About Northwest TripFinder
Whether you’re looking to plan a last-minute romantic getaway or a low-fi camping trip, you’ve come to the right place.
WHAT:
Northwest Tripfinder brings you fresh inspiration and useful advice for planning your independent travel in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. We love sharing the hidden wonders of local places and inspiring local getaways that are fun and yes, affordable!
Ok, WHY?
When you live in the Pacific Northwest or British Columbia, you don’t need to leave the region to take a vacation; there are a lifetime of wonderful things to do and see right here. That’s why every weekend, hundreds of thousands of Pacific Northwesterners travel locally. They visit the wine regions and fossil beds of Oregon, hike and bike in the Cascades of Washington, and ski and kayak in British Columbia.
Local travel is the backbone of our tourism economy, and tourism is one of our region’s biggest economic engines. One of the reasons we started Northwest Tripfinder was because we are passionate about supporting local, sustainable tourism. We get excited about helping people discover the special places to experience right in their backyards – from the most hospitable bed and breakfasts to the coolest small town festivals. And we really, really like this place, a lot, and want to see our region’s economy thrive in a way that is sustainable, and protects our natural areas and cultures.
Who ARE you guys?
Our names are Lauren and Brian. We’re both midwestern transplants to the Pacific Northwest, and live and work in Seattle. By day, we work for non-profits trying to save things– Lauren saves hiking trails at Washington Trails Association and Brian saves lives at Puget Sound Blood Center. We also save all of our extra cash so that on weekends, we can travel. With the exception of an occasional trip to Oaxaca, Mexico (see Brian’s photo, at right), our travel is local. After more than a decade living and traveling here, we’re still in awe of the natural beauty and fantastic destinations that surround us.
We started blogging about our local travels at Northwest Cheapsleeps in 2007. Lauren does the writing and Brian does the driving. We share duties with the camera and the kid, now age 3. Over the years, we’ve added Trip Guides to our blog, then Trip Reports, and then sponsored listings from great, independent lodgings to help us pay our website bills. Our little blog soon outgrew its name and original scope, and in July of 2011, we re-launched as Northwest TripFinder with plenty of new features, interactive maps and more. Lauren designed the new website, and Brian implemented the new map-based navigation and content discovery. We’re pretty psyched about it, and hope you like it too.
So, what will I find here, anyway?
You’ll find inspiration for where to go. All of our content is organized and discoverable by geographic region. Each region has its own page, dynamic map, and related content on what to do, where to stay, where to eat and more.
To access the many regions throughout the Pacific Northwest, first go to the state pages – either Oregon, Washington or British Columbia. Each state page has a clickable map that’ll get you to any of that state’s regions.
Say you live in Seattle and want a quick weekend getaway. Start with some of the regions surrounding Seattle, like Whidbey and Camano Islands, or the Kitsap Peninsula. Start exploring the region’s interactive map. You’ll find Trip Reports for inspiration. Some of our favorite bloggers have hand-picked their top recommendations for attractions, restaurants and hotels. And Northwest Tripfinder sponsors offer more suggestions on places to stay and things to do – many offering specials deals and discounts found only on this website. Don’t miss all the great related content for each region over in the sidebar.
Northwest TripFinder is home to three blogs, too. Our budget travel blog is Northwest Cheapsleeps, which has helped thousands of local residents plan affordable getaways. Check here for budget travel news, links to great media with travel features, trip ideas and more. Tasting Cascadia is a blog about food, wine, restaurants, markets, foraging and just generally enjoying the wonderful bounty of our great Pacific Northwest states and British Columbia. Check out Mossy Boots for outdoor recreation, gear news, camping, and more about life outside in the Northwest.
Happy local travels, and we hope you enjoy our website!
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