How to plan a delightfully romantic honeymoon

The coming of spring is pretty well celebrated in our family, and I suspect in many households across the world. We’re ready to throw open the windows, pack away the skis and snowshoes, and enjoy some fresh mountain air. We’ve got to make it through April in Vermont of course, which is pretty fickle, but we’re well on our way to blue skies, tank tops, bug spray, and wildflowers. Wildflower hikes might just be my favorite way to enjoy spring — they’re usually more like meanders and often include a picnic blanket, field guide, and a camera. With the memory of winter still hanging in the air, a field full of wildflowers takes on a near-mystical quality.  Are you ready to dust off your hiking boots and find the colors of spring? These are some of the best wildflower hikes in the lower 48. Blue Lake Trail, Brainard Lake Recreation Area: Ward, Colorado A field of wildflowers in Colorado. Photo credit: Shannon Dizmang Length: 5.1 miles round trip Diffic...

Today Back Road Ramblers is welcoming guest author Betsy Luce from Sugarbush Maple and Cheese Farm in Woodstock, Vermont. Betsy is sharing a bit about her hometown as well as information about her family farm, which is located at the end of a winding dirt road in Woodstock. Betsy and her husband, Larry,  welcome visitors to the farm throughout the year. Thanks so much for sharing your farm and town with us, Betsy! What’s so special about Woodstock, Vermont? Taftsville Covered Bridge / photo credit: Betsy Luce The town of Woodstock has been selected as one of the most beautiful towns in America by Conde Nasté Traveler . The village and surrounding hills and farmland have most everything a visitor could wish for including skiing, hiking and miles of back roads with beautiful farm land and lovely country homes. You’ll find covered bridges, unique shopping, the world-famous Billings Farm and Museum, Marsh Billings Rockefeller National Park, and our farm, Sugarbush...

Since the smartphone revolution, just about everyone has become a photographer. Phone photography, along with Instagram, has inspired millions to delve a little deeper into the creative art of making pictures. But what happens when you want to take your craft a little further? Some people are more than happy to continue snapping shots with their phones, which is totally fine. But for those of you who want to take the plunge and invest in some better equipment, I’ve got a few tips to share. The biggest obstacle to learning and growing as a photographer is cost. Photography is an expensive hobby, even for beginners, and it’s not uncommon for photographers to drop hundreds or even thousands of dollars on their very first DSLR and lens. Yikes! I’m definitely what you’d call a budget photographer. I got my first point and shoot in 2010, and I’ve been upgrading VERY slowly since then. I LOVE taking pictures, but I still can’t justify investing huge sums a...

Sometimes in life you’ve just gotta go for it. Recently on our visit to the Amalfi Coast I decided to face my fear of giving up control of my fate to another, by renting a vespa and hitting the open road in Italy! The Amalfi Coast is without a doubt the most stunning area I have visited in Italy (having previously visited Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Pisa, Verona, Lake Como and a few others) and for sure this is the best way to see the coast. So here’s what happened when we rented a vespa to explore the Amafi Coast! The Itinerary: Renting a Vespa to explore Amalfi For this trip I partnered up with Southern Cross Travel Insurance to share with readers my experience with trying new things abroad. I’m a huge advocate of travel insurance and have never travelled without it myself, proving to be a good move on a number of occasions where I have been left with huge hospital bills from falling ill or injured overseas… as well as a few flight cancellations to throw i...

Walking the Three Capes Track in Tasmania is about as special as coastal walks come. Having walked a few tracks in the past couple of years ( The Overland Track being another Tasmanian walk I’ve thoroughly enjoyed), i can decidedly say that this track is a great walk for beginners looking to commence their wilderness journey in Tasmania. If you do make your way down to Tassie to enjoy the walk, be sure to allow for a few days at the beginning of your walk to explore the South, followed by a few days following the walk to explore the East Coast en route to Launceston… and before you know it, you’ve seen much of what Tassie has to offer! Know Before you Go: Lets start with the basics: the Three Capes Track is a 4 day/3 nights hike in the South of Tasmania, totalling 46 kilometres in length. The walk is graded “Easy-moderate” which at first seems a little too generous, however on day four you soon realise why the walk was graded that little bit harder than...