Boston to Florida | Summer Vacation

In June, Greg and I flew to Boston and started our trip down the entire East Coast. When we were thinking about trips that would we wanted to take, but would be difficult with a baby (or babies), this was the winner! We saw 14 states and stayed in 7 different cities; it was exhausting, inspiring, and exactly what we needed at that point in time. In an effort to ensure I remained fully in the moment, I left my big camera behind most of the time. So these pictures are random snippets from times I got it out. Bonus points if you can tell where is where 🙂

We started in Boston and ended in Georgia with Greg’s family (after a stop in Panama City Beach where Greg was born!). Along the way we also saw NYC, Baltimore, Washington DC, and Greensboro. Here are three things we learned on our big East Coast adventure!

1.)  Amtrak and Airbnb are amazing ways to travel. 

$1,400 is what the rental company wanted to charge us for 12 days with a Smart Car. Yep, not even an Altima or a Civic. A Smart Car. Amtrak was a much more affordable way to get from state to state, and it was so much more enjoyable than a car ride! We did rent a car once we reached North Carolina, but the train was perfect in big cities because public transportation was so expansive. Riding along the coast was absolutely beautiful!

With the exception our families homes in North Carolina and Georgia, we used Airbnb the whole way down. In Panama City Beach we rented an motorhome for less than $100 a night. We were a block from the beach, we had our own kitchen and living room, AND our host included us on her family BBQ. Does it get any better?!

2.) Washington DC is, in our opinion, the coolest city in the US. 

Neither of us anticipated falling in love with this city like we did. Standing in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier about took my breath away…and I think Greg stared at George Washington’s uniform for about 10 straight minutes. The amount of history in that one city is just unfathomable. Through one of Greg’s connections we managed to get a private tour of the Pentagon. Want to know something amazing? The plane that crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11 hit the ONLY wing that had been renovated and strengthened. If it had hit anywhere else, the damage probably would have doubled. Walking through that building was sobering, humbling, and yet inspiring at the same time. If you’re ever in DC, you should try to get a tour at the Pentagon!

3.) Getting away from the routine is so beneficial in marriage.  

In your typical beach or camping vacations you can establish a routine; we couldn’t really do that on this trip. So instead of the possibility of focusing on a routine, our only option was to focus on each other and the time we were spending together. Travel has this incredible way of opening your mind; we came to a better understanding of one another and our hopes and dreams became more aligned.

4.) And one more, just for fun 🙂 The Cheesecake Factory has an AMAZING apple pie that was about 4 times the size we were expecting. See the only iPhone photo in this post 🙂

Getting away for our anniversary has become a priority for us, and I can’t wait for next year’s trip! Whatever that might look like once Duke is here 😉