I know what you’re probably thinking, “You’re telling me I have to spend money to save money?” Well, it’s always entirely up to you what you do with your money, but I’m just going to share from experience.

Nothing motivates me more than an upcoming trip. It inspires me to work harder so that I can then relax and enjoy the trip to the fullest. The last couple weeks or so have felt long and tiresome, so I’m looking ahead to a few of the trips I’ve got planned for this year, and I gotta say, it’s helping.

Too many places to go and not enough time; that’s my problem. The more I travel, the longer my list of dream destinations gets, and Pinterest sure hasn’t helped. But I hope to be traveling for many years to come, so a long list of places to go works for me.

One of my favorite people to hike with is my younger sister Lorianne. She’s always up for challenge, low maintenance, and honesty she’s pretty hard core. Last summer my dad and her traveled to the other side of the world, Japan, for a couple weeks. It had always been her dream to visit and she absolutely loved it. Of course, she couldn’t go all the way to Japan and not hike one of the most famous mountains in the world, Mt. Fuji. She hiked the mountain successfully and returned to Orlando with some amazing experiences in her quiver.

Sitting on the balcony drinking Welches Sparking Grape Juice (my drink of choice, don’t judge), watching the waves roll onto the beach, resting after a long bike ride through trails lined with tall pines…sounds like paradise! Our recent trip to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, for our first anniversary exceeded expectations.