Andy and I got married young, had our kids young, and became empty nesters young (at least we like to think so).
A few years ago, when contemplating the impending empty nest, we used to talk about what in the world we would do without ourselves when our kids weren't around to keep us entertained.
The one thing we both really wanted to do: TRAVEL.
Dunluce Castle, Ireland
But being two people of average income, we didn't know how that dream could ever come true.
And then Andy discovered the wonderful world of credit card points, offering FREE airfare, FREE car rentals, FREE hotels.
It sounded too good to be true.
He cautiously decided to give it a try, with the goal of taking our family to Hawaii.
We left the Big Island in 2013, having spent less than $1500 for the entire week (including travel, lodging, food) for our family of 7 adults.
Once we realized what points could do, there was no turning back.
Since that first successful trip five years ago, we have traveled to Hawaii (again), Italy, Canada (twice), Hungary & Czech Republic, Ireland & Scotland, plus a bunch of cities within the continental US like San Francisco, Chicago, Las Vegas, Phoenix...and the list goes on.
I've loved writing about those trips here at kaybruner, but I've never really felt able to write as much as I want, or to talk about the tricks and tips that make traveling more manageable. I've wanted to write more, but this isn't a travel blog, so I've held myself back.
On our recent trip to Arizona and Utah, we stopped by The Watchtower on the Grand Canyon South Rim. On the top floor of The Watchtower, they've installed those telescope-viewer thingies, the kind where you put in a quarter and it magnifies everything.
I happened to notice the label on the telescope's leg, and took a photo that captures exactly what I love most about travel: there's always more to explore.
As we drove the next few days, I started talking with Andy about all the things I want to write about, but haven't: the fish and chips we ate in Scotland, what it was like to get towels at the thermals baths in Budapest, what kind of rain jacket saved our trip to Ireland from damp despair.
We started talking about creating a blog just for travel stuff, and what we might call it. On the last day of our trip, I remembered the words in this photo: "There is more to explore."
Amazingly, no one had bought that domain name for a travel site, so we snapped it up and went to work.
Today, Andy and I are happy to announce our new collaborative project:
More to Explore Travel.
I've been having the best writing fun of my life creating content for the site, and I've only begun to scratch the surface! I'll be adding more travel stories as fast as my little fingers can type them out.
Beyond our favorite travel stories, we want to share the tips and tricks that make travel fun and easy for us.
If you've ever wondered how you can travel without being independently wealthy, we've talked about that in our Travel Tips.
If you want to know where I got those cute headwraps I wore in Utah, or which travel pillow will save your neck, More to Explore can help you out with that, too.
Click on over, and have fun looking around!
You can find links at the top of the home page to follow More to Explore Travel on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.