The post Luisa Weiss Will Convince You to Try Some German Desserts appeared first on Traveler Dreams.
]]>But you don’t have to visit Germany in order to enjoy its rich baking tradition (though it might help!). Luisa Weiss’ adored cookbook, Classic German Baking, offers the very best recipes for traditional favorites, from Pfeffernüsse to Streuselkuchen. An authoritative collection of recipes, it offers more than 100 rigorously researched and tested recipes, gathered from expert bakers, friends, family, and time-honored sources throughout Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Amongst her favorite recipes, Weiss talks of the lebkuchen-powidltatschkerln [plum-filled gingerbread pockets]. “They’re little rye cookies that you fill with plum paste and pull together and crimp,” she shared. “They’re delicious and chewy and fruity.”
Whether you’re in the mood for the simple yet emblematic Streuselkuchen, crisp and flaky Strudel, or classic breakfast Brötchen, you’re sure to find the best recipes in her book, along with detailed advice to ensure success plus delightful storytelling about the origins, meaning, and rituals behind them. A great way to experience German culture without actually getting out of the house…
You can purchase Classic German Baking on Amazon.
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]]>The post Explore the Many Flavors of Indonesia with Lara Lee appeared first on Traveler Dreams.
]]>According to Prianto Soemantri, cookbook author Lara Lee might just be the nation’s ambassador when it comes to Indonesian food. A half-Indonesian, half-Australian foodie, Lee published last year a celebrated cookbook titled Coconut & Sambal: Recipes from my Indonesian Kitchen. “This book is a dream for our culture,” said Prianto Soemantri. “A cookbook like Lara’s gives us representation.”
With more than 80 traditional and vibrant recipes that have been passed down through the generations, Lee’s cookbook offers insights into authentic Indonesian cookery. Recipes include tried and true dishes such as Nasi goreng, Beef rendang, Chilli prawn satay, and Pandan cake, alongside a variety of recipes for sambals: fragrant, spicy relishes that are undoubtedly the heart and soul of every meal.
“This cookbook is also the story of my grandmother and her dishes and our family, and me discovering my heritage,” relayed Lee in an interview with The Star. While Lee herself didn’t actually grow up in Indonesia, her book forms a bridge between East and West. Writing the book included much research in advance, as well as trips around the country.
“I think what I find so interesting about Indonesia is that wherever you travel, the flavour profile completely changes, whether it’s Bali, Timur, Sulawesi or Padang,” she notes. “So to capture it all in a cookbook, I travelled as much as I could in the time I had. I also met a well-known Indonesian chef called William Wongso, who took me under his wing and introduced me to some of the best home cooks in Indonesia, so I was really lucky to have incredible experts support me.”
Her favourite savory dish? Beef Rendang. The rendang begins in a large pot filled with coconut milk, chunks of stewing beef, and a fragrant spice paste that includes chillies, galangal, garlic, shallots, and turmeric, along with aromats like lime leaf and lemongrass. It simmers on a low heat until the beef has softened, the sauce is thickened, and the oil from the coconut milk has split and risen to the top. The heat is turned up and the coconut oil browns and caramelizes the beef until all that’s left is a darkened and powerfully flavorful sauce.
“Basically, because Indonesian food is not mainstream, I wanted it to feel accessible—something that people could make in their home kitchens, ” says Lee. Her recipes might just inspire you to visit Indonesia. In the meanwhile, you can at least experience it through your tastebuds.
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]]>The post A Taste of Asia: Hetty McKinnon’s Cookbook Celebrates Asian Cuisine appeared first on Traveler Dreams.
]]>“I didn’t understand much about my Chinese roots as my parents didn’t really talk about their lives before they arrived in Australia,” relayed McKinnon in an interview with Artful Living. “But food was always my gateway to my Chinese heritage; it was a tangible way for me to understand who my parents are and where they came from.”
McKinnon cookbook To Asia, With Love—a sumptuous collection of creative vegetarian recipes featuring relatively simple pan-Asian dishes—offered a way for McKinnon to recreate her childhood memories through traditional dishes prepared in non-traditional ways.
“Even from the youngest age, whether I was watching my mom cook, helping her fold dumplings or having dim sum every Sunday in Sydney’s Chinatown, food gave me moments to really recognize my Asian-ness,” explained the author. “But I really didn’t think deeply about my cultural identity until I started to cook myself.”
McKinnon stressed that cooking allowed her to really think about the role that food plays in connection—between people, between generations, between cultures—and make sense of not only her Chinese identity but also her Australian one.
Featuring savory flavors created from simple, fresh ingredients, her recipes are firmly rooted in the place where east meets west and where tradition charts the journey to the modern kitchen—with ingredients carefully picked so that they’re readily available in any supermarket.
Currently based in Brooklyn, McKinnon’s recipes range from the traditional to her uniquely modern interpretations, such as buttery miso vegemite noodles, stir-fried salt and vinegar potatoes. Being a vegetarian for over twenty years now, she puts an emphasis on seasonal vegetables when creating her irresistible Asian flavors. McKinnon stresses that her plant-based recipes are truly egalitarian, for every person who enjoys a flavor-packed, vegetable-heavy dish (no labels required).
“Food led me back to my cultural heritage and instilled in me a great sense of pride in being who I am,” she notes. “To Asia, With Love is a celebration of this homecoming; there’s a huge chunk of my heart in this book.”
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]]>The post Dine At Diagon Alley: Return to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter appeared first on Traveler Dreams.
]]>One thing you don’t want to skip when visiting the theme park is the food. Who can forget Harry’s first trip on the Hogwarts Express, where he was introduced to the wizarding world via the trolley? It was this iconic scene where we as readers “tasted” our first Chocolate Frogs (and collected our first collectible cards), were intrigued/discussed by Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans, and gobbled up a Cauldron Cake.
From pumpkin juice to Butterbeer, to dinner in the Great Hall where food magically appears and disappears, there are plenty of unforgettable Harry Potter food experiences unique to JK Rowling’s fantasy world.
You can expect these treats to pop up in Orlando’s Wizarding World. Indeed, the food in the Wizarding World is not like your typical theme park food. Well thought out, it is indicative of the Harry Potter books and adds to the overall fantasy experience. Snack and drink carts are readily available and themed restaurants, such as the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade and the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley will make you feel like you yourself have been accepted into the wizarding world.
“You want these beverages to be cool, and I don’t mean cold,” stressed the corporate executive chef of Universal Orlando Parks and Resorts, Steven Jayson, in an interview with USAtoday. “You want them to be neat. You want people to see them and be excited and say, ‘I’ve got to try that.’ And then when they get it, they’re excited about what they got, that they love it.”
It comes as no surprise that the Butterbeer offered at the theme park proved to be the ultimate treat in Orlando. Consisting of a cream soda-meets-butterscotch flavor and a sweet whipped topping, Butterbeer originally came in two versions: cold and frozen. “We found out very, very quickly when we opened that Butterbeer was definitely an overnight homerun,” said Jayson. “Hands down, that’s the one thing that we’ve created here at Universal Orlando that stands alone.”
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]]>The post Elona Karafin Treats Travel As a Self-Development Tool appeared first on Traveler Dreams.
]]>Traveling to some of the most stunning places across the globe, Karafin shares beautiful photos, where she can be seen sporting some stylish outfits. “Traveling alone takes resilience and an open mind,” she admits in one blog post. “It takes courage and stepping out of your comfort zone,” she notes, adding that traveling solo is something everyone should do at least once in their lives.
As excited as I am, safety still remains the TOP priority. – @iata.training released an interactive map (google: IATA Travel Regulations map), on which you can see all the updated travel restrictions and border openings by country! – You can also search: “COUNTRY NAME travel covid” and click on the official embassy website to see what travel restrictions are in place based on your passport! – Consider traveling locally & PLEASE support local businesses, boutique hotels, mom & pop restaurants, gift shops, and more. – @thepointsguy is a great resource to be up to date on all things travel & flying as more information becomes available 
– If you can financially, consider using a travel agent for your next trip! Travel agents suffered unimaginable losses during the pandemic and even so, they are often able to offer really low package deals 
– I filmed a fantastic #TalksWithElona episode with the Owner of Plane Talking PR – we talk about biosecurity in airports, the cleanliness of aircraft, and the future of travel. Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel / podcast to hear it first! – Safety, undoubtedly, is the top priority and as we continue to learn about safety measures for upcoming travel – it is imperative that we look after each other. Please wear a mask. Please wash your hands. And please don’t travel unless you feel 100% healthy.According to Karafin, traveling solo teaches you how to be comfortable with yourself, appreciate silence, and most importantly—uncover the deep ends of your cognitive spectrum.
. . 
: @jerometraveller“The biggest excuse I hear all the time is, ‘I really want to share my experiences with someone else, that’s why I’d never travel alone,'” she writes. “You don’t always have to share your experiences with someone else—you’d be shocked to discover how different your surroundings are when you see them through your own lenses without anyone else’s two cents.”
If you could go anywhere in the world right now to see someone that you miss – where would you go? . . . quote by Jonathan Safran Foer 
With travel being a full-time gig, she creates content for various brands in the travel and lifestyle arenas. But she also leaves space for some charity work. This year, writes Karafin on her website, she’s focusing more on humanitarian efforts, leading various philanthropic initiatives to help children in underserved communities, and running a charity for underprivileged kids with cancer.
𝐊 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐊𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐤 – I know you’re wondering about that, too 
With its design strongly influenced by the tomb (yes, tomb) of architect Sir John Soane, the iconic red booth is a staple of British culture 
. Nearly every single person in the area has a cell phone nowadays, so the phone booth has lost a lot of its core purpose. Some kiosks, like the one I’m standing in, are victims of severe vandalism and are marked with a pungent smell of urine (worth it for the picture am I right? 
(photo inspiration from my favorite @sergeysuxov // shot by @ofleatherandlace // edited by me!)With an impressive following on Instagram, the hype is real!
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]]>The post Travel Influencer Spotlight: One Girl One World’s Francesca Murray appeared first on Traveler Dreams.
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Did you know that there’s a grassy park right in front of the iconic Hollywood Sign in LA? It’s the perfect spot to hang out and indulge in an elevated iced coffee experience with @peetscoffee Blended Coffee 
….. Check out the link in my stories for where to find Peet’s Blended Coffee near you! #upgrade [ad] . . . . . . #coffeestyle #coffeeloversclub #coffeeloversunite #coffeeaesthetic #latinainfluencer #icedcoffeeaddict #icedcoffeelover #blacktraveler #losangelesbloggerFluent in French and conversational in Spanish, Murray is a proud Afro-Latina with Honduran Garifuna roots and has a solid audience across platforms—with the majority being millennial women from the United States.
This is something I’ve been pondering, and I’d love to know what you guys think! …. I went to the beach recently and saw so many plastic bottles on the shore and it made me sad 
I wanted to post about it, but the way I’ve seen environmentally conscious influencers be ripped to shreds (I once saw a girl get attacked for having a straw in a photo – turned out it was reusable) is a little scary 
And since I’m not leading a perfectly eco-lifestyle, I wonder if it’s okay to even talk about these types of things? …….. I’m just learning as I go (shoutout to my girl @heyashleyrenne 
) but I do believe that everyone can (and should) care about the environment, even if it’s as simple as making eco-friendly choices when it’s convenient. 
I’d love to occasionally share eco-friendly brands, repurposing hacks and things I learn along the way, but I’m still on the fence. Let’s discuss! “Life is a journey, and I’m excited to help you live yours out loud!” she writes on her website. “Be it finally embracing your natural curls, perfecting you skincare routine, or traveling solo for the first time—you’ll be sure to find the inspiration and resources you need right here.”
Now that we’ve all had time to accept that our 2020 adventures didn’t go as planned, I thought I’d flip the script! 
Has anyone else had this happen? ….. All the mishaps aside… I’d still be more than willing to do it all over again 
hopefully next year!A passionate traveler, in an interview with Travel Coterie she admitted travel has enhanced who she already was deep inside. “It’s made me more confident and self-assured, allowed me to be more compassionate towards others and expanded my ability to look at the bigger picture in life,” said Murray.
I was going to rent an Airbnb in Paris before heading to Southwest France for a wedding which got postponed to 2021. 
Paris is one of my favorite places so I was pretty bummed, but I’m in good health so I can’t complain. 
I’ve been binging on French reality shows and listening to a lot of French music to make up for it. “It’s also blessed me with the ability to speak multiple languages, which has changed my life for the better. I have some friends who don’t even speak English that I couldn’t have connected with if it weren’t for travel!”
….. Is it Mother’s Day where you live? Are any of you mothers? I hope you have a great one! 
With an urge to explore new cultures—whether that involves learning new languages or trying out new cuisines—Murray is just the kind of influencer we seek in our feed. Noteworthy posts include a guide to Planning the Perfect Girl’s Trip to Barbados and How to Get Paid to Teach English Abroad.
Follow her Instagram page for more.
The post Travel Influencer Spotlight: One Girl One World’s Francesca Murray appeared first on Traveler Dreams.
]]>The post Travel Responsibly with Bret Love and Mary Gabbett appeared first on Traveler Dreams.
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Jokes aside, traveling the world is fantastic. But it's even better when you know the local environment, wildlife, and community are being BETTERED by you being there. Stay responsible, friends And while most of these lessons can be implemented at home, they should also come with us when we travel, suitcase in hand. But with phrases like “eco-friendly” and “sustainable” being thrown around these days by many companies, it’s hard to know who to follow and what exactly is it that needs to be done.
Here to show us the ropes are Bret Love and Mary Gabbett from Green Global Travel. With a growing following online, the couple inspires fellow travelers to embrace ecotourism, wildlife conservation, and cultural preservation, providing resources that help you figure out how to make an impact—big or small.
According to Gabbett and Love, the key is to do as much research before traveling. “The more informed you are about the various issues associated with responsible travel, the more informed your choices will be,” they write.
“We believe that Ecotourism—responsible travel that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people—is the future of travel,” they stress. “Our mission is to share our deep love for Ecotourism adventures, inspire people to travel and live more sustainably, and encourage everyone to do their part to make the world a better place.”
From trekking to see Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda to cruising the Galapagos Islands, from camping with Bedouins in the deserts of Jordan to parading with Mardi Gras Indians in New Orleans, the couple share transformative travel experiences that make a positive impact.
“A growing number of people genuinely want to be responsible travelers now,” they write. “They (and you, since you’re reading this story!) are making concerted efforts to learn how to travel more ethically and sustainably.”
Take the first necessary steps towards a greener future.
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]]>The post Volunteer Travel – Now More Than Ever appeared first on Traveler Dreams.
]]>With the world being more of a global village, traveling has become much more accessible, with digital platforms connecting people from all corners of the Earth.
According to the for-profit tech company and online platform, GivingWay, this growing sense of “closeness” has also spread to the do-good field, and people are looking to support causes they care about not only in their own neighborhoods but in faraway places as well.
But to make a change, you have to do some research. GivingWay’s goal? To connect volunteers with non-profits on the ground for free, so non-profits can clearly communicate their wishes, and volunteers can direct their contribution where most needed.
“We make it easy for nonprofits to clearly communicate their needs, and for people to give their time, skills or funds in the most effective way possible,” they write on their website. “By volunteering abroad, volunteering online, donating funds or even just hitting the ‘Share’ button—supporting great causes can take many shapes and forms, and we’re here to make it all possible.”
The company receives a commission on transactions that run through their platform, such as volunteering fees paid to nonprofits and donations made through our system.
“We believe great businesses can drive impact on a very wide scale, and we are working hard to achieve this,” they write. “Alright, it’s not just about hard work… we also happen to LOVE what we do.”
The platform also allows you to volunteer from home, donate funds or set up a fundraising page in ways that maximize efficiency and impact. Lets do this!
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]]>The post Oneika Raymond Is a Bona Fide Travel Junkie appeared first on Traveler Dreams.
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Ok, enough with all the bad puns but I wanted to draw your attention to this list! October is typically the BEST month to leaf-peep in Maine and the state goverment even puts out a Fall Foliage Report
so you know where and when the best colors are (so cute, right?). Based on my research, here are the top spots I saw/heard over and over again: 1. Acadia National Park/Bar Harbor 2. Camden Hills State Park 3. Moosehead Lake 4. Rangeley Lakes Scenic Byway 5. Baxter State Park ___ Now, where I was in Southern/Coastal Maine isn't a prime fall foliage destination BUT on my last day in the state I made a brief detour at Bradbury Mountain State Park which is pretty scenic regardless (great views) and had some fall colors to boot! ___ Do you enjoy fall? Have you ever gone looking for fall foliage? 
A thrill-seeker who’s always in the midst of planning her next trip, Raymond has bungee jumped over the Zambezi River, fished for piranhas in the Amazon, and climbed active volcanoes in Guatemala and Ecuador, amongst her many adventures.
As the author of the award-winning travel blog “Oneika the Traveller,” she is the recipient of a Gold Medal in the 2018 SATW Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition for Best Travel Blog and was also named Wanderful’s 2019 Creator of the Year. But incredibly enough, she didn’t grow up traveling but discovered a passion for it quite later in life.
“I grew up in Toronto in an immigrant family—my parents were born and raised in Jamaica,” she recalled in an interview with Passion Passport. “We didn’t really have much of a culture of travel.”
It was only during her studies in university that she took a leap of faith. “Eventually I realized it was travel that was really feeding me. It wasn’t necessarily the idea of being away from home, but the idea of discovering, of learning something new every day, of stretching my boundaries and living outside of my comfort zone—that’s what I really enjoyed.”
shoes 
. And any time I've visited my husband's family in Germany 
I've taken my shoes off and left them at the door as well. However, I notice that in the USA 
many people don't seem to do this! So I'm curious. Let me know what city/country you're from and whether you keep shoes ON or OFF when you enter a residence!Now, her platform means she gets to reach others and inspire them to live a more adventuress life. Dedicated to inspiring people of color to see the world, she’s a fierce supporter of women who travel and has keynoted at the Women in Travel Summit, at Women’s Travel Fest.
) rate of infection stateside? It's a humbling development given that American passport holders can typically enter 185 countries without restrictions! Guess it's not so bad to be a Canadian after all, eh? “In the early 2000s, when I was traveling and writing, there were very few black people doing this online,” she notes. “I got a lot of positive feedback.”
Follow her for those good vacation vibes.
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]]>The post Marie and Jake Travel Around the World with Style appeared first on Traveler Dreams.
]]>With their new-found love more important to them than security, comfort, or a career—the two took on a nomad lifestyle and created a brand that allows them to live life to the fullest. “We set about creating a life that would allow us to spend everyday together doing what we love while have a positive impact on the world,” they write on their website.
Over the years, the couple has traveled the world and seen the most beautiful places, met the happiest people and discovered new ways of living. Through their experiences, they’ve been able to collect the tools they needed to design a dream lifestyle.
“We’ve worked hard to make our dreams become a reality—make no mistake about that, but the tools we’ve collected over the years, the lessons we’ve learned, and the thought processes we’ve constructed that have helped us succeed, are very much acquirable,” they write.
Their goal now is to share their knowledge with others through their online blog. Blog posts include how to stay healthy on the road, how to make money online, and how to deal with the fear of failure. Recent blog posts also zoom in on traveling during Covid, such as a list dedicated to 5 Ways to be a Responsible Tourist During Covid-19.
“It wasn’t easy, we had many set-backs and we faced a lot of criticism/doubt from almost everybody around us,” write the inspiring couple. “But we can tell you now that our commitment to creating our life the way we wanted was the best thing we’ve ever done and will ever do.”
Their Instagram page will inspire you, if nothing else.
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