Hey friend,

I’ve kicked into full gear during travel season having just wrapped up a trip to San Antonio for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead, check out the highlights on Instagram), and am getting ready to head out to Florida for some college football and Fredericksburg, Texas for a girls’ trip. As I mentioned last month, I’m going to be sharing a monthly recap with some quick tips and recommendations:

Here's the latest:

✍️ SHARING

This month I'm sharing the highlights of my trip to Comté, France. This region of France (Jura) is woefully overlooked and would make for a great family or couples getaway. We saw the process of Comté cheese making from farm to finish, enjoyed time in nature, and explored some charming small towns. Highly recommend!

And I know Thanksgiving is just around the corner. If you don’t have plans yet, maybe you’ll find some inspiration in our Thanksgiving trip article. [Read it here →]

📖 READING

​Life and Death and Giants by Ron Rindo. This beautiful story follows Gabriel Fisher, a boy born an orphan at eighteen pounds in Lakota, Wisconsin, who walks at eight months, communicates with animals, and is hidden away from the outside world by his devout Amish grandparents. When the local football coach spots him at seventeen, nearly eight feet tall, his story unfolds through the people whose lives he transforms, and it holds the reader’s attention from start to finish. A 5* read for me.

🎧 LISTENING

My college son turned me on to Sienna Spiro. I love her voice, the songs are emotional, and she reminds me of Amy Winehouse. Her song Pure gets me every time.

📺 WATCHING

Just finished binging East of Eden on Netflix, and man, that was gut-wrenching. I couldn’t look away. Let me know if you’ve seen it! For something a bit more lighthearted, I started watching Glee again. Imagine my surprise when they just announced the show is getting a reboot and many of the original cast members will be returning. Can’t wait!

👕 WHAT’S IN MY SUITCASE

I just stayed at The Monarch in San Antonio, which is a gorgeous new property. I loved that each room has a Conair handheld steamer. All hotels need one of these, and I came home and bought one! Shop​

🧳 BOOKING

I’m still seeing strong interest in Japan trips. Right behind it: Portugal getaways (including Madeira and the Azores), safaris, Mexico City, and New York City holiday trips. If any of those are on your radar too, hit reply and I'll help you plan.

Wishing you a wonderful week. The holiday season is just around the corner. Get ready!

Kirsten