I've heard so many people pose the question "What are the three things you can't live without when you travel?" And inevitably, the answers are always almost the same: passport, smart phone, money. Sometimes clean clothing or a good guidebook makes the list. I've been thinking about my own past travels lately and I've been remembering that there was once a time, not that long ago, when you didn't need all that much money, there were no such thing as smart phones, and you didn't even need a passport for certain trips. Here are the three things that have really been with me since the beginning - they come along every trip.

A visit to Hawaii is often described as a trip of a lifetime. The beautiful beaches, the lush scenery – Hawaii really is paradise. 

But for a truly unique experience, take some time to explore the working coffee farms. There’s nowhere else on earth that can compare with the intimate visits offered in Hawaii and they offer more than just a chance to learn about history and agriculture. It’s a way to really connect to the people of Hawaii and immerse yourself in the labor of love that is the lifeblood of their farms. 

Even if you aren't a coffee drinker, you’ll still enjoy a visit!

In honour of St. Patrick’s Day, I decided to write a little about Ireland - in green, of course!. I've been there 4 time, including a week where I visited Limerick, the Aran Islands, Galway, and Dublin, a summer as part of my graduate studies research. I lived in a Dublin hostel for a month and then traveled around the entire country and finished in Northern Ireland. While Ireland is a dream location for many travelers, for me it had many pros and cons (just like any destination, I suppose). Here's what I loved about Ireland - and what I wasn't so keen on.

In a previous post, I talked about how much I loved free attractions - not only for their delicious pricing, but also for the value their dedicated staff adds to the visit. For the follow up, I’m going to take a look at paid attractions and give some helpful ideas on how you can gain the best possible value for your admission price.

Every week, I am proud to co-host the #girlstravel twitter chat - the only twitter travel just for female travelers. 

For the week of March 11, the theme surrounds "women's issues" - you know, the kind of things only women have to deal with when they travel! (Caution, male readers: hormones are involved!). 

It made me think about how most people bring a bit of an emergency kit with them when they travel (first aid, sewing kit, matches). Maybe the prudent female traveler needs some decidedly feminine backup as well when she travels!

In honour of International Women's Day on March 8th, and the #WeGoSolo twitter chat, here are 10 amazing destinations  that are perfect for a first time, solo female travelers. 

I've been to them all and I can heartily endorse them. I've traveled in North America, Africa, and Europe, and I feel very sure there are many other cities around the world which would be perfect for a new explorer. 

Which one sounds like the place for you?

It is hard to believe that this blog was only started one short year ago.

In January of this year TurnipSeed Travel relaunched into this new blog-space and ported over most of the old posts, but the whole thing really started last March.

It wouldn't be possible to do this if I didn't have such amazing, dedicated readers. This month, the site is on pace to reach almost 10,000 page views. THANKS TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU.

I really appreciate the love, support, and feedback I have received about this site, and am so happy to have made a lot of friends just as travel crazy as me!

Here's to getting even better in Year 2. More content, more photos, more books reviewed, and I hope, more wonderful people like all of you coming to visit.

With our around the world trip coming in the fall, you can bet to read a lot more posts about how to go about planning, booking, packing, etc on a trip. 

Thanks again,

Vanessa.

By now you know I'm crazy about carry-on only luggage and that my idea of a good Friday night is reorganizing my 3-1-1 kit! A 3-1-1 kit, for those visiting for the first time, refers to the toiletry bag regulations for your carry on liquids. Each traveler is allowed to have 1 transparent bag , it must be no bigger than 1 quart in size, and the liquids must be in containers of 3 ounces or less.

I've written in the past about how easy it is to get by without a huge toiletry bag and go 3-1-1 all the way. I really believe any toiletry hoarder and product hoarder can do it. Here are three key tips for taking your 3-1-1 kit to the max, along with 10 dry products that can go in any kind of luggage.