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Wandering Savvy

Helping you prioritize traveling!

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Highway 1

Highway 1

LA to Napa: A 6-Day Adventure through California’s Stunning Landscapes

LA to Napa: A 6-Day Adventure through California’s Stunning Landscapes

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Two of my best friends & I decided to book a last

Two of my best friends & I decided to book a last minute long weekend trip to Moab, Utah for 4th of July weekend to check two national parks off my bucket list: Arches & Canyonlands! Here's a recap of how much I spent and a few suggestions on how to keep things relatively low cost:

🌵 Splitting the cost of the Airbnb & groceries for the weekend between 3 of us helped a ton! The total per person for lodging & food was only ~$300 for 4 days, 3 nights. I'll link the Airbnb in my stories because it was amazing, especially for stargazing at night!

🌵 I decided to buy an annual parks pass for $80 which was more than entry would've been for two parks, but if I visit just one more national park this year it will already be saving me money.

🌵 I splurged on stamps & stickers for my national parks passport and a cool @parksproject tshirt. Could've saved some money there but I love little souvenirs to remind me of my trips. 🤷🏻‍♀️

One of my favorite parts of traveling is figuring out how to budget in order to spend more on the things that matter to me and save in other places, and that varies for each trip. For a trip like this, being able to buy an annual parks pass and book a nice, big, relaxing place to stay was important. While I love trying local cuisines and eating at restaurants, we knew that this trip would be more focused on hiking & driving and that we'd prob be tired by the end of the day, so we grocery shopped, packed lunches, and cooked breakfasts & dinners at the airbnb, which saved us a ton of money. It's all about doing a little planning to make the experience the best it can be for you personally! I can't wait to go back to Moab, as well as visit the rest of the Utah national parks. ☀️

Final Thailand recap! 🇹🇭 Our total trip was

Final Thailand recap! 🇹🇭 Our total trip was around 14 days, but with taking out the time that it took to fly there & back, we had 10 full days in country! This is how we spent our time in Bangkok, Chiang Mai & Phuket. If you've been to Thailand, leave your recommendations in the comments! ❤️🛺🍜

Day 8 was wiiiiiild. Never in my life had I even b

Day 8 was wiiiiiild. Never in my life had I even been on a yacht, much less chartered one for the day with 6 of my best friends. But this was actually only ~$200 per person since we had a large group and the @BoatontheBay crew made this day so perfect. We had the option to choose our destination and we picked Phang Nga Bay, which allowed us to kayak on Koh Hong, visit James Bond Island, do a cave tour, and swim in the bay! This was truly a day I'll never forget. 🛥️👙🏝️

Phuket was as close as I've ever gotten to paradis

Phuket was as close as I've ever gotten to paradise, I think 🌞🌊

The best thing about our 10 day trip to Thailand was being able to see so many different versions of this beautiful country in a short time, from the chaotic city streets of Bangkok, to the peaceful mountains of Chiang Mai, and the gorgeous beaches of Phuket. Also - the people!! We met so many people who just went out of their way to show us kindness & hospitality. And, of course, the food.

Here's a recap of my Phuket recommendations, though I know there's soooo much more to do & see in this part of the country.

Accommodations:
- We flew from Chiang Mai to Phuket to save time. It was less than $100 per person for the flight.
- We booked an Airbnb Villa in the Nai Harn beach area of Phuket. We wanted to stay away from the major party areas and find something more tranquil. The villa was perfect for our group of 6 and we spent a lot of time relaxing on the balcony and swimming in the pool. It was walking distance to the local restaurants & shops but we did have to hop a fence once lol.

Things to do:
- Nai Harn Beach
- Promthep Cape
- Windmill Viewpoint
- Boat rental to Phang Nga Bay (more details on this coming, we used @BoatintheBay)

Food:
- Rock Salt
- Unni's Restaurant
- Woodstock Rawai
- Coffee Tribe Cafe
- Green Tamarind Kitchen

There's so many great places we found through Google Maps (both restaurants & beaches) that we didn't get a chance to visit in Nai Harn. Hopefully I'll get to go back to try them one day! 🇹🇭⚓️🍜

I'm learning in dealing with grief that sadness ca

I'm learning in dealing with grief that sadness can (and most likely will) still exist even when we're doing incredible things like yachting in Thailand. But anytime we can access joy, it's magical. Also this only cost my group of 6 friends ~$200 per person and we quite literally just hung out on the yacht all day sailing to different islands & doing whatever we wanted. I'll never forget this day. Full mini vlog coming soon on all of our stops! ⚓️🌊🏖️

* Oops this was actually day 7 of the trip. 😂

* Oops this was actually day 7 of the trip. 😂

For the last leg of our Thailand trip, we headed south from Chiang Mai to the coastal islands of Phuket. We found an incredible Airbnb in Nai Harn Beach which is a much quieter part of Phuket than the touristy areas like Patong, and it was walking/tuk tuk distance from a bunch of great restaurants & Nai Harn Beach.

Since we spent the morning flying from Chiang Mai and getting checked in, we mostly chilled the rest of the day, enjoying some time swimming in the Andaman Sea and eating at the local restaurants. Highly suggest Rock Salt for an epic sunset view of the ocean & delicious food! ⛱️☀️🇹🇭

We all wish that we could spend a few weeks, if no

We all wish that we could spend a few weeks, if not months, exploring Chiang Mai & the surrounding area (or maybe that's just me lol). But if you're like me on my first Thailand trip and only have a few days that you want to make the most of, here's what I would suggest for a 3 day itinerary in Chiang Mai. 😊🛺🇹🇭

🍜 Day 1: Explore the downtown area & eat all the food you can find! My favorites were Khao Soi Arak, It's Good Kitchen, and B Samcook Home 16. We also walked around some shops and had drinks at Zoe in Yellow!

🌿 Day 2: We hired a van for $100 to drive us around Doi Suthep (national park & temple) and they also took us to a Hmong village, Bhubing Palace & Wat Pha Lat. Highly recommend spending some time in the mountains because they were so peaceful & beautiful.

🐘 Day 3: We spent a full day at @ElephantNaturePark which was 100000% worth it. They will pick you up from your accommodation in Chiang Mai (included in ticket price) and the day includes a tour with guide, lunch and so much time to experience the elephants. If you're looking to see some elephants while you're in Thailand, I can't recommend this experience enough. And encourage you to please do your research to make sure the company you are supporting is actually a sanctuary and not just masquerading as one.

I genuinely can't wait to return to Chiang Mai (more than any other city I've ever visited, honestly) so I would love any other recommendations if you've been! ❤️

This was my favorite restaurant experience in Thai

This was my favorite restaurant experience in Thailand! I actually found it browsing on Google Maps and booked a reservation through Facebook messenger. Happy to share the info if you're visiting Chiang Mai anytime soon!

This spot is called "B Samcook Home 16" and we enjoyed a 6-course meal here for $30 (+ an additional $15 for unlimited wine). The food was absolutely incredible (still thinking of Shrimp Tom Yum Soup & the Duck Leg) and the service was perfect. They even gave us little elephant keychains as a parting gift and a special gift to my two friends celebrating birthdays. Our drinks were never less than half full and the chef personally came out for each course to explain the dish & why it was important to him.

To put things even more over the top, they arranged taxis home for us when they learned that we did not have our own transportation. I was blown away by the hospitality of the Thai people. This was such a special meal that we'll never forget. ❤️🇹🇭🍜

Did you know you can donate money to @ElephantNatu

Did you know you can donate money to @ElephantNaturePark to provide a delicious handmade cake to the elephants that live at the park? We got to see their team making one of these cakes (cue the tears for "enjoy sweet ones") and even got to see the elephants enjoy it! The cakes are made of local bamboo, fruit & nutritious rice meal. This is a fun way to celebrate a birthday or holiday for an animal lover in your life, or someone who values experiences more than physical gifts (you'll even get a photo & video of the elephants enjoying your cake). Visit trunksup.org/celebration-cakes to learn more. 🐘🎂🍌

Come with me to @ElephantNaturePark in Chiang Mai,

Come with me to @ElephantNaturePark in Chiang Mai, Thailand! This was the most incredible day of learning about elephants and seeing them live & interact in a stress free, natural environment. This park was founded in the 90s by Saengduean "Lek" Chailert as a safe place for elephants rescued from industries like logging, circuses, and tourism. I encourage you to do extensive research before supporting any animal tourism industries to ensure they are treating the animals in a humane way. If you want to learn more about their mission, or find ways to visit or volunteer, visit elephantnaturepark.org! 🐘🇹🇭🌿

I fell in love so instantly with Chiang Mai. After

I fell in love so instantly with Chiang Mai. After the chaos of Bangkok, this city felt like peace. If you have the time while in SE Asia, I suggest spending some time in North Thailand! Here are my recommendations for food & experiences: ⠀
⠀
Food:⠀
🍜 Khao Soi Arak⠀
🍜 B Samcook Home 16 (more to come on this)⠀
🍜 It's Good Kitchen ⠀
🍜 Hmong Doi Pui (ดอยปุยโอชา)⠀
🍜 Cafe De Thaan Aoan (brunch)⠀
⠀
Things to Do:⠀
✨ Elephant Nature Park (post coming tomorrow!) ⠀
✨ Chiang Mai Private Driver by Vincent (dm me for details) ⠀
✨ Wat Phra That Doi Suthep⠀
✨ Wat Pha Lat (jungle temple)⠀
✨ Bhubing Palace⠀
✨ Hmong Doi Pui Village ⠀
✨ Zoe in Yellow (bar/hang out) ⠀
✨ Chanya Shops and Gallery ⠀
✨ The North Gate Jazz Co-Op

How to Spend a Perfect Day in the Mountains of Chi

How to Spend a Perfect Day in the Mountains of Chiang Mai 🌄⠀
⠀
🌿 Hired a private van transfer for $100 for the 6 of us, which was worth every penny. Dm for the details! We hired them through Facebook. ⠀
⠀
🌿 Doi Suthep: Hiked up to this National Park and Buddhist temple from 1383. Stunning views of downtown Chiang Mai!⠀
⠀
🌿 Hmong Village: Shopped handmade goods, visited their flower garden, and enjoyed a delicious khao soi lunch (my 3rd bowl within the first 24 hours lol) ⠀
⠀
🌿 Bhubing Palace: Explored the Thai royal family's winter residence with beautiful gardens.⠀
⠀
🌿 Wat Pha Lat: Hidden jungle temple with serene nature & a waterfall. I could've easily spent half a day here enjoying the scenery.

On day 4 of our trip to Thailand, we flew from Ban

On day 4 of our trip to Thailand, we flew from Bangkok to Chiang Mai on Bangkok Airways (it's just over an hour flight time and we arrived at 2 pm). The flight was $66 one way. There are definitely cheaper ways to get to Chiang Mai (like the overnight train) but we wanted to maximize our time so we spent a little more money to fly.

When we arrived, we checked into our Airbnb then hit the streets to find Khao Soi! This is one of my favorite thai dishes and it originated in the northern Thailand area so I was determined to eat as many as I could find in our 3 days there.

Our first stop was lunch at Khao Soi Arak, which was my favorite Khao Soi of the trip! It was served by a family out of their garage but with such great google reviews, I knew it would be amazing. We met a sweet cat and enjoyed a bowl of Khao Soi that cost less than $2.

Then we just started walking around the "downtown" area without much of a plan. We found the Chanya Shops and Gallery where I bought some handmade earrings and then got beers & more food (including my second Khao Soi) at It's Good Kitchen. We ended the night at the popular Zoe in Yellow which was such a fun bar with pool tables, big outdoor screens playing sports, and cheap beers. Since we were there on a Tuesday night it was mellow, but I've heard that it gets crowded especially on weekends. 🍺🍜🇹🇭

Bangkok recap! 🛺🍜🌞⠀ ⠀ This city is ch

Bangkok recap! 🛺🍜🌞⠀
⠀
This city is chaotic and beautiful. The street food and market scene was so impressive. Bangkok is a wonderful mix of traditional and modern, passing temples that are hundreds of years old across the street from skyscrapers. Scooters zip around taxis and pedestrians and there's simply no way to take it all in within a few weeks, let alone a few days. Here's a list of the things we did that I'd recommend to first time visitors:⠀
⠀
Experiences:⠀
✨ Chinatown (walk around, eat street food)⠀
✨ Iconsiam (massive mall, indoor floating market, rooftop terrace) ⠀
✨ Lumphini Park (city park, see the monitor lizards) ⠀
✨ The Grand Palace (skip the tour & just walk around) ⠀
✨ Get a thai massage (find a place on google maps w good reviews) ⠀
✨ Ride a tuk tuk! You can find these throughout the city and they work like taxis. ⠀
⠀
Restaurants: ⠀
✨ Baan Tepa (2 michelin stars)⠀
✨ Pad Thai Kratong Thong⠀
✨ Bitterman ⠀
✨ Chinatown Street Food ⠀
✨ Iconsiam Street Food ⠀
✨ Ramkhamhaeng Night Market⠀
⠀
Transportation: ⠀
✨ Our airbnb provided round trip transfers via a private van from the airport, but if yours doesn't, it's very easy to grab a taxi in the taxi line outside (be sure to wait in the official line to get fair pricing) ⠀
✨ Grab (this is Thailand's version of Uber and we found it very easy to navigate the app & not have to negotiate pricing with the driver) ⠀
✨ Tuk tuks (catch a ride on a tuk tuk but be wary of being overcharged) ⠀
✨ Public transit (we didn't use a ton of public transit since there were 6 of us, but it's apparently one of the best in SE asia! do some research ahead of time and this is sure to save you money) ⠀
⠀
Lodging:⠀
✨ We stayed in an Airbnb (4 bedrooms) in the Sukhumvit area. It included breakfast in the form of the sweetest woman Wadee who would come and make us thai breakfast and it was clear she takes so much pride in her work. We were so grateful to meet her and enjoy her delicious food. It also had a pool which was amazing to relax in after a long day in the Thailand heat. Easily walking distance from restaurants, bar, thai massages and shops. The link is in my Thailand highlights or dm me & I'll send it to you!

I, like so many others, got my first glimpse of th

I, like so many others, got my first glimpse of the world through Anthony Bourdain's tv shows. Before I could even find Thailand on a map, I remember Anthony visiting Bangkok for No Reservations and thinking "I want to go there someday". His distinct style of highlighting the culture and food of new places, especially the smaller, local vendors, was the jump start of me daydreaming about traveling and trying new cuisines. Riding in the back of a Tuk Tuk, 8,000 miles from home, on my way to eat a delicious meal, had me in my feels about Bourdain and how much his tv shows meant to me growing up. So this quote felt appropriate. 🍜🇹🇭🛺

Here's how we spent our 3 days in Bangkok (and a f

Here's how we spent our 3 days in Bangkok (and a few things that were recommended to us that we didn't have time for). Drop your favorite things to do in Bangkok in the comments for my next trip! I hope to spend more time in Southeast Asia over the next few years. 🌃🇹🇭☀️

On our third & last day in Bangkok, we didn't have

On our third & last day in Bangkok, we didn't have much planned and wanted to see if we could find some nature in the city, so we decided to walk to Lumphini Park, making stops along the way for coffee & to visit a market where I got one of my favorite souvenirs from the trip, a handmade purse (the lady was making them at the market).

This park is known as Bangkok's city park and is a free thing to do in the city that many locals enjoy on afternoons & weekends, but it was quiet during the day when we visited. We also found some monitor lizards here!

After that, we walked around a bit more (always on the lookout for good street food) and then had dinner at a restaurant near the park called Bitterman. Stay tuned for the next leg of the trip in northern Thailand! 🦎🇹🇭👜

This meal was one of the highlights of my life so

This meal was one of the highlights of my life so far, and I don't say that lightly. Also the fact that we enjoyed a 9 course, 2 michelin star meal for under $200 per person is wild. ✨

@BaanTepaBkk is owned and run by Chef Chudaree "Tam" Debhakam and was recently featured on the list of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants in 2024. The restaurant is located in her grandmother's old house in Bangkok, which instantly makes you feel at home as soon as you walk through the doors.

Chef Tam's mission is to change perceptions about Thai food and she cooks by the philosophy of sustainability. The restaurant has a beautiful urban garden in the backyard where they grow many of their ingredients and each guest is given the opportunity for a garden tour during their meal. 🪴

The food & beverage pairing was insane, the service was perfect but not stuffy or overbearing, and Chef Tam even stopped by our table to wish my friends a happy birthday and ask us how we enjoyed the meal. I will absolutely return anytime I have the opportunity to visit Bangkok and highly suggest you bookmark this for your next trip to Thailand if you're a foodie like me! 🦐🍜🇹🇭

Day 2 was my favorite day in the city of Bangkok.

Day 2 was my favorite day in the city of Bangkok. We started off at the Grand Palace, which is a beautiful site with so much history, and wandered around for a few hours. After that, we found a pad thai place around the corner with great reviews for lunch and then made our way back to the Airbnb to relax & get ready for dinner at @BaanTepaBKK. Full recap of Baan Tepa coming soon because it totally deserves its own spotlight, but overall an amazing day of food and history/culture. 🇹🇭🪷

Day 1 mini vlog of our trip to Thailand! We landed

Day 1 mini vlog of our trip to Thailand! We landed in Bangkok after 24 hours of travel from Colorado around midnight, and after checking into our Airbnb we were all able to sleep for a few hours despite the jet lag! In the morning (around noon) we got thai massages near our Airbnb, grabbed street food in Chinatown and then rode a Tuk Tuk in the rain to @ICONSIAM mall to check out the indoor floating market and rooftop view of the Chao Phraya River. 🛺🍜✨

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