Just Traveling Through - Kayla Ward

03/18/2024

Looking for some last minute spring break ideas?

I have some not too far from home and with reasonable prices!

Message me about:
- NC mountains (Boone, Blowing Rock, Asheville, etc.)
- NC beaches (Outer Banks, Wilmington, Emerald Isle, etc)
- Charleston, SC
- Charlottesville, VA
- Washington DC

I would love to help you find a trip for this spring!

12/18/2023

Jackson, Wyoming Trip Highlight
Day 2
March 2020

After a delicious breakfast at our hotel restaurant, we hopped on the town bus to head to the Visitor Center. Here we bought tickets for a sleigh ride into the National Elk Refuge and then hopped on another bus from there to the location of the sleigh rides.

This horse drawn sleigh ride was a highlight of our trip for sure. Being able to ride right up to the herd of these gorgeous elk was a great experience. And the Teton mountain range in the background was breathtaking 😍 I could have sat out there all day watching the elk. The sleigh rides are only offered from December to April, so that was one positive of going in March!

After that, we grabbed lunch at The Bunnery. Vegetable soup and a piece of pie made for the perfect lunch after the chilly sleigh ride. Then we explored the downtown shops in Jackson. My favorite shop was MADE, which had lots of great handmade gifts. They have a great variety of shops!

12/18/2023

Jackson, Wyoming Trip Highlight
Day 1
March 2020

I’m SO excited to highlight one of my favorite trips!

We flew into the quaint Jackson Hole airport, walking straight off of the plane into a winter wonderland! This airport tends to be a more expensive option, but it is definitely super convenient and worth the money. How many times do you get to land right in the middle of a national park?! This airport is actually located within Grand Teton National Park, so you get gorgeous views as you are landing.

We typically like to rent a car on our trips to explore on our own, but with the snow we decided to rely on Uber and public transportation. Us North Carolinians are not experts at driving in the snow, that’s for sure!

We got an Uber from the airport to our hotel, The Wyoming Inn. After being able to check in early, we grabbed a late lunch at Sidewinders American Grill for burgers and elk chili. I also made a grocery store run to Albertson’s right down the street to pick up some breakfast and lunch items that we could keep in the hotel room. (This is a good way to save a little money if you are relying on eating out during your trip.)

I loved our hotel! It was so cozy with the fireplace and window seat in our room. And since it was March, it wasn’t very busy at all. This is also how we got cheaper rates, since it wasn’t a popular time to be visiting Jackson. We had dinner at our hotel restaurant, The Whistling Grizzly, which was great. It is always a plus when your hotel has a great restaurant!

12/14/2023

What a view 😍

Now that’s a nice view to enjoy while having your dinner in the summer! Dornan’s is awesome: http://tinyurl.com/yk2zdmkp !!

We’ve got a very popular Dornan’s cam too: https://bit.ly/3wuMQ2O ! 🎥

12/11/2023

JAC is such a cool airport to fly into! It does tend to be pricier since it is a smaller airport, but it’s super convenient if taking a trip to Grand Teton or Yellowstone!

12/10/2023

New York City during Christmas time is so magical!

I was there around this time five years ago and got to check out the Bryant Park and Union Square Holiday Markets. It was so cool seeing all of the different vendors and getting delicious holiday snacks. Bryant Park even has an ice skating rink!

I also love eating Italian food, so Eataly and Carmine’s were my favorites during that trip!

What are your favorite things to do in NYC?

12/06/2023

“A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices”

Christmas Town at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA 🎄

12/05/2023

Colorado Trip Highlight - Day 3
Denver, CO
February 2022

On our 3rd day, we ventured out to explore Denver. We hopped on the bus and rode it to Union Square to grab some breakfast. The place we planned to eat at was closed, but the Mercantile Dining and Provision was yummy! We also grabbed coffee at Little Owl Coffee that morning.

We walked along checking out shops. I found a bookstore, of course, called Tattered Cover. The layout of the bookstore was pretty cool and of course I had to buy at least one book 🤪

Next was Larimer Square for more shopping and lunch. Osteria Marco was amazing and I think about that place quite often. We split the Margherita pizza, which was delicious. Our waiter was super nice and helpful explaining different items on the menu. It was the perfect lunch for this cold day! Some of my favorite shops were Milly Rose Designs and Hailee Grace boutique.

After shopping we went back to our hotel. I napped, since I was pregnant 😂 so I could survive our evening plans.

We caught an Uber to MeowWolf museum, which was by far the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. It is an immersive art exhibit, but after about an hour my anxiety couldn’t handle it much longer and I was way overstimulated. It has great reviews and it was busy there, but it just wasn’t for me! After that, we got dinner at an Italian restaurant that was pretty good, but I personally enjoyed our lunch at Osteria Marco earlier in the day.

There were so many things we didn’t get a chance to see in the city, but what we did do was fun!

12/03/2023

Colorado Trip Highlight - Day 2
Denver, CO
February 2022

We woke up to a winter wonderland on our second day! It was zero degrees outside and it said it felt like -15, but we decided to trek out in the snow that morning and found a cute coffee shop not far from our hotel called Novo Coffee.

Once back at our hotel, we decided to stick with some of our original plans, despite the snow, and ventured out on our rental car to Red Rocks Amphitheatre. This is such a beautiful spot located about 30 minutes outside of Denver. We obviously didn’t do much because of the snow, but it was still gorgeous to see. There are multiple hiking trails around the amphitheatre and they host concerts during the summer! Oh how I would love to go back and see a show there 😍

After leaving Red Rocks, we drove up to Boulder, which is a cute town about 40 minutes from Denver! We checked out some shops on Pearl Street and at 29th St Mall. Then we grabbed a healthy lunch at Modern Market. Next time, I would love to stay over night in Boulder. I just loved the atmosphere there! They are known for their great restaurants, so I would love to check out more places! The Flatirons are also right outside of Boulder, where there are multiple hiking trails!

I decided to turn in the rental car after leaving Boulder, since it was still snowing and we would be staying in Denver the rest of the time. Our Uber driver on the way back to our hotel talked nonstop, but we got a ton of great recommendations for things to do in Denver. We had dinner at Bubba Gump’s that night since it was right across the street from our hotel.

We did not anticipate the snowy weather, but we made the best out of it! Shout out to Ashley for being a good sport and dealing with my pregnancy hormones, since I was in my first trimester of pregnancy 😅, because the cold weather definitely started getting to me.

12/03/2023

Colorado Trip Highlight - Day 1 (Part 2)
Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, CO

After we finished our train ride, we headed back up towards Denver and stopped in Colorado Springs.

Garden of the Gods is a free park with stunning red rock formations. It contains a loop road that wraps around the entire park with multiple areas to stop and park. You can also walk along one of the many trails that weave in between the red rock formations. They also have a great visitor center, although it was closed for renovations this time when we were there.

The temperature dropped considerably while we were there at the park, but it was still a great time! After we left, we grabbed dinner at Fuzzy's Tacos before heading back to our hotel in Denver before the snowstorm rolled in!

Other things to see and do in Colorado Springs:
- Pike's Peak
- Manitou Incline
- Seven Falls

12/02/2023

Colorado Trip Highlight - Royal Gorge Route Railroad in Canon City, CO

The Royal Gorge Railroad was the first activity on our itinerary for our Colorado trip back in February 2022, and it did not disappoint! After we picked up our rental car at the airport, we headed to the small town of Canon City, which was about 2.5 hours south of Denver. It was a beautiful and easy drive!

We got to the train station a little early, so we checked out the cafe on site called Happy Endings Caboose Cafe and ordered some delicious coffee drinks. They also have a great gift shop inside the train station as well.

Once we boarded the train, we were able to order food and drinks while the train took off along our route. It was sooo relaxing being able to eat and drink with the views of the Colorado mountains right outside of our window! Once we finished our food, we went to the open-air rail car to take in all of the scenery. It was breathtaking being able to ride right alongside of the river with snow scattered along the mountains on either side. The duration of the train ride lasted almost two hours, which was the perfect amount of time in my opinion.

We also got to see the Royal Gorge Bridge from the train, which was pretty amazing. The Royal Gorge Bridge is another activity that can be done in this area as well, it is about 20 minutes from the train station. The Royal Gorge Bridge offers a zipline, skycoaster, aerial gondola rides, and the opportunity to take in views from the bridge that is suspended 956 feet above the Arkansas River. We did not do this on our trip but I definitely would have it on my itinerary if I went back!

Once we finished with our train ride, we headed back towards Denver and made a pit-stop in Colorado Springs.

Stay tuned for the next Colorado highlight so you can follow along with how our trip went and how we planned it all.

11/29/2023

SPECIAL OFFER on Travel Deal Tuesday!

*** The first person to book a NYC Weekend trip through me will receive a $100 Visa gift card ***

Multiple NYC hotels ranging from 30-50% off for March 1-4, 2024. This is a great deal right now and I want to help someone take advantage of it!

If you book through me, it will include:
- planning/booking any flights, hotels, and transportation
- a customized itinerary/travel guide that would include recommended restaurants, shopping, activities, and general tips for traveling
- a $100 Visa gift card for your trip

(If these dates don't fit your schedule, but you are still interested in an NYC weekend getaway, please message me and I can help you find the best deal!)