Postcards from Paris, No. 1: Caught in a Daze on the Champs-Élysées

It was a random Sunday in July when my traveling companion and I decided to write down a number of countries we might want to visit in the next year or so on little scraps of paper. We proceeded to toss said scraps of paper, maybe a couple dozen, into a Red Wings beanie. We then shook them all up and fished out three just to see what we’d get. We told ourselves beforehand that none of this was binding, but then gave each other simultaneous side-eye glances after saying so, as if to indicate that maybe we kinda wanted it to be, that perhaps maybe it was.

EuropeLogan T. HansenApril 26, 2026travel, travel guide, travel advice, travel diary, travelogue, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel blogging, travel blog, travel recommendations, travel reviews, travel tips, travel ideas, travel abroad, travel bucket list, Paris, France, Europe, Air France, La Madeleine, Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, 8th Arrondissement, Nespresso, Detroit Red Wings, Ireland, England, Eurotrip, Euro trip, Canada, Banff, Egypt, Montenegro, Scotland, Wales, Jean Girard, Ricky Bobby, Charles de Daulle, Charles de Gaulle Airport, Hôtel Chavanel, crepes, really thin pancakes, Moulin Rouge, Palais Garnier, Palais Garnier Opera House, Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, Boulevard Haussmann, Eiffel Tower, Midi 12, crêperie, Église de la Sainte-Trinité, Square d'Estienne d'Orves, Nepita Restaurant, Hôtel Florida Paris, Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde, Obelisk of Luxor, Place Louis XV, Harmony Square, Seine River, French Revolution, Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, execution, public execution, Magnificent Mile, Louis Philippe, Bordeaux, Marseilles, 2024 Paris Olympics, Brasserie Flottes, Jardin des Tuileries, Mont-St Michel, charcuterie, Tuileries Palace, Western Europe, Mediterranean food, French cuisine, French food, French dining, ChatGPT, mid-century modern, Church of the Holy Trinity, Rue de Lafayette, galette, romantic getaway, couples travel, romantic retreatComment

10 Things I've Learned From Being a Travel Blogger for (Nearly) 10 Years

Writing and travel are two of my greatest passions in life, so you’d think combining them would send me into a state of euphoric delirium. The truth is that being a travel blogger means I am constantly thinking of ways to make content out of my travels, which can be draining at times. When you’re in a new place experiencing new things, it’s generally best to simply be in the moment and enjoy it, but there is always a little voice in the back of my mind reminding me that these posts don’t write themselves.

General TravelLogan T. HansenMarch 31, 2026travel, travel advice, travel guide, travel blogging, travel blog, travel writing, travel diary, travelogue, travel lists, travel recommendations, travel reviews, travel tips, travel ideas, travel industry, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel planning, travel appreciation, travel hacks, travel junkie, travel logistics, travel bucket list, travel mishaps, Ireland, Iceland, Israel, Jordan, Cobh, content creation, 10-year anniversary, Greenland, Michigan, Great Lakes State, Great Lakes, Mitten State, The Mitten State of Mind, AI, ChatGPT, Sint Maarten, Simpson Bay, David Pumpkins, David S. Pumpkins, headline writing, writing tips, Canada, Minnesota, Northwest Angle, Europe, Eurotrip, Euro trip, cheap flights, Grand Rapids, Indiana, Ohio, road trip, road tripping, road trips, movies, movies about travel, SEO, search engine optimization, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, travel mistakes, burnout, Logan's Run, All Things Wanderful, Seattle, Pike Place Market, social media, Medium, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, sorry not sorry, the 'gram, traveler versus tourist, tourist trap, Guinness, Guinness Storehouse, Dublin, Guinness beer, Atlanta, Georgia, Final Four, car crash, hit-and-run, University of Michigan, Michigan Wolverines, NCAA, 2013 NCAA Tournament, NCAA Men's Basketball, college basketball, Louisville Cardinals, hitchhiking, Colorado, Keystone Resort, skiing, music festival, Firefly Music Festival, Delaware, rental car, Florida, Orlando, spring break, spring break travel, World Nate, Intrepid Introvert, Nomadic Matt, Pitcairn Islands, remote travel, remote island, Google Flights, GQ, Gentlemen's Quarterly, The New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, National Geographic, Diomedes, Diomede Islands, Big Diomede, Little Diomede, International Date Line, Russia, Alaska, United States, Maine, ghost trains, dealspotr, Beaver Island, Lake Michigan, Beaver Island Music Festival, U.S. Ghost Adventures, haunted, haunted tourComment

Who's Up for the Penis Museum? The Strangest/Coolest/Most Memorable Museums I've Ever Visited

Let’s face facts: museums can be boring. Of the tens of thousands of museums the world over, they’re not all gonna be winners, okay? Somebody has to come in last; that’s just the reality. But we’re not here to talk about boring museums. No, no, no. We are here to talk about some of the most interesting museums I’ve stumbled upon in my travels over the years, the ones that burrowed their way into my brain and remained there long after I’d visited — and that I’d happily pay a return trip to.

General TravelLogan T. HansenFebruary 16, 2026travel, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel guide, travel advice, travel oddities, travel recommendations, travel reviews, travel blog, travel tips, travel ideas, travel itinerary, travel planning, travel diary, travel lists, travel bucket list, museum, history, Iceland, Sprinkle Pool, Magnificent Mile, Chicago, Candy Land, Lord Licorice, Gramma Nutt, Sprink-L Train, Las Vegas, Neon Boneyard, Neon Museum, Sin City, Windy City, Plaza Hotel & Casino, Fremont Street, Fremont Street Experience, Ernest Hemingway, Hemingway House, Key West, Florida, Florida Keys, French Colonial, Green Hills of Africa, For Whom the Bell Tolls, To Have and Have Not, Americana, Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum, Hemingway's cats, Michigan Central, Michigan Central Station, Diana Ross, Jack White, Big Sean, Eminem, Slim Shady, Detroit, Motor City, Motown, Michigan, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Michigan Central Railroad, Icelandic Phallological Museum, penis museum, phallology, Sigurður Hjartarson, Reykjavik, whaling station, architecture, Corktown, Las Vegas StripComment

7 Secrets to Pulling Off the Perfect Surprise Romantic Getaway

Surprises work best when they stir anticipation and wonder. A trip for your significant other carries that special edge — it isn’t just a vacation, it’s a carefully built memory in the making. The thrill begins long before you pack the bags, woven into the little details you plant along the way. But for it to work, you need more than spontaneity; you need intention. You want the experience to feel effortless, even though you’ve stitched it together in secret.

West Michigan Would Like to Welcome You to the Largest Outdoor Winter Festival in the U.S.

Wintertime can feel like a slog, especially once the holidays have come and gone. If you’re not much of a winter sports person, whether we’re talking skiing, snowboarding, ice fishing, or the like, it can be even more of a drag. That’s where winter festivals and carnivals come into play, injecting a bit of brightness into the cold, shortened days of the bitter season. As far as these frosty affairs go, it doesn’t get much bigger than the weeks-long World of Winter Festival held in West Michigan every January, February, and March.

MichiganLogan T. HansenDecember 29, 2025travel, travel guide, travel advice, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel ideas, travel itinerary, travel recommendations, travel tips, travel planning, winter travel, Michigan, Great Lakes State, Mitten State, Grand Rapids, West Michigan, World of Winter, Beer City, silent disco, scavenger hunt, Hungry Hungry Hippos, winter festival, winter carnival, Downtown Grand Rapids Inc, DGRI, ice carving, ice sculptures, Rosa Parks Circle, Ah-Nab-Awen Park, Sixth Street Park, Blue Bridge, Great Lakes Snow Snake Competition, Fire & Ice, Noodle Fest, Greater Grand Rapids Figure Skating Club, Winter's a DRAG!, AYA Youth Collective, RuPaul's Drag Race, RuPaul, Stella's Lounge, Butcher's Union, Grand Rapids Garage Bar & Grill, Garage Bar & Grill, Founders Brewing, New Holland Brewing, Atwater Brewery, All Day IPA, Dirty Bastard, Dragon's Milk, Tangerine Space Machine, Detroit, Midwest, winter activities, the great outdoors, winter getawayComment

U.S. Ghost Adventures' Best Haunted Cities to Visit Across the Country

Every city in the U.S., from your small towns to major metropolises, has haunted lore and urban legends that locals have shared for decades. It could be a historic hotel, an abandoned mansion, or an old asylum where patients weren’t treated with hospitable care. Any location where tragic events or horrific deaths took place will have a dark energy within it. And those are the ideal spots for ghosts and spirits to linger.

North AmericaU.S. Ghost AdventuresOctober 21, 2025travel, travel guide, travel advice, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel lists, travel recommendations, travel tips, travel ideas, travel itinerary, travel photography, travel facts, haunted, haunted America, best haunted cities, The Wren Building, U.S. Ghost Adventures, College of William & Mary, Virginia, Maryland, Louisiana, haunted cemetery, Pennsylvania, Gettysburg, Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln, Battle of Gettysburg, U.S. Civil War, Civil War, haunted hotel, haunted inn, Gettysburg National Cemetery, Battlements at Gettysburg National Military Park, Union Army, Gettysburg Cyclorama, ghost tour, haunted tour, Annapolis, Revolutionary War, The Maryland Inn, Thomas Hyde, State Circle, Congress of Confederation, The Bride, Room 405, Governor Calvert House, Historic Inns of Annapolis, Calvert, The Calvert Family, Peeping Tom, Williamsburg, Colonial Williamsburg, colonial era, east coast, Public Hospital, haunted asylum, electroshock therapy, New Orleans, Le Petit Theatre, La Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre, French Quarter, La Petit Theatre, St. Louis Cathedral, Jackson Square, Pere Antoine, ghost stories, ghost hunting, haunted travel, paranormal, paranormal activityComment

The Revived Ruin That Perfectly Showcases Detroit's Ongoing Renaissance

Corktown is one of Detroit’s most eclectic neighborhoods, brimming with breweries, eateries, bars, and all kinds of inviting little shops and boutiques — a quaint little city within the city, with downtown’s skyscrapers plainly in view off to the east. While there are all kinds of reasons for visiting this part of Detroit, the true pièce de résistance is the newly-revived Michigan Central Station.

MichiganLogan T. HansenSeptember 29, 2025travel, travel advice, travel guide, travel inspiration, travelspiration, Detroit, travel tips, travel reviews, travel recommendations, travel ideas, travel planning, Great Lakes State, Motor City, Motown, Corktown, Michigan, Michigan Central Station, Michigan Central, Henry Ford, William Clay Ford Jr., The Ford Motor Company, Mercury Burger & Bar, Downtown Detroit, Midtown, County Cork, Ireland, U.S. history, Michigan history, Ellis Island, Slows Bar-B-Q, Metropolis Cycles, Yard Graffiti Museum, Michigan Central Railroad, Amtrak, train travel, Bill Ford, Eminem, Diana Ross, Gateway to Detroit, Stanley Christmas, Great Recession, Jack White, Big Sean, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Peacock, Paul Rosenberg, Mitten State, Yellow Light Coffee and Donuts, Neighbor x Folk, The Shop, mobilityComment

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

All Beach Bums Report to Beverly Shores, The Lakefront Hideaway Tucked Inside a National Park

It feels wildly unlikely that I would ever come across a Lake Michigan beach that didn’t tickle my fancy, but the 4.5-mile stretch of sandy shoreline belonging to Beverly Shores, Indiana, is increasingly becoming one of my new favorites. The “town” of Beverly Shores, which is tucked between Gary and Michigan City and surrounded by Indiana Dunes National Park, isn’t much of a town at all — what you will find here on the underside of Lake Michigan is mostly a mix of beachfront, forest, marshland, and sand dunes. But, honestly, what more do you need?

North AmericaLogan T. HansenAugust 30, 2025travel, travel advice, travel guide, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel recommendations, travel reviews, travel tips, travel ideas, Indiana, Hoosier State, Lake Michigan, Great Lakes, Indiana Dunes National Park, Beverly Shores, beach, beach day, beach life, lake life, sand dunes, summer, summer travel, nature, the great outdoors, Mother Nature, outdoors, outdoor recreation, Michigan City, Gary, Northwest Indiana, Midwest, hidden gem, International Dark Sky Community, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, US Route 12, US-12, Beverly Shores Depot, Beverly Shores Depot Museum & Art Gallery, South Shore Line, Chicago, Chicagoland, South Bend, Insull Spanish, Insull Spanish architecture, architecture, Mission Revival, California, 19th century, Beverly Shores Heritage Trail, Wes Anderson, South Broadway, East Lake Front Drive, Century of Progress, Century of Progress Historic District, Century of Progress Homes, 1933 Chicago World's Fair, I Love Lucy, America's First Glass House, Cypress Log Cabin, Florida Tropical House, Armco-Ferro House, Rostone House, House of Tomorrow, Robert Bartlett, Frederick H. Bartlett Company, Atlantic City, Save the Dunes, Save the Dunes Council, Indiana Landmarks, National Register of Historic PlacesComment

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