2025, Can You Believe We're Still Alive? Travels Far & Wide From a Year That We Survived

Well, well, well; w-e-l-l. You know, that’s one of those phrases I picked up somewhere along the way that I return to again and again, but for which the source material is lost to the ages. Where the hell did I get it? Just like the number of licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, the world may never know. But can you guess what the world is about to know? That’s right! The deepest, darkest, most intimate thoughts, recollections, and reminiscences on the year that was right here on All Things Wanderful.

General TravelLogan T. HansenJanuary 6, 2026travel, travelogue, travel blogging, travel guide, travel recommendations, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel ideas, travel writing, travel reviews, travel tips, travel appreciation, travel diary, travel planning, year-in-review, Universal Studios, Universal Studios Hollywood, Jaws, Steven Spielberg, Kai Ryssdal, Marketplace, NPR, Las Vegas, Sin City, Luxor Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Cajun, Beauvoir, Jefferson Davis, Biloxi, To Kill a Mockingbird, Nelle Harper Lee, Harper Lee, Monroeville, Monroe County, Old Monroe County Courthouse, Gregory Peck, Mrs. Teresa' Homemade Treats, Los Angeles, City of Angels, Santa Monica, Santa Monica Pier, Hollywood, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Dodger Stadium, Freehand Hotels, Freehand Chicago, Freehand Los Angeles, Freehand, hostel, hostel stays, Boston, Boston Calling, Harvard, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, All Time Low, The Maine, Cage the Elephant, Avril Lavigne, Fall Out Boy, all-nighter, Disney World, Orlando, Florida, Tron, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Tower of Terror, Guardians of the Galaxy, Expedition Everest, Alice in Wonderland, Euro trip, cheap airports, cheap travel, Canada, Minnesota, Northwest Angle, Alert, Canadian Forces Station Alert, All Things Wanderful, Chicago, Miami, New York, George Washington Hotel, Flatiron District, Bourbon Street, French Quarter, Ruby Slipper, The Natchez, Oklahoma City, Dorothy Gale, Beverly Shores, Michigan City, Gary, Indiana, Michiana, Chicagoland, West Michigan, Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, South Shore Line, Maycomb, Maycomb County, Truman Capote, Confederacy, 2026, 2025, ten-year anniversaryComment

Getting Hostel in the City: All (or Most) of What You Need to Know About Freehand Hotels

Finding accommodations in the heart of a major American city is generally going to be a pricey affair. If you want to stay right downtown where all the action is, that’s usually going to come with a heftier price tag. That makes perfect sense, of course, but what if there was a way to get around the higher cost without sacrificing location or comfort? Freehand Hotels are by no means a magical remedy to this conundrum, but they do offer a digestible solution.

North AmericaLogan T. HansenSeptember 17, 2025travel, travel guide, travel advice, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel deals, Freehand, Freehand Hotels, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, hostel, hotel, hotel deals, nightlife, hotel stays, hostel stays, travel reviews, travel recommendations, travel tips, travel ideas, travel planning, travel budget, budget travel, budgeting, cheap travel, Wisconsin, Fond du Lac, New York, Florida, Illinois, California, George Washington Hotel, Flatiron District, Manhattan, bohemian, affordable travel, affordability, affordable, historic architecture, Never Have I Ever, Freehand Chicago, Freehand Los Angeles, Freehand Miami, Freehand New York, Windy City, City of Angels, Magnificent Mile, rooftop bar, rooftop pool, solo travel, solo female travel, female-only dorms, travel hacks, travel logisticsComment

New Orleans: Four Days of Beignets & Foul Play(s) in the Big Easy, Pt. 1

Of all the iconic cities in the good ole U.S. of A. — New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Nashville (to name a few) — New Orleans was one that I had yet to check off my list. That was rectified in the spring of 2025 when I ventured once more to the Deep South with my parents and two of my siblings for a little family vacay in the Big Easy.

North AmericaLogan T. HansenApril 29, 2025travel, travel guide, travel advice, travel inspiration, travelspiration, New Orleans, Louisiana, Big Easy, French Quarter, travel recommendations, travel reviews, travel tips, travelogue, travel ideas, travel itinerary, travel diary, travel blog, New York, New York City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Nashville, Deep South, The Natchez, Blue Bayou, Blue Bayou Restaurant & Oyster Bar, Creole, Cajun, Creole cuisine, Cajun cuisine, jazz music, architecture, French architecture, Spanish architecture, Creole architecture, Bourbon Street, Mardi Gras, Henry Clay, Lafayette Square, Canal Street, Bud Light, hard seltzer, Nesbitt Corner Store, The Scooby-Doo Show, Scooby-Doo, New Orleans Steamboat Company, Gray Line, Gray Line tours, Mississippi River, seafood, jambalaya, plantation tour, swamp tour, ghost tour, cocktail tour, city tour, Duke Heitger, Steamboat Stompers, Orleans Parish, St. Bernard Parish, Musical Legends Park, live music, Cafe Beignet, Hurricane, Hurricane drinkComment

5 Bucket List Destinations for Travelers Who Thrive Off the Beaten Path

Because today is all about finding a new remote destination that is perhaps not so easy to get to. The following is not a list of the “most remote” places on the globe by any stretch, but it may just give you some new ideas or inspire you to seek out another faraway place. Even if you don’t plan on traveling to the ends of the Earth, hopefully you’ll learn something new.

General TravelLogan T. HansenMarch 31, 2025travel, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel ideas, travel lists, travel guide, travel advice, travel bucket list, bucket list, travel recommendations, travel itinerary, travel planning, Pitcairn Islands, Pitcairn Island, Greenland, remote travel, remote destination, remote island, Adamstown, Nuuk, Sao Tome, Sao Tome and Principe, Gulf of Guinea, Africa, The Telegraph, Portuguese, Lagoa Azul, Praia Micondo, Sao Nicolau Waterfall, Roca Belo Monte, Roca Sundy, Bom Bom, Sundy Praia, Kuste, Oman, Middle East, North America, Arabian Peninsula, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Royal Opera House, Mutrah Souq, Jebel Shams, Jebel Akhdar, Saiq Plateau, Green Mountain, Lonely Planet, Newark, New Jersey, Greenland Travel, Kangerlussuaq, Denmark, Inuk Hostels, Hotel Nordbo, Ilulissit, Kulusuk, Oqaatsut, Nanortalik, hiking, fishing, the great outdoors, Mother Nature, dog sledding, biking, kayaking, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, Henderson Island, Ducie Island, Oeno Island, British Overseas Territory, Hawaii, Santiago, Chile, Argentina, Auckland, New Zealand, Air Tahiti, French Polynesia, Mangareva, Gambier Islands, Silver Supporter, Tahiti, Tokyo, Los Angeles, EBSCO, EBSCO Information Services, HMS Bounty, Bounty Bay, Ushuaia, End of the World, Antarctica, Tierra del Fuego, Tierra del Fuego National Park, Esmerelda Lagoon, Martial Glacier, Atlas Ocean Voyages, Intrepid Travel, AdventureSmith Explorations, ice climbing, Beagle Channel, Isla Martillo, helicopter tour, penguins, Buenos Aires, off the grid, off the map, adventure travel, South America, southernmost city, Muscat, Seeb, BawsharComment

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

To Airbnb, or Not to Airbnb? It Isn't Even a Question: The Best Airbnb's I've Ever Stayed At

The evolution of an idea into a full-blown success is truly remarkable, when you stop to think about it. A decade ago, mentioning the term “Airbnb” might have gotten you some funny looks; these days, people would think you were a weirdo for not knowing what it is.

General TravelLogan T. HansenFebruary 11, 2021travel, travel guide, travel advice, Airbnb, travel inspiration, travelspiration, Bailey, Colorado, mountains, mountain driving, mountainside, Los Angeles, City of Angels, Reykjavik, Iceland, The Intrepid Icelandic Expedition, Lebowski Bar, Kiki, Kiki Queer Bar, Toronto, Downtown Toronto, Canada, University of Toronto, St. George Campus, city life, winter getaway, winter travel, winter, winter vacation, Mt. Rosalie Cabin, skiing, snowboarding, ski trip, hot tub, mountain views, adventure, Baldwin Hills, South Los Angeles, Silver Lake, Silverthorne, Santa Monica, Mike & Gail's Buffalo Mountain Retreat, weekend getaway, romantic retreat, romantic weekend, romantic getaway, romantic, weekend ski trip, Keystone, Keystone Resort, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Loveland Ski Area, Loveland, Arapahoe Basin Resort, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, Arapahoe Basin, hit the slopes, hitting the slopesComment

Being a Travel Blogger in a Year Without Travel

2020 has been one weird year. There we were at the start of a brand new decade on January 1st, looking ahead to a year in which practically every major holiday fell on a weekend, the economy was continuing the upward trend that started back at the beginning of Obama’s first term, and the puns concerning 20/20 vision hadn’t even gone stale yet.

How to Decide Where Your Next Trip Will Be When Funds are Limited

Before packing your bags, before looking up things to see and do, before knowing which type of transportation you’ll make use of, you have to know where it is you’re venturing off to. What’s more, wherever you decide to go next will most likely influence where you’ll go after that, and where you’ll go after that, and where you’ll go after that… So, no, you’re not blowing things out of proportion by treating your decision as a big deal; it is a big deal.

The Most Glorious Chicken Sandwich You’ll Find in Southern California (& Probably the World)

As the late, great Anthony Bourdain could no doubt tell you, travel and food are intertwined in such a way that the threads could never be unraveled. If you travel somewhere new, there’s a very good chance you’ll try something new to eat, as well, even if it’s simply a variation on a classic dish you’ve had hundreds of times.

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