I created the “Travellers’ Tales” section to give other travellers an opportunity to talk about their travels. Today I would like to introduce you to Lyndsay, a travel blogger based in Tennessee, USA. She blogs at The Wild Perhaps.
I would love to hear about your travels too. Go to “Travellers’ Tales” , fill in the quick questionnaire and email it to me with your blog links.
My name is Lyndsay Cox, and I am the “owner,” I suppose you could say, of The Wild Perhaps—a travel blog that I just recently created! Currently, I work as a full time English teacher in Tennessee, and while I love teaching (most days), traveling and writing are my true passions. In fact, my dream is to one day be able to make them both full-time gigs, and I can’t think of a better way to do that than through the blog.
In the meanwhile, my husband Daniel and I live here in Tennessee with our lovely children—our dog Lola and our cat Pumba—and travel as often as we can. When we can’t though, we explore the numerous hiking trails and waterfalls found right here near home.
Honestly, my family didn’t travel much when I was a kid; the farthest we typically went was an hour or two away to a lake or river to fish and camp. I’ll never forget the first time I saw the ocean though (or rather the Gulf of Mexico); my mom took me to Pensacola Beach, Florida, the summer after I completed 7th grade. It’s actually one of my best childhood memories. After that, I didn’t see the ocean again until I met my husband—when I was 20 years old.
My husband and I just returned from our 3rd wedding anniversary trip ; we only had a few days so we simply flew down to Miami, Florida, and took a road trip through the Keys.
Sitting on top of Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas National Park
It rained—A LOT—so several activities were cancelled (major bummer!); however, I think regardless of whether those activities were cancelled or not, my favorite would still stand: visiting the Dry Tortugas National Park. You take a 2 ½-hour Ferry ride from Key West to the park—and it is simply incredible. It’s a small island where turtles’ nests reside and are scattered around a fort—Fort Jefferson. You can walk freely through the fort (and even on top of it—for the best views!), and you can snorkel around the moat surrounding the fort. The views of the water and the beaches simply astounded me.
This is a tough one, but I’d have to say the two weeks we spent backpacking with friends through Europe last year. We got to see and do so many incredible things for the first time, and I carry that experience with me every day—daily recalling the carefree feeling of roaming through city after city with nothing but what I could fit in the pack on my back. There is nothing like that feeling, honestly. I swear it.
Staring out at the two "giants" along Black Sand Beach in Vik, Iceland
I just asked my husband this question, and we debated between Iceland and Ireland. I think the best answer to the question though is anywhere where I can roam freely and witness all that nature has to offer—where I can go hiking or biking or stand beneath waterfalls or watch the tide coming in.
If you go to Iceland, the waterfalls are everything. They are absolutely glorious, but remember that the “hidden” ones are the most incredible. In Ireland, visit Clare Island; rent bicycles and bike around the entire island.
My husband Daniel is definitely my number-one adventure partner; he is up for wherever my whims take us, and that is everything. I love visiting the beach annually though with my mom and brothers, and I also love hiking and waterfall-chasing with my best friend Olivia! I’m about to even go on my first adventure with my mother-in-law as well. I love having so many people in my life who crave adventures.
Me (left) sitting atop Chimney Tops with my friend Olivia in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee
We normally pack pretty lightly, so I’ll just say my camera!
Setbacks happen. Your snorkeling trip may get cancelled. Your camper van may get stuck in two feet of snow. You may find yourself at the wrong train station and not realize it until thirty minutes before departure time. It may rain all day every day. But it’s okay.
I was riding my bike through the rain last week in Key West--after just learning that two excursions had been cancelled (a common occurrence all week)—when an older local man yelled at me from the sidewalk: “You’re waterproof, baby!” And I’m pretty sure he was drunk (hah!) , but it got me really thinking about how you have to make the most of everything—you have to choose to be waterproof. You don’t want to look back on the adventure later and wish that you hadn’t wasted those moments.
Advice? Be waterproof.
I’m pretty basic. I want to go everywhere before I die.
The time I fell down one of the smaller waterfalls beneath Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon. And I dragged my husband down with me. And I distinctly recall freaking out as I couldn’t touch the bottom—all while being pulled toward another fall—and looking up the canyon wall to see kids nonchalantly staring down at me while they were stuffing chips in their mouths. Let’s just say I’m not good in crisis. Daniel kept me from drowning, and Olivia was there to help pull us back up the canyon wall—it’s good thing, too, because those kids were useless! /:)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewildperhaps
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/thewildperhaps
Thank you, Lyndsay, for sharing your fascinating travels with us!
I would love to hear about your travels too. Go to “Travellers’ Tales”, fill in the quick questionnaire and email it to me with your blog links.
Who will I feature next? I’ve got an exciting line-up ahead. Make sure you subscribe to the free newsletter so you don’t miss out on some exciting travel tales.
Sara Essop is a travel blogger and writer based in South Africa. She writes about family travel and experiences around the world. Although she has been to 50 countries thus far, she especially loves showcasing her beautiful country and is a certified South Africa Specialist.