October 17, 2017 by Jamie Siebens

11 Simple Ways to Make Room for Adventure in Your Life

Do you long for more adventure in your life? The truth is, adventure is already here – we just need to learn how to make room for it in our lives.

Here are 11 simple ways that YOU can make room for adventure in your life:

(There are affiliate links in this post, meaning we may get a small commission from any purchases you make. . Click here to read our full disclosure policy.)

Own less stuff.

Is your stuff really holding you back from having more adventure in your life? It totally could be!

Think about what your life would look like if you had less dishes, laundry and household chores each week. What if your garage was clear and organized, with JUST the stuff you used on a regular basis?

Keeping your belongings pared down to only what you actually need and use is so freeing! Most of the time you don’t even realize how much excess stuff is weighing you down until you get rid of it. De-cluttering and downsizing is a great way to make room for more adventure in your life.

Related: How to Prep for Decluttering

Pay down debt.

Speaking of things that weigh you down, that is another huge thing to get rid of if you want to have more adventure in your life. Imagine what your finances would look like if you had little to no consumer debt. What would you do with the extra? If you’re like me you would use that to go on more adventures! Paying down debt is a fantastic way to make more room for adventure in your life.

Choose a flexible job or business.

Now this won’t work for everyone, but if you are willing to make significant life changes, choosing a job or business that is extremely flexible is essential to making more room for adventure in your life. When you own your own time it is way easier to travel in the off-season. You’ll get better deals on attractions and excursions, and just overall have more fun. Plus, if you’re able to work on the road, you’ll be able to offset some of the cost of your adventures.

If you work in a profession that isn’t as flexible, make the most of the time that you do have. Don’t fill up your vacation time with cleaning out the garage and working around the house. Go on adventures! And on that note,

Leave room in your schedule for adventure.

Don’t leave your calendar so packed that you don’t have room for adventure. Just like you don’t want to own too much stuff for be weighed down with debt, leave some breathing room and your day-to-day schedule so that when the urge hits you can take off and do something fun. Also,

Try new things.

Check out a new coffee shop, go on a hike with friends. Check out Groupon for discounted meals, excursions and experiences – it’s a great way to find new experiences in an unfamiliar city… or even your home town.

Cultivate a sense of wonder.

Sometimes we can get so jaded by life we stop seeing the beauty and adventure that’s all around us. What we need to do then, it’s just simply open her eyes and appreciate the world we live in. Look around you there may be new friends to make new places to explore right in front of your nose. Cultivating a sense of wonder may be the most important way to have more adventure in your life.

Budget for it.

If having more adventure is important to you you need to make room for it in your budget. There are so many ways to do this! Learn to scrimp and save in other areas so that you’ll have more room for adventure in your budget. There are so many ideas around the web for how to do this, here are a couple to get you started:

101 Simple Ways to Save Money for Travel

99 Easy Ways to Save Money

Purchase basic gear.

It’s way easier to go on adventures if you have the right gear. Good walking/hiking shoes, a sturdy backpack and a stock of sunscreen and bug spray are good start, but where you go from there it’s really up to you. You might want to start building a stash of high-quality camping supplies, or rock climbing gear. Or you could invest in a kayak or mountain bike. To save money, try renting or borrowing the gear you want to try before you make the financial leap to buy it. Overall though, having the right gear make it way easier to go on adventures when the mood strikes!

Find adventurous friends.

Having adventurous friends is a guaranteed way to have more adventure in your life. But what if your friends are only interested in spa days or movie nights? I’m not saying you need to ditch those friends, but you may need to find some new ones or at least feel out the ones you have to see who else is interested in a more adventurous life. Put the word out on social media that you’re looking for adventure buddies – you might be surprised at who you find!

Look for adventurous ways to volunteer.

There are so many ways that you can make the world a better place and have more adventure in your life at the same time. Look for community groups who are building houses, cleaning up the environment, or even traveling overseas to provide aid to distressed people groups. When you find adventurous ways to volunteer, you’ll not only improve your own life – you’ll be making the world a better place. It’s a win win.

Just Do It.

There is no perfect way to be adventurous, but there are a million good ones. And you won’t even know what you like until you try it so get out there and just do it! Try new things, meet new people. See the world. If you can’t do it right now, start making room in your life so that you can do it soon. There is nothing better than a life of adventure, the people that you meet in the things that you do make memories that last a lifetime. So get out there and make it happen!

For more great articles about living a life of adventure click here. Did this post help you in some way? Please spread the love by sharing the link with your friends!

October 5, 2017 by Jamie Siebens

7 Reasons to Travel Together (And How It Makes You Stronger)

Travel is amazing no matter how you slice it, but there is something extra special about sharing a trip with the one you love. This has definitely held true for us, in fact choosing to travel together has been one of the most enriching things we’ve ever done for our relationship.

Here are 7 ways that travel together will strengthen your bond as a couple:

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1.You’ll see the world through their eyes.

Is there anything better than experiencing new places or stunning scenery hand in hand with the one you love?

2. You’ll find out things about each other that you never knew.

Whether it’s a scenic reminder of an unshared memory, or a plate of food that includes an ingredient you didn’t realize he hated, travel together brings up best stuff!

3.You’ll build unique memories as a couple that will strengthen your bond.

It’s science. New experiences, new food, shared experiences – just look at how many travel-related things made it on this list!

4. You’ll find space to regroup away from everyday distractions.

Sometimes this is just what you need to get perspective and create a plan of action together.

5. You’ll have some of the best talks ever.

It seems like new scenery always sparks new conversations. Remember when you were dating and could talk about nothing for hours? Travel together can bring you right back to that sweet spot.

6. You’ll have the chance to overcome challenges together.

It’s these experiences – getting lost, seasick, or even just disrupted plans for the day – (and overcoming them) that strengthen your relationship most of all.

7. You’ll experience the adventure factor.

Being in new places doing new things with the one you love breathes new life into your relationship. This article from Lifehack explains it so well.

Have you traveled as a couple? What was the most challenging or rewarding side to that experience? Please share in the comments below! For more great travel tips and hacks from Always an Adventure click here.

May 11, 2017 by Jamie Siebens

How to Make a DIY Travel Kitchen and Save Money on Road Trips

When we were planning our last road trip, I had this crazy thought: What if I could create a DIY Travel Kitchen that could be used in any hotel room – allowing us to save money and eat better by preparing home cooked meals? Was it even practical? Would it be more hassle than it was worth?

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After a little research I found a few ideas for how to cook in a hotel room, and set out to create my own travel kitchen, which I’ll share below.

(There are affiliate links in this post, meaning we may get a small commission from any purchases you make. We only recommend products and services we actually use and love. Click here to read our full disclosure policy.)

As you go about creating your own DIY Travel Kitchen, here are some suggestions for things you’ll probably want to bring with you on the road:

A PORTABLE HEAT SOURCE

Depending on what you like to eat, this could be anything: a mini George Foreman grill, Slow Cooker, or an extra deep electric skillet like this one. An Instant Pot looks like another good option. After reading this blog post, I decided to use a large rice cooker we already had and were comfortable using. It turned out to be a great choice for us, more on that below.

VERSATILE COOKING UTENSILS

This could include:

Can opener
Paring knife with safety cover
Slotted serving spoon
Pancake flipper
Spatula
Measuring cups and/or spoons if needed

DISHWASHING SOAP AND SPONGE

You’ll definitely want to bring dish soap and a sponge to clean your dishes. Hotel room sinks can be small, so you may want to bring a small dish tub as well. I ended up using the insert for our rice cooker as a tub to wash dishes in, and rinsed under tap water before laying them out on a towel to dry.

MINI SPICE COLLECTION

Empty Tic Tac containers make excellent mini spice jars. I brought 3, and filled one with seasoned salt, one with a mix of salt and pepper, and one with garlic powder. We barely used them, but they were nice to have on hand.

PLATES, BOWLS AND PLASTIC SILVERWARE

For our last trip, we brought reusable bowls and disposable utensils. The plastic bowls packed nicely for travel, and were easy to clean up. We were tight for space, and I didn’t want the hassle of trying to keep paper plates and bowls from being crushed while traveling. I brought disposable utensils because we had them on hand, and I didn’t want to risk losing pieces of my flatware set on the road.

PAPER AND PLASTIC PRODUCTS

Consider bringing:

sanitizing wipes for surfaces before and after cooking
paper towels (we used these for napkins as well)
ziploc bags for storing leftovers, etc.
small trash bags

A word on the trash bags – even the nicest hotel rooms we stayed in had tiny, very thin trash bags. It’s worth bringing your own extra trash bags so that you can dispose of any food-related waste properly – it makes everything much nicer.

You Might Also Like: 10 Road Trip Essentials That Could Save You Hundreds

HERE’S WHAT WE BROUGHT IN OUR DIY TRAVEL KITCHEN:

Aroma Professional Rice Cooker with Food Steamer
Cook Works 2 Piece Turner and Spatula Set
Nordic Microwaveable Bowls (in blue)
Small cutting board
Paring knife with cover
Can opener
Plastic measuring cup (used as a serving ladle)
Cotton dish towel
Cotton dish cloth
Small pot holder
Small containers of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, a mix of salt and pepper, and garlic powder
Small container of dish soap
Roll of nice paper towels (we like Viva)
Assortment of plastic ziploc bags
Disposable plastic silverware

I was able to pack everything except the food and roll of paper towels inside of the rice cooker. Since we were traveling with two kids (5&6) and a cat, it was nice to pack in such a small container. The only thing I REALLY wished I had brought along was a slotted spoon for scooping out pasta to drain.

We ate simple meals on our travels. I practiced at home to test cooking times and serving sizes – I didn’t want to have any leftovers. Here are some of the types of meals we ate:

Kielbasa, potatoes and canned green beans.
Macaroni and cheese with canned chicken breast.
Burritos with refried beans and shredded cheese.
Hearty canned soup and crackers.

We had a good stash of healthy snacks with us, so most of our meals included a side of fresh veggies or fruit from our snack bag.

WE LOVED OUR DIY TRAVEL KITCHEN

It’s true, it did take a little effort and experimenting to put it all together – but it was totally worth it! We saved money, and had a more relaxing experience overall. Several times we prepped the food and then relaxed in the hotel pool while our meal was cooking – how cool is that?

Hotel room cooking isn’t for everyone — and it’s not necessarily something we’ll do on every trip. But there are some times when it is necessary, and I love knowing that if needed, we can make do in any hotel room with our DIY travel kitchen.

Do you have any great tips for hotel room cooking? I’d love to hear them!

May 4, 2017 by Jamie Siebens

Kid Friendly Fun in Winter Garden Florida

Winter Garden Florida seemed like just another town on our map.

Until recently, that is. In the three years since we transplanted to Central Florida we’ve done a lot of exploring. But it wasn’t until I had three friends (in so many weeks) RAVE to me about this “charming” little town they had discovered, that I decided to check out Historic Downtown Winter Garden.

But was it kid friendly?

I wasn’t sure. None of the people who recommended Winter Garden’s Historic Downtown to me had young kids, so I did a little research to make sure it wasn’t too fancy for our active girls. While there are some nice restaurants and shops, overall it seemed pretty relaxed and low key.

There’s also a popular Farmer’s Market every Saturday – and that (along with the enthusiastic recommendations of my friends) was enough to make us grab our day pack, load up the family, and head out for a day in Historic Downtown Winter Garden.

**The Winter Garden Farmer’s Market is Awesome.**

Located in the Downtown Pavilion, the market is spacious and welcoming. As you can see, it’s also kid and pet friendly. There’s wide paths between stalls, easy stroller access, and lots of places to rest in the shade. I was honestly surprised at how many families with young kids were there, until I discovered,

There’s also a FREE Splash Pad right next to the Market.

Our girls were totally thrilled about that! The splash area was a total surprise to us, so we hadn’t packed bathing suits. We did let them play for a bit – there was plenty of time to dry off in the sun while we wandered the market. Next time we’ll pack a lunch, and plan on some real soaking wet fun!

There are a ton of vendors with everything from fresh fruit and flowers, to gourmet treats and jewelry. Towards the back end of the farmer’s market, there’s a covered patio with a huge selection of fresh fruits and veggies — right next to this is the public bathrooms. (Always handy to know!) There was also some comfortable seating in the shade, right in the center of the market.

After the Farmer’s Market, we headed to Harry & Larry’s BBQ for lunch.

But we totally had to stop and check out this kid-friendly train display in a storefront on our way there.

As you can see, it was a hit for several of the kids passing by. There’s actually little buttons where the kids can turn the trains on themselves — and we stayed there for quite awhile just to watch the fun!

Harry & Larry’s BBQ is a true, hole-in-the-wall restaurant. We walked past the entrance twice, trying to find our way in! The relaxed atmosphere and kid friendly food options made it the perfect place for us to relax for a bit. It did take awhile for the food to get to our table, but it was worth the wait. We loved checking out the fun vintage style decor while we waited.

When our meal came, we dug in before I remembered to take pictures! The food was yummy though – you’ll just have to try it out for yourself.

The Centennial Plaza Fountain was actually our favorite part of Winter Garden’s Historic Downtown.

It’s circled by benches and swings, and is nicely shaded. Such a pretty spot! We actually spent quite a while there. The girls were happy to play around the fountain, and we were happy to sit and chat. When I looked over our pictures from the day, I could see the relaxation in our faces:

It’s hard not to be relaxed though, when you’re surrounded by this:

While we were hanging out by the fountain, we saw people walking by with these huge, delicious looking ice cream cones. When we were planning our day, the girls decided that finding an awesome ice cream shop was the one thing they really wanted to do on this particular day trip.

Scoops Old Fashioned Ice Cream Shop totally fit the bill.

There were so many flavors of ice cream to choose from – and the cones were HUGE. Definitely more than we could eat! On our way into the store, I could hear people outside raving about how good the ice cream was. And it was totally delicious. And check out the old fashioned charm!

Scoops is located on the ground floor of the historic Edgewater Hotel, which now functions as a bed and breakfast. We accidentally exited out the back door of the ice cream shop and found ourselves in the old hotel lobby – it felt like we were transported back in time! I had to snap a few photos:

Historic Winter Garden Florida turned out to be a surprisingly relaxing and kid friendly destination for us.

We could have spent another hour at least at the splash pad, and barely scratched the surface of the Farmers Market. The Heritage Museum and the Central Florida Railroad Museum are both places we would have liked to explore, but our kiddos totally ran out of steam. We’ll have to hit them next time, I guess!

All in all, it was an awesome way to spend a Saturday in another one of our everyday adventures!

March 2, 2017 by Jamie Siebens

30+ Frugal & Healthy Road Trip Snacks

Our Favorite Frugal & Healthy Road Trip Snacks

We’re headed out on a 1,500 mile journey next week with our two kids (and a cat!) in tow, so I’ve been making plans and of course, coming up with a list of our favorite healthy road trip snacks. In general, we eat a pretty nutritious diet, so I try to keep that up especially on the road when we need our immune systems to be at their best.

For the sanity of everyone involved I try to avoid super messy or crumbly snacks. This is one area where individually portioned snacks are definitely helpful, so I’ll either spend a bit more on individually packaged items or portion out a bigger container into snack size zip lock bags before we hit the road.

(There may be affiliate links in this post, meaning we’d get a small commission from any purchases you make. We only recommend products and services we actually use and love. Click here to read our full disclosure policy.)

Easy to eat fruits and veggies are an obvious choice for healthy snacks for a road trip. Here are some of our favorites:

Oranges – especially clementines as they are so sweet and easy to peel.
Grapes – washed and in snack sized portions.
Apples – washed and whole or in slices.
Baby Carrots – with or without ranch for dipping.
Cucumbers – peeled and sliced into snack sized bags.
Olives – black or green, drained and portioned individually.
Celery – awesome for dipping in hummus or peanut butter.
Grape tomatoes – washed and ready to eat.
Bananas – delicious and easy to eat, but must be stored gently.
Applesauce – either in pouches or cups (don’t forget to bring a spoon).
Dried fruit such as banana chips, raisins or apricots.

Side note: I absolutely love chopping up fruits and veggies. It’s so relaxing! Am I the only one?

Of course fruits and veggies aren’t the only healthy road trip snacks. We like to pack our cooler with at least a few of these each trip:

Cheese sticks – both cheddar and low fat mozzarella.
Yogurt – the cups work if you have a spoon, but the tubes are especially nice. We really like greek yogurt for the added protein boost.
Cottage cheese – look for individual portions, some even have fun fruity add-ins.
Meat & Cheese Roll-Ups.
Hard boiled eggs – don’t forget a small container of salt and pepper!
Sliced grilled chicken breast – this is a surprisingly good healthy road trip snack!
Hummus, ranch or peanut butter for dipping.
Granola bars or Lara Bars.
Individually wrapped dark chocolates.
Bottled water.
Juice pouches or boxes – we love these because of the lower sugar content!

We have found that the best snacks to take on a road trip have to include fresh, juicy foods like fruits and veggies, a good source of protein, and of course something salty and crunchy.

The salty/crunchy category is the hardest to keep in the healthy category, but we try! You will notice there are a few less-healthy options on this list:

Dry roasted peanuts.
Roasted salted almonds.
Roasted, salted, mixed nuts.
Gardetto’s or Chex Mix – we buy a family sized bag and portion out into individual servings.
Pretzels
Trail Mix – savory or sweet. (Watch out for melty stuff if you’ll be travelling in warm weather though.)
Popcorn.
Pirate’s Booty.
Cheeze-its or goldfish crackers.
Pita chips and hummus for dipping.
Crunchy puffed veggies like these.

Of course we don’t bring everything on the list for one trip.

I usually pick a few items from each category that are in season or on sale, and if I’m restocking mid trip I’ll go for more of the convenience food options that don’t require much prep (like baby carrots, clementines and packaged hard boiled eggs and cheese sticks).

Packing good road trip snacks has been so helpful to us – we save money, feel better eating healthier options, and save time (less wasted time trying to choose from overpriced convenience store snacks). In fact, when we bring our own favorite road trip snacks, we only stop at gas stations when we absolutely have to – most of the time we are able to stop at rest stops for bathroom breaks and to stretch our legs. It’s one of the biggest reasons I take time to pack healthy snacks to take on a road trip!

What are some of your favorite healthy road trip snacks? Is there anything that I should add to my list? Please let me know by sharing in the comments below!