The D5 Five: Why Some People Have the Travel Bug (and Others Don't)
What psychology tells us about wanderlust, curiosity, and why some people can't stop dreaming about their next adventure.
Some people dream of exploring ancient cities, tasting unfamiliar foods, and visiting every continent. Others are perfectly happy returning to the same favorite beach every summer, or staying home and enjoying the house they’re still paying for.
And then there are people like me, whose travel bucket lists grow considerably faster than their vacation budgets.
The D5 Five: 5 Reasons Some Hotels Stay With Us Long After Checkout
Why some hotel stays become unforgettable—and what psychology tells us about the memories we bring home.
We've stayed in a lot of hotels over the years. Some were luxurious, some were practical, and some were simply a place to collapse after a long day of sightseeing. But when I recently asked my three kids which hotels they remembered most, their answers surprised me.
How to Choose a Cruise When the Destination Matters as Much as the Ship
Because the best cruise isn’t necessarily on the biggest ship. It’s the one that takes you where you actually want to go.
The first time we booked a cruise, I knew approximately nothing about cruising.
We were traveling with friends who cruised regularly, so we did what any sensible first-timers would do: we followed them.
In March 2018, our family of five, my mom and another family—complete with their own set of grandparents—boarded Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas for a seven-night Caribbean cruise. Our itinerary included Key West, Cozumel, Costa Maya and Belize.
I didn’t research ship classes. I didn’t compare restaurant counts or study deck plans. I’m not sure I even knew those were things people researched.
Alaska by Land or Sea? What I Wish I Knew Before Booking Our Cruise
We took a seven-day cruise to Alaska. We spent less than 24 hours with our feet actually on the ground in Alaska.
Somehow, those two facts had never really connected in my brain before we went.
When you book a seven-day Alaska cruise, it feels like you’re booking a week in Alaska. And a week sounds like plenty of time to see the highlights, right?
Except a seven-day Alaska cruise isn’t seven days in Alaska. It’s seven days traveling by ship, with a few relatively short windows to actually get off and experience it.
The D5 Five: 5 Travel Mistakes I Learned the Hard Way
I’ve been traveling for years—first as a couple, then with three kids in tow, and now with those kids becoming my adult travel companions. You might think all that experience means I’ve figured out how to travel without making mistakes.
It does not.
Some lessons have cost us money. Some have caused a lot of unnecessary stress. One nearly derailed a much-anticipated international trip before it even started. And apparently, a few needed to happen more than once before I got the message.
The good news? You don’t have to learn all of them the hard way.
Here are five travel mistakes I’ve made—and what I do differently now.
Why We Crave Cozy in the Fall
In My House, Fall Starts September 1.
September 1 arrives and I'm ready. Pumpkin-spice coffee. Chocolate-chip pumpkin bread. Pumpkin scones. Pumpkin butter. You get the idea.
Then come the other signs of the season: amber and cardamom candles, hot apple cider, mulled wine, Oktoberfest celebrations, cooler evenings, bonfires and cozy flannel blankets.
The house gets its seasonal makeover, too: burnt orange, golden yellow and rust-colored décor, faux fall wreaths and garlands, walnut accents, pumpkins and gourds, and an array of mums for the front porch.
The D5 Five: 5 Trips to Take With Your Kids Before They Leave Home
Nobody tells you that family vacations have an expiration date.
Not the trips themselves, of course. But the years when you can pick a week, book five plane tickets, and reasonably expect all five members of your family to show up.
Now my daughter is in medical school, my oldest son is in college, and my youngest is a senior in high school with a schedule that requires the logistical skills of an air traffic controller. Getting all five of us in the same place at the same time has become considerably harder than getting all five of us through airport security.
These days, I look back at the trips we took when they were younger with a new appreciation. At the time, they were vacations. Now they feel like little markers of our family history.
The D5 Five: 5 U.S. Destinations That Are Even Better in the Fall
Some trips are simply better with a sweater.
Think brilliant New England foliage against a rocky coastline. Apple cider donuts after picking apples in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Ghost stories after dark in New Orleans. A train winding through the Smokies. Or hundreds of hot-air balloons rising over the New Mexico desert.
🎄✨ Our Christmas Tree of Memories (And Why You Should Start One Too)
Before Bryan and I ever had kids, we started collecting ornaments from every destination we visited. We even picked up ornaments for big milestones — our wedding anniversary, our first home, the birth of each baby. (Nothing says “new parents” like a tiny glass onesie dangling from a branch.)
But once the kids came along? The ornament collection became a full-blown scavenger hunt in every new city. The kids got to help choose something that embraced the spirit of that trip — which is how we once came home with a London phone booth, a Venetian mask, and a tiny moose wearing sunglasses.
Now that our kids are teenagers and young adults, we have so many ornaments and so many stories — and Christmas decorating has turned into a full-on storytelling event. Here’s how it works: We each grab an ornament, one at a time, and share a memory from that trip before hanging it on the tree. It’s like speed-dating our own travel history.
And the stories? They do not disappoint.
How to Find Cheap Flights to O’ahu (and Save Once You’re There)
Let’s face it: “Hawaii vacation” and “budget-friendly” don’t usually appear in the same sentence — especially when you’re flying a family of five halfway across the Pacific. But with a little planning (and a lot of coffee), we’ve learned how to time our trips so that paradise doesn’t require a second mortgage.
Whether you’re planning your first family trip or your fifth island adventure, here’s everything you need to know about finding affordable flights to Oʻahu, plus some insider tips for saving once you’re there.