travel articles: By Amanda Calnan Vowels

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3 Days of Family Adventure in Depoe Bay - Travel Oregon
3 Days of Family Adventure in Depoe Bay - Travel Oregon

By Amanda Calnan Vowels originally published in Travel Oregon. Photo by Josiah Roe. Unlike beach towns built on sandy shores, Depoe Bay is perched atop the rocky cliffs of the north-central coastline, where waves spray through the town’s famous spouting horn, and crash magnificently against (sometimes up and over) a towering sea wall in town.

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10 Reasons to Embrace Van Life Right Now
10 Reasons to Embrace Van Life Right Now

By Amanda Calnan Vowels originally published in KidTripster. Read all the reasons why #VanLife works for families looking for safer travel options in 2021.

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Off-Season Reveals Another Side of Seaside, Oregon
Off-Season Reveals Another Side of Seaside, Oregon

By Amanda Calnan Vowels. Seaside, Oregon, is one of the best winter coast hideaways for a holiday quarantine and beyond.

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Autumn Overnighter at the Shelburne Hotel: A Perfectly Luxurious Haunted Inn in Washington State
Autumn Overnighter at the Shelburne Hotel: A Perfectly Luxurious Haunted Inn in Washington State

By Amanda Calnan Vowels, originally published in Adrift Hospitality. A spooky girls weekend perfect for safe, distanced and local autumn travel during a pandemic.

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U.S. Expatriates: It’s September. You Still Have Time Vote From Abroad. Here’s How.
U.S. Expatriates: It’s September. You Still Have Time Vote From Abroad. Here’s How.

By Amanda Calnan Vowels, originally published in Thrive Global. How to Make Sure Your Vote Counts While Living Overseas. It’s Easier Than You May Realize.

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What’s Appreciating in this Market? Your Travel Memories
What’s Appreciating in this Market? Your Travel Memories

By Amanda Calnan Vowels, originally published in Thrive Global. Now is the perfect time to cash in on those precious travel investments from the past.

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Living as Expats Prepared Us for COVID Quarantine Life
Living as Expats Prepared Us for COVID Quarantine Life

By Amanda Calnan Vowels, originally published in Thrive Global. When you see your family live in a whole different way, you realize all you need is pretty simple.

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Big Getaway. Little Budget. No Lies.
Big Getaway. Little Budget. No Lies.

The setting for HBO’s Big Little Lies series - Monterey, Carmel and Big Sur - make for a quick, romantic West Coast getaway on an actual budget.

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Is 2020 the Year of the Australia Road Trip?
Is 2020 the Year of the Australia Road Trip?

There are more ways to show support for Australia. Why not road trip through Oz? Or make a purchase from a small business devastated by bushfires? Spending dollars is the most sustainable fire relief you can give. CLICK TO READ MORE.

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Family Guide to Safety & Culture Traveling South Africa
Family Guide to Safety & Culture Traveling South Africa

With all eyes on South Africa for the royal family tour, the worthy country is getting deserved attention. Spend your travel dollars on a trip to South Africa. I’m sharing legit reasons for traveling here with the family, plus, our family’s tips on CULTURE & SAFETY.

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South Africa's Remarkable Value for Families
South Africa's Remarkable Value for Families

With all eyes on South Africa for the royal family tour, the country is getting deserved attention. Follow along, as I share legit reasons for traveling to South Africa with the family. Let’s start with VALUE.

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Gold Coast Australia Top 10 Plays: for KidTripster.com
Gold Coast Australia Top 10 Plays: for KidTripster.com

Best things to do with kids along the Gold Coast of Australia. I recently wrote this article on the Gold Coast for KidTripster.com. It’s a region we once lived in as expats with our kids — and we’re fresh off a long return visit to all our favorite spots.

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Put Australia Back on the Family Bucket List
Put Australia Back on the Family Bucket List

Brisbane, Australia, isn't usually on bucket lists. Yet, it is the economical, classic family home base for all things Aussie.

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Come for the Soccer, Stay for the Food: Top Family Stops In Portland
Come for the Soccer, Stay for the Food: Top Family Stops In Portland

Home to the Portland Thorns FC - the two-time National Women’s Soccer League Champions (NWSL), Portland's Soccer scene is a mighty draw. The city, stadium, fans and atmosphere are charged for soccer (and foodies).  

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Mt. Bachelor, Oregon, Family Skiing in the West
Mt. Bachelor, Oregon, Family Skiing in the West

Newly expanded, this Central Oregon mountain and surrounding area offer plenty of family adventure. 

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25 Top Family Travel Stops In Portland, Oregon
25 Top Family Travel Stops In Portland, Oregon

Home to the Portland Thorns FC - the two-time National Women’s Soccer League Champions (NWSL), Portland's Soccer scene is a mighty draw. The city, stadium, fans and atmosphere are charged for soccer (and foodies).  

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Salty Seattle In 2-Days: Music, Food & Epic Play
Salty Seattle In 2-Days: Music, Food & Epic Play

Always a solid Pacific NW family city, an overnighter in Seattle delivers for kids, tweens and teens with music, playgrounds, food and scene. 

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Walkable London With Kids
Walkable London With Kids

London's classic appeal is only enhanced by walkablilty and transport options: all part of the fun for kids. 

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Personal work

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Family Time & Space Travel
Family Time & Space Travel

Time travel does exist. And in our family, it’s a phenomenon my kids are all too used to. I’m not so adaptable. My sister and her two toddlers arrive from their home in South Africa soon.

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The Year We Skipped November
The Year We Skipped November

The unexpected optimism we gained while being overseas during a dark election.

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Could You Rent Out Your Family Home While Vacationing?
Could You Rent Out Your Family Home While Vacationing?

While going away for weeks at a time, is your house a financial asset? Easy Money or Major Headache?

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African Family Safari on a Budget. Planning: Part I
African Family Safari on a Budget. Planning: Part I

Affordable Africa with kids. The beginning of planning.

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Air Travel with Kids: The Basics
Air Travel with Kids: The Basics

Basic and not-so-basic tips for traveling on short and long-haul flights with children. 

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Is An Expat Experience the Ultimate In Family Travel? Part I
Is An Expat Experience the Ultimate In Family Travel? Part I

What compels a 30-something American, middle class couple and parents of two small children to upend everything and leave the comforts of a mortgaged house in the west hills of Portland, Oregon, and move to the other side of the world? I’m still not sure.

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In's & Out's of Family Jet Lag
In's & Out's of Family Jet Lag

Whatever your approach is to jet lag, it’s going to be challenged the first time you and your kids cross many timezones at once. 

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All Travel Starts With A Crazy Idea
All Travel Starts With A Crazy Idea

Any major foreign family trip we've ever planned was never a good idea on paper.

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Global DestinationsCheck-out global destinations with tested itineraries and tips from real families who've been there. We're continuing to add to this blog with new stories from new families, so stay tuned.Read More →

Global Destinations

Check-out global destinations with tested itineraries and tips from real families who've been there. We're continuing to add to this blog with new stories from new families, so stay tuned.

Read More →

““Make voyages! Attempt them... there’s nothing else.” – Tennesee Williams”
Amanda Calnan Vowels is a Portland, Oregon, based freelance writer. The Vowels family spent two years as expats in Australia and have close family in South Africa. Amanda’ features her travel writing on this site and her other freelance work can be …

Amanda Calnan Vowels is a Portland, Oregon, based freelance writer. The Vowels family spent two years as expats in Australia and have close family in South Africa. Amanda’ features her travel writing on this site and her other freelance work can be found here.

I just published an article in Fodor’s Travel on seven incredible Black-owned & Black-led wineries of Oregon (including Maison Noir Wines, owned by André Hueston Mack, above.) Each winemaker shared their own professional story as wel
I’m a writer, not a photographer, but my fav phone pic this week. Grabbed it biking off the Manhattan Bridge at sundown. #NYC is open. Bless her soul. ♥️
What are your top NYC & DC travel spots? Seeking your ideas. ⤵️ We are vaxxed & taking a spontaneous family trip — like, speedy soon. 💨 Leaving within days. (*My favorite kinda travel. Mad late night research times.)🔥 Booked to stay @
⁣⁣🌊 This is the world's smallest navigable harbor! Isn’t she remarkable? 🌊 I just wrote an article for @TravelOregon on Depoe Bay and this (distanced, outdoor) coastal escape is a year-round getaway (story link in my bio). ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ 🐋
Finding Space. We’re facing winter dread in the #NorthernHemisphere. Getting outside SAFELY is a priority. ⁣Here’s hoping seeing more silly ideas (a chilly BBQ!) helps you take advantage of the big spaces around you ... wherever you resid
Channel the wave. 🌊 We can do hard things. More distracting and calming scenes from the Oregon Coast this election week. ⁣🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 ⁣ Even if you're not suiting up, watching the surfers from your car or bike at the cove is a great winter activity