Cates on Vacation

 About this Trip We took this trip when I was 6 months pregnant in February of 2015. We flew out of Dallas on United Airlines (with a stopover in Phoenix). Planning Your Kauai Adventure Kauai has five main regions—North, South, East, West, and the Middle. While the North Shore boasts dramatic cliffs and the famous  Kalalau Trail , the South Shore (where Poipu is located) is sunny and laid-back. If you have only three days like we did, focus on the North and South. You’ll want to plan a return trip for the rest—especially the full  Na Pali Coast . Day 1: Cruising Through Coffee Country We kicked off the trip by renting a convertible and driving through Kauai’s scenic backroads. There’s something about rolling the windows down and taking in those wide-open views that instantly puts you in vacation mode. Our first stop was the Kauai Coffee Estate, the largest coffee farm in the U.S. It’s a beautiful, open space to wander, and the smell of fresh coffee is everywhere. We s...

 About this Trip We took this road trip from Dallas to New Orleans for New Year's Eve in January of 2025 with our kids, 9 and 13. Even though New Year's Day was a holiday, nothing we did was closed and the city was just as vibrant as it always is. Day 1 We started our journey with a drive from Dallas to New Orleans, making a detour to visit Houmas House along the way. This plantation estate is beautiful, with lush grounds and an interesting history. As we walked through the gardens, we were surrounded by exotic birds and stunning scenery. The best part was that after the tour, we were free to wander the grounds as long as we liked. It was a peaceful, relaxing stop before continuing our drive. We caught a 6:00 p.m. tour, which was the perfect timing to explore the house and the grounds. There are many plantations in this area that you can tour. We liked this one but be sure to research the different options before you go. After Houmas House, we drove on to New Orleans and chec...

 About this Trip We took this trip for Spring Break 2025—two adults and two kids, ages 9 and 13. Overall, there wasn’t a lot of advanced planning involved beyond booking our flights, accommodations, and a rental car. We did lock in our fishing expedition a couple of weeks ahead, and if you’re planning to visit Waiʻānapanapa State Park during your drive on the Road to Hana, I’d recommend reserving your spot at least a day or two in advance. If catching the sunrise at the summit of Haleakalā is on your list, be sure to reserve that well ahead of time—like months in advance. I’d also suggest booking a luau early since, while there are plenty of options, they tend to fill up quickly. Everything else we did was super easy to book, often the day of or just a day or two before. (Oh, and we ended up skipping the sunrise at Haleakalā this time around. Next trip!) Stay & Flight We flew Southwest Airlines from Dallas on a 4-hour flight to OAK, where we had a quick connection before head...

About this Trip Eric and I flew direct to and from Boston on American Airlines. We stayed in a really cute and convenient Airbnb in the North End. After arriving, we got reloadable Charlie Cards for the "T" to make traveling around the city easy. Back Bay streets are in alphabetical order: Arlington, Berkeley, Clarendon, Dartmouth. So are South Boston streets: A, B, C, D. Boston's top attractions are concentrated in several areas. The North End is rich in history and Italian culture, while Back Bay boasts stunning architecture and upscale shopping. Visitors can explore the natural beauty of Boston Common and the Charles River, visit prestigious universities like Harvard and MIT, or enjoy entertainment at the Prudential Center, TD Garden, and Fenway Park.   Day 1 For a mid-afternoon pick-me-up, we stopped at Modern Pastry on Hanover Street for cannolis—definitely worth it. After that, we spent some time wandering through Boston Common and the Boston Public Garden, checking...

Northern New Mexico (May 2024) About this Trip We took this trip right after school got out in late May. We flew Southwest Airlines into Albuquerque and stayed at a friend's casita. Since most of the activities we did were free, this was a pretty inexpensive getaway. I did purchase the Meow Wolf and Sandia peak tickets in advance, but not a lot of other advanced planning was needed.

 About this Trip We took this trip to see our California cousins over the winter break. We flew out early on New Year's Day and caught a direct flight on Southwest Airlines. Palm Springs has a TON of AirBnb and Boutique hotel options. Ours was really cute and included a pool + hot tub, a popcorn machine, a cotton candy maker, and a pool table. The kids loved it. We didn't plan very much in advance, but we should have bought our tickets to the Palm Springs tram in advance. During peak times, they sell only a limited number of tickets in advance and it was fully sold out when we went. Palm Springs Aerial Tram We were excited to ride the Palm Spring Aerial Tram . We drove up to the parking area and then took a shuttle bus up to the ticketing office. The line was out the door and, after asking a few questions, we determined that it would probably take about three hours of waiting to (maybe) get on a tram and probably another two hour wait to get back down. We didn't have that k...