The Beauty of Food Trucks

Last weekend Eric and I tried the brand new food truck pod near our house. It's no secret that Portland is the King of food truck culture. We have quite a few pods where 6 or more trucks are parked, making it super easy to choose something to eat. Food trucks are awesome, because they often have restaurant-quality food, but at lower prices. That makes stretching your travel dollars easier when you're on vacation. 

Our new cart pod has a wonderful family feel, but not in a way that makes you stay away because it's teeming with kids. It will eventually have a beer counter and dogs are, obviously, welcome. There's a patch of astroturf for the humans and another for the pups. 

Dining at traditional restaurants can really add up quickly, and if you're tired of your kids eating the same five things (pizza, mac and cheese, hamburger, chicken nuggets, PB&J), splitting entrees with your companions or ordering the least expensive options, then food trucks are where you need to be headed. You can experience some of the best food in the city for less, because you aren't paying for all the overhead (wait staff, tables, rental space). Unless there's a tip jar, you don't even have to think about adding extra to your bill. The truth is that even some of the spendiest items on a food cart menu are still less than plates at a normal restaurant. 

Food carts are the new gourmet dining 

Food trucks are all the rage. They are booming the world over. Lucky for me, I live in the number one food cart destination on the globe (as named by Travel + Leisure) and can eat cuisine from all over the world everywhere I go within Portland. From ice cream to Lebanese to Cuban, there is something for everyone, including this delicious waffle cart that makes a dough for their waffles and then tops them with all kinds of yummy combinations. Within the same block, we can have hot dogs, Hawaiian, Thai, Mexican, dumplings and Mediterranean. That’s not even all the choices! Each truck specializes in their few menu items, so you know it’s the best it can be.

More choices

How can this be when food carts are so small? Where there’s one food cart/truck, there are usually others. It’s unlikely for several of the same cuisine carts to gather in the same place, which means you have a choice of different kinds of food. This is great for those traveling with kids who are picky and never seem to want the same thing you are eating. Don’t like the dessert one cart is serving? Go check out what the others have to offer!

Mobile dining 

Not only is your restaurant mobile, but you can also take your food with you. Either eat nearby or enjoy your meal on your way through the city. It’s a great way to burn calories and save time when you want to get more sightseeing done.

Heart-shaped Travel Inspo

Seeing as it's Valentine's Day, I thought you might like to see some naturally heart-shaped places you can actually travel to. Perhaps you can plan a trip to visit one of them in the future or you might just like a little eye candy for the day. 

Heart Island, Croatia - photo credit

Check out these pretty spots:

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Heart Lake, Washington

This naturally-occurring lake can be found in Washington's Olympic National Park. You can hike and even camp next to the lake, for a lovely romantic outdoor date. 

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Makepeace Island, Australia 

This island is owned by Richard Branson and can accommodate 20 guests, so it's probably not cheap to stay on, but it's definitely pretty.

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Tavarua Island, Fiji

If you love surfing (and gorgeous islands), this is known to be one of the best surfing spots in the world and hosts an annual surfing competition. It's also perfect for snorkeling and diving, because it's surrounded by coral reef.

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Coeur de Voh, New Caledonia

This amazing little heart can only be seen properly from above, but this part of the landscape is formed by mangroves and can take on different looks as the vegetation changes. It's difficult to get to, but the area is teeming with fantastic wildlife.

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Valentine Lake, British Columbia, Canada

This lake is for the hard core hiker (or romantic). Plan to camp here, as it's a 4-hour hike from the end of the main road. Just think about what a sweet and well-earned getaway it will be when you get there. Pack a bottle of wine to celebrate the journey.

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Gislachersee Lake, Austria

Located in the Ötztal valley of Tyrol, Austria, this lake offers spectacular views of the Alps. It's a 3-hour hike from the popular ski resort of Sölden, but imagine how gorgeous and secluded it must be in the summertime.

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St. Paul's Bay, Greece

There's a popular wedding venue, there's a small church built on this spot to commemorate St. Paul's visit to teach the Rhodian people Christianity. What a stellar place to renew your vows!

There you have it. Some inspiration for your future travels and a little pretty to round out your Valentine's Day. If you're look for more inspo, you can read my budget V-Day getaways here and if you're solo for the day and need a laugh, check out this blog post on Society6.

What's On Your Bucket List?

We all have one. We may call it a bucket list, a travel wishlist or a life list, but it's all the same thing: The things you want to do or visit before you die. I've talked about mine before. Let's look at a few:

Turkey

This is the ultimate budget travel destination on my list. Once you fly there, everything is quite affordable, plus it’s not like your typical European destination. I want to visit Cappadocia and sleep in a cave hotel and go on a hot air balloon ride and take a ride on a yacht. I mean, don’t all those things sound just the coolest? Everywhere else this would cost a fortune, but not in Turkey!

Greece & Malta

If you’ve ever seen a picture of the gorgeous Greek seaside, you won’t wonder why this is on my list, or really anyone’s list. Between the Mediterranean, the food, and the people, this is really quite high up on my Life List. And since Malta is, literally, right there, there’s no reason to skip it. I blame old World’s Strongest Man competitions for making me drool over this destination. It’s small, it’s beautiful and it invokes a little bit of Greek heaven.

Tokyo Disneyland

Ah yes, Tokyo itself sounds really amazing, and I’m going to make it there one day, but one of the attractions I am dying to see is the Japanese version of my favorite theme park. It’s so different, yet I know it will probably still feel like home, but probably with more politeness. How can this not be on my list? Also, is it weird that I kind of want to spend a night in a capsule hotel? Yes? Okay then.

So those are some of mine, but let's talk about some of yours, because I'm going to base some future posts on them. What are your top destinations on your travel bucket list?