Hello friends and fellow travel lovers!
I’m happy to report that Traveling Chic is back from a bit of a hiatus! So sorry for the silence on our end, but the break was for a very good reason! Two good reasons in fact…
I had twins! I’ve been busy soaking up the newborn snuggles and enjoying my time with two sweet little boys! But now that we’re out of that newborn haze, I’m so excited to be getting things up and running again around here!
It’s hard to believe the 4th of July is next week! We’re heading up to the lake for time on the boat, bonfires, and a small town 4th of July parade and fireworks! Hope you all have fun plans for the upcoming holiday!
And with that big announcement out of the way, let’s get back to fueling our travel bug with the latest Weekend Wanderlust edition! We have several new articles on Traveling Chic for you to read as well as some great weekend links to peruse over your morning coffee!
What you’ll find in this newsletter:
- Travel Tip of the Week
- Travel Gear Find of the Week
- Quoting Jenna Bush Hager
- Hotel Spotlight
- A printable checklist of must do activities in London
- Traveling Chic’s new articles (The Ultimate London Bucket List, Summer Beach Reads, Answering your most asked travel question, What to Pack for the Amalfi Coast, How to minimize jet lag, The best summer travel shoes)
- The best links around the internet this week
Let’s get started!
Travel Tip of the Week
I’ve got a super helpful travel app to recommend if you’re traveling in a group and sharing expenses – Splitwise. I can’t even begin to tell you how useful this App is for keeping track of expenses and making sure everyone gets paid back for what they covered on a trip (thanks for the rec, Molly!).
I’ve found that when you’re traveling with friends or family that you don’t share a bank account with it can be difficult trying to split costs and make sure no one is paying too much. This app makes it really easy for you to record who paid for what (i.e. taxi, uber, drinks at the bar, etc.). At the end of the trip the app will split out the amounts that you owe each other (no calculator needed on your part).
Travel Gear Find of the Week
If you’re anything like me, you’re rushing to finish doing your hair in order to make your hotel checkout time and you’re trying to figure out where to tuck your curling iron so you don’t melt something in your luggage. Sound familiar? This curling iron sleeve allows you to immediately pack the iron while it is still hot! No more wasting time to allow it to cool. $10 well spent if you asked me!
Hotel Spotlight: Borgo Pignano
As you know, I always have Italy on my mind. And this luxury Tuscany escape would be a dream to spend a few days celebrating a special anniversary or birthday at. The hotel (located in the storied villages of Volterra, Tuscany) is gorgeous enough that you could spend every day relaxing by the infinity pool, but it also offers an endless list of activities to keep you busy. From local wine tasting to authentic Italian cooking classes – it’s safe to say you will be in Tuscan heaven. Rooms run at $1k a night, we can dream, right?! But off-season rooms can go as low as $300 and may make this perfect slice of Italy a viable option for you!
Quoting Jenna Bush Hager:
“We should take back the term ‘beach read’ and have it mean anything that somebody reads compulsively on the beach.” This week on the blog you’ll find our 2019 beach read picks! I think it’s safe to say they are all page turners!
A printable checklist for Things to Do in London:
This Week on Traveling Chic:
Weekend Reading
How to find that great vacation restaurant – Loved these tips on how to research restaurants for your vacation. There is nothing worse than walking around forever and getting ‘hangry’ because you can’t find somewhere to eat!
A sustainable guide to traveling responsibly – Good reminders!
Loved seeing the Obama’s hanging out with the Clooneys in Lake Como
The Best 4th of July fireworks around the US – Do you agree?
The real-life Monterey filming locations of Big Little Lies – Anyone else loving Season 2 of BLL?! Meryl Streep is such a great addition!
The Best Rhode Island Beaches – Mike and I briefly lived in Newport, Rhode Island and I have to say they have some of the best beaches in the country. Not typically on people’s vacation radar, but if you get the chance be sure to visit the Ocean State at some point in your life!
Jackie O’s Martha Vineyard Estate is for sale for a mere $65 million – Who doesn’t love getting a peak into the Kennedy world?!
Happy Travels!
Jenny
