Arizona Travel Ideas

Arizona Travel Ideas Arizona travel inspiration for locals and visitors. Exploring things to do all over Arizona (and beyond) from the eyes of a 3rd generation Arizonan.
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09/04/2026

Not gonna lie. I’ve said “It’s SO nice out” A LOT this week.

I personally stay home on holiday weekends because I have a more flexible schedule but not even mad about it with this forecast 😎

What are you up to in Arizona this weekend?

08/27/2026

We loved Alaska. But I think this trip taught us something about how we like to travel.

The things cruising makes incredibly easy are apparently some of the things we enjoy & missed the most. 🤷‍♀️

We like driving (or even flying). Figuring out the route. Driving farther than we planned. Pulling over because something looks interesting. Finding our own hikes. Eating at local restaurants. Changing the plan because we found somewhere we want to stay longer.

On a cruise, so much of that is handled for you. You unpack once, wake up somewhere new, step off the ship and can have some pretty incredible experiences without figuring out all of the logistics yourself.

And I think that’s why an Alaska cruise can be SO good for the right travelers.

Someone recently told me how blown away they were by a little trail they could walk to right from an Alaska cruise port like moss-covered trees, a creek, beautiful forest views. And I get it. We’ve hiked through similar landscapes in Arizona’s White Mountains, but they’re certainly not as easy as stepping off a ship and walking over to them.

I think your normal travel style and the places you’ve already experienced probably have a lot to do with how an Alaska cruise feels to you.

For us, the crowds, touristy ports, limited time in each place and food options/quality (especially traveling gluten-free) made us realize that we missed having the freedom to explore on our own.

I don’t think the takeaway is that Alaska cruises aren’t worth it. We saw some incredible places and I’m really glad we experienced it. And the BEST part was doing it with family. Plus, getting to these places is NOT as easy as renting a car (though there are other ways to get there than a giant ship).

I just think we learned that we don’t want to be picked up and delivered to the destination.

We like the adventure, the experiences and the time spent getting there.

And I guess that’s a much bigger part of travel for us than we realized.

Anyone else?

08/23/2026

What are your thoughts on cruising? Have you been? Do you like it, love it, favorite cruise line?

Just got back from Alaska & already missing my balcony but I do have some thoughts on cruise travel & I’d love to hear some other perspectives before sharing my own!

08/19/2026

Not in Arizona anymore 😲

The one thing I was hoping to see in Alaska was a brown bear catching salmon & I got my wish while we were also fishing!

Make sure to watch at :44

08/04/2026

Is driving in Scotland really as hard as everyone says?

Before our trip, I kept hearing that driving in Scotland would be the most intimidating part but the reasons why didn’t always make sense.

For us, it wasn’t the narrow roads or even driving on the left side of the road. The biggest adjustment was sitting on the opposite side of the car because it completely changed my sense of where the car was on the road for the first hour or so.

We rented an automatic to make the transition easier, took our time, used the passing places on single-track roads, and after an hour or so finally got the hang of it.

Fun fact: Jared actually helped teach me to drive back in Arizona after we met when I was 14, so it felt a somewhat full-circle having him coach me through driving on the opposite side of the road all these years later 😆

If you’re planning a Scotland road trip and wondering whether you should rent a car, I’d absolutely say yes. Having the freedom to explore the Highlands, stop whenever we wanted, and take the scenic routes ended up being one of the best parts of our entire trip.

If driving on the left is the only thing holding you back, don’t let it.

Have you ever driven on the opposite side of the road? How did it go?

08/03/2026

Here’s how we spent one day in Edinburgh as first-time visitors to Scotland 🇬🇧

If you’re planning your first Scotland itinerary or only have one day in Edinburgh, here’s everything we fit into our day.

• Breakfast at (one thing we learned quickly: dining is generally much slower than we’re used to in the U.S., and you’ll usually need to ask for your check when you’re ready to leave!)

• Walked through Victoria Street, known for its colorful shopfronts, cobblestone streets, and upper walkway. It’s also said to have inspired Diagon Alley in Harry Potter.

• Explored Greyfriars Kirkyard, one of the world’s most famous historic cemeteries.

• Had one of my favorite lunches of the trip at

• Visited (book your tickets ahead of time & expect it to be busy)

• Took the guided tour and tasting at **kyexp. Buying tickets online ahead of time made the visit easy, and we loved seeing one of the world’s largest collections of Scotch wh**ky.

• Grabbed a coffee and wandered through Dean Village.

• Ended the afternoon with Cuban ci**rs, live music, a drink, and one of the best scallop appetizers of the trip at

• Finished the day with gluten-free fish and chips at

Edinburgh completely exceeded my expectations. It’s incredibly walkable, packed with history, every street seems to have something worth stopping for & I cannot wait to go back because I have so much more saved on my Google Maps to explore!

Save this for your Scotland trip, and follow along as we begin our road trip!



07/31/2026

Scotland travel day + a few things that made getting there a little easier!

I flew from Phoenix to Edinburgh on , but instead of automatically looking for a route heading east from PHX, I checked a few different options and ended up flying PHX → LAX → London Heathrow → Edinburgh.

It sounds a little strange, but the LAX → London route put me on a larger plane for the long-haul flight and, for my dates, I was able to book Premium Economy for fewer points than the other options I was finding.

Travel tip: when you’re booking with points (or even cash), play around with your departure routes instead of only looking at what seems most direct. Sometimes different route can open up better aircraft, seats, schedules or redemption options.

Bonus of this route: I went straight to the American Airlines Admirals Club Arrivals Lounge in London to take a shower after the long flight. 10/10 decision before continuing on to Edinburgh.

Once I landed in Edinburgh:
• I took the Airlink express bus from the airport into the city center. You CAN book your ticket ahead of time, but I didn’t. I just tapped/paid when I boarded.

• Our had an amazing view of Edinburgh Castle, but unfortunately this particular one isn’t currently showing as available. I’d look for accommodations in the city center if you want to be able to explore a lot on foot.

• One of my favorite things to do BEFORE any trip is save restaurants I might want to try to a Google Maps list. This is especially helpful if you have dietary restrictions like I do with gluten. Once I’m there, I can pull up my map, see what I’ve saved nearby and quickly check menus, hours and reviews instead of starting my search from scratch when I’m already hungry.

For my first dinner in Scotland, I walked to , a gastropub tucked away just off the Royal Mile which was fantastic.

And that was officially Day 1! Next up: our first full day exploring Edinburgh.

Stay tuned if you’re curious about Scotland. I have a LOT more Scotland road trip ideas coming!

07/29/2026

Sedona getaway that’s close to the trails (& golf) but still gives you a chance to slow down. (Hosted)

I spent the weekend staying at Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock Resort at Bell Rock and packed in a little bit of everything:

• Hiking Cathedral Rock
• Poolside tacos from the cabana
• Shopping in Tlaquepaque and Uptown Sedona
• Dinner with live music at ShadowRock
• Ending the night making s’mores by the fire (they even found gluten-free graham crackers for me!)

I love trips where you can spend part of the day out exploring and still have a really relaxing place to come back to, and this was exactly that.

Save this if you’re looking for where to stay in Sedona, planning a Sedona weekend itinerary, or just need ideas for your next Arizona getaway.

07/15/2026

One way to spend a day in Sedona, AZ

Take my Friday as inspo for your next Sedona trip!

Morning hike - Cathedral Rock (I did Cathedral Rock via Baldwin Trail on ) the creek is along the first part of the hike so a great place to cool off!

Afternoon - tacos poolside (thanks for hosting me!) A cabana rental is always perfect to be outside but still get some work done.

Shopping & uptown (it was super quiet but with the 89A opening back up I’m guessing it will pick back up)

Evening dinner on the patio at ShadowRock (they had live music!)
S’mores are a must in the fire bowl suites - they even found some gluten free graham crackers for me 🥹

07/13/2026

Have you seen the Grand Canyon from a helicopter?! |Hosted|

has several tour options to choose from - here’s my experience in the 25-30 minute North Canyon Tour. The views are unmatched (probably doesn’t need to be said) but this is truly a unique way to experience the canyon.

It takes off just outside of the National Park up in Northern Arizona.

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