My husband grew up hiking and camping often. Let’s just say it’s grown on me. These days, we’re casual day hikers, spending anywhere from a couple of hours to a full day hiking trails and mountains with varying levels of difficulty.

Lately I’ve found myself wanting to spend more time on the trail and connecting with nature. Previously only having hiked in inadequate footwear — and struggling on trails because of it — I realized how important it is to have a proper, well-fitting hiking shoe. As I have no plans to go backpacking for days on end in extreme weather conditions, I didn’t need anything too serious, but needed something lightweight, waterproof, durable, with excellent grip and traction. And of course having a shoe that looks just as good as it performs is a plus!

Belt bags. Fanny packs. Bumbags. Slings. Whatever you want to call them, there’s no doubt that — fan of the style or not — they’re a functional and convenient accessory for easy, hands-free travel. Keep reading to find out why every traveler should have a belt bag, and the brand we most recommend!

Single day hikes are not only the easiest to plan, but perfect for beginners. It’s good to be prepared, but what exactly should you pack so as not to create a backpack that’s too heavy? The key is to consider weight distribution. Pack the heavier items on the bottom of the bag and closer to your back. Below, learn what to include, and what to leave at home!

Coastal living has taught us that it’s more important than ever to keep our environment as healthy as possible. We’ve always had a passion for protecting our oceans — from local beach cleanups, to donating to ocean conservation programs — and one way to make a positive impact is with a simple swap!

The next time you jet off on a tropical vacation, spend a weekend at the beach, go on a snorkeling adventure, or even update your daily skincare routine, reach for a reef-safe sunscreen!

What makes a sunscreen reef-safe and why is it so important?

Let’s dive in!

It’s not unusual to find inspiration for our travels on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. We see travel bloggers, influencers, and friends posting beautiful destinations and follow the geo-tags to see how we might be able to experience it for ourselves.

While geo-tagging can seem like an innocent action, it can cause significant damage when not done responsibly.

We’re here to share our love of travel with you, to encourage sustainability, to inspire you with our visuals and our words, and to share our recommendations through our in-depth travel guides. But, being dedicated to eco-tourism, occasionally there are places that shouldn’t be specifically shared…

We’ve been in the market for upgraded luggage for some time. Our old fabric suitcases were fraying at the seams, and besides that, they were far too large, bulky, heavy, and simply not functional. In our quest to find a high-quality replacement, we had specific criteria that had to be met. Our new suitcase:

• needed to be a carry-on with two usable sides

• have a hard shell exterior for durability and easy cleaning

• have spinner wheels that could easily maneuver

• include an interior compression board or packing cubes

• and, of course, be sustainably made

Having been inundated with targeted ads from Away, we did our due diligence and extensively researched the brand to see if it lives up to the Instagram-hype. Let’s just say that our research only solidified our decision to look elsewhere. Besides, in a sea of Away, we can easily see someone mistaking another traveler’s luggage for their own.

That was when we came across Monos.