Do you ever think of Mississippi as a destination that you'd plan to visit? We've driven through plenty of times, but apparently Mississippi is so much more than what you see from the highway. Okay, I knew there was more to it. From Ocean Springs, MS to Jackson, you'll find all kinds of towns and natural spaces to explore.

In this episode we've got our friend, Tammilee Tillison of TammileeTips.com / GulfCoastJourneys.com sharing about one of the places in Mississippi that surprised her the most: Ridgeland, Mississippi. Initially, the plan for being based in Ridgeland was to explore the Natchez Trace Parkway (a National Park Service greenway) and then to pop over to Jackson to visit the Medgar and Myrlie Evers National Monument, but Ridgeland turned out to be the land of fine dining and classy relaxation and green spaces.

Having Ridgeland as a home base, you can plan a 3-day getaway that's a mix of history, southern swamp nature, and beautiful food. The Natchez Trace Parkway stretches from Natches in southern Mississippi up into Tennessee, crossing through a little corner of Alabama. This is the natural beauty of the South that's often overlooked or forgotten. This is also a birdwatching dream, being a part of the Mississippi Flyway, a major bird migration route from the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico up into Canada and Alaska.

Ideas for when to head to Ridgeland MS and the Natches Trace:

• Spring for the Mississippi Flyway birdwatching
• Late spring for synchronus fireflies
• Fall for fall colors along the Natches Trace from TN through AL and MS

Listen to more episodes with Tammilee in our podcast archives or Making Big Life Decisions to Pursue Joy

We visit MidCoast Maine at least once a year and always have a good time. It's not what a lot of people expect though, as it's a complicated sort of place to visit. "You can't get there from here..." From just north of Portland all the way to Acadia National Park, MidCoast Maine is one of those place you know you want to visit but maybe don't know why, so we've got you covered.

In this podcast episode we're talking about our favorite towns, great things to do in MidCoast Maine, and what to actually expect when you visit (including Wildlife in Maine). It's funny because for being one of the most popular East Coast destinations for vacation, Mainers kind of don't want everyone to be there. It's a complicated reltationship between residents and visitors.

Either way, we love getting to visit Maine and are excited to share and help YOU plan a trip to this beautiful place. Give a listen and check out our many articles that are all about planning Maine trips:

• Maine Summer Road Trip
• Maine in Winter
• Lighthouses in Maine to Visist
• Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and more!

Even though 2020 seems like so long ago, we're still feeling the effects of how the COVID pandemic changed the world, including travel. It's weird to think back and remember washing our groceries and not being allowed to sit down in public places. And I remember the day I lost my job and we scrambled to figure out how to complete our move across the country that we'd already started the process on... It was a lot for everyone.

One element that was really impacted by the pandemic was travel. It's weird to look back and think about what we did to be able to travel during COVID. For example getting to visit Disney World and Universal duiring COVID with zero crowds and everyone being required to give you space, NOT cough on you and actively be hygenic. It's fascinating to think about how many people we opposed to all this.

Living through the COVID pandemic is a historic life. Unprecidented times like this being blasted on social media and misinformation being spread daily made this particular life experience very different. COVID news came at us from every angle and so much wasn't monitored or verified, vs other historic events, such as 9-11. Looking back, the events of COVID now seem to have a historic filter on them as we think of them in the style of something shot on VHS.

Another event that hit during the peak of COVID was the 2020 election in the USA. That was its own thing that continues to have reprecussions today. Fascinating to look back!