Practical Wanderlust

Off-Beat Couple's Travel Blog

Playa Blanca on Isla Baru Cartagena, Colombia. Isla Baru is located less than an hour from Cartagena and home to the best beaches in Cartagena!
Latin America

Travel Guide to Playa Blanca & Isla Baru: Cartagena, Colombia’s Island Paradise

Isla Barú, located just off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia, is the kind of tropical paradise that most visitors to Cartagena envision when they book their tickets. Palm trees, bright blue Caribbean sea, sandy beaches, fresh seafood and fruit juice… heaven, basically. You can visit Isla Barú for the day, sunning on the shores of stunning Playa Blanca, or you can choose to stay overnight, which is what we did. Read this travel guide to Isla Baru for more tips about visiting Isla Baru and Playa Blanca, and our pick for the best Isla Barú hotel!

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Cartagena, Colombia is one of the most photogenic cities in the world. We've visited several times, and we're sharing the most instagrammable places in Cartagena to take photos during your trip to Colombia!
Latin America

The 10 Most Instagrammable Places in Cartagena, Colombia

Cartagena, Colombia is one of the most photogenic cities in the world. Around every corner there’s a 400-year old cathedral, a colorful mural, a balcony laden with flowers, or a rainbow-colored street. We’ve taken several trips to Cartagena and find ourselves returning to the same photogenic spots over and over again! In this post, we’re sharing all of our secrets to finding our favorite spots to take photos in Cartagena. You know, for Instagram. Because if you don’t post about it on Instagram, did you really go?

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Watching the sun set over Santa Marta, Colombia, with the Sierra Nevada mountains in the background. Santa Marta is one of those places you'll end up going when backpacking Colombia, even if you don't quite mean to.
Latin America

How to Get from Cartagena to Santa Marta: A Complete Guide

Cartagena is the starting point for most travelers visiting the  Caribbean coast of Colombia. But too often, visitors to Cartagena don’t venture outside of the city limits and explore the rest of this amazing region. That’s a HUGE mistake! There are a zillion amazing destinations nearby, from Minca to Parque Tayrona to the Lost City to the Tatacoa Desert. But before you can dive into all that the northern Colombian coast has to offer, you’ll have to get from Cartagena to Santa Marta, which is the jumping-off point for most of these spots. Luckily for you, we’ve traveled between Cartagena and Santa Marta many times over the years. Here’s a step by step guide to getting from Cartagena to Santa Marta!

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What to pack for Colombia: the ultimate packing list for this South America travel destination. Everything you need to backpack in Colombia!
Latin America

What to Pack for Colombia: The Ultimate Packing Guide

Packing for a trip to Colombia can be really challenging. After all, Colombia is home to about every diverse landscape you can think of: the tropical Caribbean northern coast; the hot, humid Amazon; Medellin’s “eternal spring;” the cool, mountainous region around Minca and Santa Marta, and the cold, high-altitude city of Bogota. After spending a month in Colombia, we’ve got all the tips you need to pack your bags and go in our ultimate guide to what to pack for Colombia. Plus, get a free downloadable checklist to help you pack!

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30 things nobody told us about before we went backpacking in South America!
Latin America

30 Things No One Tells You About Backpacking in South America

We spent 5 months backpacking in South America. Although each of the countries we visited was as unique and different from one another as can be, we did notice a few universal truths about backpacking in South America… things nobody told us about before we left. In no particular order and in various degrees of usefulness, we’ve compiled our observations into this list of 30 things no one tells you about backpacking in South America!

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ABOUT

Meet Lia & Jeremy

Recent Posts

  • Summer is coming to an end - at least, in most parts of the country. Here in the Bay Area, summer is right around the corner: our summer is in September and October. But I like to live in denial, so I'm soaking up fall inspiration on Pinterest (where I have to go for my seasons these days) and saying goodbye to the warm summer nights we don't actually have. . Summer in Oakland means spending time doing some of our favorite activities together. Hikes in our redwood forests and parks. Long, lazy walks at twilight around Lake Merritt, the lake in the middle of downtown. Sticky nectarines and pluots and fresh cherries at the farmers market - we drive out east to the farms in Brentwood to pick fruit every year. Creamy ice cream in the weirdest flavors we can find, like Chinese 5 Spice and White Pepper Chocolate Chip. Late night movies in Jack London Square. A's games at the Oakland Colliseum, with an ice cold beer, a platter of ribs, and a slice of sweet potato pie - followed by themed fireworks (the last game we went to was Harry Potter themed ☇⚾). . But because Jeremy is a teacher, summer also means it's time to travel! So this year we ended up spending much of our summer away from Oakland. Now school is back in session and I'm trying to squeeze in those summer months before they disappear (again, in denial about the September/October thing). Case in point: I bought like 20 nectarines at the grocery store yesterday because they're still $1/lb. I'm milking this for as long as I can! . What are your favorite summertime activities? Drop me a comment below! . #travelcouple #travelingcouple #coupleslovetravel #globecouples #couplesgoals #coupletravel #globecouples #creativetravelcouples #travelmassivesf #travelmassive #eastbay #iloveoakland#oaklandpride #adventuretogether #adventurecouple #oaklandcalifornia#oaklandloveit #dubnation #sfblogger #sfguide #dothebay #bayarea #baylove #sanfranciscobay #igerseastbay #westcoast #norcal #passionpassport #visitoakland #beastoakland
  • When people think of the Bay Area’s amazing food scene, they typically think of San Francisco. And while no one is disputing San Francisco as a world-renowned foodie destination, in our extremely biased opinions (as Oakland residents) the food in Oakland is hella underrated. . There is incredibly good food in Oakland – but it’s different than what you’ll find in San Francisco. San Francisco tastes like a Mission Burrito from a taqueria, clam chowder in a bread bowl, fresh oysters, a sweet bun from a Chinese bakery, a crunchy banh mi sandwich, and fresh avocado toast. But Oakland tastes like chicken & waffles, shrimp & grits, smoky ribs, spongy Ethiopian injera bread, sizzling Korean bulgogi, juicy burgers, and bubbling mac & cheese. Oh, and this extra AF ice cream with a donut on top from Sweet Belly 🍦 Also, amazing coffee (you're all welcome for Blue Bottle, by the way). Oh, and we have a winery trail AND an Ale Trail. Oh man, now I'm hungry... . Oakland's food scene is one of my favorite ways to convince people to come over to the East side of the Bay from San Francisco, and I'm not above bribery. But while you're over here, take a break from scarfing down everything from sight to take in some of our other favorite things to do in Oakland! The link to our Oakland guide is up in our bio. . What does your hometown taste like? I'm hungry, so feel free to get real deep with your adjectives! . #oakland #eastbay #iloveoakland#oaklandpride #oaklandcalifornia#oaklandloveit #dubnation #dothebay #bayarea #dessertporn #sanfranciscobay #igerseastbay #yelpeastbay #travelblogger #passionpassport #travelstoke #visitoakland #beastoakland #goexplore #travelDeeper #oaklandfood #bayareafoodie #pursuepretty #iamatraveler #TravelDiary #LovetoTravel #exploretheworld #eeeeeats #OpenMyWorld #eatfamous
  • When I moved to the Bay Area in 2012, fresh out of college, I expected some culture shock. But San Francisco didn’t just give me culture shock: it gave me TIME shock, too. I felt like I’d been living in the past in Indiana, and San Francisco was in the future. There were billboards advertising video and mobile games, drones flying over head, delivery for everything from food to toothpaste, and everyone I met worked in the tech or game industry. It was overwhelming!.Oakland, San Francisco’s neighbor just across the Bay, felt like a refuge. With its rolling green hills, redwood forests, far-less-bustling downtown, and a culture that felt - if not remotely familiar - far more accessible to someone who wasn’t working in the tech industry, I quickly chose Oakland as my home. I’ve loved San Francisco from a distance ever since, but I’ve lived in the same neighborhood in Oakland for over 6 years now. . Although Oakland and San Francisco are neighbors, the two cities could not be more different. Oakland has its own distinct history, sounds, tastes, and social movements. While San Francisco’s flower children were dreamily Summer of Love-ing all over the place, the youth in Oakland were forming the Black Panthers and the Chicanos, declaring that Black is Beautiful and uniting to protect Latinos from being drafted into the Vietnam War. When the hippies returned home to work for the man, Oakland kept fighting: a handful of Black Panthers can still be seen running drills in Oakland today, their work – protecting people of color from racial injustice and police brutality – not yet finished.. San Francisco sometimes feels like the future of American capitalism, but Oakland feels like the future of American populism. . In our new post (link in bio!) you’ll find all of our favorite things to do in Oakland, plus plenty of history - both because we’re big history nerds, and because we think that understanding Oakland’s complex history will make you appreciate your visit even more! . Have you ever gotten major culture shock? Tell me about the places that left you feeling overwhelmed, and how you adapted!
  • I've lived in Oakland, California since I graduated from college over 6 years ago. But when I first moved to the Bay Area, I told everyone back home in Indiana and Kentucky that I lived in San Francisco. I wasn't trying to lie, exactly ... it was just that nobody back home had HEARD of Oakland. And if they had, their assumptions about it weren't exactly... erm, positive. It seemed a lot easier to just say "I live in San Francisco," rather than saying "I live in Oakland and commute to San Francisco for work, which actually takes me less time than if I lived in San Francisco and commuted to work within San Francisco, because time follows weird rules here." . After a few years, I tried a new approach: "I actually live in Oakland, not San Francisco. Oakland is sort of like San Francisco's Brooklyn. You know?" Comparing Oakland to Brooklyn and SF to NYC made sense to people back home, but now, I cringe typing it, because it's not really true. At all. . The thing is that Oakland isn't a neighborhood of San Francisco. It's not "like San Francisco, but cheaper." In fact, almost all it shares with San Francisco is the fact they're next-door neighbors, located about 5 miles apart over a thin span of salt water also populated by an old prison, some cool bridges, Treasure Island, a handful of harbor seals, and occasionally, great white sharks. And yet, despite growing up next to one another, so close you could swim from shore to shore (but don't, because ... you know, sharks) Oakland and San Francisco are two totally, completely, ENTIRELY different cities. They have different histories, different identities, different personalities, different cultures, different vibes - nearly everything about Oakland is different than San Francisco. . I did a disservice to Oakland for years when I told my friends back home that I was living in San Francisco. And now, it's time to give Oakland the credit it's always deserved. We've got a HUGE new blog post up all about Oakland (link in bio!) and we'll be sharing our favorite Oakland facts and stories all week long! . Of course, I have to ask: have you heard of Oakland? What do you know about Oakland? Drop us a comment below!
  • I travelled almost non-stop from April through July. Or at least, that's how it felt. I went from Utah to Los Angeles to Portland to Boulder to Cayucos to Denver (yes, twice in 2 weeks) to LA (yes, again) to Indianapolis to Louisville to Nashville to Bali. PHEW. That's a lot! . I guess this whole frequent travel thing is kinda part of the whole full-time travel blogger deal, but man - it's EXHAUSTING, even when I'm not hopping from country to country. PS, side note, can I just give a huge shout-out to @SouthwestAir for being the best, comfiest, friendliest budget airline ever? We got a companion pass last year from signing up for their credit card, and MAN has that thing come in handy. Not sponsored, just a huge fangirl. Annnnyway. . The past few weeks since I've been back at home, I've been blissfully re-acquainting myself with some very un-exciting things. Like grocery shopping. And going to the gym. And not living out of a suitcase. You know, fun, exciting things. It's amazing how much you start to miss the banality of regular life when you start traveling all the time. Or maybe I'm just an incredibly boring person 😂 . Some of y'all may have noticed that I haven't been posting much on Instagram stories lately. In fact, I never even shared our stories from the last week of Bali. I swear I'll share them when I publish my Bali content, which will be VERY SOON! I'm also slowly getting back in the habit of posting my daily Travel Blogger Task Lists, so if you've been missing those (anyone? anyone? Bueller?) they'll be back soon too. . But mostly, since I've been back I've been actually trying to work ... less. And not just because I got heart surgery last week (don't worry, I'm already almost fully healed). I've been working 70 hours a week since January, and it's starting to take a toll. I'm like, HAGGARD, you guys. I'm attempting to claw my way back to some work-life balance ... before I take off again in September for 3 weeks of travel again, at least! . What are your favorite tips for maintaining a work/life balance? And what do you like, DO when you're not working? I seem to have forgotten how to have non-travel-related hobbies. Drop me a comment below!
  • "Cool Stuff, Weird Things." The sign beckoned us from the side of the road in Nashville, Tennessee like a beacon above an Elvis statue. I turned to Jeremy. "We have to go. I mean, we like BOTH of those things." We were on a schedule, but it didn't take much convincing. We needed to satisfy our curiosity. We flipped a U-turn, squealed tires, and parked around the corner. . Cool Stuff, Weird Things was exactly as advertised. There was cool stuff: signs spelling out Nashville and Music City that I wish we were cool enough to put in our apartment, old records, vintage lamps, a hip coffee shop next door. And there was also plenty of weird things, like plastic baby dolls missing various appendages and eyeballs. Cool Stuff, Weird Things lived up to its name. And for some reason, we found this DEEPLY satisfying. . In some ways, I feel like Practical Wanderlust could also be summed up with the tagline "Cool Stuff, Weird Things." Somehow, wherever we go, we always end up finding both. At this point I honestly find it difficult to tell the story of a place without SOMETHING weird and quirky that makes you go "wait, what?" And besides, Jeremy and I as human beings definitely walk the line between Cool and Weird. (Hey, did you catch my Johnny Cash reference there? Pretty good, eh?) . Have you ever spotted something that made you immediately drop everything to go explore? Does "Cool Stuff, Weird Things" speak deeply to the soul of your being like it does to us? Drop us a comment below! . . . #Nashvilletn #tennessee #nashvilletennessee #nashvegas #musiccity #musiccitynashville#nashvillethebeautiful #nashvillelife #nashvillegram #nashvillelove #nashvillephotographer#nashvillephotography #nashville_tn #nashvillegram #PassionPassport #LetsGoSomewhere #LovetoTravel #livelocallytn #exploretheworld #travelstagram #MyTinyAtlas #sidewalkerdaily #be_one_city #igersnashville #just_unitedstates#igersusa #traveldiaries #vintageshop #travelusa #visittheUSA
  • Nashville food is next level. Headed to Nashville? Bring your stretchy pants and forget about whatever promises you made to your nutritionist. Whatever gets eaten in Nash Vegas ... uh, stays ... OK no, that doesn't really work. Whatever. The point is that the food is bomb and you're going to want to eat all of it. . Take, for example, this S'more Love Food Truck in the 12South neighborhood. It sells heart-shaped artisanal S'mores. There's The Elvis, a S'more with peanut butter, sliced bananas and chocolate ganache. There's the Samoa, with coconut and caramel sauce. Or there's the S'moreo, which is actually one we invented on a camping trip a few years ago, except ours was way less fancy. . Only in Nashville will you face the difficult choice of navigating between artisanal s'mores and 100-layer donuts, which are served down the street at Five Daughters Bakery. One of my favorite things about this spot, other than the donuts (obvi) is that you can watch your beloved Lime Meringue Pie, Chocolate Sea Salt, and Blackberry Hibiscus donuts from the comfort of your own couch on a live streaming DonutCam. Yes, really. Bless you Nashville, your level of extra has truly outdone itself, and we are HERE for it. . What are your favorite foodie destinations? Do you travel for food like we do? Drop us a comment below! . . . #NashvilleEats #Nashvilletn #nashvilletennessee #tennessee_life #musiccity#nashvillethebeautiful #nashvillelife#nashvillegram #nashvillephotography #instagramtennessee #nashvilleexplorersclub #livelocallytn #girlsvsglobe #OpenMyWorld #LovetoTravel #MyTinyAtlas #DameTraveler #GirlsvsGlobe #GirlsWhoTravel #wearetravelgirls #girlsjustwannatravel #sheisnotlost #girlslovetravel #ladiesgoneglobal #myboldtravelmoment #femaletravelbloggers #GirlsWanderlust #darlingescapes #radgirlslife #thetravelwomen
  • Do you have to be into country music to appreciate Nashville, AKA Music City? Well, I’ll be totally honest with you: Jeremy and I are not exactly country music fans. Sure, I’ve got some country songs on my Spotify playlists – don’t we all, if we count early Taylor Swift? Heck, both Jeremy and I spent our childhoods in places where country was popular – him in Bakersfield, California, and me in Kentucky. But neither of us were ever like, INTO country. . Still, if my first foray into Tennessee’s historic music scene taught me anything, it’s that prior knowledge or enjoyment is not a pre-requisite for musical appreciation. I knew NOTHING about Soul or Blues when we visited Memphis last year, and now we listen to my Memphis playlist on repeat ALL the time. . So Jeremy and I opened our minds wide and decided to immerse ourselves in a musical genre we knew absolutely nothing about. After all, we wanted to explore Nashville's soul and learn its story. And, well, the heart of Music City is its music. And at the heart of its music? Well, that's the Grand Ole Opry! . What exactly IS the Grand Ole Opry, thought? Turns out, it’s actually a lot of things. It’s the longest running radio show in the USA. It’s a world-class music venue. It’s a community. It’s a cultural relic. It’s the home of country music in the city that created country music. It’s a quintessential Nashville experience! And after a foot-stompin', hootin' and hollerin' good time at the Grand Ole Opry (oh, and also backstage AND ONSTAGE), we finally Got It. Country music isn't just music: it's history, it's culture, it's comedy (which we TOTALLY didn't realize) and it's identity. And we're so glad we had a chance to discover it at the Grand Ole Opry! . Do you listen to country? What's your favorite country song or artist? Or if you're not (ahem, like us) would you be open to giving the Grand Ole Opry a try? I'm curious, so drop those comments below! . . . #ad @opry @visitmusiccity #MyOpryTrip

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