Holiday Gift Guide: 25 Genius Gift Ideas for the Jetsetter

Whether the traveler on your holiday shopping list travels nationally or abroad, and whether it be for work or fun (or both!), these gift ideas will help them travel in comfort and in style. From the essentials to things that make travel easier and more enjoyable from the second they step on an airplane, there's something here for every wanderluster on your list - and fair warning, you'll want to buy at least a few of these for yourself, too!

Travel Guide to Taormina + Messina, Sicily

This summer I went to my favorite place in the entire world - Italy. I put together a travel guide to Sorrento, a guide for the Amalfi Coast and some international travel packing tips that definitely saved me a few hundred dollars at TSA! I've said it before and I'll say it again and again; Italy is THE most breathtaking country and there's *so* much to see which is why it's completely necessary to take multiple trips. ;) That, and because the food alone will bring you back time and time again!
Out of all of my trips to Italy, this summer was the first time I went to Sicily. It was incredibly beautiful and to my surprise, much different than I had ever pictured it to be.

Italian Gem: The Amalfi Coast

This summer I got to travel to Italy after a few years too long after being there last. All of the touristy spots and museums, paintings and churches in Northern and Central Italy provide an amazing experience - Rome, Venice, Milan, Pisa, etc. - but one thing I hadn't done before is see the majority of the Amalfi Coast... And let me freakin' tell you guys, it's breathtaking. And now every time I go, I will most definitely be making it a priority to drive the coast line. There's a ton of places to start and ways to go, and driving the Amalfi Coast is a bit time consuming - but it's the best 2-3 hours you'll ever drive! With every look-out spot and every small fruit stand you pass along the way comes a new endless view pure beauty. Every time I'm asked where to go in Italy, the Amalfi Coast will be my answer!

Must See Spots in 48 Hours in Sorrento, Italy

Ciao d’Italia - hello from Italy! The past few days have been crazy; I landed around 11 PM (EST) which is 5 AM in Italy on Wednesday and I feel like I haven’t stopped since! I flew into Naples and have been exploring the stunning Amalfi Coast ever since. Picking a hotel in a foreign country really can be difficult; especially if you haven’t been to it before, but I’m so lucky with the one we picked and you’ll see why in some of these pictures… Literally jaw dropping and breath taking! Any way, since I’ve done so much in the past two days here, I wanted to share some of the best tips for traveling around Amalfi in a short period of time. As you may have heard me mention before, we have a family home in Southern Italy that’s been in my family for hundreds (yes, hundreds…) of years. Pretty awesome to get to say, and it’s pretty awesome to have! It’s old but beautiful and in good condition - although I would LOVE to have the Property Brothers do a European spin-off and renovate the entire thing! ; ) Can you imagine?!
I’ve already almost filled up an entire 16 GB memory card of pictures on my camera in the matter of two days, that’s how beautiful this place is! There’s something about the Italian lifestyle that is just SO insanely relaxing and let me tell you - SO different than in the United States. The majority of the roads are steep, narrow and windy and no matter how much traffic there is, you can guarantee that there will be dozens of vespa’s beeping their way in between traffic! It’s sort of insane, but it’s awesome to see and experience such a different culture/atmosphere.
Even though there’s more to do along the Amalfi Coast than you could ever do at once, Sorrento is definitely one of the most beautiful spots in my opinion and I just can’t stop staring at the views! In fact, I’m sitting on an ocean-view terrace as I write… I mean!!! The other awesome part of the Amalfi and Italy in general is that you really can easily dedicate one day to each place and be perfect with it; there's so much to see but there are so many spots to visit too, so fitting a lot in is easier than you'd expect. Before I ramble any more, I’ll dive into my travel experience and tips for seeing as much of Sorrento as possible:

Packing Tips for International Travel

In just about 24 hours, I'm heading to Italy! I am so excited, I haven't been there in a few years and I cannot wait to see family and literally just travel. The last time I went, I think I was about 14 and I know that I'll experience things so much differently this time. I'm beyond excited, but definitely not that excited to pack... And yes, I still haven't packed, eek!! As organized as I like to think I am, I'm one of the biggest procrastinators ever and it never works in my favor, like ever. #realtalk - but on a positive note, I do have some tips on how to pack quickly, easily and without forgetting anything. International travel is a LOT different than domestic travel and so is packing. Between airport rules; weight of baggage, limitations, etc., it's difficult to know what to do and what to pack. I find it difficult to remember what I can bring in my carry-on specifically, and because of limitations I've come up with what I *hope* to be a helpful cheat sheet for packing for international travel:

7 Stunning, Must Visit Italian Beaches

You may or may not know by now that Italy is one of my favorite places in the entire world - my family is from Italy, I have family who still live there and if I can get there for a trip, you better believe I'll be on the first plane available! The lifestyle is incredible and the way that Italians live their lives is ideal. I love everything about the beautiful country that is Italy and with so many tourist attractions to see, history to learn about and amazing locations to share; Italian beaches are what you may not hear as much about. There's the touristy spots of Capri and even near Rome in and near Ostia, but beyond there - there's SO much more. I love tourist spots just as much as the next travel bug, but I love visiting places that aren't so crowded too, or spots that you wouldn't commonly think of visiting or come across. Here are the 7 most stunning beaches to plan on visiting on your Italian trip: