Why You Need to Add Tennessee to Your Bucket List

You might think of music and good food when you think of Tennessee. But really, those two things are only part of what Tennessee has to offer. If you are thinking about where to travel to state-side this year, then here are some of the reasons why you should think about exploring and discovering what this beautiful and great state has to offer. 

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Southern hospitality

If there is one thing that will attract you to visiting this area, then it needs to be the southern hospitality that will be in abundance when you visit. You can feel completely welcome in this state through the famous southerners and how much they make you feel welcome. From getting locals to recommend somewhere good to eat, to discovering new attractions to visit, talking to local Tennesseans will help you to feel welcomed no matter which part of the state that you visit. 

Music scene

Memphis and Nashville are two cities in the state that have really thriving music scenes, which you are likely to expect given the musical history of these two places. There are a range of musical venues in these cities, with local performers, industry leaders performing, as well as blues, and country music. There are also a range of museums that you can visit that are dedicated to music, such as the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, as well as the Stax Museum of American Soul Music in downtown Memphis.

Great food

You cannot make any complaints about the food that you will have in Tennessee. Known for BBQ food, there are some fried chicken places that will make your mouth water. There are a lot of restaurants that are also known for their southern dishes, with sides and meats, as well as a range of vegan and vegetarian joints. If you are looking for great flavors and home cooked-style foods, then Tennessee is the one.

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Outdoor exploring

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is found in Tennessee, so if you are someone that likes to get outdoors and explore, then this will be a great choice for you. A Pigeon Forge vacation, for example, could mean anything from visiting Dollywood, to dinner shows, to great hiking trails, and outdoor adventures like fishing. If you like to get outdoors and explore when you travel, then you can get a mix of city and country when you visit Tennessee. 

Inexpensive to visit

The residents of Tennessee will know that it is an affordable place to live. But as a tourist of the state, you can make the most of the affordability too. There are a range of hotels and self-catered accommodation, as well as Airbnb places that are totally reasonable and inexpensive to stay in. Food and attractions are also really reasonably priced, which is a great thing to note. When you save on your visit, you will be able to make up with souvenirs, experiences, and other things that will help to make your visit to Tennessee really memorable. 

Taking a Marrakech Staycation

It's that time again. We're on another Destination Date Night and this time we hit up Marrakech, Morocco. This has been on my list for a while, and it's giving me serious vacation longing. It's been almost a whole year since I've gotten on a plane to go anywhere and we've been talking about our first trip after we're both vaccinated. I can't wait, but these destination dates are some of the things really getting me through. So, let's talk about our date.

As you know, the setting is the most important part of my destination dates, so I had two backdrops made, since I couldn't find anything that wasn't a doorway. Much as I love doorways, I wanted to really capture the feel of the actual place. I chose a seaside scape and a market, because when I think of Morocco, I think of the souks and their many stalls and heaped, colorful spices. I adore a spice market, and Eric learned how much when we were at Borough Market in London and I spent a good hour in a particular stall choosing spices to bring home for myself and as gifts. In fact, he walked around and took pictures that I didn't even see until we got home. 

Because everything is so colorful, I tried to also make my table colorful, but not overly busy. I found these gorgeous plates in the clearance section of Cost Plus and snatched them up immediately. I already knew we would be "traveling" to Morocco at some point. I already had these starburst glasses, and I opted to use them instead of some other glasses I had my eye on. When I think on this destination, I also think of bright lanterns and Aladdin for some reason. For those reasons, I picked out this sweet little Moroccan style lantern and "genie lamp". All of this on top of a blue tablecloth to make everything pop.

As you know, we like to jazz up our looks on date night, so as an homage to the wonderful style and fashion, we did some fun headgear. Eric is sporting a little fez and I've got this pretty sweet hair jewelry. I said I was feeling Aladdin vibes, so I went a little bit that way with these looks.

Now, the main attraction: Food. I looked at several places that would deliver though UberEats* that had real, traditional Moroccan food, and not just random Mediterranean or Middle Eastern food, like shawarma. In fact, I found a local Black-owned restaurant that was in my delivery range. We have been trying to support more small, woman-owned, and Black-owned businesses, so this made me really happy.

Now, I know from experience that I don't love cold couscous, so I looked for different dishes. For starters, I ordered Bakola, a salted spinach dip with Moroccan spices and preserved lemons. This was spicy, and served with big pita bread. 

For mains I ordered was Chicken Bastila, and sweet and savory pastry made with phyllo dough. It looks like a doughnut, so I wasn't really sure what we were getting ourselves into, but you know I'm always up for new and interesting foods, so we had to try it. It was pretty awesome...and a lot bigger than anticipated. Three people could have had this as a meal. We also got Moroccan couscous, which is steamed and served with beef and veggies. Traditional, yes, but different than almost all couscous dishes I've ever had. We ended up with chicken, which was fine. The veggies were all large pieces, making it really rustic.  We have a lot of leftovers.

I don't normally order drinks, because I make my own, but I wanted to really immerse myself this week. I added a mint Tangier lemonade for Eric and a rose water for me. These sounded like very refreshing beverages to complement our meal, and they totally were.

Onto dessert. We did baklava as part of our Egypt date, and being part of a large Greek family, most gatherings with Eric's parents or aunts include a large pan of baklava. For that reason alone, I ordered rice pudding, which I know is also pretty normal, but I also thought it would go well with the Turkish coffee I was making. I had it once and I was in love with it. Turkish coffee is strong and flavorful and can be very sweet. Unlike regular coffee, it's definitely for sipping and taking your time to enjoy it. I got the special pot (cezve) and cups that I've been looking for an excuse to buy. I realized at the fact that we also did a different rice pudding during that Egypt date, but it was a great end to a great meal. 

*If you haven't signed up for UberEats yet, use my code eats-shereenr208ue and get $20 off your first order of $25+)

While we ate, we took tours of several souks, because we both love to see weird foods and cool handmade goods. We also took a tour of the top 10 things to do in Marrakech and learned some basic words and phrases, so we're ahead of the game for when we plan our trip there in the future.

If you want to plan your own Moroccan staycation, it's pretty easy to pull one together, even in a short amount of time. There are so many great walking tours online, as well as books and websites to plan a trip. Here's a list to get your started:

• A backdrop
• Moroccan lantern
• I bought this table lantern
• A Monrovian star lamp might be more to your liking
• Here's an affordable one
• Here's a fancy one
• Genie lamp
• Moroccan glasses
• Or these more everyday-use ones
• Coffee set with cezve
• Moroccan cookbook
• And a tangine if you want to do very traditional cooking style
• Fun headgear
• Here's the mini fez
• Here's the hair jewelry
• Pinch bowls that you can use for mise en place all the time or heap with spices to feel like you're visiting the souk right now
• Woven basket for a cool tropical plant
• Marrakech travel guide
• A good YouTube playlist or a game to learn Arabic words/phrases

You can make your staycation a romantic date or a fun learning escape for the family. No matter how you do it, a trip to Morocco is a great trip even at home. 

Have you been taking any staycations during this pandemic?

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Getting The Most Out Of Your Time Off

Time off is not something we get to enjoy very often, for numerous reasons. There are bills to cover, expenses to be paid, and you can’t be away from work all of the time for that to be possible. That’s why it’s important that you know how to get the most out of your time off and get yourself refreshed and ready to get back to things! There’s no limit on what you can do for enjoyment, whether you have a lot of funds to cover it, or are short and looking for something cheap to do!

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Different accommodation

A holiday doesn’t have to be some overly expensive adventure, and there’s a lot you can do to cut those costs down! What’s important is how you plan things, and in this case, it’s your choice of accommodation. Hotels can be a great experience, and the more you pay, the more you’re going to get from your stay there. If you’re looking for a luxury holiday, paying for a fancy hotel is likely going to be your best bet. The only problem with hotels is, it’s far more expensive to stay for a longer duration there than anywhere else, and if you’re looking for a longer period of time away - a hotel is going to limit that!

If you’re the type that doesn’t mind what kind of accommodation they’re going to be going with, and the enjoyment comes from the adventure itself, you might want to consider trying out a hostel! In some cases, you get your own private room - though you’ll likely be sharing a kitchen and a bathroom with other people who are staying there, and you’ll be spending much less money on your stay than you would in a hotel. It’s the perfect option if you’re going to be on the move a lot and don’t mind where you’re staying here and there. Of course, you lack the privacy that you would get with a hotel, but the savings could be worth it!

Another expensive option that you might want to consider is property rental. If you’re traveling with a family and need more space with your stay, it might be cheaper to rent a holiday home than it would be to rent multiple hotel rooms, and you get the whole building to yourself. Depending on where you’re going, there may be many benefits to this! Some homes allow pets, some have their own pool, some are right on the beach! It’s a great option if you’re planning a pricey holiday with the family, but want to save some money.

What suits you

Accommodation aside, getting a holiday right means figuring out what you’re going to do while you’re away, and you need to plan everything else around that. For some people, the ideal holiday is getting out there to see and experience everything that you possibly can! That might sound expensive, but it can be cheaper than staying in one place if you know how to carry yourself! Picking out cheap accommodation, bringing only a few belongings with you, and knowing how to take care of your necessities means that you don’t have to rely so much on paid guides and shelter!

If you don’t want to have to figure everything out for yourself, and would rather be shown around to see what’s interesting, there are holiday packages that you can invest in, where you’ll have a place to stay organized, and your events planned out! It can be good if you’re not really sure what you want, and you would prefer to get an experience recommended by someone else - but these tend to be more expensive. If you have your own ideas of what you want to do, a guided holiday isn’t for you!

Sometimes going far away from home isn’t the only great way to spend your time off, sometimes it’s good to do things while you’re at home instead! You don’t have to spend so much money on having a good time, and there’s likely plenty for you to do not so far from your home! You can find plenty of staycation ideas online, and you’d be surprised how much you can enjoy what’s around you if you haven’t already considered it!

Try something different

One of the best things you can do for yourself when you’re having time off is pushing yourself to try out something new for yourself! People often feel safer in their comfort zone, and would prefer not to do things that they’re not familiar with - but you could be seriously limiting your enjoyment! You could set yourself a goal while you’re off of work to try out something different, you never know what you might learn about yourself!

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Picking company

The company that you choose for your time off can make the world of difference, and it’s important that you pick it right! Consider if you’re going to another country, you’re going to be with that person the whole time you’re there! Your wants have to line up with theirs, else the holiday can become difficult. Some people prefer to take their vacations alone, and it can be easier to get around and save money like that. You only have to keep your plans, meals, and accommodation in mind - which means you’re free to spend or save whenever you want to!

Pack for the occasion

If you’ve planned your vacation to be spent in another country, how you pack for it is very important, and you should be sure not to overpack. If you’re staying in a hotel, and you’re confident that you’ll be able to get your luggage there, you don’t have much of a problem. However, if you’re planning to be on the move a lot, it can be very difficult to bring a lot of bags and suitcases with you. Some people prefer to pack very light and fit all that they’re bringing into a backpack with them. A few changes of clothes travel documents, some money, and their electrical devices with charges - that’s all you need to bring with you, and other things can be bought while you’re there.