Travel Tips & Trends

Holiday Gift Guide from Northwest TripFinder

In between the recent torrential rain and fierce gusts of wind in the Pacific Northwest, we might find a few moments to do a little holiday baking or crafting. Or we might choose to relish these short, dark days in a different way, with family or a book by a warm fire. But one thing […]

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NEWS: Small Town Escapes, Digging for Dinner and More

I quit my job. Really. Yes, in this economy. No, I’m not crazy. Well, yeah, sure, I am a little. But I’m not that crazy. After nine awesome, incredible years as the communications director for Washington Trails Association, I decided it was time for a change. You can read about it here if you want to. It’s […]

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NEWS: Free National Parks, Great Small Towns

Ah, spring. You are here. Which means I should be planning our summer travel now. Despite the uber-organized facade I present (ha ha), I am not much of an advanced planner. And every summer, it gets us stuck. Once, it was three hours of scouring campgrounds from Leavenworth to North Bend for an empty campsite […]

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NEWS: Rustic Retreats, Goodbye La Nina, Your Questions

If ever there were a season to fall in love with the Pacific Northwest, it would be springtime. Particularly springtime at the end of two long years of La Nina. 1. Goodbye, La Nina. The celebratory weather news of the week comes from atmospheric sciences professor Cliff Mass, who has us dancing in the sunny […]

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NEWS: Wine and Food Events Galore!

If you like wine and you like chocolate, well then this is truly your month. 1. The Olympic Peninsula Red Wine and Chocolate Tour is underway, and this coming weekend is your chance to get in on the tasting. The remaining days of the tour are  Feb. 18-20 (Presidents’ Day Weekend) from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. And […]

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Got a Payroll Tax Cut? Take a Local Trip.

While Congress squabbles over the merits and pitfalls of extending the middle-class payroll tax cut worth about $1000 per family for another year, I am already spending mine. In my head, anyway. One thousand dollars will buy us a couple of nice local family getaways next year, and help stimulate the local tourism economy in the […]

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Win a Tour of Mt. Rainier Glaciers and Waterfalls

Can travel change the world? I know travel has changed my world. And now there’s a way for travelers to give back. Passports With Purpose is a fundraiser put together by some pretty compassionate travel bloggers. In 2009, Passports with Purpose raised about $30,000 and built a school in Cambodia. Last year, the effort built […]

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NEWS: Washington Coast Getaway, Haunted Hikes

Are we there yet?   We’ve just begun planning our annual fall roadtrip, which we do the week of Thanksgiving. The impending wrath of another La Nina has got us feeling less than ambitious, though. Our old rear-wheel Volvo wagon is our only set of wheels. About once a month, my Mom emails me a […]

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NEWS: Fall Hikes, Rainy Rainforest

Psst…. get our premier guide to fall travel – Autumn Escapes in the Pacific Northwest. Get inspired to spend your fall weekends combing rocky beaches, savoring the harvest, and hiking scenic mountain trails of Washington and Oregon. Get it here. Are your vine maple leaves turning color yet? My calendar says that tomorrow is October 1. Autumn will […]

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NEWS: Cascadia Hot Springs, New Ferry to Port Townsend

Labor Day weekend is the last hurrah of vacation travel for some, but not for me. I spent most of my summer weekends closer to home in Seattle this year–in my garden, on hiking trails in nearby parks, or on day trips to nearby small towns. Now, I’m ready to get out a little further […]

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