travel that speaks to the heart
Growing up in southern Alabama and the Florida panhandle, I am no stranger to hurricanes. These weather events have been sprinkled across my story over the years, always just a “fact of life” as a southern girl. With that said, there have been a few that have stood out over the years – such as…
Hi friends! It’s birthday season in our household, which gives me pause to reflect on this year as it continues to fly by. 2024 has been full of fabulous experiences for our family – and the year isn’t even over yet! We’ve experienced regular rhythms of life that come with school-aged children, and we’ve soared…
Hey there! Happy New Year! Can you believe it? Here we are in 2023, and it’s been over two years since I published my last blog post. (I mean, I won’t blame you for not noticing. Ha!) Since that time, we all have moved through the COVID-19 pandemic and its various phases. Of course, many…
Dearest Waverley, our precious newborn daughter, You’re finally here – hip hip hooray! Your recent arrival is some of the best news we’ve had in 2020! Oh, little Waves, you were born in one of the most unusual, uncertain times of my generation – in the midst of a global pandemic, in a season of…
Namaste, friends! While 2020 has taken us all for the ride of our lives, I find myself ever more grateful for the unique travel opportunity I had back in November of 2019 when I joined the Nepal Trekking and Photo Tour designed by travel photographers Melissa Findley and Carmen Huter. Little did we know that…
Hey y’all! It’s been quite a while since I’ve written a blog post, and goodness gracious, I have so much to share with you! Yet, for all the stories and travel tidbits I have saved up in my repertoire, such as my epic trip to Nepal last November or how the coronavirus pandemic set me…
Although the year didn’t afford me much time for blogging (as I was quite occupied trip planning for clients!), 2019 sure didn’t stop me from enjoying some great eats! As it has become a Global Heartbeat Travel tradition, I am laying out all of my Best Eats of the Year, so that if you find…
To my daughter, Heidi Rose, on her second birthday, Happy, happy birthday, Little One! What a journey we’ve had these past two years! And what a joy it has been to watch you grow and become the remarkable human you are meant to be! From the moment of your arrival in Zurich, Switzerland to the…
While traveling around Spain this year, I was introduced to a ride-sharing phenomenon called BlaBlaCar. Given the fact that it’s becoming a fairly popular method of transportation in many countries around the world, I was surprised that I hadn’t yet heard about… and I found myself wishing the BlaBlaCar app had been in existence during…
2018 was a great year for great food. Take a look at my list of top eats around the globe and get my tips on how you can have a memorable meal, too!
Guys, I have some big news to share with you… For months, I have been trying to write this post. Literally, for months I have been mulling over how to update you on our family’s story and explain my emotions behind it all. My post was going to be called “A Lifetime of Hellos and…
As a new mom who wanted to continue traveling with my baby, it was important for me to find a carryall bag that could serve as a diaper bag, a camera case, wallet keeper, and city pack. On our recent trip to Portugal, I put my newest travel product to the test. Today, I’m excited…
Ever since my #littleAlpenRose was born, I’ve been very interested in products that make parenting life easier. (Because, let’s be honest, it’s no stroll in the park.) And as a mom who loves to travel, I’ve been doing lots of research on items that aid families while on the road, in the air, or just…
Another year in the books. Another year of great eats. As it has become a Global Heartbeat Travel tradition, I’m laying out my most memorable meals of 2017 so that you can keep these tasty bites in mind for your future travels. Bon appetite! HIKING THE ITALIAN COAST: FRESH CATCH IN CINQUE TERRE In the…
Hello and welcome to the newly improved website for Global Heartbeat, now Global Heartbeat Travel! What do you think? A lot of dreaming went into the creation of this website, and I’d love to hear what you think about it. But first, let me tell you the story of this digital baby… When I left…
Dear Daughter, Welcome to the world, Little One! Just a few weeks ago, you were placed in my arms for the first time, and since then, my world has changed. And that got me thinking about your world – the world you are going to grow up in. A world that is simultaneously full of…
With our eyes on the horizon, Justin and I cruised our way through Scandinavia, Russia and the Baltic States earlier this month. We wanted survey the region before the Littlest Global Heartbeat arrives, and we booked a 10-day cruise with Royal Caribbean as part of our “Babymoon” adventure. We had a fantastic trip that turned…
Snowflakes rush past – an army of sugar-coated ants scurrying home in the wind. The scenery moves with them: Forests built on rocks; Rocks resting on sea – a sparkling body of cold energy, an ever-changing tapestry pulled across the loom of my horizon. Wooden cottages, painted deep red, trimmed with white appear in the…
As I mentioned in my previous post, I recently discovered that boarding early to peacefully place my carry-on bag in the overhead bin is a major plus to flying when pregnant. But pregnancy has its special challenges that expecting moms may want to consider before boarding a plane. Here’s what I learned after taking 8…
If you’re travel style is anything like mine, you often try to avoid paying for checked luggage when flying by cramming all your belongings into your “personal item” and/or a carry-on bag. But when you arrive at your gate and see that 97.7% of the passengers on your flight are doing the same thing, you…
Hey y’all! I need to share some exciting news with you… I’ve got a new travel companion, who is growing inside me! I’m pregnant! Justin and I are expecting to meet the littlest “Global Heartbeat” in September, and we are super excited about this next phase in our life. However, our precious pup, Basil the Kooiker,…
Two years ago this month, I set out from Central Florida with four other team members to Central Taiwan to take part in the Rotary International’s Group Study Exchange program. While I learned many things from our Taiwanese hosts, I gained an exceptionally unique perspective by traveling with one of my GSE teammates, Kyle Coon. Kyle Coon is an…
Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering. -Augustine of Hippo, The Confessions of Saint Augustine At the…
To shake things up and offer a fresh perspective, I invited my dear friend and fellow traveler, Ida M., to write a guest post for Global Heartbeat. Ida is the curious and creative mind behind About A Book, a beautiful blog dedicated to the lost art of reading and the wonderful world of literature. Today, Ida shares her top reads of the year that…
Dear Orlando, From the moment I first saw the breaking news last Sunday, I can’t stop thinking about you and the emotional upheaval caused by the horrifying attack at the Pulse Nightclub, just two miles from my little green house. Nor the senseless murder of a talented young musician at a theater down the street from that…