Author: Jenn

Welcome to 2020. A year when so many travel career options are in flux and there are questions around how to survive and even thrive in this kind of environment. When everything seems so hostile towards travel, is travel blogging still a viable career option?

What if I told you that my ad revenues are paying higher than they ever have before, that my friends who focus on domestic travel have had some of their biggest months yet, even back in May and June, and that I’ve been able to pivot, expand my product offerings, and keep my employees paid and the blog running despite everything?

I admit, it looked dire in March, but 2020 will still, after all, be a six-figure year for Be My Travel Muse. So yes, travel blogging is still worth your while, but only if your strategy is on point and you’re ready to innovate.

Can you safely camp alone? Why would you want to? Isn’t it boring, scary, or difficult to do?

These are all questions that went through my mind before I tried and came to love my solo camping and hiking experiences.

Just like solo traveling the world, there are numerous benefits to solo camping, not least of which is the sense of accomplishment and resourcefulness you build when you go it alone. Being so at one with nature is incredibly healing as well. I love it so much these days, I camp alone as much as possible!

It doesn’t have to be rocket science, either. In this post I will tell you all about how to do it easily, safely, and enjoyably. Without further ado, here’s my ultimate guide to camping alone like a boss for solo female campers:

How to Pick a Campsite:

Campsites can vary from a paved

Imagine the Milky Way crisper and clearer than you have ever seen it. Imagine the moment when you realize that yes, it really looks the way in person that it does in professional photos. Or perhaps the rising full moon over a glittering lake or ocean, the reward for a tough upward climb.

Imagine hiking up to a mountain top or vista to watch as the sun rises over a bay, mountain range, lake, or great basin. Or perhaps you’re catching the end of the day as the sky turns orange and brilliant red over beautiful natural landscapes.

This is why I hike in the dark. I crave these moments when fewer people are on the trail, when I can enjoy the tranquility of nature, and when I can do a tough hike without the sun beating down on

Just below Canada and to Idaho’s west, Washington is home to islands, fjords, temperate rainforests, dramatic mountain ranges, and glacier-carved bays reminiscent of scenes one might see in Scandinavia.

I’d been seeing moody and awe-inspiring photos of the ‘PNW’ for years and had been dreaming of my own Washington adventure. Finally this summer, I got a gorgeous week of weather and numerous hikes of varying degrees of difficulty and variety under my belt.

It’s a big state with probably thousands of trails to choose from, but if you’re attempting to narrow it down, allow me to share my hours of research and firsthand testing with you. These are 6 of the best trails in Washington:

Skyline Trail – 6 Mi, 1794 Ft Elevation Gain

Unless you have total cloud cover, Mount Rainier is hard to miss on the skyline when exploring the

I’ll never forget my first solo hike. It wasn’t something I’d planned and prepped for. It wasn’t even intentional, as most of my solo experiences started out. Fact was, there was just no one around to join me, so I went alone.

It was a night hike. It wasn’t particularly far – just a few miles to the Kawah Ijen volcano in a tiny village in East Java. I’d ridden there at 3am on the back of an ojek, or motorbike taxi, climbed off, bid my driver adieu, wrapped a sarong around my shoulders and got to walking.

I remember looking up and being in awe of the stars that night. I made my way to the famous blue flames, saw the local men walking up and down with their shoulder baskets full of sulfur, and made my way upwards to the ridge to take it all in.

Virginia encapsulates some of the best landscapes on the East Coast. You can experience the Appalachian Mountains on one side of the state and the glittering Atlantic Ocean on the other!

With camping season in full swing, there are a lot of well-known and hidden gems to explore in Virginia. From getting out there and visiting places like the largest caverns on this side of the United States or an island where wild horses roam free, camping allows you to immerse in the state’s uninhibited beauty.

Here are some of the best of what Virginia has to offer:

Shenandoah National Park

Shenandoah is arguably the most famous park in Virginia. It’s a long sliver of land that sizes up to around 200,000 acres on Virginia’s northern side.  While admission to the park and its well-known valley costs $30 for a single vehicle, the fee covers unlimited entry for seven