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Girl Gone Travel

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May 25, 2010

Daydreaming of Summer and Road Trips!

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The first official day of Summer is Monday, June 21, but we have been planning Summer for months! Most of our planning involves our 2010 Road Trip Adventure!  Last year we packed up the kids in a Volkswagon Routan and made our way from NYC to Missoula, MT.

Somewhere, OH during last year’s road trip.

It was truly an adventure! With a lot more ups then downs. We bonded in such an amazing way as a family and created memories that we hope will last a lifetime, at the very least for our oldest son, and definitely for my husband and I.

We fell in love with the road trip option for our family vacation because it really helped us experience more for our time and money, considering we are such a large family, and we really loved discovering so many new places that we wouldn’t see had we not just hit the road. This year however, we have an additional incentive. We are making our way to San Antonio, TX, with a very important stop in Austin, TX to meet this little boy: my beautiful AND ONLY nephew born almost a year ago in July and whom we have never met : ((

Is it possible to be madly in love with someone you have never met?  Oh yes. Very much so. And because of our crazy love for this beautiful little boy we will once again, pack up our kids, drive through the South of this amazing country, and try to spoil him as much as humanly possible in the short time we will be there!

Of course, I miss his mom and dad too…but well, you know, the baby is just so much cuter!

On our way to the newest little bundle of joy, we will stop at some incredible places.

We will be leaving NYC on July 3rd and will be celebrating July 4th in our nation’s capital, which we believe will be both insane and exciting.

We will make a stop at Colonial Williamsburg, as well as have a splash at Bush Gardens, VA.  We plan on visiting Nashville, TN, and video tape how the relief efforts are doing to help this historical and beloved town recuperate from the horrific floods they suffered not too long ago.

We will eat some BBQ in Memphis and maybe even stop by the Children’s Museum of Memphis, before arriving to Austin, where all I want to do is cuddle and kiss this precious boy…but I know that won’t be all we will do as I can’t tell you how many times I have heard say that Austin is just a wonderful, wonderful town.

And then we plan on traveling to San Antonio to finally experience the wonders of the Riverwalk at night.

We will be arriving to New Orleans just in time for the Shakespeare Festival. we hope to dine at the fabulous French Quater, but because we will also be there during my middle son’s 5th birthday, we hope to discover some of the other family friendly activities, such as Mardi Gras World or the Audubon Zoo, which he might really love.

From there we will move on to Asheville, NC where we will slow down and take in the sights before taking the trip back home to NYC.

It will be an insane half of a month for us. A lot of driving, and we expect, a lot of fun!

We hope you will join us throughout our journey as we will tweet, blog, and vlog along the way. Of course, we are open to any fun suggestions as well, so send them along!

In the meantime, if you would like to read about all the fun we had last year (and maybe pick up some family road trip ideas for your family), check out our posts:

Day One: On The Road To Madison, WI

Dane County Farmer’s Market, Madison, WI

From the Zoo to Downtown Madison, WI

From Sioux Falls to The Badlands, SD

Mt. Rushmore and Beyond

Yellowstone National Park: Camping

Journey to Missoula, MT/Helen’s Corral Drive-Inn

Discovering Billings, MT

Country Inn & Suites, Billings, MT

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND

Country Inn and Suites, Middleton, WI

Also, check out our videos featuring highlights of our main destinations.

Whatever your Summer plans this year whether home or far away, we wish you many Happy Adventures!

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Carol Cain

Brooklyn native Carol is happiest when on an adventure, whether close to home or farther away. She is a small business owner and travel writer. In addition to creating Girl Gone Travel, she is the Founder and Principal of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. She's mom to three wonderful sons and wife to a handsome Irish/Scot. She lives, works, and plays in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of NY.

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12 Comments
  • Liz@thisfullhouse
    May 25, 2010

    Sounds like a GRAND adventure, indeed. Can't wait to see pics/video of your trip!

    Reply
  • Carol Cain
    May 25, 2010

    Thanks Liz! We're very excited : ))

    Reply
  • Jonez
    May 26, 2010

    OMG… WOW! Should be a lot of fun!

    Reply
    • Carol Cain
      Jonez
      May 26, 2010

      Hi Jonez! Crazy fun for sure!

      Reply
  • Sheri Wallace
    June 1, 2010

    This sounds like an awesome trip. You're going to see so much and have a great time. A DC 4th will be really exciting!!

    Reply
  • Carol Cain
    June 8, 2010

    Thanks Sheri!

    Reply
  • Family Comforts in Residence Inn by Marriott Alexandria at Carlyle | NYCity Mama
    July 6, 2010

    […] family and I have officially set off on our 2010 Road Trip Adventure. For this trip we have partnered up with Residence Inn Hotels*. The choice to do so was an easy […]

    Reply
  • Celebrating Fourth of July in Washington, DC | NYCity Mama
    July 6, 2010

    […] 2010 Road Trip Adventure has […]

    Reply
  • Elmo, Rollercoasters, and Churros- Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, VA | NYCity Mama
    July 10, 2010

    […] the next stop of our 2010 Road Trip Adventure, after a day of activities in Washington, DC and an awesome couple of nights at Alexandria, VA, we […]

    Reply
  • From Nashville to Memphis, TN: The Quickie Tour | NYCity Mama
    July 11, 2010

    […] third stop on our 2010 Road Trip Adventure was Nashville, TN, where the music scene rules and country stars are […]

    Reply
  • Residence Inn by Marriott Brentwood Nashville | NYCity Mama
    July 12, 2010

    […] Inn has partnered up with us* during our 2010 Road Trip Adventure, and we really couldn’t be happier. As I have mentioned in my previous posts, I consider the […]

    Reply
  • Eating Adventure in Memphis, TN | NYCity Mama
    July 14, 2010

    […] We’ve been on the road for almost a week and a half now and I have barely touched on the amount of awesome food that we have had since we set off on this amazing Summer adventure. […]

    Reply

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About me

Hi! I'm Carol! I am an award-winning travel blogger, a keynote speaker, and the Principal and owner of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. I a wife to a handsome Irish/Scot and a mom to 3 sons and 2 puppies. Welcome to my blog where I share stories of my travels and professional public relations insights and advice. Thank you for reading and for your support!

Carol Cain

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If you are a foodie traveler, Madison, WI is a des If you are a foodie traveler, Madison, WI is a destination for you. This list of good eats were all within close proximity to each other and spots we made time for during our short weekend visit. So definitely note that this doesn’t even begin to cover the tip of the iceberg, but makes a good starter list!

📍@ShortStackEats in the heart of Downtown Madison is clearly a UW favorite. Loved their pancakes! We thought it was a pricey for breakfast, and only offered drip coffee, but the scene was fun, food was good, and service was friendly.
📍@SardineMadison is a waterfront French bistro that has stood the test of time (we’ve been coming here since we lived in Madison!). It can feel very corporate some nights, but their Happy Hour and brunch are definite highlights and it’s a really nice dining experience overall.
📍@EatattheAudrey impressed us! It’s not your usual “hotel restaurant” and I would say it easily stands alone as an eatery worth checking out in Madison. Great breakfast options, cozy vibes, nice bar, and good service!
📍@RamenStation1124 good, affordable ramen.
📍BlindShotSocialClub We really loved this spot for brunch (sorry, was enjoying the company and totally spaced out on capturing food images!). Golf fans will love hitting the putt here (you can reserve a private room too), and what I though was most cool was the delicious and wide selection of non-alcoholic cocktails to choose from. This place is a total vibe!
📍@StringsRamen is a chain, but I have to say it is some of the best ramen I have had in a long time. I especially loved how you can choose your ramen but heat level but also by Japanese region which allowed us to taste a couple of new flavors!
📍@Parthenongyros has been around awhile (hubby recalls coming here during his college years!) and was voted #1 take out in Madison! Though we indulged inside and away from the snow. A delicious, quick bite when strolling around State Street.

And again, this is just a starter list. There is so much more to eat and enjoy in this top foodie city! What other spots would you add to this list?

#madisonwi #foodiegram #foodiedestinations #goodeats @destinationmadison
I love to travel. It has always been important to I love to travel. It has always been important to my family. My parents got my first passport weeks after I was born. They couldn’t afford to travel like I do now, but they understood, as immigrants, the absolute privilege that comes attached to having that shiny blue American booklet and they wanted me to have it.

I was yet again reminded of my privilege when my travel back home on this last trip was delayed over 24 hours. I have a village in place to make sure my kids were ok. Having my own business meant I didn’t have to report in to anyone, and was still able to work remotely so none of my clients were inconvenienced by it. Though the airline covered our hotel and food, we never worried that we couldn’t do it ourselves otherwise. While we were annoyed, we weren’t stressed.

So while I love to travel, and I love sharing my travels with you, I acknowledge that being able to do so, and dealing with the consistent travel disruptions so prevalent today without worries is a privilege…one that started with a little blue booklet that gives me more access to the world than some others do.

And I want us all in this travel space to be reminded of this. Of how lucky we are. Of our privilege to access and time and money.

So let us travel with grace and awareness. Let us remain rooted in reality and perspective. Acknowledging that our escapism isn’t one so easily accessible to others. Understanding that this is also why local stories have as much value as those to exclusive destinations, if not more. And, never forgetting, especially in the travel influencer and media space, that were it not for hosted campaigns and paid-for travel opportunities, most of us wouldn’t be able to afford the lifestyle we so beautifully curate online.

It doesn’t matter how often you travel, or how far. Just that hopefully you will be able to gift yourself the experience of doing so and experiencing something new.

#travel #travelmedia #travelinfluencer #wheretonext
As I work on compiling all the good eats I experie As I work on compiling all the good eats I experienced in Madison, WI, I have to ask: what is your favorite meal of the day, and where did you experience a highlight of the same?

I am a huge fan of breakfast. This beauty was a blueberry pancake order from @shortstackeats. Pancakes are not a big thing for me, but these were pretty perfect. I am craving them still. 🥞♥️

#madisonwi #goodeats #travelingfoodie @destinationmadison
We got back on a plane! Here are scenes from a qui We got back on a plane! Here are scenes from a quick trip to Madison, WI - my first time back in 14 years! Though we were here for family matters, we did take a moment to explore a bit of what used to be a place we called home.

We couldn’t do anything else until we drove around Lake Monona, where we once had a home, and took in the wintery views (there is an epic 13.2-mile trail that loops around the lake that is worth exploring if you visit!). Though our time was limited, we were able to enjoy some of it along State Street exploring the shops, eateries, the FREE @mmocamadison, and the beautiful architecture of the WI State Capitol Building (the Dane County Farmers Market will soon pick up again - Saturdays, April 15 thru November 11, 2023 around the Capitol Building and it is one of the best farmers markets anywhere!). 

We booked a room at the @hiltonmadison Monona Terrace to be within walking distance of all the downtown fun (tip: for a room with a lake view make sure to book at the upper levels above 10th floor for an unobstructed view of Lake Monona). 

Madison, WI is a skip and a hop from the Finger Lakes so this short and sweet visit didn’t feel difficult at all. And we absolutely loved the winter scenery and seeing what has changed (a lot) since we lived here.

Stay tuned for my list of where we ate!

Have you ever been to Madison, WI?

#madisonwi #weekendgetaway #wisconsin @destinationmadison
The joy of that first sip of the day. #randommom The joy of that first sip of the day. 

#randommomentsarethebest
I think my husband enjoys it, but still can’t be I think my husband enjoys it, but still can’t believe how easily I’ve been waking up in the early mornings since our last trip. Not sure how to shake it, or if it’s temporary, but here it is: the rare sighting of me up and moving early in the day. Am I a morning person now? Has travel ever permanently changed any of your habits?

#morningperson #lifeinthecountry #newme <-😂

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