Hop into my suitcaseCome along as I travel around the world!

Vicariously Through You

A solo female travel blog.

Silversonic

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Scuba Diving the Great Barrier Reef – Australia

One of the main reasons I wanted to get to Australia sooner rather than later was so I could get to the Great Barrier Reef and go scuba diving before any additional damage was done to it. We keep hearing in the news that the reef is bleached and dying. I didn't want to miss it. Port Douglas was my "home" during my time near the reef. I stayed at the Shantara Resort. It was clean and within walking distance of the main road with restaurants and shops. It also had a couple of nice pools, which I ... Read More

  • Who else loves the window seat so they can see their destination from above as they’re descending?⁣ ⁣ And this happens to be my favorite view from an airplane - my sweet home Chicago.
  • The view out my window today in Chicago is pretty much the exact opposite of this view I had in Mexico a week ago. ⁣ ⁣ Twinkle lights, lanterns and ocean blues. It doesn’t get much better than this. 💙
  • Did you know that the cherry blossom trees in Washington, DC were a gift from Japan?⁣ ⁣ On March 27, 1912, the trees were gifted by Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo City. ⁣ ⁣ Mayor Ozaki donated the trees to enhance the growing friendship between the United States and Japan and also celebrate the continued close relationship between the two nations.⁣ ⁣ While I’ve been fortunate enough to see the trees in Washington, DC, I still hope to make it to Japan sometime and see them there.⁣ ⁣ Who else wants to see them in Japan too? 🙋🏼‍♀️
  • Sufficiently crispy from the sun, champagned out and colorfully bruised from a wooden beach chair that smashed my hand, it’s time to bid adios to Mexico and head back to Chicago.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Mexico, you’ve been a great hostess. You’re sunshine, people, humidity and chips and guacamole for breakfast can’t be beat. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Until next time... ✌🏻
  • I found one thing I really like about the resort I’m staying at this weekend in Mexico. ⁣ ⁣ They have their own greenhouses where they grow fruits, vegetables and herbs. ⁣ ⁣ I toured one of them this morning. At this greenhouse, they grow the tomatoes, habanero peppers, cucumbers, basil and mint used at the resort.⁣ ⁣ I really appreciate that they grow so much of the food they serve and use things such as coconuts for the compost. ⁣ ⁣ Kudos!! 👏👏👏
  • “Do these earrings match this dress?⁣⁣” ⁣⁣ This is the message and photo my sister and a friend received from me the other night as I was packing for a trip for a friend’s wedding. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Who else sends or receives random texts like this too? ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ PS. I’m going with no. The earrings don’t match the dress.
  • The question I seem to get the most from people after I mention I’ve been to all 50 US states is “Which is your favorite?”⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ That’s such a hard question to answer because many of them are so different. I love Hawaii. Alaska is beautiful and has a lot of amazing wildlife to observe. New York includes NYC and I will never tire of exploring there. Home is Iowa so it holds a special place in my heart.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ But even with all of that, I usually respond with “South Dakota.”⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I really like South Dakota and I mention it because I want others to go there. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ There is so much to see and do. The Badlands. Mount Rushmore. The Black Hills. The Corn Palace. I also think Rapid City is a great small city. And there’s so much more too!⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ If you haven’t been to South Dakota, you should go!
  • It’s really cold and windy in the Windy City today...⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ What would happen if I got on a plane heading to a beach somewhere and just stayed forever?! 🤔⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Do you ponder these things too?