Travel – Page 3

Charleston Travel Guide

August 5, 2021 by jessica Leave a Comment

It seems like everyone is going to Charleston lately — and for good reason: it’s an incredibly beautiful city that’s full of southern charm, picture-perfect streets, and incredible food! We visited the city back in April for a celebratory “vaxication.” It was our second time in the “Holy City,” and with roundtrip flight prices dropping substantially from Madison, I don’t think it’ll be our last time in the sweet South Carolina city. Below, you’ll find some snapshots from our recent trip, along with suggestions of what to see and do, and where to eat and drink.

SEE & DO:

Rainbow Row & The Battery & Pineapple Fountain – If you’re heading to Charleston, I’m sure these photogenic areas are already on your radar.
The Beach – We visited Folly Beach both times we were in South Carolina. It’s a quaint beach town for an afternoon of swimming. Head to Lost Dog Café for breakfast and Taco Boy for lunch.
Aiken-Rhett House Museum – There are two main historic house tours in Charleston. There’s the Aiken-Rhett House, which is a historic preservation project, and the Nathaniel Russell House, a restoration project. Each has an audio tour available through the Historic CHS app (bring headphones). I preferred the Aiken-Rhett museum as it did an excellent job going through the historic features of the house, as well and discussing the lives of the enslaved people on the property.
Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site – There were a lot of recommendations for this online and it was a nice place for an afternoon hike. I don’t think I’d go out of my way for it, but it was a good option to break up all of the eating and drinking!
McLeod Plantation – We decided to do this tour because it’s a county park and that seemed more ethical than some of the other plantation tours. We had a wonderful tour guide who lent insight into the enslaved people who lived on the property and what they did once gaining freedom.
Fort Sumter – We did this on our first trip to Charleston and it’s worth taking an afternoon to take the ferry out to see it.

EAT & DRINK:

Kudu Coffee & Craft Beer – A café that also serves beer with a cute outdoor patio. Check their schedule for live music.
Blind Tiger – The best outdoor patio with plenty of seating areas.
Brown’s Court Bakery – Fantastic iced coffee and pastries (both sweet and savory). Ask them for their recommendation of the day. A lot of things sell out quickly, but whatever is left is still going to be amazing. We took our coffee and breakfast to a nearby park. If you’re visiting in the spring and they have their fresh strawberry rolls, get one! (It’s pictured above.)
Uptown Social – Head up to their rooftop patio! There’s a full cocktail program, a decent beer lineup, and good pizzas. They usually do a lunch special with a select pizza, too.
The Darling Oyster Bar – This was by far our best meal in the city and worth the splurge. We had oysters to start and I had scallops for my entrée. Loved ’em! Hot tip: they do have matchboxes, but you’ll need to ask for one.
Bay Street Biergarten – Lively atmosphere and a lot of outdoor seating. Skip the food, though, and just go for drinks and the ambiance.
Callie’s Hot Little Biscuits – Delicious, but don’t let their miniscule size fool you. They’re incredibly filling! That said, between this place and Brown’s Court, I’d suggest Brown’s Court for breakfast.
Little Jack’s Tavern – Their burgers are expensive, but it was delicious. We had actually wanted to go to Leon’s Oyster Shop instead, but they didn’t have any seating available and suggested Little Jack’s as it’s their sister restaurant. It was charming inside and the service was excellent.
Breweries – Three of the brewery stops we liked the most were Charles Towne Fermentory, Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co., and Westbrook Brewing Company.

STAY: I wanted to make a quick note about accommodations. We stayed at the Hyatt this time around and it wasn’t great. It looks nice enough online and while I prefer boutique hotels, hotels and Airbnbs were so expensive when we traveled. We assumed the Hyatt would be good enough for what we needed. The first room we were given was, shall we say, “well worn” and had the most awful sewage-y smell. I did ask to change rooms and the new room was better, but it wasn’t as nice as the online reviews led me to believe.

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6 Tips to Improve Your iPhone Travel Photography — And One Mistake to Avoid

May 6, 2021 by jessica Leave a Comment

*Taking* *photos of azulejos* *in Portugal.*

There have been plenty of times on vacation that I’ve left my DSLR in the hotel room and have relied solely on my iPhone to snap photos — or, in the case of a quick weekend jaunt, left it at home entirely. I used to have pangs of regret, but now that iPhone camera technology has improved so dramatically in past years, it really can be a great substitute for the times that a traditional camera is too big and bulky to bring along.

I’m not the only one who sees the merit in using the iPhone in place of the “real” camera. I attended a virtual event recently with Pete Souza, former President Obama’s official White House photographer, who admitted to using his iPhone camera in place of the DSLR on occasion. If he can do it, I think that gives us all permission to opt for the camera that’s always in our pockets and purses!

It’s a big part of why I was intrigued to see a press release come across my email promoting photographer and author Scott Kelby’s new book, The iPhone Photography Book, a comprehensive guide to iPhone photography that goes through techniques to improve your snapshots with hints that include editing, composition, organization, and more. I had a chance to connect with Scott to share six tips for iPhone photography success with you, and the one mistake to avoid.

1. How to Stop “Missing the Shot!”

If you’ve ever missed a great moment because by the time you unlocked your iPhone, found the Camera app, and then launched it, it was too late, try this trick: When you pick up your iPhone to take a shot, don’t unlock it. Just pick it up, immediately swipe left, and your Camera app appears ready to go!

2. The Best Times to Shoot Travel

The best time to make beautiful travel photos is when the light outdoors is soft and beautiful, and that happens twice a day: about 30 minutes before sunrise, up until about 15 minutes after sunrise, and in the hour before and after sunset. A bonus for shooting around dawn: the tourists will not be awake yet, so you’ll get great shots with no crowds—just beautiful light and tourist-free monuments, streets, and scenes.

3. A Better Way to Take Photos without Tapping the Screen

On a traditional camera, you press a physical button to take a shot, which is one of the big advantages of a traditional camera. But, believe it or not, you can do the same thing with your iPhone: just press the volume up or volume down button to take a shot. Try it once and you’ll use this trick again and again.

4. Capturing the Moment vs. Composition

When you see something charming, or fascinating, or wonderful happening, forget the composition and just capture the moment. We can always go back and crop the photo later in the Photos app to create the composition we were hoping for, but if you miss the “moment,” that moment is gone forever.

5. How to Stop from Having Photos That Are Too Dark or Too Bright

If you’re looking at a scene in front of you, and it seems too dark or too bright, or if your subject is backlit with the sun behind them, right after you tap on the screen to focus on your subject, tap-and-hold your finger on the screen and drag up to make the whole image brighter or down to make it darker.

6. The Secret to (and Two Methods for) Shooting Food

One big reason people love to travel is that they love trying the food, so you want to come back with shots of the amazing dishes you had on your trip. The secret to great food shots is simply great light, and you get that by shooting during the daytime and asking to be seated either outside (under an umbrella or roof of some sort) or right by a window. The two methods for getting great food shots: Turn on Portrait mode and zoom in tight (you don’t have to show the whole plate—just parts of it), and the classic “iPhone from overhead shot straight down on your food” shot.

One Mistake to Avoid: Showing Too Much of the Scene

When you try to capture an entire building (like a cathedral or an opera house or a classic, old building), you usually wind up with things that ruin the romance and timelessness of the shot because there are billboards, signs, power lines, etc. You don’t have to show the whole scene. Compose the shot to where you avoid all those distractions, just showing part of the building. Think of it as a “detail” shot. The viewer’s mind will fill in the rest of the image, but you’ll have an interesting and captivating image without all the distractions.

For more iPhone photography tips, you can pick up Scott’s book here!

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This post contains affiliate links. I received a review copy of Scott’s book, but was under no obligation to write about it.

Photo Diary: Christmas in Belgium

December 23, 2019 by jessica Leave a Comment

As someone who loves Christmas, it’s no surprise that kicking off the holiday season in Europe has been something I dreamed of for years. While Germany would have been the obvious choice, a relatively inexpensive flight and hotel package out of Madison made Belgium an attractive option for our getaway. Plus, it gave us a chance to restock our dwindling supply of Cantillon. Priorities.

This was our third trip to Brussels, which made the nine-day trip as low-stress as possible during the busiest time of year because we didn’t need to spend the first couple of days orienting ourselves in the country. We knew how to use public transportation, we knew where to go without getting lost, we knew what favorites we wanted to revisit, and which day trips to go on (Amsterdam, Bruges, and Antwerp). We stopped at our favorite bars and restaurants, ate our weight in frites, drank world-class beer, and reveled in the holiday spirit by way of twinkling lights and Christmas markets. Not surprisingly, a day in Bruges was the most magical. Bruges is one of Europe’s most well-preserved medieval cities, escaping destruction during World War I and II. We’ve been to the city twice before and each time I’m struck by how fairy tale-like it is. Adding in strings of lights and a Christmas market in the city center took it to another level.

Here are a few photos of the most Christmassy moments of our trip. I’m working on a full Brussels travel guide to post in the new year, along with a Google map for your own trip planning. I’m also going to post day trip recommendations for Amsterdam and Bruges now that we’ve been a few times. I hope your holiday week is the merriest!

Christmas in Antwerp — Christmas market in Antwerp

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Tiles of Lisbon

July 15, 2019 by jessica Leave a Comment

I typically take a boatload of photos while we’re abroad, but I’m not sure I’ve ever taken nearly 2,000 in one week until we visited Lisbon. There were gorgeous vignettes to take in everywhere we turned — and that was largely thanks to the beautiful tile work that adorned even the most modest of buildings. So, I thought I’d kick off my Portugal travel posts with the azulejos of Lisbon.

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My Top Five Travel Accessories

January 22, 2019 by jessica Leave a Comment

Last year was a busy travel one for us, and while we weren’t on the road as often as some people are for work or recreation, it was the most we’ve ever traveled together in the course of 12 months. It seemed like we were on the road at least once a month for the latter half of the year, which challenged me to become more of an efficient packer, relying on wardrobe workhorses instead of packing items just for an outfit photo. Plus, it gave me ample time to home in on the travel accessories that make the journey more enjoyable and more efficient. Here are my top five:

Vince sneakers – I wasn’t sure what to expect when I bought a pair of Vince sneakers late last year. Bloggers rave about them, but there’s always a real possibility it’s because of aesthetics and not comfort. I’m happy to report that these slip-on sneakers live up to the hype. They were comfortable right out of the box with no need for a break-in period and I’ve already worn them for countless miles of exploring cities.
Packing cubes – Just like the Vince sneakers, everyone talks about how great packing cubes are, but you don’t really understand how great they are until you try them yourself. They’re a space-saving solution in your suitcase and they help keep everything organized. I love the preppy stripe on this Paravel set, but we actually have these and they do the job well. We also have one of these each and prefer them over the budget brand, but they all get the job done.
Flight 001 adapter – We’ve been delighted with this four-in-one adapter that fits together to work in 150 countries.
Bose noise-cancelling headphones – The ambient drone of an airplane never bothered me before Dave gave me these. I don’t think I realized how loud planes actually were until I was able to shut it all out and focus on my podcast without distractions.
Belkin mini outlet strip – Maximize the best outlet location in your hotel room with this mini power strip. It even has two USB ports so you charge your phone and keep the outlets free. On international trips, we dedicate one of our adapters to keeping this plugged in because it’s just so handy to have.

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