Manhattan Kayak: Sightseeing from a New Perspective

By Sarah Martin HoodJuly 10, 2019July 10, 2019 active lifestyle, adventure travel, canoeing & kayaking, travel colt, intrepid, jeff, kayak, manhattan, new york city, NYC, SUP 1 Comment

NYC is one of my favorite cities and no stranger to the Hood family. Jeff and I went for a Yankees game years ago, three years ago I took Colt on (what would become) our first…

Helicopter Parenting! Am I Doing This Right?

By Sarah Martin HoodApril 11, 2019 active lifestyle, adventure travel, motherhood, travel, travel with kids air maui, colt, hawaii, helicopter, maui, spring break, spring break 2019 Leave a comment

This post is part of a series of stories from our 2019 Spring Break adventure in Hawaii. Click here for all posts. I wish you could’ve seen the look on Colt’s face when I suggested…

The Road to Hana: The Road Less Traveled

By Sarah Martin HoodApril 8, 2019April 11, 2019 active lifestyle, motherhood, travel, travel with kids colt, hawaii, maui, spring break, spring break 2019 Leave a comment

This post is part of a series of stories from our 2019 Spring Break adventure in Hawaii. Click here for all posts. Driving The Road to Hana was one of the first things I put…

Castillo de San Marcos and a Rainy Glimpse of St. Augustine

By Sarah Martin HoodNovember 11, 2018November 11, 2018 travel, travel with kids colt, florida, florida trip 2018, national park, st. augustine Leave a comment

This post is part of a series of stories from our 2018 trip to Florida. Click here for all posts. As we build travel itineraries for experiences across the country, we always check the area…

A Family Escape to the Cayman Islands

By Sarah Martin HoodJuly 31, 2018November 4, 2018 adventure travel, travel, travel with kids beach, cayman islands, colt, grand cayman, horseback riding, jeff, parasailing, snorkel, stingray 1 Comment

We’re no beach bums, but this little family needed a slooooow dowwwwwn and we managed to pick the perfect destination. After an incredible summer of camps and travel and weekend activity (most of which I…

Iceland’s Westman Islands: Puffins or Bust

By Sarah Martin HoodJuly 3, 2018November 4, 2018 travel atlantic puffin, heimaey, iceland, iceland 2018, puffin, rib safari, Vestmannaeyjar, westman islands 2 Comments

This post is part of a series of stories from my 2018 trip to Iceland. Click here for all posts. When Jenni and I started planning this trip, we had a wish list with a…

Introduction to Iceland and a Taste of Reykjavik

By Sarah Martin HoodJuly 1, 2018November 4, 2018 travel anthony bourdain, brennivin, europe, hakarl, iceland, iceland 2018, reykjavik, street art 1 Comment

This post is part of a series of stories from my 2018 trip to Iceland. Click here for all posts. Sixteen years ago, I spent a semester in Europe with my friend Jenni. We attended…

Lessons in Lost Luggage

By Sarah Martin HoodJuly 25, 2017November 4, 2018 travel ambergris caye, american airlines, belize, belize city, caye caulker, coco beach resort, san pedro, travel with kids 6 Comments

5:21 am. I woke up to the sound of a text alert. Our 8am flight had been delayed to 8:45. Ok, no biggie. We have a few extra minutes at home and fewer extra minutes…

South Carolina: Island Time

By Sarah Martin HoodJune 27, 2013September 4, 2016 travel, work life balance baby shark song, boondoggle, catamaran, daufuskie island, deep sea fishing, gullah gal, harbour town lighthouse, hilton head, island tour, Keeping TIME, life list, marshside mama's, pau hana, saatchi & saatchi X, shark fishing, sonesta hotel, south carolina Leave a comment

While work is not a big topic around here, it isn’t because I don’t have a fun, fulfilling job with smart, quirky, supportive people. Because I do! And perhaps my favorite thing about my job…

The Hoods in NYC – Part 4 of 5: Liberty and Midtown

By Sarah Martin HoodSeptember 16, 2010September 18, 2016 travel life list, saatchi & saatchi X 1 Comment

Read Part 1 of 5 here. Read Part 2 of 5 here. Read Part 3 of 5 here. As the idea of this trip was to get in some relaxation and fun, we decided we…

A Day Trip to Pearl Harbor: Travel (with kids!) Guide

By Sarah Martin HoodApril 28, 2019 active lifestyle, adventure travel, travel, travel with kids colt, hawaii, maui, spring break, spring break 2019 Leave a comment

This post is part of a series of stories from our 2019 Spring Break adventure in Hawaii. Click here for all posts. Early in the planning for our trip to Hawaii we decided to stay…

We Tried SNUBA in Maui: Here’s What You Should Know

By Sarah Martin HoodApril 10, 2019April 11, 2019 active lifestyle, adventure travel, travel, travel with kids colt, hawaii, maui, sail trilogy, snorkel, snuba, spring break, spring break 2019 Leave a comment

This post is part of a series of stories from our 2019 Spring Break adventure in Hawaii. Click here for all posts. Two years ago I tried snorkeling for the first time in Belize, and I…

How to Build a Travel Itinerary of Memorable Activities for YOU

By Sarah Martin HoodFebruary 28, 2019February 26, 2020 travel, travel with kids planning, travel tips Leave a comment

So. You saw a breathtaking photo of CITY-OF-CHOICE on Instagram and you’re ready to book a flight and take the whole fam. Now what? This is one of the most common questions I get about…

A Quick Visit to Canaveral National Seashore

By Sarah Martin HoodNovember 10, 2018November 11, 2018 travel, travel with kids canaveral national seashore, colt, florida, florida trip 2018, national park Leave a comment

This post is part of a series of stories from our 2018 trip to Florida. Click here for all posts. As we build travel itineraries for experiences across the country, we always check the area…

The Golden Circle: An Icelandic Road Trip

By Sarah Martin HoodJuly 5, 2018November 4, 2018 travel geysir, golden circle, gullfoss, iceland, iceland 2018, kerid, thingvellir 1 Comment

This post is part of a series of stories from my 2018 trip to Iceland. Click here for all posts. At the top of any “What to See in Iceland” list out there, you’ll find…

Iceland’s South Coast: A Special Kinda Beautiful

By Sarah Martin HoodJuly 2, 2018November 4, 2018 travel europe, iceland, iceland 2018, reynisfjara, seljalandsfoss, skogafoss, skogar museum, south iceland, vik 1 Comment

This post is part of a series of stories from my 2018 trip to Iceland. Click here for all posts. Admittedly, I was worried it may not live up to the hype, but Iceland is…

What’s in my Camera Bag? Travel + Everyday Gear

By Sarah Martin HoodAugust 6, 2017November 4, 2018 travel camera, photography, travel photography Leave a comment

Believe it or not, I once resisted photography. In the early days of this blog I would post grainy, pre-iPhone cell phone photos and even relied on a disposable camera when I traveled to West…

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

By Sarah Martin HoodSeptember 11, 2013September 18, 2016 personal reflections, travel albuquerque, glenn, Kyle Zimmerman Photography, lonette, new mexico, old san ysidro church, wedding 4 Comments

We were all but lost on our way to the rehearsal dinner. Despite having been given directions that included the phrase “turn right after the giant blow up gorilla [at the car dealership]” and doing…

The Hoods in NYC – Part 5 of 5: All good things must come to an end.

By Sarah Martin HoodSeptember 17, 2010September 18, 2016 travel life list, saatchi & saatchi X 3 Comments

Read Part 1 of 5 here. Read Part 2 of 5 here. Read Part 3 of 5 here. Read Part 4 of 5 here. Our flight wasn’t scheduled until that afternoon, so we left our…

The Hoods in NYC – Part 3 of 5: Fantasy Camp.

By Sarah Martin HoodSeptember 15, 2010September 18, 2016 travel life list, saatchi & saatchi X 1 Comment

Read Part 1 of 5 here. Read Part 2 of 5 here. At the center of the trip package I won that led to this NYC weekend in the first place were four (FABULOUS!) tickets to…