Archives April 2022

10 Best Day Hikes Throughout New England

New England is famous for its beautiful scenery, diverse landscapes, and gorgeous fall foliage. It’s an area that offers year-round adventure, from the picturesque mountains to the sandy beaches, with hiking trails, flowing rivers, and towering trees everywhere.

New England is a treasure trove of hiking trails. Ask anyone who’s ever taken a walk-through in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, or Connecticut. And while many great trails encompass the entire region, there is a handful of them that are especially worthy of a day trip. Want to spend your day in nature? Here we’ve put together a list of 10 best day hikes in New England, ranging from easy to strenuous and from short to all day. Make a plan, pack your water, and hit the trails!

Acadia National Park

Precipice Trail 

Acadia National Park’s Precipice Trail is a steep, rocky hike with gorgeous views of the park’s oceanside cliffs and rocky inlets. The Precipice Trail’s rugged terrain makes it a popular spot with seasoned hikers, but it’s also accessible for families with children and dogs.

Beehive Trail

The trail starts at the Beehive Loop picnic area and heads south through the dense forest. The Beehive Trail climbs nearly 1,000 feet over one mile, gaining about 360 feet in elevation. It is muddy and rocky and may be difficult for some to navigate, but the scenery is well worth it. The Beehive Trail is popular during Acadia National Park’s busy season.

Bubble Rock Overlook

Bubble Rock Overlook is one of the most iconic landscapes in Acadia National Park, and it’s easy to understand why. The setting is as stunning as the view and is especially beautiful in the early morning and late afternoon. The clouds play with the rocks to create a bubble effect that appears both like a giant bubble and a floating rock.

Cadillac Mountain

Cadillac Mountain, the tallest mountain in the northeastern United States, is in Acadia National Park in Maine. Named for French explorer Jacques Cartier, the mountain is the centrepiece of a 45-mile-long loop that wraps around Acadia’s coast and is visited by over seven million people a year.

Ocean Path

Abundant, serene, and vast, Acadia National Park is the state’s most visited attraction. With 235 miles of coastline, it is home to Acadia Mountain, the highest point on Mount Desert Island. The park’s beauty is best appreciated when hiked or biked, and many trails are relatively easy to hike. To plan your next Acadia hiking adventure, start with Ocean Path. The trails are located mostly along Acadia’s saltwater coastline, and seacoast paths, such as Ocean Path, allow hikers to travel along the water’s edge. Ocean Path is a moderate, 4.1-mile hike and can be completed in one to three hours.

Franconia Notch State Park

Flume Gorge

Perhaps no state park in New England has as interesting a history as Flume Gorge, which lies east of Franconia Notch State Park. During the winter of 1943, the Civilian Conservation Corps built and maintained the gorge as a roadway for heavy equipment. It served as an emergency evacuation route for troops and civilians during WWII. Today, visitors can hike the gorge or picnic by the waterfall, rock outcroppings, and 7-mile flume trail.

Artist’s Bluff Lookout

Franconia Notch State Park is a sprawling playground in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The Franconia Notch is a prominent notch in the Appalachian Mountains that serves as a passageway between North and South Carolina via Route 3. Franconia Notch State Park is within the Franconia Notch State Park, and the park features multiple hiking trails, along with musicians and artists performing throughout the year.

Cannon Mountain

Cannon Mountain, located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, is home to the highest lift-served point in the state. Visitors can hike to the summit, ride the aerial tramway, or take the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway Adventure Ride to the top of the mountain. With breathtaking views of the surrounding White Mountains and Franconia Notch State Park, Cannon Mountain is New Hampshire’s most popular tourist attraction.

White Mountains

Diana’s Baths

Diana’s Baths was named one of the 20 most beautiful spas in the world by Condé Nast Traveler readers, and it’s easy to see why. Built into the side of a mountain in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the spa is built into the side of the mountain, offering expansive views of Mount Washington, Mt. Chocorua, Mt. Jefferson, and the Presidential Range. Each treatment room overlooks the landscape, and guests are invited to soak in the outdoor geothermal whirlpools during the day and curl up in front of a fire in one of the Adirondack chairs by the firepits.

The White Mountains in New Hampshire is the largest and most secluded state park. It’s the state’s largest body of fresh water, with 38 miles of hiking trails and 2,200-foot peaks towering above. But perhaps what’s most interesting about the park is its history. Here, 38 survivors of the doomed French ship La Belle, which was wrecked off Maine in 1755, spent the harsh winter of 1755-56. Their story is one of the state’s most intriguing maritime legends.

England is a hiking paradise and these 10 best day hikes are just the beginning. Whether you’re looking to explore a rocky coastline, climb the slopes of Mount Monadnock, or walk through a scenic forest, New England promises an endless variety of trails.

13 Packing Tips for Your Resort Vacation

Traveling is an incredibly exhilarating experience that offers a precious opportunity to break free from the monotonous rhythms of daily life and immerse oneself in novel destinations, diverse cultures, and delightful adventures. It’s like a refreshing escape from your regular tasks, the familiar faces, and the predictable places.

As you gear up for your upcoming vacation, it’s important to consider not just the destinations you’ll be exploring but also your personal well-being. One aspect of travel preparation that often goes unnoticed is the act of indulging yourself before embarking on your adventure. A facial treatment at a local spa might appear as a simple luxury, but it can truly make a significant difference. Not only does it enhance your appearance and overall sense of well-being, but it also leaves you feeling rejuvenated, calm, and fully prepared to embrace all the exciting new experiences that await you on your journey. So, go ahead and search online using terms like “facial spa near me” and schedule an appointment. When it comes to maximizing the enjoyment of your travels, self-care is a fundamental component of the equation.

Nevertheless, amidst the whirlwind of everything, it’s not uncommon to stumble into common travel blunders that can significantly disrupt your journey. Having a little forethought and savvy packing, you can do everything you need for the vacation you want. In this article, we’ll focus on the essential items you should include in your packing list, encompassing everything from your favorite coffee to your electronic gadgets.

Here are a few packing tips to get you started.

Curate Your Coffee Experience

Many coffee drinkers would agree that coffee is hard to dislike. With a taste so robust that it’s strong enough to fuel you for the whole day, coffee is an ingredient that people want to integrate into their daily routine. But for a lot of people, their mornings and afternoons are spent in the coffee aisle, perusing through the myriad of brands and flavours.

Add Your Favorite Flavors to Your Meals

Healthy eating is more than simply counting calories or measuring portions. Eating a healthy diet is about choosing foods that fuel your body, satisfy your taste buds, and satisfy the needs of your cells. While a whole foods plant-based diet may not be the right fit for everyone, adding healthy plant-based foods can make it easier to eat more protein than your body needs. Vegetarian protein sources include beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, tofu, and tempeh.

Collect Your Must-Have Kitchen Tools & Doodads

Every kitchen needs a great toolset. What’s missing in a lot of homes is a great set of essentials. A kitchen that’s missing a good spatula, a wooden spoon, a citrus juice, a potato masher, a rolling pin, and a few more things can make cooking a frustrating experience.

Prioritize Plug-in Cooking Devices

Cooking and baking at home is a healthy way to serve your favourite tastes, but sometimes it just makes sense to pick up the phone to pick up something tasty. But which devices out there are the best for whipping up your favourite dishes? Choosing between a convection oven, a microwave, a stovetop, and an oven can be difficult. These are all great choices, but we recommend having a backup on hand for when your lifestyle demands something quick.

Definitely Use Disposables

Disposables are a great option for those looking to avoid harming the environment since they produce very little waste. They’re also a great alternative for anyone who’s allergic (or just plain grossed out by) using reusable items. Still, while disposable goods are a great option, there are some important things to know before you use them.

Cater to the Adults in Your Crowd

Cater to the adults in your crowd! It may seem like a small thing, but since adults tend to enjoy more adult-like food, catering to that in your catering service is a bonus. Provide them with longer tables, higher height chairs, and perhaps even martini glasses instead of wine glasses. This will make them feel more welcome and make your catering service stand out to adults.

Aim for Organization

Being organized isn’t always easy, but being disorganized can be just as challenging. To keep your days on track, find ways to be less distracted and more efficient, and be rewarded with a more relaxed, productive lifestyle.

Game Up for a Night

Game night, like movie or television night, can be a great way to spend time with friends, family, or even significant others after a stressful day. But when your gaming group is small, it often feels like there aren’t enough options available for multiplayer games–at least not without a jumbo tablet screen.

Tune into Music Mode

Music is the soundtrack of our lives, and nowadays, our phones are a big part of that soundtrack. Today’s smartphones give users more options than ever when it comes to music listening, and one of the best new features is the Apple Music mode.

Keep it Clean, the Easy Way

Keeping a clean home can be overwhelming, especially for seniors who need more assistance due to age or sickness. However, an organized cleaning schedule can help avoid chores you aren’t interested in doing, such as dusting or scrubbing the bathroom bathtub.

Finally, Come Prepared with a Great Company

When planning a large social event, like a dinner party, it’s a good idea to bring drinks. Unless you’re hosting the event yourself, chances are you’ll be responsible for most of the food, and we all know that sometimes getting creative with appetizers and desserts can get a bit stressful.

When it comes to packing, the most important thing to remember is to pack light. Not only are you saving space and weight, but the less you bring, the less likely you will forget something important. While it may seem easier to pack everything away at the last minute while you’re still at home, the last-minute packing leads to stress, which can lead to forgetting things.