September brings back memories of the epic, eight-week road trip we took through New England this time last year. Although I’m currently happy here in sunny Chiang Mai, my thoughts periodically transport me back to that world of autumn leaves, scenic drives, Halloween pumpkins and forest walks. I have vivid memories of salty air, jagged cliff-tops, harbours and seaside towns as well as the taste of blueberry pancakes, apple cider and clam chowder. This reminiscing has inspired me to finally write a New England Fall foliage guide which includes our trip highlights, tips on where and when to see the best fall foliage, which festivals to visit and what to eat.
Even though we're now in Spain, getting ready to move to Madrid next week, it seems like just yesterday that we were whizzing down leafy roads in New England, country music playing on the stereo of our rental car. The three months that we spent travelling on the east coast of the USA made for one of my favourite travel experiences to date. I was so happy in New England, particularly in Vermont, that I often ache to be back there. Whilst reminiscing, we've put together this short USA travel video of our trip highlights.
Our trip to the USA was one of my favourite travel experiences to date. During our three-month stay we took an epic autumn road trip through New England, visited mighty Niagara Falls and hit up the bright lights of New York City, Philadelphia and Washington DC.  We ate plenty of delicious food, stayed in some amazing places and took on all kinds of activities, from boat trips and ghost walks to historical tours and museum visits. So, how much did it cost us to travel for three months in America?
2015 has been a year of two very different halves for us; the first spent in Asia, the second in America and the UK. We lived in Vietnam’s crazy capital city, Hanoi, where we saved over £14,000 (and nearly lost our minds!) by teaching English. We relaxed on beaches in Thailand, house sat in London, toured South Wales and took the best road trip ever through New England in the USA. As we prepare to celebrate Christmas in Blighty for the first time in nearly three years, here’s our 2015 travel round-up.
By the time we reached Cape Cod, our last stop in New England, it felt like we’d come full circle. The sun was shining and the air was almost as warm as it had been when we’d first arrived in September.  As always when we travel, time seemed both long and short; although the days had whizzed by in an idyllic whirl, I also felt like we’d been in New England forever.
Maine: the Way Life Should be, proclaims the state slogan, which greets us as we drive over the border into this wild, beautiful land. Cars all around us bear the former slogan, Vacationland, on their licence plates and before too long we realise the truth of both these statements. In summer, crowds flock to Maine searching for quaint seaside towns, unspoilt beaches, well-preserved national parks and miles of rugged forest. Although we visited in Autumn, Maine's beauty still struck us hard - here are the highlights from our time there.
Unbelievably, we’ve been in New England for nearly two months now; the time has flown by in a whirl of scenic drives, golden foliage, forest walks and pancake breakfasts. This week finds us in Portland, Maine, facing the tail-end of our journey in this incredible corner of the country. Although we’ll be moving on to other parts of the US in a week or so, my heart still breaks a little at the thought of leaving. With that in mind, here are some of the things we’ve loved about New England.
In Vermont I felt like I was living through one long leafy dream where we drove endlessly down roads carved through forest and the trees around us transformed to shades of copper, bronze and citrus; peach, plum and rust. The days floated by prettily like the leaves fluttering from the trees and I knew that I was living through moments I would crave to have back in the future. In Vermont we’d finally found the autumn we’d been searching for and I didn’t want to leave.
To visit Niagara Falls we took a nine-hour detour from our road trip through New England. During the drive up through New York state I was hopeful, convinced that the falls would stun us and the trip would be worthwhile. While I wasn’t wrong about the majesty of those mighty waterfalls, everything else about our trip to Niagara Falls turned out to be a bit – strange.