Two Peas in a European Pod: One Week in Ireland & England — Day 1

It was only recently, as in within the last couple years, that I learned just how Irish I am. That sounds odd perhaps, but I’ve lived most of my life believing I was mostly Polish. That may still be true, but according to data from MyHeritage, my maternal grandmother was 94.1% Irish, Scottish, and Welsh, which no doubt means some of that Irish blood runs through me, as well. Armed with this information, I set out for my newly-realized ancestral homeland in late March 2024, looking to connect with my Irish heritage and maybe drink a Guinness or two.

2023, Won't You Wander With Me? The Final Epistle From a Travel-Filled Missile

The year 2023, with all of its ups and downs, peaks and valleys, and trials and tribulations, has come and gone — as has another 365 days here on All Things Wanderful. So now it’s time to take stock. What caught people’s attention? What fell flat on its face? Were you, the loyal readers of this increasingly-sporadic travel blog, entertained, or at least mildly amused? Did you find the content contained within this digital rambling wreck informational? Enlightening? Perhaps even erudite?

General TravelLogan T. HansenJanuary 7, 2024travel, travel advice, travel guide, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel writing, travel blog, travel blogging, travel recommendations, travel reading, travel reviews, travel ideas, All Things Wanderful, travel diary, travel bucket list, northernmost point, Canada, Great Lakes, Cal-Neva, Cal-Neva Lodge, California, Nevada, Michigan, Little Manistee, Little Manistee River, kayaking, Maine, ghost trains, Key West, Florida, New York City, Big Apple, Chicago, Oklahoma City, Flint Hills, Route 66, Historic Route 66, Fayetteville, Arkansas, Alum Cave Trail, The Sinks, Old Smoky Distillery, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Minnesota, George Floyd, George Floyd Square, Kansas City, Missouri, Crystal Mountain, Crystal Mountain Resort, Seattle, Twin Peaks, Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis, Kansas, Wichita, skiing, Mall of America, George Perry Floyd Square, Ground Zero, The Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn, Rockefeller Center, The Edge, The Edge NYC, NYC, New York, Hall des Lumières, Mediterranean food, Ernest Hemingway, Northern Michigan, Airbnb, Bering Strait, Diomedes, Diomede Islands, Little Diomede, Big Diomede, travelogueComment

Lake Michigan is Officially Among the Most Picturesque Landscapes in the U.S.

Look, folks, here’s the deal: Lake Michigan doesn’t need your approval. It doesn’t need your accolades, or your superlatives, or your constant-but-warranted praise. It doesn’t need you to remind it that it is the greatest of all the Great Lakes, better than Lake Superior or Huron or Ontario... or that other one that we almost don’t even need to mention (because, come on, that’s just laughable).

MichiganLogan T. HansenSeptember 13, 2023travel, travel guide, travel advice, travel guidance, travel recommendations, travel ideas, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel porn, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Great Lakes State, Great Lakes, Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, HOMES, Aaron Burden, Holland, Storyboards, Awesome Mitten, Instagram, Lake Tahoe, Clearwater Beach, Waikiki Beach, Lake Norman, Lake Powell, Mojave Desert, Upper Peninsula, U.P., Chicago, beach, beach life, beaches, beach getaway, biking, kayaking, paddleboarding, paddle boarding, lightkeeper, lighthouse, Traverse City, Old Mission Lighthouse, Mission Point Lighthouse, Old Mission, Old Mission Peninsula, sand dunes, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Grand Haven, Pentwater, Leland, Fishtown, Arcadia Bluffs, golf, golf courseComment

Route 66 Still Kicks: 3 Sights Worth Seeing Along One of America's Original Highways

Immortalized by John Steinbeck’s 1939 book “The Grapes of Wrath”, as well as the 1946 song “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66”, the highway became one of the most recognized thoroughfares in North America, crisscrossing not just from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, and back again, but also across our hearts (*cue studio audience: “aww!”). And though the highway no longer exists in a technical sense — it was officially removed from the U.S. Highway System in 1985 — stretches of what has become known as “Historic Route 66” in some states are still out there waiting for you.

North AmericaLogan T. HansenJuly 24, 2023travel, travel guide, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel ideas, travel advice, travel recommendations, travel planning, travel bucket list, Route 66, Uranus, Catoosa, Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken, Historic Route 66, Mother Road, U.S. Highway System, John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath, Get Your Kicks on Route 66, Chicago, Santa Monica, Santa Monica Pier, California, Wigwam Motel, Magnolia Gas Station, Blue Whale, Blue Whale of Catoosa, Oklahoma, Missouri, Hugh Davis, Tulsa, Pinocchio, Animal Reptile Kingdom, World's Largest Gift Store, Redmon's Candy Factory, Redmon's, Phillipsburg, Lucille Ball, Toxic Waste, Uranus Missouri, Louie Keen, Mayor of Uranus, Roadside America, Uranus Fudge Factory and General Store, Moonicorn Creamery and Funnel Cakery, Escape Uranus, Uranus Axehole, Chicken Bones Party Bar & Grill, Uranus Sideshow Museum, World's Largest Belt Buckle, road trip, road tripping, road trips, cross-country road tripComment

2022, a Tribute to You: The Travels & Travails of the Best Year Yet on All Things Wanderful

There are so many cliché ways that a year-in-review post like this could begin. But instead of saying “another year in the books” or “isn’t it funny how time flies” — or even “what do you know, here we are again” — let’s just steer clear of all that gobbledygook, am I right? After all, this is now the sixth year (!) I’m sitting down to write this annual postmortem, and it certainly doesn’t deserve to suffer an indignity like that.

General TravelLogan T. HansenDecember 31, 2022travel, travel guide, travel advice, travel blog, travel blogging, travel writing, travel recommendations, travel reading, travel reviews, travel tips, travel ideas, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel planning, travel photography, travel guidance, travel bucket list, All Things Wanderful, year in review, year-in-review, 2022, Caribbean, British Caribbean, Anguilla, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, Logan's Run, Great Lakes, blogging, Star Wars, Wisconsin, ski trip, weekend trip, weekend getaway, weekend ski trip, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Texas, Dallas, Medieval Times, Stockyards, Fort Worth, Fort Worth Stockyards Historic District, Fort Worth Stockyards, Dutch Caribbean, French Caribbean, Chicago, Detroit Tigers, Iowa, Iowa City, Toronto Blue Jays, Michigan, Michigan football, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, DFW, Austin, The Mitten State, The Mitten State of Mind, Great Lakes State, altitude sickness, high-altitude travel, high altitude, hiking, hiking tips, hiking safety, travel safety, travel safety tips, Say Insurance, Orient Beach, Orient Bay, Orient Bay Beach, Marigot, Jesse Pinkman, Fort Louis, Le West Indies, nightlife, island life, island adventure, island time, day trip, day tripping, daytripping, winter sports, winter activities, skiing, snowboarding, ski area, ski resort, Wilmot Mountain, Wilmot Ski Resort, Wilmot Mountain Ski Resort, Wilmot, Milwaukee, Kenosha, hit the slopes, Vail Resorts, snow tubing, Tahquamenon Falls, Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Chippewa County, Alcona County, Dickinson County, Pine Mountain, Pine Mountain Ski & Golf Resort, The Netherlands, France, Maho Beach, Princess Juliana International Airport, Kamala HarrisComment

This Small Ski Resort in Southern Wisconsin Makes for the Perfect Day Trip From Chicago

If not for winter sports, the chilliest season of the year would be downright, nonstop depressing, but thanks to the ancient man or woman who decided to strap a couple slats of wood to their feet for a simple means of transportation thousands of years ago (allegedly), we have the option nowadays to ski (or snowboard) recreationally at resorts the world over. And thank eight-pound, six-ounce baby Jesus for that, am I right?

North AmericaLogan T. HansenFebruary 28, 2022travel, travel guide, travel advice, travelspiration, travel inspiration, skiing, snowboarding, Wilmot, Wilmot Mountain, Wilmot Ski Resort, Kenosha, Wisconsin, Badger State, winter travel, winter, winter vacation, day trips, day trip, day tripping, daytripping, winter getaway, winter sports, winter activities, Keystone, Keystone Resort, Vail Resorts, Colorado, Wilmot Mountain Ski Resort, Chicago, Milwaukee, Matterhorn of the Midwest, Midwest, Midwestern U.S., ski rentals, snowboard rentals, ski school, ski lessons, ski trip, ski resort, ski style, mountain style, winter style, Ski Hill Grill, Walt's Tavern, Main Lodge Bar, Captain Mike's, Capt. Mike's Beer & Burger Bar, Captain Mike's Beer & Burger Bar, group selfie, travel photography, travel blog, travel blogging, travel writing, photo essayComment

2021 Wasn't Exactly Wonderful, But At Least Some of the Wander Returned

Starting is always the hardest part, isn’t it? Taking that leap, acting on that big idea, staring at the blank page. But after you finally get the ball rolling, a new challenge materializes: keeping it rolling. It’s not enough to simply plant the seed; you’ve got to water it, make sure it has fertile soil to work with, give it a proper amount of sunlight. It can be a lot of work, but then again, nothing worth having comes easy, does it?

General TravelLogan T. HansenJanuary 6, 2022travel, travel inspiration, travelspiration, year in review, happy new year, All Things Wanderful, travel guide, travel advice, travel ideas, travel planning, travel writing, travel recommendations, travel appreciation, travel junkie, travel blog, travel blogging, Denver, Colorado, year-in-review, Cheesman Park, Logan's Run, 2020, 2021, Las Vegas, Detroit, Detroit Tigers, Six Flags, Six Flags Great America, Gurney, Illinois, Michigan, football, football season, College Park, Maryland, Ann Arbor, St. Louis, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Missouri, Northern Illinois, Maryland Terrapins, University of Michigan, Michigan Wolverines, Sooner State, Cessna, Cessna 402C, Chicago, Manistee, Windy City, Cape Air, Manistee County Blacker Airport, Airbnb, vacation rentals, Sin City, New Mexico, Old West, Old American West, Keystone, Keystone Resort, skiing, snowboarding, Centennial State, travel injuriesComment

Vegas Vibin’: Three Days of Downright Debauchery in Sin City

It was a joke. Kind of. But as my brother’s 21st got closer and closer, my resolve grew: we were going to do it. Well, we were going to do something, anyway. I told him we didn’t necessarily need to go to San Diego; we could take a trip wherever his little heart desired. Somehow, some way, we landed on Vegas. Yes, Sin City was going to be the one.

North AmericaLogan T. HansenJune 29, 2021travel, travel guide, travel advice, travel inspiration, travelspiration, Las Vegas, Nevada, gambling, casino, Las Vegas Strip, The D Las Vegas, The LINQ, The LINQ Hotel, The LINQ Hotel + Experience, The Golden Nugget, The Mirage, Caesar's Palace, sports betting, sportsbook, sports book, blackjack, travel itinerary, travel recommendations, travel tips, travel ideas, travel planning, travel guidance, travel hacks, travel hack, travel logistics, travel bucket list, bucket list, Los Angeles, Inglewood, Roscoe's House of Chicken & Waffles, Sin City, Fabulous Las Vegas, The D Casino & Hotel, McCarran International Airport, Uber, San Diego, California, Anchorman, SoCal, Jagerbombs, Dean Martin, Money Burns a Hole in My Pocket, The Strip, Caesars Palace, Clark Griswold, National Lampoon, National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation, Vegas Vacation, Chevy Chase, Ellen Griswold, LINQ Promenade, Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips, Off the Strip, Virgil's Real BBQ, Pier 30, I Love Sugar, Fly LINQ zipline, zipline, ziplining, High Roller, ferris wheel, Flamingo Las Vegas, Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, Harrah's Las Vegas, Bellagio Hotel & Casino, Bellagio, Harrah's, Flamingo, Forum Shops, Forum Shops at Caesars, Grand Canal Shoppes, The Venetian Resort, The Venetian, Smokin' Hot Stuff, slot machine, slot machines, slots, Madame Tussauds, Madame Tussauds Las Vegas, Zak Bagans, Zak Bagans' The Haunted Museum, Wengert Mansion, Dr. Kevorkian, Dr. Kevorkian's van, Snoop Dogg, Beyonce, Robert De Niro, downtown Las Vegas, Chayo Mexican Kitchen + Tequila, Neon Museum, Neon Boneyard, Skypod, Skypod and Observation Deck, The Strat, gondola, gondola rides, Big Apple Coaster, New York New York Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, Fremont Street, Fremont Street Experience, Hoover Dam, damn dam tour, The Little Shop of Horrors, 97.1 The Ticket, Detroit, Detroit sports, Four Queens, Golden Nugget, The Fremont Casino, Circa Resort & Casino, Banger Brewing, shark tank, Miley Cyrus, Chicago, wax museum, Nike, Volkswagen, Volkswagen van, In-N-Out, In-N-Out BurgerComment

What It's Like to Fly Over Lake Michigan in a 9-Seater (& How You Can, Too!)

Airplanes come in all shapes and sizes, but it’s not every day you find yourself aboard a nine-seater headed over one of the largest fresh water sources on the planet. That is, unless you decide to enlist the services of Cape Air, a smaller airline with routes in various parts of the U.S. and the Caribbean.

The Latest