A view of the Matterhorn on the hike up to the Hornlihutte (Day 7).   One of my favorite trips of all time was when I hiked the Haute Route in September of 2023 from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland. Planning these trips can be a little daunting, but there is nothing like spending back to back days in the alps, drinking coffees, having 3-course dinners, and sleeping in a real (although bunk-style) bed. It's all the best parts of backpacking with all the comforts and e

For the past four years, a group of my girlfriends has been going on an annual outdoorsy fall weekend girls' trip, trying to one-up ourselves every year. We all decided that no matter what we do in the future, our 2024 Lake Powell trip takes the cake. The only downside to this trip? It’s a lot of travel to get to. The closest major airport is Salt Lake City, requiring a 4ish hour drive down to the lake from the airport. However, this trip was SO WORTH IT. The overview: We ren

Jeju Island is a popular tourist destination known primarily for its oranges (best in fall/winter), beaches and nature, black pork, and female divers (known as Haenyeo). This island is known as the “Hawaii of Korea” and is a great spot to relax after time in the cities of mainland South Korea. Note: We did not get our international driver’s permit early enough before leaving for South Korea so we did not end up renting a car on Jeju Island. We were a bit limited there without

I have always wanted to spend a few nights at a backcountry lodge/hut in Alaska but I always get a bit intimidated planning too far in advance since winter weather is never predictable. I finally found the perfect happy medium: Hatcher Pass Lodge! This is a drive-up “backcountry” lodge made up of several small huts, a sauna house, and a cozy main lodge where meals are served and you are welcome to hang out for hours. The lodge is at the base of an absolute wonderland for back

I LOVE visiting Alaska and I think winter is an extremely underrated time there, but there is SO MUCH to do!! For my first annual (I didn’t know it was going to be annual at the time) Alaskan birthday trip, I went with a couple friends to Anchorage for the Iditarod opening day and to ski at Alyeska, a ski resort within an hour drive from Anchorage. Below is how we spent the 1 degree Fahrenheit weekend. Friday: Arrive We flew in late on Friday night to Anchorage, grabbed our r

For year 2 of my annual Alaska birthday trip, I decided to do the iconic Alaska Railroad full-day train from Fairbanks to Anchorage. This is a 12 hour scenic train that is perfect for a group of girlfriends to spend the day drinking coffee, catching incredible views, and yapping. Below is our itinerary for a very quick winter girls weekend in Alaska. The whole group in front of the train before disaster hit. Saturday: Our whole group flew into Fairbanks on a Saturday afternoo