Category: Recreation

I’m standing on Manchebo beach on Aruba, my third time back, amazed yet again at the perfection of the sunset unfolding in front of me. Every 20-degree rotation of my line of sight presents a delightful new color palette of periwinkle blues, purples, and cotton candy pinks. 

It’s a little wonder why Aruba has more repeat visitors than other top Caribbean islands. It’s full of natural wonders, it’s easy to get to, it’s incredibly welcoming, with at least four languages spoken by natives on the island, and it has more sunshine than any other Caribbean island to boot.

As a solo female traveler, I love how easy Aruba is to explore. It’s small, safe, and easy to drive around. From my Jeep adventures to the underwater world, Aruba has been a playground I keep returning to throughout the years. Thinking of visiting yourself? These are the best adventure, culinary, and

One of the most common emails I get from solo female travel hopefuls is in regards to safety. Maybe you’re worried that being alone will make you a target, your friends and family are telling you that you’re being irresponsible by going out into this big and scary world on your own, or your own inner-voice is holding you back with visions of worst-case scenarios.

Well screw all of that!

I’ve traveled for over eight years now, almost exclusively by myself, and even in countries that are considered ‘dangerous’, with almost no issues whatsoever. What’s my secret? I believe that traveling alone has actually helped me stay safe. Why? My intuition is sharper, I am more aware of my surroundings because there’s nobody distracting me, and when locals see me, a girl on her own, they are more likely to want to help me than harm me.

The truth is,

Hey all, happy sale time. As I’m sure you’re seeing all around the web, ’tis the season to get things discounted!

I’ve struggled with the sometimes wasteful consumerism of this season, and personally, I think the best gifts, to oneself or to others, are experiential. The benefits of learning a new skill or even building a new business last for a lifetime.

That’s not to say a physical present isn’t tons of fun, too. With lots of options for how to vote with our dollars, I’d like to present my offerings. Between my courses and Wanderbabe Clothing, I’m offering ethically-made, female-run options that give back. Read on to find the best deals I offer all year on nearly everything I’ve created:

Looking to start or grow a travel blog?

I started my travel blogging journey eight years ago, and have just about made every mistake possible …

When I first got into travel blogging, the way to make money was by selling links and having 40-50 niche websites with Google adwords ads. Press trips didn’t exist for bloggers and getting paid for our work was tough.

Then came the dawn of the influencer. The industry blossomed in opportunity and things were going pretty well until BOOM, the cooties hit.

So now that the game has changed drastically again, how is it possible to make money with a travel blog going into 2021?

I’m here to tell you it’s still totally possible to thrive in this role, provided you’re ready to put in the hard work and most importantly, passion.

These are the ways to make it happen in 2021 and beyond:

1. Use your blog as a resume to get freelance writing work

My biggest source of income during the first couple years of my

When I was planning my trip to Aruba I put out the call to my friends to see who had been there and what could not be missed. One of them mentioned that there are flamingos on the beach in Aruba and I was beyond ecstatic.

I could just picture it: Chilling with a bunch of pink compadres in that beautiful blue Caribbean water? It’s a photographer’s dream!

But when I arrived in Aruba it turned out that there are not scores of flamingos roaming around all over the beaches, they are in just one spot – a private island owned by a hotel.

Finding Flamingo Beach in Aruba

Renaissance Island is a private island connected to the Renaissance Hotel, which is located in the main shopping area of Aruba. It’s somewhat close to the cruise port and the airport in Oranjestad.

In order to access the island you

I wasn’t very spiritual when I first started traveling several years ago. I knew what I believed was different than the society I was raised in, but I never understood that it was reflected in other cultures. Thankfully, Asia was the first part of the world that I explored, and it made all the difference.

The first time I picked up a book to read about Buddhism, I finally felt understood. The things that my old finance coworkers called me a hippie for — my disconnect with fancy things, belief that everyone is fundamentally equal, and energetic connection with nature — were not New Age beliefs, but rather older than Christianity. It all stems from Buddhism’s Four Noble Truths and before that, Hinduism.

Over the past couple of years I’ve supercharged my spiritual curiosity, learning more about meditation, Tantra, and dipping into quantum physics as well, at least,