Traveling to Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month

May is AAPI Heritage Month, where we try to learn more about those people who helped build the country that we live in. Knowing who correctly contributed to music and architecture and food is so important to understanding our country as a whole. I have finally made it to another Japantown and will be making another visit on my next trip to LA, because I feel like there's so much I didn't see in the short amount of time I was there. I'm interested in taking my time to see more artwork and read more plaques and maybe also staying long enough to have a great lunch.

Eric and I in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles

I frequent a handful of AAPI-owned businesses just in the town where I live, but I try to find others in greater Portland and also when I travel, because when minority-owned businesses are uplifted and thrive, the whole community benefits.

Here are some places to visit on your travels to celebrate and support the AAPI people there:

Chinatown in Vancouver, BC

Chinatowns

Most large cities have a Chinatown, but there are some that aren't that well known that are steeped in history and have amazing food that should be on your radar:

• Las Vegas - Believe it or not, amongst all the other crazy things in Vegas, you can visit a completely separate Chinatown that's not on the Strip. It has over 150 restaurants and is home to 6 supermarkets. This has been on my list for over a year, and I hope to spend some time here on my summer trip.
• Oakland - Often overshadowed by San Francisco's Chinatown, Oakland can be a bit more chill. It's mostly a neighborhood rather than a tourist destination, but there are 45 restaurants and 9 tea shops, the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, Madison Park, where you can see people doing Tai Chi in the mornings, and Oakland Fortune Factory, where you can customize your own fortune cookies.
• Honolulu - Hawaiian/South Pacific culture is different than Chinese culture, and Honolulu's Chinatown is it's oldest and most artistic neighborhood, with an eclectic mix of Asian vendors, from lei makers, dim sum restaurants, the Japanese Izumo Taishakyo Mission Shrine, and Chinese Kuan Yin Temple.
• Houston - Although it seems like an unlikely place to find authentic Chinese culture, Houston has a younger, thriving Asiatown, as it brings diversity, instead of just Chinese merchants. You'll also find Malaysian, Vietnamese, Korean, and more within the 6 square miles, including the Hong Kong City Mall and Teo Chew Temple. You can also take a bus tour of this sprawling neighborhood through Asiatown Houston Bus Tour.

Japantown in San Francisco

Japantown

At one point there were many Japantowns, like Chinatown neighborhoods, but they got pushed out of towns, so now there are only three: San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles. There is also a Japantown in Vancouver, BC. I've had a goal to visit more than just San Francisco, and we made it to Little Tokyo on our recent trip to LA. 

We bought some cute gifts, had an amazing breakfast burrito and Japanese pastries at a very popular coffee shop, had fun perusing the machines in the goshapon "stores", and then had to hit up Dave's Hot Chicken for a drink in order to use a bathroom, because there are no public restrooms there for some reason.

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Portland used to have a Japanesetown, but it has been pushed out, so now we just have the Japanese American Historical Plaza with a few statues/art pieces and these wonderful cherry blossoms that were gifted to us by Japan. It is right next to Old Town Chinatown though, which has some great restaurants and the Chinese Gardens. Further away, Portland also has a Japanese Garden, which is pretty sprawling. They have cherry blossom trees as well. The people of Portland turn out when the trees are in bloom. This year we had some really beautiful sunny days and the crowds were massive. 

Toronto appears to have a later cherry blossom season, and I'd love to make it there to see them...and also explore the rest of the city.

Statue in Las Vegas's Chinatown

Museums

I love a good museum and when I can learn about a new culture or heritage (or even my own), even better. There are some great ones that can educate you on the history of Asians in America. Here are just a few:

• Wing Luke Museum in Seattle - Located in Seattle's Chinatown, this museum is named after a city council member who was the first Asian American to hold a public position in the Pacific Northwest. Inside you can view paintings, photos, other artwork, and textiles. The museum also offers programming and city tours.
• Angel Island Immigration Museum on Angel Island, California - Thought of as the West Coast's Ellis Island, an estimated one million immigrants came through Angel Island, though Asian immigrants were discriminated against, so not nearly as many were allowed in as wanted to come. Now, Angel Island is a state park that is home to a recreated detention center that will show you what life was like for those Asians who were forced into these types of centers due to the Chinese Exclusion Act.
• Hmong Cultural Center Museum in St. Paul, Minnesota - You might not think of a large Asian population calling the midwest home, but make sure to visit this museum that tells of the Hmong people from Laos who sought refuge in the US after the Vietnam War. Even know, there are around 90,000 Hmong people living in Minnesota, as they were given help through the University of Minnesota Agricultural Extension Service to set up farms in the Great Lakes area.
• Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles is currently closed, but I'd love to check it out next time I'm in town. It covers over 130 years of history and is a Smithsonian-affiliated museum. It collaborates with the Academy Film Archive to care for and provide access to home movies that document the Japanese-American experience. 

Me in Little Tokyo (please ignore my Malfoy shirt, as we were on
our way to Universal Fan Fest Nights)

Can't afford to travel and you're not near any of these things? Well, you can always check out your local Chinatown or Asian cultural center, go eat at a local Asian restaurant, coffee shop, or bakery, or you can throw a destination date night or party at home. Here are a few we've done:

• China
• Japan
• Myanmar/Burma
• Polynesia/Pacific Islands
• Tokyo
• Vietnam

Another great idea is to get ready for a future trip by learning a new language, like Mandarin, Japanese or Korean.

• Babbel allows you to buy a lifetime subscription at up to 55% off, but you can also just pay for a monthly membership. We plan to travel to a lot of international destinations and I jumped on a really good lifetime sub sale in 2021 as a Christmas present to us.
• Pimsleur has been around for a long time and I've used it when they were individual CDs, because I'm old, and that's what was around the second time we traveled to France. Now you can have all their offerings in one spot. Choose one language with Premium Monthly or get access to all 51 languages with All Access Monthly/Annual.
• Rosetta Stone is another one I used before everything was online. I still have Spanish CDs from them somewhere. The online RS is much better, because it's easier to use. You can choose from one language with three month and twelve month plans or all 25 of their languages with a lifetime plan.

Previously, I recommended Duolingo, as I used it in a pinch, it was fun, and it can be free, but they have announced that they are going to be using almost exclusively AI, which means, you never know if you are getting the correct language education, so I immediately dumped it from my phone.

Over the course of the next few months, I'll be posting facts on Facebook about Asian and Black history in destinations I'll be going to over the next year, because I think knowing more than just white history is important, even outside of the US.

Do you have a favorite Chinatown, Asian Market, or Museum that you would like to add to this list? I'd love for you to share.

Disclaimer: Support Shereen Travels Cheap by using the links in my posts to shop. I receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) so I can continue to create helpful free content. I earn from qualifying purchases made to the featured retailers. Thank you. I appreciate your support!

 

Happy New Year 2026

Well, we survived 2025 and that's a really low bar, but it feels like a major accomplishment. If you're reading this, then you survived too, and I'm proud of you. Congrats. 2026 looks to be another tough year with the tanking economy, people having a hard time being able to afford basic necessities, like food and gas, but here's hoping it gets better instead of worse. 

Last year felt sort of normal for the most part, until we hit mid-October, then it was crazy rollercoaster. I took an unplanned road trip with my mom, had some good and bad times, dropped her off at the airport a few weeks after coming home and she, unexpectedly died 3 days later, so I then had to make another unplanned trip to take care of her body and possessions, and after coming home, I've just spent the last 2 1/2 months trying to wrap up her things, clear out her apartment, and then do all my other obligations, like work and planning/putting on a huge fundraiser. 

I'm now planning a small celebration of life, while trying to also start anew in 2026. Is it working? Well, it's only the 3rd, so we'll see. Let's also look at what I wanted to get to this year:

Do More Local Activities

I think we actually achieved this. We have a group of friends who we do brunch stuff with, so we have been tacking on activities to these like walking around town to check out stops on the Sidewalk Joy map, alternatives to free little libraries, and ornament making at a holiday pop-up.

Meet Up with More Friends On My Travels

I didn't get to do this, because I didn't really travel anywhere I had friends like I did the last year. I was able to meet up with friend who were visiting here though. Hopefully, this is something I can do more of this year.

Try Something New

We did quite a few new things this last year, like driving in Europe. I've been saying yes to a lot more things that I know I'll like once I get there and do it. 

Bring Back 48-Hours Posts

Yeah, I 100% dropped the ball on this. We'll see if I get to any of them this year, but I'm not sure if anyone cares about them besides me.

Do More holiday-/month-specific Posts

I did pretty good on this until October, and I only got Halloween posts on Facebook out because I scheduled them way ahead of time. This year I'm going to try to think further ahead to do more of this.

Create More Reels for Instagram

I feel like I did really well on this, but I would like to post more on Instagram and Threads in general, so if you're on either of those, please follow me. I'm also sorry for dropping the ball on Facebook, but I don't feel like I get too many people interacting there either. If you're still on Facebook, let me know if that's something you're interested in continuing, and please interact with my posts if you do.

Support More Local Artists/Businesses

I went to a lot of local markets this year and I also visited a ton of independently-owned coffee shops, so I want to continue to do this, because giving money to big corporations isn't that rewarding, even if it is instantly gratifying.

All the Coffee Shops

I slacked on my Portland Coffee Shop Tour series once summer hit and I got incredibly busy. 2026 is going to see a return of my series, there just might be only 2 per month, instead of 3-4, but we'll see how that pans out. Of course, you can always see what shops I visit in real time if you follow me on Instagram.

Bringing Back Destination Date Nights

Yeah, I did none of these this year. We had a Destination Potluck though, where we "traveled" to Ireland and all brought a potato dish and solved a fun mystery while learning more about Ireland. Perhaps this year we can do at least one more. I'm open to country suggestions. I have been wanting to do a Romanian one for World Dracula Day in May though, so we may still do that one.

Visiting New Places

Last year we still went to Las Vegas. I went twice. We also returned to France, but this time we explored the Normandy region, which was entirely new to us. Eric moved jobs within his company, so we didn't get to go back to Denver to explore more of that area. 

This year the Travel Goods Show has been moved to Salt Lake City, maybe permanently, so I'll be exploring more than just the airport, possibly with Eric and the dog. We're also going to visit Providence, RI and Boston in the fall, and probably another trip to Burbank late winter/early spring.

Start a Paid Subscription Service

I didn't really do this, but I'm going to try to work more on it this year. 

2026 Additions

Try out more salt rooms

People are resolving to do more self-care while they travel, but I feel like travel is self care for me, so I really just want to find more salt rooms on my trips to visit to relax and get some much needed ionization in my life. 

Have a unique dining experience

Maybe this is eating in a Michelin restaurant or getting coffee from a (literal) wall hole cafe or anything in between. I just want it to be interesting, different, and, hopefully, fun.

Spend more quality time with family

We already have a family trip to the beach planned for August, but I also plan to visit my uncle more this year when no one is dead or in the hospital (fingers crossed!), and maybe visit other family, and do more with our niblings (nieces/nephews). My uncle has a goal of going on a train ride through Canada with me, and I hope he realizes that this year, not just because I would love an extra trip, but because that means he's healthy enough to get around again and because he never got to do it with my mom like he planned. 

Travel more with the dog

This last month, I did an overnight at the hotel we through our annual Yule Ball at. Eric had hurt his leg, so dancing wasn't really in the cards for him at that time. I already had the hotel room and they didn't charge extra for a dog and I figured it was as good a time as any to give Eric and Pippa a little staycation while I was working. She did really well and I think more travel would benefit her.

Now that we don't have my mom as a dogsitter, it gives me an excuse to take the dog with us more places, where we can. She's really well behaved, but we also can't take her if the flight is really long or when we stay at our timeshare, so we'll also be looking for a trusted person to take care of her while we're out of town and can't take her with us.

Document travel more and better

I know I take a ton of photos, but they aren't always something other people want to see, so I'm hoping to take more videos and intentional photos in order to document more of our travels and also have better options for Instagram reels, stories, and carousels. 

Actually practice my French and/or start learning Japanese

We're hoping to make it to Japan in the next year or two and I want to be somewhat prepared in that. I know I'm never going to be great at reading Japanese, but conversing well is a big goal of mine. I am also determined to plan out our trip way ahead of time, so we can budget accordingly.

Here's to a prosperous 2026 in every way possible. Let me know what your travel resolutions are in the comments.

Happy New Year 2025

Well, we made it through another year and after finally coming out of a crazy pandemic, it looks like we may be going into another bout of uncertain times. My pantry is stocked, my freezers are empty of unnecessary items, and I'm preparing for a worst case scenario, but hoping for not much to change. 

2024 was pretty good to us. I was able to return to visiting The Travel Goods Show, and visit 3 other destinations, 2 of which were new to us. How did I do on my travel "resolutions"?

Do more local activities

I don't think we did more, but we didn't do less than we did in 2023. We went to new markets, we tried new restaurants, we volunteered more. We already have more things planned in 2025 that are local and with how iffy travel might be in the coming year, we might find ourselves road-tripping on the weekends around our state.

Meet up with more friends on my travels

This didn't exactly happen. I couldn't make my plans match up with anyone else's, except when visiting Vegas for the Travel Goods Show. I was able to meet an online friend after years of never being in the same place at the same time, and it lined up with another friend's visit to the city as well. 

Try something new

This was pretty open, so it was also easy to achieve. I ate new things, I met new people, I went new places, and I took on new responsibilities. Were they all exciting? No, but it was new and that was my goal.

Bring back 48 Hours posts

Honestly, I completely forgot to make this a priority and I floated the idea of starting a Patreon where I would post more of those kinds of things, where people could vote on what destinations they would like to see. If that's something of interest, I'll likely work on some of that.

Do more holiday-/month-specific posts

I feel like I did an okay job at this, but I'd like to do more still and will continue to push myself to work harder to achieve this goal this year.

Create more reels for Instagram

I'm not sure IG is that lucrative for me, as my follower count never really changes, no matter what I do. I did make more reels, but they don't do better than carousels, except for the static reels that I just add words and animations to. I'll keep doing my best and creating things that make me happy. If you aren't following me already, I'd love for you to do so. 

Support more local artists and businesses

This is easy for me. I do a lot of event vending with my fandom non-profit, so I am near a lot of artists throughout the year. I commissioned a piece from an artist friend of mine. I have also been going to more local shops and restaurants at home and when I travel.

2025 additions

More events. My hope is to get to at least one event a month

All the coffee shops. I want to bring back my Portland coffee series, where I try new, or new to me, shops and give my honest feedback. 

I'd like to bring back Destination Date Nights in some way. They will never be as frequent as they were during the pandemic, but one every few months should be doable. 

Visiting new places. This is pretty much always on my list, but if things work out this year, we'd love to visit New Mexico for Meow Wolf's installation there and I've set my sights on either Greece or Malta, depending on where I can find a place to stay and airfare costs. 

Start a paid subscription service. I have been thinking about this for a while and may or may not find time to work on videos and extra posts that may be more in-depth, as well as things like packing lists for specific trips, packing videos, and anything else that sounds helpful. I'll still be posting here like always. This will just be extra content.

Here's hoping for a surprisingly good 2025. I hope the start of the year is already awesome for you. Let me know your resolutions for the coming months, no matter what they are. I want to read all your comments!

2024 Travel Resolutions

Can you believe it's already 2 days to the new year? Crazy! Everything feels like it went by so fast. I both don't remember what was this year and last, and also feel like I did a ton of stuff this year (which I did). This December has been a whirlwind of activity, while we tried to get to a lot of the special holiday markets, pop-ups, and other activities we usually miss. It's been awesome.

We did 5 holiday markets, a few pop-ups, checked out the winter ice rink they set up downtown that will run through January (we didn't skate), stopped to enjoy the indoor snow at the mall, got our photo taken with TWO Santas, we drove through a big light display, saw this year's gingerbread castle at a local hotel, set-up, attended, and took down Yule Ball, and supported a ton of local artists during this. The month isn't over yet. We had a friend in town and visited two dining spots that we rarely get to, and today we're headed to Peacock Lane, Portland's Christmas street. 

Gingerbread Castle at the Benson Hotel

So, let's get on to 2024 then: On the first, we'll be meeting Krampus. A little late, but that's okay. He'll be at a home museum of an artist I really enjoy, where we'll be taking a tour. On the seventh, we'll be doing brunch and having our annual White Elephant with friends. 

As for the rest of the year, a lot of it is kind of up in the air, which is odd for us. We had planned to go to The Big Island next month, but the stars did not align and there didn't appear to be any good flight deals at all this year like last year. Other factors also came into play. It's okay though, we will get there eventually. 

In March, the Travel Goods Show is returning to Vegas. I don't know what happened to Chicago, but it doesn't appear on their website anywhere. I won't complain, because Las Vegas is much easier and cheaper for me to get to. I'll hit that up, see some family and friends, eat a bunch of delicious food, and, hopefully, come home with a bunch of great stuff to tell you about.

In July, LeakyCon is coming back to Portland, so the first weekend we'll be there. Later that month, we're heading to Sacramento for a short week to do some sightseeing and go to a family reunion. This'll be the first time we've actually spent any significant time in the city. 

We just decided that we'll be hitting up Nashville in September. It'll be the first time I've been back in decades, so it's basically like my first time visiting. It seems like it'll still be summer weather, which is different than where we usually travel at the same time. 

We might try to get back to British Columbia sometime in there, but that'll be something we decide later. 

We're going to try to get back to Destination Date Nights if we can. We tried to bring back Destination Potlucks, but they weren't that popular, so we'll get back to doing them alone. 

As always, I'm hoping to do some new things, eat new foods, meet new people, and just generally enjoy life, whether that's at home or on my travels. Those are my resolutions for 2024 and beyond, because they bring me the most joy and they are important for me to accomplish. 

Do you have resolutions for the coming year? Whether or not they're travel-related, tell me in the comments. 

Happy New Year 2023

Happy New Year! 2022 felt both super long and super short for some reason, but we made it. This time of the year I choose to spend traveling and reconnecting with my husband, so you'll get a new full post on Saturday.

I don't generally make resolutions, but I do try to make some goals for myself in order to make my life feel more full. Here are goals I I've made for 2023:

• Be Kind (this is a constant goal, because I feel like the world can use more kindness)
• Go somewhere new - I already have two new places on the calendar, but I'm also making a point to do things in Portland again. 
• Try new things - It's been difficult trying to do things that are outside of my normal routine, because we don't really go that many places, but we're going to start getting out again and exploring our city and surrounding areas again.
• Keep masking in crowded areas - Yes, maybe you're all sick of masking, but with so many sicknesses going around right now, I just think it makes sense, plus it's just a simple thing to do to prevent ourselves from getting ill.
• Encourage people to go to new places - I want people to realize that they can travel further and to different destinations than they normally do, but probably on the same budget.
• Revive Destination Potlucks - This is where I invite a group of friends over for a potluck themed for a destination. Everyone brings one or two dishes that are specific to that city/country/region, and we all eat new foods and learn about the destination. It's like Destination Date Nights, but food is homemade and more people get to participate.

I hope you're all having a great start to the year and the rest is just as good. Hit me with your own resolutions or goals - travel or otherwise - in the comments.

2023 Travel Resoutions

Somehow, 2022 has been both back to normal and not at all normal, but we were able to get out and travel more than the last two years combined, so I won't complain. We went to Arizona in January, Vegas in both February and July, and made it to Paris and Disneyland Paris in September. All in all, it was a pretty good year. 

We're sort of back to in-person brunches, though they are further between than they were pre-pandemic, because a lot of the restaurants that were are old stand-bys have closed or are no longer taking large reservations. Many other restaurants stopped doing breakfast altogether, so we have fewer options, but we're trying, and supplementing with other meet-ups, like going to art pop-ups and walking neighborhoods.

We are also back to doing small gatherings for celebrations, like our annual Harry Potter party and birthdays, and our non-profit has, officially, kicked off our return to big fundraisers, which is fantastic, because we're doing good, getting to see people again, and we're doing our best to be safe about it. 

This coming year is going to be interesting and busier than the last three. We don't have a ton planned, but I know more is coming to our calendar:

• January sees us in Palm Springs for a week.
• March may have us heading to Los Angeles for a few days.
• If my mom goes back to Tennessee this year, I may tag along and make her do some Nashville sightseeing before coming back home.
• Las Vegas is a tentative for July.
• Late September/early October will have us heading to Toronto and Niagara Falls. I'll keep working on my French for this, in case it comes in handy.
• I will try to do more Destination Date Nights, like I wanted to do this year, but ended up with too full of a calendar to do very many. 
• We may try to get back to doing Destination Potlucks, too, since we only did the one and then the world shut down. We'll see how interested my friends are in reviving these and we might intersperse these with Date Nights.

The Travel Goods Show has made a permanent move to Chicago and I'm not sure I'm able to get over there this year, which is disappointing, but not unexpected. I've wanted to visit the Travelon headquarters for years. I guess I'll have to see it in 2024.

In 2024, we're also talking about going to The Island of Hawaii in January and Eric also mentioned perhaps going to Peru, so he could brush up on his Spanish, and probably see cool stuff like Machu Picchu. 

All in all, 2023 is shaping up to be a great year. I can't wait to visit new places, make new friends, eat great food, and plan some awesome parties. 

What are you looking forward to for this next year?

5 Tips for An Awesome Summer Staycation

After all we've been through the last couple of years, travel is still unattainable for many, because gas prices are stupid high and so is airfare. Plane routes are being cut still, as Covid cases are still prevalent in many industries, and there just aren't enough pilots, flight attendants, aircraft crew to ramp up flights even a little. If you are looking at another summer at home, a staycation might be the best answer right now.

Yes, we've been staycationing for 2+ years now, but there are plenty of ways to still make it special. Here are 5 of my favorite creative ways to do it:

 

1. Create a spread (or get takeaway from your favorite food truck(s) if you’re feeling lazy)

Take a blanket from home, and picnic in your favorite park…or one you’ve never visited before. This is a great way to get outside to enjoy the fresh air and sun. You can see people safely, from a distance. After you eat, you can lounge or take a stroll. Maybe bring a game or two and make it a fun outing.

 

2. Have a romantic travel date

Just because you can’t travel, doesn’t mean you can’t travel. Huh? We have done theme date nights. One week we ordered a whole afternoon tea spread and set it all up in the living room and ate it while we watched a West End play on YouTube. You can now pay to watch Broadway Shows and also productions from The Globe.

 

You can decorate in your theme, you can use Window Swap or Earth Cam for live atmosphere, you can get a backdrop for cheap and set it up to “be” at your destination. Cook food from your chosen travel destination or order delivery. Make it special. (I have lots of examples. Just search Destination Date Night on the right and you'll find a whole list.)

 

3. Go on a scavenger hunt

This is a perfect activity for social distancing. You and your significant other or group of friends sign up for a city scavenger hunt (you can be in more than one team if you want). You solve clues to get to different interesting things in your city and learn things along the way. You never have to go inside anywhere and it helps you work together. Try Stray Boots or Urban Adventure Quest.

 

4. See free art

Just because museums aren’t open doesn’t mean you don’t have access to awesome art in your city. Many downtown, and even suburban, areas have a city art project that works with local artists to create amazing sculptures and murals. Look up info on where to start, map out a course, then go take pictures, talk about the pieces, find street artists on Instagram. It’s a fantastic way to see your city, enjoy art from your community, and celebrate how great it is that art is so accessible. Post pictures with artist links on your social media pages and help other people discover it, too!

 

5. Take a walking tour

I love my city of Portland, Oregon. It’s beautiful. There’s something new around every corner. I haven’t seen it all yet! If you want to see more of your own city – highly recommended – then look for free self-guided walking tours, or just get out there and wander. There’s no wrong way to do it. Bring your phone to take pictures. Wear a fun outfit. Pretend you’re a tourist. Need somewhere to start? Try GPS My City.

I hope you've found a new idea for your summer, because we're all disappointed in a lot of things right now. What is your favorite thing to do on a staycation?

A Disney Vacation In a Box

So, I had such a fun time creating my own Destination Date Nights and then planning a Japan staycation for my friend, that I decided to do it again. We were meant to go to Walt Disney World in 2020, and then again in 2021, but with Covid, and then all the terrible laws and government since then, we postponed and then outright cancelled our vacation. Our friend was going to meet us down there. 

A bit of a behind the scenes pic

The disappointment from us all has been understandable, and we'll eventually get back down there for this trip, but for now that's not happening. Since we aren't able to take that trip, and she had never been, I decided that she should still get to have that Disney magic at home, whenever she felt the need.

Every staycation needs a backdrop, in my opinion, and to make this one extra special, I planned a two-step backdrop. At some point, I plan to do a Disney party, focusing on the Epcot Food & Wine Festival, so I figured I'd use the castle backdrop anyway. I purchased the one above on Amazon, set it up in the backyard, put on our (subtle) Disney gear, posed in front of it, and then took a bunch of photos. One of them was good enough to keep, and then I edited, cropped, and uploaded that one to make a new background. 

Other backdrops you might like: 

• nighttime castle and World Showcase Lagoon
• nighttime castle with stars
• daytime Disneyland castle
• Christmas on Main Street
• Halloween on Main Street
• It's A Small World
• Spaceship Earth, or you can design your own with a public domain pic on Zazzle (get up to 60% off your first purchase with my link). I use the seller Canadapromo for all my tapestries. They aren't as heavy and they are machine washable. 
• Don't forget the clamps to hang your background!

While I waited for my background to be printed, I put together the rest of the staycation. I wanted this to be an "experience", so there was a story and a layering system to everything in the box, meaning she would have to experience the trip in the way intended. Here we go:

Disney is more than just a castle, so I picked three of my favorite attractions and got the prints made of them. These help set the atmosphere. "Some people are just happy to be at the parks, surrounded by all the sights and sounds." 

"Jump on the monorail to City Hall and get your Birthday button, then head to your meet and greet with all the princesses." Some of our favorite things and must-dos were on the list to start off this staycation. If it's your birthday, anniversary, first trip, or whatever, a free button from City Hall is always fun. I tried to come up with a way to do a meet and greet that wasn't super cheesy, and knowing that I was going to include an actual birthday card, this pop-up card was an easy choice. 

I knew she would be spending her birthday with her mom and grandma, and souvenirs are always fun. Mouse ears are the ultimate souvenir, so I ordered 3 different princess ear headbands for them to all get in on the fun: Anna, Ariel, Belle. 

Of course, my visit is never complete without treats. Ya'll know I have a churro budget, and when she and I went to Disneyland a few years ago, I had 4 in 3 days, and Dole Whip, and popcorn, and some other things I probably didn't need. She loves sweets as well, so I wanted her to be able to enjoy her own churros at home, Mickey (and Donald) ice creams, and then I tossed in some Mickey cups I found at Party City to be used for sodas, adult beverages, or mini popcorn buckets. (Here are some similar ones on Amazon.) 

Parades and rides are hard to replicate at home, but luckily, there are people who film all the things, so I made YouTube playlist of some of the best rides and entertainment, then I included this at-home VR headset that you put your phone in, start your video, and then wear it like goggles. Stroll down Main Street, browse shops, watch a parade, ride Space Mountain. You name it, you can find someone who's filmed it on YouTube.

And, of course, no trip to the Magic Kingdom is complete without fireworks. Sure, they could watch fireworks on YouTube as well, and I included a link to a few, but what about fireworks at home in your house?! A company called Uncle Milton made a whole line of fireworks simulation toys about a decade ago. They were discontinued, but I found a bunch on ebay. This one is the fireworks light show launcher, which gives you all the best parts of fireworks. It makes the fireworks launch sound and projects static fireworks wherever you point it.

I wanted one for myself, and then I found out they had a Pixar version, so I bought both versions. They were used, but they worked perfectly and was the cherry on top of my staycation box. I sent her the Pixar one, which also projects Disney characters in the "sky" with the fireworks, and kept the generic one for myself and future party planning. (I wish I had thought to look on ebay when I wanted this for the end of a Weasley Wizard Wheezes themed Harry Potter party.)

This whole staycation fit into an extra large FedEx box (approximately: 11-7/8" x 10-3/4" x 11"), which is not huge, but a lot of items fit inside, and more would have fit if I hadn't wanted to layer things in a specific way. You, obviously, don't have to include as many things I as I did, or you can include more if your budget allows. 

Who would you send a staycation in-a-box to and where would you send them?

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Dinner In Vietnam At Home

Yes, we've started traveling again, but we enjoyed our Destination Date Nights so much, we've decided to continue doing them. This last week we had dinner in Hanoi, Vietnam. This week is the lead-up to Reunification Day. April 30th marks the day in 1975 when the two parts of Vietnam unified under the same government. 

Not only is Vietnam a great budget travel destination, it's also gorgeous and, exports some wonderful things (coffee, cashews, black pepper...), and is very proud of their culture, so you'll be able to easily immerse yourself when you visit.

Can't get to Vietnam just right now? Throw yourself an epic staycation instead. Here's how:

I wanted our table to be very simple and rustic, so I used a linen-colored table topper. I found this great playing cat planter that was actually made in Vietnam at World Market. Since the weather in Vietnam is hot and humid, they have a lot of tropical plants and animals. I added the closest flower I could find to plumeria and leaves that resembled monstera. A Vietnam flag gave a little patriotic flair.

I have quite a few tropical birds for an upcoming event I'm planning, so I also put out a parrot to join us.

I also picked up these fun sun plates and coral rainbow napkins at World Market, and then found matching cups at Target. I completed the look with chopsticks and then we were ready to dine. Both the cups and plates are plastic, making them affordable and lightweight to store. 

We enjoyed a light show waterside with a view of Turtle Tower on the banks of the Hoan Kiem Lake (or Sword Lake). This tower is over a 150 years old and was a respite for the King on his fishing trips. It's a symbol of patriotism and unity for the Vietnamese people. I imagine it's a very peaceful place to visit in real life. 

We listened to some Vietnamese pop music while we talked about Reunification Day and what it means to the people of Vietnam, plus what they do to celebrate the day. This was all a great backdrop for our dinner, which we chose especially from a place across town for their traditional dishes and drinks. 

We both had Vietnamese iced coffee, which made with sweetened condensed milk. If you can't do dairy, you can make this vegan with coconut milk/cream. Then we split the following: Vietnamese-style chicken wings in a caramelized garlic and sweetened fish sauce, Bún Đặc Biệt - a combo platter of grilled beef, shrimp, noodles, spring roll, and a salad of bean sprouts, carrots, and cucumbers - and a chicken báhn mì with yellow curry sauce.

We both have an aversion to cilantro, so I did ask for things without it. All of the food was delicious and more than enough for two people, too. The wings were sweet and spicy, which was unexpected, but awesome. 

After dinner we spoke about Old Quarter Hanoi's Train Street, where the train takes up 80% of the space between buildings. I read an interesting article at the beginning of the pandemic about the struggling merchants along the street that relied on tourism and regular locals to stay in business. The quarantine was very hard on them, but I also learned a lot about the people who ran the small cafes and shops. 

We also had dessert: red bean paste sesame balls. This is one of the more easily obtained desserts of the many, shall we call them, unconventional dishes that you will probably find in the region. You'll find a lot of fruit, tapioca, and mostly-savory desserts. I love a good bean paste though and these were done really well.

The dog came out to enjoy a little bit of staycation goodness (Pippa hasn't gotten the hang of selfies yet) and then later we watched some walking tours of Hanoi on YouTube.  

Ready to take your own Vietnam staycation? Here are some ideas on where to start:

• Get a backdrop (or two). I have been downloading full res photos from photographers on unsplash and getting them made into tapestries on Zazzle through artist Canadapromo. (<--use my referral code to get a big discount!) The less mainstream your destination, the more you will have to improvise.
• Get a nice vase/planter made in Vietnam
• This is the one I purchased
• Here are a bunch of other options
• Fill it with tropical flowers or plants
• Add some great dishes & napkins on a neutral table topper
• A flag
• A Vietnamese cookbook (if you plan to do an entire feast yourself)
• Vietnamese pop music (you can stream it free on Amazon Music or YouTube)
• A travel guide to plan your trip. Here are some I would choose:
• Lonely Planet Guide
• 101 Amazing Things To Do
• DK Witness
• A Vietnamese game for your family to play like Gourd Fish Shrimp Crab Dice
• Flashcards/book to learn some easy Vietnamese words
• Or a book full of Vietnamese fairy tales
• You can also make a yourself a sightseeing day with virtual tours on YouTube

I hope these spark some ideas for you and you have a wonderful "trip" to Vietnam with your spouse and/or family. Immerse yourself in a new culture, food, and language. 

Have you ever been to Vietnam or the surrounding countries?

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Any purchases you make through them may result in me being monetarily compensated. This allows me to keep this blog running, so thank you in advance.