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  1. paras

    which camera did you use in Iceland? and which camera accessories for video and audio. Thanks

  2. KRIS WHITTED

    I love your blog and all of the great info. My daughter (12) wants us to do a mother/daughter trip to Iceland. My daughter is an acrobat, very athletic and mature for her age. I saw your post about the van camping in Iceland. Do you think this is something that I could do with my daughter and maybe bring my 65 y/o mom? Or should we just do a guided tour? Not sure how safe Iceland is and would be for three blondes (one being 12) traveling alone.

    • The Blonde Abroad

      Hi Kris! That sounds like an AMAZING trip and I would love to take my mom on it. I would say it partly depends on what time of the year you’re thinking about going and what the weather will be like. Are you familiar with driving in icy conditions? (I only ask as being from Southern California, I definitely didn’t grow up with that!)

      I think as long as you map out your course and take your time, you could do a van camping trip with your daughter + mom. However, if you’re concerned—it might be better for peace of mind to go with a guide. It’s truly up to you. In terms of safety, Iceland for me feels VERY safe. I hope that helps! 🙂

      • Kris

        HA HA We live in Texas so no icy roads here. We are thinking more around July/August. With that said….Just in case, can you recommend a reputable tour guide company?

        • The Blonde Abroad

          Hi Kris! Having not used a tour guide company, I can’t make a personal recommendation. But I’d check reviews and comments on something like TripAdvisor to get a better idea about the company and how they operate! 🙂

Instagram

What if you could travel the world… without paying for accommodation? Sounds too good to be true, right?
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Here’s the secret—@homeexchangecom. It’s a social network where you swap homes with fellow travelers, whether it’s an apartment or a house.

While we stayed in a gorgeous, centrally located apartment in Manhattan to celebrate the holiday season, our guests enjoyed a sunny winter in Southern California while staying in our cozy home. It’s a win-win!

No expensive hotel stays, no home sitters needed. Home exchange saves you thousands by giving you a free place to stay in someone else’s home.

You can filter your search for homes with a pool or something pet-friendly or kid-friendly to find your perfect home away from home.

We left a little welcome basket and some local travel tips for our guests to make it extra special for them.

So whether it’s a modern apartment in the city or a beach house getaway, this travel hack can make your dream vacation a reality.
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Bonus: When you sign up using the link in my bio, you’ll get free GuestPoints! These let you experience the magic of HomeExchange as a guest first—even before you host anyone in your home.
A fairytale stay 🏰 
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I highly recommend staying a night or 2 at @themanor_house in The Cotswolds.

It’s located in the tiny, picturesque village of Castle Combe—one of my favorite stops of our trip.

We had the entire village to ourselves early in the morning and at sunset which was so magical!
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#themanorhouse #cotswolds #castlecombe
I can confirm—The Cotswolds are a dream! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🍂
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I took a spontaneous trip with my friend to the countryside of England and it was everything I dreamed it would be!

The Cotswolds feel like stepping back in time with historic villages and adorable cottages). While these places might seem similar at first glance, each village was actually quite unique. These are some of the cutest villages we visited:

- Castle Combe
- Bourton-on-the-Water 
- The Slaughters
- Stow-on-the-Wold
- Broadway
- Snowshill
- Bibury

Some amazing villages and towns not featured but also worth visiting include:

- Broadway
- Burford
- Daylesford & Daylesford Farms
- Chipping Campden
- Cirencester

Are The Cotsworlds on your bucket list?
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#cotswolds #england #uk
The most luxurious family-friendly stay at Four Seasons Boston @fsboston 🏢
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If you’ve been following along, you know we recently took a trip through New England for leaf-peeing and sightseeing amidst the crisp, Autumn foliage.

We concluded our 10-day roadtrip at the amazing Four Seasons property in the historic city of Boston, Massachusetts.

Four Seasons is known for their luxury and incredible service, but they really kick things up a notch for families here:

🧸 The Mystery Toy Closet: As part of the VIK experience (aka Very Important Kid Experience), guests are given a large golden key that grants access to an AMAZING toy closet behind the front desk. Filled with trinkets like rubber ducks, slinkys, coloring books, and–Ollie’s favorite–wiggly frogs, this was SUCH an amazing and one-of-a-kind treat to experience.

🍭 The Vault: One of the newer features to the Four Seasons Boston: a small room on each guest floor filled with complimentary snacks, candy, and beverages to grab-and-go!

🛎️ Amenities: Once again, Four Seasons has outdone itself with its amazing service. This city retreat offers a complimentary coffee bar for guests (and hot chocolate for the little ones), 24-hour gym, a pool with a fantastic view, a world-class spa, and even a morning run club to get your Boston marathon fix in!

🦞 The Food: Whether it’s in-room dining you’re after, quaint tea service in-between sight-seeing, or you want to experience New England’s famous seafood, Four Seasons treats your tastebuds with exquisite table-side service at their restaurant, Coterie.

This was truly such a luxurious end to our trip, I wish we could have extended it just so we could enjoy more time at this fantastic property.

A huge thank you to @fsboston for hosting us on our dream trip to New England and concluding our stay with memories that will last a LIFETIME!
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#fourseasons #boston #familytravel #newengland
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