Browsed by
Tag: travel

5 Free Things to do in Savannah

5 Free Things to do in Savannah

Savannah, Georgia has interested us for a while. While we didn’t see anyone walking invisible dogs or getting sucked into a murder mystery, we had a great time. There are many activities in Savannah you’ll most likely spend money on: pubs, restaurants, and parking (you will definitely be spending money on parking). However, there are always things to do and see without a price tag. When traveling on a budget taking advantage of these free activities is a must. This…

Read More Read More

Our First Hostel and Talking to Strangers

Our First Hostel and Talking to Strangers

In New Orleans we stayed at our first hostel. Not first hostel of the trip. First hostel ever. In the past our lodging has been mostly a mix of camping, hotels, and Airbnb. Honestly, as far as US travel goes, we’d never really considered a hostel before. They were just rather off our radar. Turns out that most substantially sized US cities have at least a few different hostel options. We plan to primarily stay in hostels next year during…

Read More Read More

The Bright Lights of Congaree National Park

The Bright Lights of Congaree National Park

Congaree National Park is a swamp, and it is awesome! Well, not exactly, technically it is a floodplain forest. But it really is awesome! The second National Park on the southern circuit of When You Wander may not be a swamp, but has some swamp-like qualities. When you think of a swamp you may think of mud, frogs, snakes, mosquitoes, and other nasty things. And you’d be right! Congaree National Park has all these. However, within its 26,276 acres Congaree…

Read More Read More

7 Tips for Traveling in Bad Weather

7 Tips for Traveling in Bad Weather

Bad weather can often turn your travel plans upside down. We’ve had our share of weather related delays and disruptions during our wanderings thus far so we thought this would be a perfect time to share a “travel tips” post. Here are a few of the things we’ve learned along the way to help make the best of bad weather, stay safe in severe weather, and enjoy your travels and adventures rain or shine. 1. Respect the local weather We’ve been known…

Read More Read More

Swamps, Good Eats, and Music in New Orleans

Swamps, Good Eats, and Music in New Orleans

Our first priority upon arriving in New Orleans was of the personal hygiene variety. We’d been camping without showers for about 5 days and I’ll just say it was time to clean up our act. After moving in to the India House Hostel—our home away from Stan for the week—and some deep scrubbing, we set out to explore the city and start getting our bearings. Typically our first order of business when we get to a new city or camp…

Read More Read More

Ghost Towns, Critters and Free Camping in Mississippi

Ghost Towns, Critters and Free Camping in Mississippi

Finding a great campground to split up a long drive can be a relaxing and cheap way to get some rest and see a bit of local nature and history. Between Hot Springs, Arkansas and New Orleans we were looking for such a stop and freecampsites.net pulled through again with another great free camping spot. We made the Rocky Springs Campground on the Old Natchez Trace in Mississippi home for the night. One of three “primitive” campgrounds on the Natchez Trace…

Read More Read More

First National Park of the Road Trip : Hot Springs, Arkansas

First National Park of the Road Trip : Hot Springs, Arkansas

Our time in Hot Springs, Arkansas began like much of the trip thus far. Torrential rains, black skies, angry clouds, and flash flood warnings. I won’t go into too much detail for fear this blog is starting to sound more like a weather report than a travel story, but it is rather unnerving to have your phone blaring emergency alerts at you every few hours. We were able to snag one of the last four sites available at Gulpha Gorge,…

Read More Read More

Floods, Family, and Fossils in Arkansas

Floods, Family, and Fossils in Arkansas

By the time we arrived at my uncle and aunt’s house in Arkansas the skies had cleared to a very welcome blue. The hot sunshine and cool sharp wind made it hard to decide between shorts or puffy coats. Stan had acquired a funky odor so we opened all the doors in an attempt to dry him out while we caught up with the fam. My uncle suggested that we go to Roaring River State Park. This is where we had…

Read More Read More

Making the Best of Bad Weather

Making the Best of Bad Weather

When You Wander weather is a factor that you cannot control. You can however, make the best of it. After leaving the Mark Twain National Forest our planned destination was Roaring River State Park in Southern Missouri. If you’re a nomad or just traveling through the Midwest and don’t want to break the bank on lodging, Missouri state parks start at $13 for tent sites—a steal compared to many RV and private campgrounds. Roaring River is located about 15 minutes…

Read More Read More

Free Camping Adventures in the Mark Twain National Forest

Free Camping Adventures in the Mark Twain National Forest

This post about our camping adventure in the Mark Twain National Forest contains a little something for everyone: a helicopter, the 8 Preachers of Berryman Trail, foraging for food, sheriff’s deputies, local trackers, ax restoration, and lost hikers. No, this isn’t a plot line for a Walt Longmire Mystery. It’s just another day When You Wander with Tom and Liana. Mark Twain National Forest After leaving a rainy Hannibal, Missouri, we headed further south past St. Louis to the Mark Twain…

Read More Read More