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Practical Wanderlust

Off-Beat Travel Blog

Couple and dog on a blue couch, surrounded by plants in front of a colorful bookshelf.
Personal Posts

2020 Year in Review: The Year of “Oh No”

January 20, 2021

At the end of 2019, exhausted and burnt out, I made a New Years resolution that, in hindsight, may have doomed the entire world: I wanted to travel less and spend more time at home, baking and taking long walks and watching birds in the backyard. Yep: I put that out into the Universe, and then the Universe was like “oh, dip?” and here we are, in month 976827682768 of the worst global pandemic in over a century. So.. I’m really sorry about… you know *gestures broadly at everything* But you’re probably wondering: was it all worth it, Lia?!?! Did you get your stupid wish and spend 2020 taking long walks, watching birds in the backyard, and baking bundt cakes?? And the answer is … kinda. Let’s get into it.

by Lia Garcia 
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Couple on a dock in San Blas, Panama.
Personal Posts

2019 in Review: The Year of “Yes”

Last Updated:   February 24, 2020

2019 was our year of “yes.” We traveled more than ever, experienced huge growth in our business, and jumped at every opportunity that came our way! But 2019 was also a challenging year personally. I lost my grandmother at the beginning of the year, and it hit me harder than I ever could have expected. And after 26 consecutive trips – not including 2 cancelled international trips – burnout hit us HARD. ⁠Here’s all the details about where we went, what we did, and the behind-the-scenes stuff we don’t talk about in our travel posts!

by Lia Garcia 
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Our 2018 year in review. How was our year? Did Lia make it as a full-time travel blogger? Did they ever learn how to not have travel disasters?! All those answers and more.
Personal Posts

2018 in Review: The Year of High Risk … & High Reward

Last Updated:   June 20, 2020

At the end of 2017, we announced that Lia was quitting her job (again) and striking out on her own as a full-time travel blogger. We gave it 1 full year to figure out if that was like, actually a job you can earn money from. If we were still scraping by at the end of the year, we decided, Lia would call it quits, get a real job again, and pat herself on the back for trying. So … how did it go? Did Lia make it as a full-time travel blogger? Did we ever learn how to not have travel disasters?! (Spoilers: no). All those answers and more in our 2018 year in review…

by Lia Garcia 
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Admiring the view along the Northern part of Highway One! The California coastline is freaking stunning.
Personal Posts

Why 2017 Was the Year that Everything Changed for Us

Last Updated:   June 19, 2020

In 2016, I got married, quit my job, and skipped away with my new husband to take a year-long honeymoon & travel the world. How the heck was 2017 supposed to top THAT?! But somehow, it did. 2017 was the year that everything changed for us. Here’s why, plus a HUGE announcement!

by Lia Garcia 
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Our worst travel fails of 2016.
Personal Posts, Travel Stories & Fails

Our 16 Worst Travel Fails of 2016

Last Updated:   June 10, 2020

We’re no strangers to things going horribly wrong. In fact, our travels end in disaster more often than not. These were our worst travel fails of 2016!

by Jeremy 
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