August 2018 (Pg. -)- 3 Greek Islands

Yabangee – Izmir Zoo

Yabangee – Izmir Chronicles: Izmir is Worth Visiting (Part I)

Yabangee – Izmir Chronicles: Izmir is Worth Visiting (Part II)

Yabangee – Izmir’s Chocolate Festival

Yabangee – Karsiyaka Bostanli Pazar

Travel Dream Magazine – Marmaris Turkey: 3 Must-See Luxury Resorts

Dinky Guides – 3 Great Beach Resorts in Marmaris, Turkey

Travel42 (Private Agency Website)- Rodos Hotle and Greek Island

Travel 42 (Private Agency Website)– Nashville Hotels

2017:

SUITCASE Magazine – CASTLES, CRÊPES AND THE CARPATHIANS: EXPLORING BRASOV, ROMANIA – Direct Link

FootPrint Guides – Inle Lake: One of Myanmar’s Hidden Paradises – Direct Link

Lale Magazine – European Christmas Market Tour (Pg 42-45) – Direct Link

Lale Magazine – Reminising Romantic Romania (pg.46-49) – Direct Link

DestinationsMagazine – Transylvania: A Guide to Braşov, Romania – Direct Link

Nomadasauras – Beginner’s Guide To Backpacking In Cyprus – Direct Link

Turkey Homes – Kaş: Antiphellos Theater

Turkey Homes – Diving sites of Kaş

Turkey Homes – Mardin: Unmissable Yet Unknown

Turkey Homes – Top 10 Most Popular Turkish Food

Turkey Homes – Things to do in Gocek

Lale Magazine: Fun in the Historic Aegean Sea! (Photos only) – Direct Link

7 Louisiana State Parks on Matador Network – Direct Link

7 Enticing Cities for First-Time Solo Female Travelers – Direct Link

5 ways to document your expat adventures – Direct Link

5 Tips For Overcoming Culture Shock – Direct Link

2016:

Journey Freak – Arabian Nights in Dubai – Direct

Coastie Couple – Summer Activities in Iowa – Direct Link

AirBnB Guide – AirbnbGuide.com 5 Tips From An AirBnB Traveler on How to Make Your Listing More Inviting

FEATURES:

Expat Focus

ExpatArrivals

Expat.com

Young American Expat

INTERVIEW: Check out YoungAmericanExpat

June 15, 2017June 10, 20172017, EXPAT, INTERVIEW, OUR STORY, TURKEY, WRITING Catie

Expats aren’t just Americans, but this post is definitely geared more towards our American readers who want to learn more about other American expats abroad. Maybe Turkey isn’t your fav (we are terribly saddened by this). YoungAmericanExpat website is the place to find out where other expats love to live and work!

I have mentioned before that an expat in another country means you have a unique perspective. Websites like YoungAmericanExpat help others gain knowledge about how other Americans live their expat life. Each country is different and each person’s story about how they got there is too. This website will be an eventually be an encyclopedia of expats bloggers and expat resources for all future expat!

Check out their short video explaining who they are:

Recently, we were asked to shared our website via a profile at YoungAmericanExpat website. Our interview for this website was less about the specific of Turkey and our life, and more general information about who we are, where we live, and how we work as expats. If you are more curious about our daily life and culture, definitely check out our FunkTravels Podcast. Episode032 and Episode033 we spent answering Q&As from our listeners.

Check out our profile here and enjoy learning about others who live abroad as well!

If you would like to be features as an expat, just write the website via their contact page!

EXPAT: Read our interview with ExpatArrivals

June 8, 2017June 3, 20172017, Culture, EVERYDAY LIFE, EXPAT, INTERVIEW, IZMIR, LANGUAGE, LOCAL, MOVING, TURKEY, WRITING Catie

Our 1 year mark is quickly approaching! We are somewhat surprised at how quickly it flew by. While my main goals are connecting with our neighbours and community and language learning, I have loved getting to know other expats as well. Part of our move over here was researching information about expat life via several expat website, one of them being ExpatArrivals.

Websites like ExpatArrivals help others gain knowledge about the community, cost of living, and even neighbourhoods. Some of the best advice is from first hand experience.

Being an expat in another country means you have a unique perspective. As we have transitioned to Izmir, I have enjoyed hearing other expat stories and how they moved from their native countries. Everyone has a story and no two are the same. You, too, have asked us questions about our expat lives, and in our FunkTravels Podcast Episode032 and Episode033 we answered most of them!

Recently, I shared via an interview at ExpatArrivals website to help others potential expats moving to Turkey in the future. The interview covers questions from hospitals, schooling, trailing spouses, and kids. If you have wondered about anything of these, then continue reading about here…

What question did you like? Did you learn anything new?

WRITING: Arabian Nights in Dubai

June 2, 2017June 2, 20172016, TRAVELS, WRITING Catie

I have had many ‘Homes’ and what I like to call ‘2nd homes’. Homes would be places I lived longer than a year… so Louisiana, Turkey, Afghanistan, Iowa, now Turkey again. My ‘2nd home’ category are places I have flown in and out of enough time that, even though I didn’t live there for a long period of time, I know it. Dubai would be one of those places.

Last summer I wrote an article featured on Journey Freak titled Arabian Nights in Dubai. From my many trips in and out of this city in the U.A.E., I share 5 ways to taste all that Dubai has to offer!

Here is the start of the article:

If you love luxury and shopping, Dubai should be moved to the very top of your travel bucket list. This vibrant city in the U.A.E, United Arab Emirates, is a long line of skyscrapers that are nestled between beautiful beaches and vast desert. Dubai is a hub for many expats and contractors as they travel in from and out to other more remote location. And that is how I ended up traveling there many times.

During my trips to Dubai, I explored many areas of this fun and unique city. Dubai is the world’s leading city when it comes to hospitality, shopping, and events. But it was not until the 1950s that this city started to become what it is today. The government let other countries come in and harvest oil and now 60 years later there are almost 2.5 million people that live in that in this formerly small desert port city. It is famous for its blend of cultures, mix of ultramodern and traditional architecture, and luxury services.

Based on my experiences, here are 5 ways to get a taste of all that Dubai has to offer: Continue reading..

*Spoiler* The indoor skiing has been one of the coolest activities I have done in Dubai! Click over here to read the rest of it!

I would love to hear if you would travel to Dubai! Or if you have, what would you suggest to other people?

P.S. Check out Episode005 to hear about our travels to Dubai together!

WRITING: 5 ways to document your expat adventures

May 25, 2017December 8, 20202017, Culture, EVERYDAY LIFE, FAMILY, HOBBIES, HOME, WRITING Catie

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I LOVE talking about expat living. Not a traveling digital nomad, but a ‘we found a county and stayed put’ type of digital expat. Before I moved, I had this jumble mix of what I loved writing about and I had a hard time narrowing it down to one specific area. But over the last 8 months of living in Turkey, my 2nd time to move abroad, and writing this article about culture shock, I think I have found my niche!

Even more than chatting about expat living, I love sharing the ways I have documented our expat adventures. *Spoiler* The most interesting way is through our FunkTravels Podcast! I recently wrote an article for Expat Magazine at Expat.com titled “5 Ways to Document Your Expat Adventures.” In the midst of moving, traveling, and adjusting to another culture, documenting our memories can be the one thing that is thrown to the way side. It also becomes one of the biggest regrets by those when they journey onward to the next phase of life.

Here is the start of the article:

You know how a deep, sound sleep can disorient you? I woke up one morning and asked myself: Where am I? Something in the room made me think I was living in Turkey on a chilly fall morning — maybe it was the sunlight streaming in through the windows just so, or the smell of the crisp morning air coming in through the open window. Reality quickly set in — I was no longer living in Turkey, but instead I was in my bed in the States. It’s funny to remember that now because my husband and I now live in Turkey once again. The smells and sounds of the neighborhoods are ingrained into my memory, and I know this is our lovely Turkey.

I’ve spent five of the past ten years as an expat — both single and married — and I love to keep hold of the memories of the journey and adventures that come with every expat experience. I know that when my husband and I are back to the States, I will enjoy retrieving the different ways I used to document our time abroad and reminiscing and sharing the stories.

Continue reading…

I would love to hear how you document your expat adventures!

WRITING: Summer Activities in Iowa

May 18, 2017May 18, 20172016, EVENTS, FAMILY, HOBBIES, IOWA, USA, WRITING Catie 1 Comment

While we do live in Turkey, this Louisiana+Iowa couple still calls Iowa their home. (So sorry to all my Louisiana family and readers out there!) This is where Jason and I fell in love, got engaged, got married, and learned how to do married life together in our first little 90 meter duplex together in a small town of 3,000 people.

Fast forward 2.5 years, last summer in that same little duplex we were in the process of packing up our first home and determined to make the international move to Turkey together. It was stressful, sad, exciting, and all the rest of the feelings that come with transition! In the process (because we didn’t have enough to do!), I was also determined to see a few more sites in this beautiful state that I had come to love. Over at the The Coastie Couple I wrote a short post titled Summer Activities in Iowa.

Here is the start of the article:

Being a Southern gal, I didn’t think there could be anything better than a windy road through a tall pine tree forest. But… after marrying my sweet Iowan man, I have found beauty in the square grid of roads lined with golden corn fields and blue skies that span for miles. I had a lot to learn about giving directions using N,S, E, and W, driving in the snowy winters, familiarizing myself with names of all the small towns, and discovering what to explore.

Over the last 3 years we have definitely had our share of adventures including the World Food and Music Festival, Corks & Caps, Boone Scenic Railroad, the famous Iowa State Fair, and most recently the Pella Tulip Festival. But there is still a lot to see! Here are the 3 places I want to go this summer: Continue reading…

I actually only made it to 1 of the 3 activities mentioned. But I hope other America readers will take advantage of some of the fun summer activities Iowa has to offer. Click over here to read all the activities I wrote about on the blog post.

I would love to hear what activities you like to do in the summer month- no matter where you are located!