The Gift of Local Archives - Aesthetic Journeys Photography

Your Gruene Texas Bucket List for a Hill Country Adventure

June 8, 2026

Gruene Texas is a small town in the hill country that boasts great shopping, live music, wineries, and beautiful scenery. It is one of my favorite places to head to from San Antonio. It is technically part of New Braunfels which is where my favorite waterpark is located. Every time I visit Gruene Texas I find something else I love about it. That’s why I’m sharing my full bucket list to Gruene Texas today. I truly believe there is something for everyone. This post may contain affiliate links. Which means I get a portion of the sales if you make a booking through my link at no extra cost to you! Top Travel Resources After decades of traveling, there’s 3

how to support small businesses when you're traveling

How to Support Small Businesses When Traveling Beyond the Obvious

May 22, 2026

Now, more than ever it’s important to support small businesses whenever we can and to do so when traveling can be increasingly difficult. Of course, there’s the obvious, shop small, eat local, stay in places owned by locals. However, it’s really more than that. You have to set yourself up to be able to do these things too. We all know that to support small businesses, you buy handmade souvenirs, book local guides, and eat local food, however I want to share some ways that I try to support small businesses when I travel that aren’t quite as obvious. You won’t find the usual on the list below. This post may contain affiliate links. Which means I get a portion

local shops on your Tybee island beach vacation

Best Places to Shop Local on Your Tybee Island Beach Vacation

May 15, 2026

I’m a big fan of supporting local businesses when I travel. It’s a big part of what I do when I go anywhere new. I want to stay local, eat local, and shop local. Of course, this isn’t always possible but I do my best. When we went on our Tybee Island beach vacation recently, I was really impressed with the amount of small, local shops. This post may contain affiliate links. Which means I get a portion of the sales if you make a booking through my link at no extra cost to you! Top Travel Resources After decades of traveling, there’s 3 companies I tend to use over and over and recommend to everyone: Shopping During Your Tybee

Add These Products to Your Road Trip Pack List for More Fun Memories

May 1, 2026

This is not your traditional road trip pack list, but don’t let that stop you from reading. These products will make your road trip infinitely better with kids and I’m not just talking about tablets and snacks. You know the basics of packing, comfy clothes, entertainment, and food. What this road trip pack list has will help you both enjoy the trip and remember it. This post may contain affiliate links. Which means I get a portion of the sales if you make a booking through my link at no extra cost to you! Top Travel Resources After decades of traveling, there’s 3 companies I tend to use over and over and recommend to everyone: Road Trip Pack List Map

Travel Games Kids & Adults will Love

April 8, 2026

I love having travel games whenever we go anywhere with my sister’s kids. They’re a fun way to learn about the places we are going and to take a break from the tablets. I also love using them as journals to track the trip. That’s why I’m sharing fun travel games kids and adults will love today. You can print them out or keep them on your phone. This post may contain affiliate links. Which means I get a portion of the sales if you make a booking through my link at no extra cost to you! Top Travel Resources After decades of traveling, there’s 3 companies I tend to use over and over and recommend to everyone: Travel Games

The Best Things to Do in Spring in San Antonio

March 2, 2026

April is a festive month in San Antonio and surrounds. There’s festivals, flowers, and sunshine which is why it’s one of my favorite months to be here. There are so many things to do in spring in the Texas Hill Country. This is your monthly round up of the best things to do in San Antonio for the month of April. I’ve also covered a few events in Austin, New Braunfels (& Gruene), and Fredericksburg. This post may contain affiliate links. Which means I get a portion of the sales if you make a booking through my link at no extra cost to you! Top Travel Resources After decades of traveling, there’s 3 companies I tend to use over and

Go Beyond Paris with this France Itinerary You’ll Love

February 19, 2026

France is so much more than Paris. Don’t get me wrong, I love Paris, I’ve been twice and would go back again. However, a year ago my husband and I did a road trip from Paris to Normandy and then we flew down to the south of France and road tripped there. We loved both. That’s why I’m sharing my France itinerary to help you do the same. This post focuses on two areas: Normandy and the French Riviera. They are very different areas but both very worth visiting. So no matter if you want to stay closer to Paris or lounge on the beaches, you’ll find somewhere below to suit your needs. This post may contain affiliate links. Which

Celebrate LOVE with these Paris Themed Gifts

February 5, 2026

It is officially the month of love and no holiday gets more hate than Valentine’s Day. I think it gets a bad rap. I love Valentine’s Day for no real reason, I’m not into the cheesy but I am into chocolate covered strawberries. The same goes for Paris, it gets a bad rap. That’s why I’m sharing Paris themed gifts. Before I went to Paris for the first time my expectations were very low. Everyone told me that Paris is dirty and the people are rude and I did not find this to be true. However, I loved Paris for everything that is and I love Valentine’s Day for the same reason. This post may contain affiliate links. Which means

How to Use Photo Journals to Organize Your Year

January 9, 2026

I have a confession to make: I love planning and organizing. I actually don’t mind putting away holiday decor. It’s satisfying to put it all away and start a clean slate for the next season. I also love making lists and I use spiral journals for these lists. In college, I would have multiple notebooks with to do lists and multiple calendars. Now, they may sound confusing, it was to my roommate, but I had a process and it worked well. I’m here to share that process with you. Photo Journals So why photo journals? Why not just regular spiral notebooks? Well because the photos remind me of what I’m working toward. If travel doesn’t speak to you, How to

The Ultimate Gift Guide to Stickers You’ll Need this Holiday Season

November 6, 2025

Stickers are all the rage these days and I’m here for it. I think they are a great way to show your personality, an inexpensive display of art, and just fun to collect. However, I hear over and over again from people who say they can’t decide where to put them or have no use for them and I’m here to tell you that you most definitely do. Use this guide to help you gift stickers for any holiday. You’ll find ideas on where to put them and how they can make any gift more meaningful. Sticker Gift Guide Where to Put Stickers Before we get to gifting stickers let’s talk about all the places you can put stickers. There’s

the Archives