winter sweating in the dry-season humidity building earth bricks and carrying bags of corn husks. The thing is, in college, I had this huge need to feel like I was doing something purposeful with my life, and so I wanted to figure out a way to combine travel with sustainability. Once I actually got to Laos, though, after already having been through the entire Thailand trip, there was a larger feeling of purpose that came to me that was only perpetuated by the connections I made with the villagers.

When I sat learning how to weave from my new Lao friend named Phan, I realized how possible it is to simply be human through interacting without language. We knew exactly what each other meant and felt, without knowing more than a few words in each other’s tongue, and that moment kind of defines global citizenship to me. We are all on team human.

But overall, my trip to this country I’d never heard of opened my eyes to everything that is possible in our world. I saw myself providing education opportunities to more children in the future, helping Free the Bears provide better care for wildlife, and helping to expand the permaculture plot more in future years. There is so much impact you can make in your life—make sure some of it is to help others.

Pong Nyen, a remote village in Thailand, and the childhood home of two of our Thai guides

If you are interested in volunteering with GIVE and have any questions, feel free to email me or comment below. When you sign up, make sure you put me down as a reference!

More posts coming soon about elephant tourism, where we went in Luang Prabang province in Laos, and responsible tourism/global citizenship.

All the National Parks on the East Coast, Ranked

Okay, well not all of them. I haven’t been to the Florida National Parks, and I promised when I started this blog that I’d never write about a place on here that I haven’t personally been to. Instead, this is everything north of Florida. There aren’t a ton of National Parks on the East Coast of the United States, but there are definitely a lot of great qualities about the ones that do call these states home.

I’ve been to all of the National Parks along the East Coast that aren’t located in Florida, so I’m so excited to share my love for them with all of you. They’re all so unique. On the East Coast, we’ve got swamps. We’ve got mountains. We’ve got waterfalls. The East Coast is incredibly green, and is home to so much wildlife, from armadillos in the south to moose in the north.

This is every National Park on the East Coast (except Florida), ranked.

I do want to clarify that this list only contains NPS sites recognized as having Park status. There are so many more NPS sites on the East Coast that are also worth visiting.

Congaree National Park, SC

6: Cuyahoga Valley, OH

I decided to throw two non-coastal states on this list because, let’s face it—there just aren’t a lot of National Parks on the East Coast. Most of the countries parks are out west, but that doesn’t mean these parks don’t deserve some love too! And Ohio and Kentucky are most certainly eastern states, so let’s get on with it.

I did really like Cuyahoga Valley, but it has to sit at #6 because it is a small park. There isn’t too much to do and it’s built within a neighborhood. That doesn’t mean it’s not absolutely gorgeous though! Cuyahoga Valley is amazing for waterfall chasing, and has a few good hiking trails as well! Don’t miss Brandywine Falls, and make the little trek out to Bridal Veil Falls—both are gorgeous!

Brandywine Falls, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, OH

5: Mammoth Cave, KY

This was super hard to put this low on the list because I genuinely loved my time in Mammoth Cave. Its campground was amazing (honestly up there with my favorite campgrounds, and it would’ve made this list if the list was longer), and the people were so nice. It was a nice cross between a small and big park (no entrance fee, but so much to do, and it’s all contained in itself). Mammoth Cave is the largest cave in the world, at over 600 miles long. The cave itself is awesome, but the park didn’t have a ton of hiking available to me because the ferry was closed when I was there, so I couldn’t access part of the park. Definitely get there early and book a cave tour. They don’t cost very much, and it’s spectacular. I wish I got to take a tour, but they were all sold out by the time I decided to do it. But honestly, Mammoth Cave is an absolutely gorgeous area—definitely add it to your list.

From inside the largest cave in the world, Mammoth Cave National Park, KY

4: Congaree, SC

Okay, this feels like an unfairly low rank for this park because it’s actually one of the most unique places I’ve been. I promise this list keeps getting better! Congaree is genuine swampland. It’s home to tons of amazing insects and spiders, owls, armadillos, and even an invasive crocodile. It’s free to enter, but is also a contained park, so it had a similar vibe to Mammoth Cave. This is one of the most kid friendly parks I’ve been to, and I actually took my little cousins. We did the boardwalk loop, and they became junior rangers, which was so much fun, so definitely do that while you’re there (or in any park for that matter). Take this park in slowly. There’s so much to see that you’ll miss if you’re moving too fast.

The unique landscape of Congaree National Park, SC

3: Shenandoah, VA

Alright, so I genuinely love Shenandoah National Park. I had an absolutely beautiful, nearly spiritual experience here, and it’s such an absolutely gorgeous park full of so much wildlife (aka, my favorite thing about camping). I saw deer, bears, frogs, and even had a butterfly land on me for about 10 minutes. I met another empath here who taught me to listen to the forest. I had an entire campground to myself in the rain. But more than anything, this park has everything you could need. There’s showers and laundry available, gorgeous hikes, and super nice people.

I personally did two hikes in the park, and not the one I came to do. I originally planned on hiking Old Rag but it was going to be the hottest day of the year, so I opted for one that was closer to camp. My first day, I hiked Doyle River Falls, which has three waterfalls, some small creek crossings, and plenty of time to play and swim in the falls. It is super steep heading back though, so be ready for that incline! The second hike I did was Rip Rap, a ten mile loop trail with an ice cold, blue swimming hole in the middle. This hike is a must-do, but hike it backwards: downhill 7 miles first, swim, and then uphill for 3 miles!

Waterfall #3 of the Doyle River Falls hike, Shenandoah National Park, VA

2: Great Smoky Mountains, TN and NC

The Smokies are the most visited National Park in the country. They’re located across two states, Tennessee and North Carolina, and they’re so, so pretty. The Smokies get their name from the thick fog that rests on the mountains every day, and they’re a great place to see wildlife, and tons of biodiversity in the plants. It’s also worth driving part of the Blue Ridge Parkway if you get the chance. I hiked Charlie’s Bunion while I was there and it was so pretty, I made it my profile picture on basically every social media platform I use. The only reason this one is #2 instead of #1 on this list is because of the crowds. There are tons of people in the Smokies, so prepare for tourists, and hit the road early if you can! This park has free entry, but it’s definitely a big park, so give yourself time to drive through and see the sights!

This picture: me at Charlie’s Bunion, aka my profile pic everywhere. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN/NC

1: Acadia, ME

Acadia was on my list of my favorite places I visited in 2019, so it’s only natural that it was #1 on this list. Acadia is the perfect mix of mountains and ocean: my two favorite landscapes on this planet. You’ve got pine trees, rocky cliffs, mountains to climb, and rocks to boulder. Acadia is located on an island, so there are plenty of opportunities to see the ocean. If you go in the summer, make sure you get there early in order to do famous attractions like Sand Beach, but if early isn’t exactly your speed, just show up and enjoy the ride (around the gorgeous loop road of course).

My favorite spot in Acadia National Park, ME. If you can find it, it’s yours.

The East Coast is full of big cities and gorgeous landscapes. While there aren’t a lot of America’s Best Idea’s floating around back east, the ones that do call the East Coast their home are stunning, and definitely shouldn’t be missed.

To add these to a larger road trip, consider downloading my ebook: Around the States in 90 Days.

Your Guide to Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Carlsbad Caverns is one of my favorite southern national parks. Located in Southern New Mexico, just minutes from the Texan state line, Carlsbad Caverns is found in the Chihuahuan Desert, and was formed by sulfuric acid and limestone.

This is a small park, and it doesn’t have a campground. Because of that, there are only a couple things to do in the park, but that doesn’t make them any less spectacular.

Carlsbad Caverns is home to two of the most unique experiences I’ve had in national parks, and I’ve been to 33 of them. I went with my family during the section of my summer trip that they met up with me for, and we stayed in Carlsbad at a nearby hotel. This was my dad’s second time in the park, and the good news is, it hasn’t really changed much, so let’s head out, and explore what Carlsbad Caverns has to offer.

Inside the cave!

Camping

As I said before, Carlsbad Caverns doesn’t offer a campground inside the park. The good news is, one of its nearby parks does offer camping in an amazing little campground near the tallest peak in Texas—Guadelupe Mountains National Park. Camping here is $15 and you’ll have easy access to all of this park’s trails as well.

Tips for visiting

Carlsbad Caverns is one of the most accessible national parks for tourists. There are a lot of parks that require hiking in order to see the park’s beauty, but in Carlsbad Caverns, you’ll be able to experience everything this park has to offer on its paved walking trail.

While this park doesn’t require an admission fee, you do need to pay to enter the cave. Because of this, I highly recommend investing in an America the Beautiful Pass, Military, or Senior interagency pass for your admission, especially if you plan on camping in Guadelupe Mountains and visiting any other national parks in the country within the same year. Without a pass, everyone over age 16 is $15 for entry, but the pass will get a family of 4 in for free.

Sunset from the visitor center in Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Seeing the cave

I’ve visited a few caves around the country, and while Carlsbad Caverns isn’t the largest (Mammoth Cave, KY is), it’s definitely the most spectacular (in my opinion). There are two ways to enter the cave. If you’re not a hiker, I’d highly suggest taking the elevator. It’s a 700 foot journey into the earth, and you’ll be able to take your time exploring the cave’s paved path by foot. If you want to hike in, that is also an option, but know that the cutoff for admission to hike is 5 pm MST in the summer.

When in the cave, please stay on the paved path, and don’t touch the cave!

Ranger-led tours

If you want a more immersive experience when it comes to viewing the cave, you can sign up for a ranger-led tour. You can reserve your spot on a tour through the Carlsbad Caverns official website. Tours will take you through different areas of the cave, depending on how involved of a tour you want to do, and tours cost between $7 and $20 without a senior access pass.

The bat flight program

Every night at sundown, people gather in the park’s amphitheater to watch the bats leave the cave. This event is actually the way that Carlsbad Caverns was discovered in the first place. Around exactly the same time every night, the bats leave the cave to feed for the night, and it’s a spectacular sight you don’t want to miss.

Tip: bring food into the park. The park restaurant closes at 6 in the summer, but the bats don’t leave the cave until 8, so you might get hungry while you wait.

The view of the New Mexico desert from the visitor center

Carlsbad Caverns is a fantastic small national park. There isn’t a ton to do, but what there is to do is absolutely mind-blowing. If you’ve never seen a cave, this is a great place to start, but be warned, this one will raise your expectations for all caves you’ll visit after.

Another place to add to your list: MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARK

Mammoth Cave has over 600 miles of explored cave in the middle of Kentucky. It is the largest cave yet to be discovered in the world, and is free to enter the park. The cave is $6 to enter, and there is camping available in the park.

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To visit Carlsbad Caverns, Mammoth Cave, and more, check out my ebook, Around the States in 90 Days!