Destination Unknown

Category: Travel guides

Blogs in this category relate to our travel and adventures as a family of five.

That encompasses our school bus conversion (“skoolie”) tour and travel in Europe. We started traveling in our skoolie, lovingly called the HildeBus, in May 2021 from Tampa, Florida. After 6 months on the road, we unexpectedly stopped full-time travel in October 2021 due to Eric’s surfing accident though we plan to continue travel recreationally soon.

During those 6 months of RVing in the United States, we drove from Florida roughly hugging the eastern coast. We traveled across 13 states: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont.

We discovered a love for slower pace (staying a few days to weeks in one location) and exploration, rather than long days of driving. We also grew closer as a family since we spent 100% of our days and nights together.

We knew we craved something different than what the traditional American dream had to offer, and we found it.

  • 1 Day Family-Friendly Travel Guide To Gävle

    1 Day Family-Friendly Travel Guide To Gävle

    The following will be our Family-Friendly Travel Guide To Gävle, Sweden.

    What is Gävle, Sweden like?

    Gävle (pron. Jev-leh in English) is:

    1 day Family-friendly travel guide to Gävle, Sweden
    1 day travel guide to Gävle
    • Sweden’s 13th largest city
    • a university town
    • obsessed with goats
    • Gevalia coffee is founded here
    • in love with whisky (Mackmyra Whisky is founded here)

    There’s a lot more to the town than what is listed above but we’re not obsessed with history, as much as the architecture and the amount of fika (coffee breaks) we can take during the day!

    Get our 1 day family-friendly travel guide to Gävle, Sweden!

    Do you want to visit Gävle, but don’t want to plan? Grab the guide by clicking <<free family-friendly travel guide to Gävle>> or the picture of the guide.

    How to get to Gävle

    By train or bus, it takes ~2.5 hours from Stockholm (the capital city). It’s about 1 hour from Uppsala by the same method. Driving your own car will certainly shorten the trip.

    For families with young children, it’s an affordable option to travel on the public transit system. Student tickets are discounted and children under 7 are free!

    We came by train – you can find the train schedule at SJ.se. Don’t worry – you can easily switch the language to English or another choice. Swedish websites are very supportive of other languages.

    One family-friendly day in Gävle

    With three young children (all under 4), we don’t move quickly on a good day. At the time of our arrival in Sweden, Eric was recovering from a fractured tibia following an indoor surfing accident and was on crutches, so we were not winning any races!

    After kids, our priorities shifted from happy hours to coffee breaks & snack times. We aren’t mad about that change, especially in a ‘fika’ nation like Sweden. “Fika” is Sweden’s answer to a coffee break, and they do it way better. You take a break to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea with some sort of sweet bread like a cinnamon bun or, Ingrid’s favorite, a cardamom bun (Sv: kardemummabulle).

    Hotel recommendations in Gävle

    We stayed at the Elite Grand Hotel Gävle during our trip. Read that review here!

    This hotel is in the heart of downtown Gävle and a stone’s throw from the train station.

    How to spend your family-friendly one day in Gävle

    Family-Friendly Travel Guide To Gävle

    There are loads of ways to spend your day and tailor the below travel guide to your needs. This is just what we did and we make it up as we go!

    As a family, we don’t love going to lots of museums – we instead prefer to be outside with options to find playgrounds and spaces to run. We also love to be close to restaurants and cafes because someone is always hungry in a young family of 5.

    • Breakfast at a historic cafe like Centralbageriet, Gävle’s oldest cafe located across from the train station (Centralstationen)
    • Visit the “fun house” mirrors & pop into the shops along Stortorget
    • Grab a ‘french hot dog’ from a stall – this is a hot dog stuffed inside of a french baguette
    • Visit a museum like the Prison Museum or the Berggrenska Gården
    • Eat fancy chocolate from Gefle Chocolaterie
    • More fika time!
    • Pop into the market on Stortorget (or ICA or Coop grocery stores) for fresh seasonal fruit and snacks for the train ride home
    • Book a massage at the Elite Grand Hotel before dinner
    • Dinner at the Elite Grand Hotel or Terassen Pub och Kok

    This was a full day for us. We were so tired but had a blast. The kids fell asleep on the train ride home, which was a big treat.

    Winter is the best time to visit Gävle

    Gävle Julbocken

    As mentioned before, Gävle is obsessed with goats to the point that they erect a giant straw goat statue (Julbocken) every December during advent in December.

    The goat is surrounded by security cameras and you can actually watch the goat live stream. The security cameras are a result of the undesired burning of the goat.

    You can check out the Gävle goat’s “best hits” on its YouTube Channel: Gävle Goat, including its entire history.

    Seasonality in Sweden

    Being here during December is admittedly cold and dark. We came during October and enjoyed daylight hours and milder temperatures, as well as the lovely fall foliage.

    Check out the Gävle Visitor Center

    Gävle Turistcenter

    • Phone number: +46 (0) 26 – 177 117
    • E-mail: turist@gavle.se
    • Opening hours: Monday – Friday 11.00 – 15.00

    We hope you enjoy our Family-Friendly Travel Guide To Gävle.

    If you’re looking for a little more adventure in Sweden, read these blogs:

    Thanks for following our journey. – Ingrid & the HildeFam

    Disclosure: Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which can provide compensation to me at no cost to you if you decide to purchase a paid plan. Thank you, if you do. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This site is not intended to provide financial advice and is for entertainment only. Read our affiliate disclosure in our privacy policy.

  • RVing along Florida’s Nature Coast

    RVing along Florida’s Nature Coast

    In this blog we will share with you our slow trip RVing along Florida’s Nature Coast on the west coast of Florida, and how we booked our 3 stays using Harvest Hosts for under $20 per night.

    After spending June 16-18, 2021 in Sanford, Florida having our bus wrapped, we moseyed back home to Tampa to do one more round of good-byes with family (Grandpa Roger & Uncle Mike), finalize some work on our rentals, and eat at one of our favorite restaurants in Old Seminole Heights (shout out to The Social House).

    Finley at Sparacia-Witherell Family Winery | RVing along Florida's Nature Coast

    RVing north from Tampa

    We slowly made our way north out of Florida… finally 🙂 When we started this journey, we thought we would be able to convert our 37′ school bus into a tiny home in 3 months. 8 months later, we were finally on the road – we still did it.

    Ingrid & the kids rode separately from Eric because he wanted to get some driving hours under his belt before bringing the kids and mom on board. Truly, we were thankful for that separation because the Florida heat was brutal on the bus. That heat would continue until we reached cooler weather north of Maryland. 

    Due to the engine’s location next to the driver’s seat, the front cabin will get excessively warm as the engine heats up. That in combination with no A/C (while driving) made for many warm days of driving. We tried (& still do) to keep driving times to a maximum of 3 hours. 

    We took the backroads going north to experience the scenic route, and were happier for it. There are some beautiful, sleepy towns along the way.

    Sparacia-Witherell Family Winery & Vineyard

    Our first stop on our adventure was Sparacia-Witherell Family Winery & Vineyard in Brooksville, Florida. Brooksville is known for being hilly territory, which is often unheard of in the state of Florida. We felt like we were somewhere else when we pulled into the estate filled with acres of muscadine grape vines, a wine tasting room off the main house, and plenty of outdoor seating with live music in the evenings. 

    There was even a field nearby filled with watermelon, black-eyed peas and squash – the owner, Joe, let some of the locals farm his land and donated most/all of the food back into the community, from what I recall. The kids got to pick a ‘jubilee’ watermelon before we left.

    Madeleine looking at goats at Gan Eden Farms
    Madeleine looking at Goats from the bus at Gan Eden Farms
    Finley & Landon looking at eggs at Gan Eden Farms
    Eric flying the drone
    Eric flying the drone at Sparacia-Witherell Winery

    The winery and vineyard is family-owned, and the name derives from the last names of the siblings. You can read more about this winery on their website.

    We stayed 2 nights – the second night was unplanned. Our mini-split AC started leaking inside when we turned it on, which lead to frantic calls to local AC techs and some extra warm days. On the bright side, there was wine and plenty of space for the kids to explore. Eventually, we determined that we had turned the AC on too low and cause it to freeze up – it wasn’t able to drain easily because of the uneven surface we were on. 

    The owner was accommodating and understanding, and we felt right at home. 

    Expanding the winery

    The winery was in the middle of an expansion of the outdoor patio(s) – they weather the pandemic well due to the outdoor nature of their business. In the evenings, there was a food truck and local artists would come and play. Our kids easily made friends with other children. Eric even practiced flying his drone one afternoon.

    Wines to taste

    We purchased the wine flight and sampled their spiked tea.

    Ingrid’s favorite wine was the Duet, a 100% muscadine wine (noble variety) that was flavorful and not reminiscent at all of the “stinky” flavor/smell that these native grapes give off. If you have ever had a muscadine grape, you’ll know what she means.

    Eric enjoyed the sherry and blueberry beer.

    Harvest Hosts

    We found this winery through Harvest Hosts, a website that brings together hosts that are RV & Skoolie-friendly to spend 1 night at their home or place of business. You can find experiences like ours at a winery or other places like farms, golf courses, breweries & distilleries or other attractions.

    To get 15% off your membership with Harvest Hosts, use our link to register. In return, we do get $15 for referring you. Will it be worth it? We think so. 

    1 night on the Suwanee River

    Our next stop was along the Suwannee River. We found this host through Boondockers Welcome, another website for hosts to find RVers. This company was recently acquired by Harvest Hosts.

    The family was so kind and perfectly prepared for RVers, with hookups and amenities. and the location was beautiful. The extra amenities included a trailer with shower and screened in patio, outdoor shower, and access to the dock on the Suwannee River. We slept so well that night with AC.

    It was wonderfully peaceful to enjoy a morning cup of coffee on the dock. This is a place we would definitely consider returning.

    Gan Eden Farms

    From there, we continued on our last & final stop in Florida. We spent one night at Gan Eden Farms in Live Oak. This farm is definitely off the beaten track, but a fun place to visit none-the-less.

    We were greeted at the gate by the owner, his grandson, and many large dogs. Ingrid could immediately see that there were Great Pyrenees (or mixed), which made her think of her childhood Great Pyrenee, Snowball, and her puppy, Bertha.

    Gan Eden is a working farm specializing in goat meat and some fowl. 

    The owner took us on a tour of the farm by golf cart. The dogs merrily followed along.

    The kids really enjoyed seeing all the animals, especially the turkeys, goats, chickens and ducks. Landon really wanted to take eggs home but they weren’t fresh – no one wants to crack open a rotten egg! Ingrid really enjoyed the fruit trees and permaculture landscape they were trying to accomplish. In a few years, the orchard and hoop house will really come together.

    The dogs prevented us from getting the drone up for an aerial tour of the farm; however, the sunset more than made up for it. 

    Not built for RVing (yet)

    They didn’t offer any hook-ups, so if that’s something you need, then this may not be an ideal stay for you. We found this farm through Harvest Hosts.

    How do we live tiny as a family of five

    A common comment we hear is, “I couldn’t live with my family in such a small space.” We 100% agree with that, which is why we leave our tiny home and explore outside. In Florida without AC (if not hooked up to electricity), the days are unbearable inside the bus… and outside, to be honest. We plan accordingly with activities to avoid the hottest part of the days inside. 

    Do we still get on each others’ nerves? Also, 100%; however, that would happen in a home. 

    Do we have experiences like no other “traditional” family? Another 100%. We’re very fortunate that we’re able to take these trips and spend 1 night on a farm, another on a winery and another waterfront. Our old vacations in the nicest hotels were not even as good. I wish we knew then, what we knew now. Traveling & RVing full-time with our family squeezed into a skoolie was exactly what we needed to fulfill our lives, while being budget-friendly.

    RVing and the open road

    Thanks for following along with our skoolie journey! We love RVing and the open road – The HildeFam

    If you enjoyed this guide, then take a look at these others:

    Blog originally written in July 2021

  • Cafes to Visit when in Valdosta & Marietta, Georgia

    Positive vibes in Valdosta

    GUD Cafe

    Before heading to Marietta, we did an overnight in Valdosta. This is where we met our first fan. At this point, we had about 800 subscribers, so it was completely surprising that we met someone who watched our channel. Thanks for making our day!

    After that interaction in the morning, we parked in front of the courthouse and walked to a well-rated coffee shop, GUD, in downtown. The interior was lovely and radiated that ‘hygge’ vibe that is trending in Scandinavian design right now.

    To our surprise, we were greeted on the way back to the bus by 5 courthouse employees. We gave them a quick tour – the kids were only interested in the candy vending machines in the lobby (of course) – before heading out.

    From there, we popped into an indoor inflatable park. After a few days of long travel and rainy weather, the kids needed time to be kids.

    Douceur de France

    French Bakery & Bistro in Marietta

    Watch the short video

    In the heart of Marietta, Georgia is an authentic French bakery & bistro. Ingrid’s cousin, Joey, works there.

    French pastries + family = going!

    When Ingrid was pregnant with Landon (baby #1), Eric surprised her with a trip to Germany to visit her good friend, Geeta. The husband of the year award definitely went to Eric!

    Since Paris was a quick trip by train, Geeta & Ingrid found an AirBnb near Notre Dame and enrolled in french pastry school. 

    Ok, ok. We took two courses over 2 days, dedicated to teaching tourists how to make:

    Cappuccino from Douceur de France in Marietta, Georgia USA
    • Eclairs
    • Macarons

    Coming to this bistro reminded Ingrid of that trip to Paris. The food was delicious, and the macarons tasted très bon. The bistro is family-owned and operated, and the staff are friendly.

    Poole Family Photo in Chamblee, Georgia (Summer 2021)

    Mini-family reunion

    The Georgia Pooles

    Every year, Ingrid’s family on her father’s side hosts a family reunion. Due to the pandemic and now our trip, we were missing 2 years of family time. 

    It was a real treat to visit Ingrid’s aunt Irene (90+), her son, Joe, and his son, Joey. 4 generations of family reuniting is something to treasure.

    Thanks for following along with our journey! – The HildeFam

    Trip taken: late-June 2021

  • Skoolie Travel: Key West & the Florida Keys | Camp in 2023

    Skoolie Travel: Key West & the Florida Keys | Camp in 2023

    So, you’re coming to the Key West & the Florida Keys in your School Bus Conversion

    If you’re looking for a chill travel guide to Key West and the Florida Keys in your skoolie, then you’ve come to the right place. The Florida Keys are a fantastic destination for RVers, including skoolie owners. In this blog, we share all the details on where we camped, dined, and explored during our trip the southernmost isles of the USA.

    The Keys are well known for supporting alternative living. As such, we felt this was a great place to begin our RV journey because it is both a figurative and literal beginning.

    Mile marker zero on US-1 is the southernmost point in the United States and is located in Key West, Florida. This trip marked a new beginning in our lives as we set out to live full-time in our DIY school bus conversion, and leaving our “traditional life” behind.

    Table of Contents

    Skoolie Itinerary to the Florida Keys

    Get the details on where we camped, ate, and explored during our trip to the Florida Keys & Key West.

    Free PDF Download

    Finding RV Campgrounds in the Florida Keys

    There are 10 state parks and hundreds of privately owned RV parks in the Florida Keys that accommodate campers, RVs, toy haulers, and even skoolies like ours!

    Since the Florida Keys is a chain of islands from Key Largo (northern most) to Key West (southern most) made up of 1,700 islands along a rather narrow road, choose your camping sites months in advance, especially in the summer season. For a leisurely pace, book from north to south for a few days at a time.

    Minimum Stays

    Many privately-owned campgrounds require a two night minimum stay and the state parks allow a one-night minimum stay.

    Skoolie-friendly RV Campgrounds in the Florida Keys

    1. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

    ★★★★★

    Our first RV campground for the trip was at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo, about 2 hours from south Miami.

    The park was clean, the camp sites were spacious, and there were loads of activities to participate in, as detailed below.
    I recommend waking up early to catch the sunrise. It will be quiet and you’ll have the beaches to yourself. This campground was truly a breath of fresh air, especially in an area that is overrun by tourists for much of the year.

    There were loads of activities to be found (glass-bottom boats, snack bar, gift shop, kayak & paddleboard rentals, etc), but we simply enjoyed the main beach. There was another beach further in to the park, but walking around with little people with tiny legs and short attention spans… well, they were happy just going to ANY beach.

    The campgrounds were quiet and secluded from the rest of the park. 2 very clean bathhouses within ~0.5 miles of park amenities along trails or road. The RV campsites were spacious and private-feeling with trees and landscaping. Our kids had a lot of fun meeting and playing with the girls of a family that came down from Georgia.

    Recommendation

    We would 100% recommend coming here again and booking early.

    Book this Campground

    2. Sunshine Key RV Resort

    ★★★★

    *Good Sam Members Save 10% [as of the time of this blog]*

    Our second night in the Florida Keys, we stayed at Sunshine Key RV Resort & Marina on Big Pine Key. Big Pine Key is about 45 minutes from Key West, which was great for us since we wanted to stay further north. The waterfront location was stunning and we were happy we splurged for the ocean-front views. Summer weekday rates were starting around $178/night for non-waterview; ~$230 for waterview; $260 for waterfront. The rates we gave are roughly what Ingrid remembers. 

    We plan our trips last minute and we found their phone-based customer service department to be friendly, funny and helpful. It’s through them that we learned of the Good Sam Discount. That’s essentially like AAA for RVers – we signed up while on the phone so we could claim that discount.

    This resort is definitely larger than the state park we stayed at the night before; however, it was very clean, well maintained and surprisingly little “large” vehicle traffic. There were lots of golf carts being driven instead.

    The age groups varied. It was nice to see a mix of young, teens, and adults out and about. The staff was very friendly. The amenities we most enjoyed were the beach area and cabana on the north side, and the children’s playground – our little ones talked non-stop about these 2 things. 

    Review

    Personally, we preferred the relaxed, private feel to John Pennekamp State Park over the large, compact Sunshine Key Resort.

    Book this Campground

    Key West & the Florida Keys Travel Guide

    We’ve got 3 young children so we knew we weren’t hitting the bar scene or any big events that would leave them cranky and hangry.

    Stay for a While

    In all honestly, it takes a long time to travel around the keys, especially during the busy season (summer) due to traffic and narrow roads. Give yourself grace and spend a few extra days here. Don’t rush about.

    Bring Sun Protection

    The heat and sun are something big to consider on your trip – with humidity, it felt like 105 degrees Fahrenheit in June! A bad sunburn can ruin a trip and even cause a hospitable run, especially in small children.

    We kept our day trip to Key West relaxed with only a few activities and lots of walking.

    Blue Heaven Bar & Restaurant

    We visited Blue Heaven where an old skydiving buddy of Eric’s, Chris, tends the bar. Blue Heaven is a quaint restaurant & bar – the food was good quality and reasonably priced considering the location. 

    Try the Key Lime Pie with an ice cold rum runner or piña colada.

    See the 7-toed cats at the Hemingway House

    From there, it’s about a 3 minute walk to the Ernest Hemingway House. The house was closed (probably still because of the pandemic) so we walked by – one of the legendary 7-toed cats was on the other side of the main gate and seemed down-to-earth for a cat coming from such a prestigious lineage.

    Truly, our kids were just ecstatic to see the cat rather than the famous house behind it.

    You can see the cat in our Key West YouTube video.

    Southernmost Point Buoy

    Down that same street is the southernmost point buoy & where US HWY-1 begins, and so does our journey! You’ve got to snag a picture in front of the iconic buoy.

    Catamaran tour with champagne and snorkling

    This has got to be one of the most relaxing ways to experience the Florida Keys. You get the fun of being on and in the water, with the wonderful addition of included champagne and snorkeling gear. Usually this activity also falls around the sunset so you get to see some spectacular colors with the setting sun.

    Disclaimer: We didn’t do this activity on this trip since our kids are so young; however, Ingrid has done this cruise before and had a blast. Snorkeling and sailing are great kid-friendly things to do to beat the heat in the Florida summer.

    Parking

    We easily found parking (pay by hour) within walking distance of the restaurant – I believe it was like $10/hr. We were all in for $30 since we were there just under 3 hours.

    FAQs on Family Travel in the Florida Keys

    What is the cost of 1 day for a family in Key West?

    For our family, the level of activity and price point was perfect for us. We spent about $200-$250 for a family of 5 for about 4-5 hours in Key West after drinks, parking, and food.

    Where are good restaurants in the Florida Keys?

    The Florida Keys has a lot to offer, especially for RVers. We took it easy, so we didn’t do much other than great seafood at some well-recommended restaurants like:

    1. Rum runners
    2. Key Lime Martini
    3. Hurricane
    4. Key West Sunset
    5. Frozen Margarita

    Our personal favorites when we visit are rum runners and piña coladas; however, the list of Key West inspired drinks are (almost) endless and very memorable like the Hemingway Daiquiri and the Cuba Libre (obviously, inspired by Cuba but that’s only 90 miles away from the southernmost point!).

    Illustration of Southernmost Point Bouy in Key West, Florida

    Is it easy to find parking in Key West?

    Yes, though there are exceptions if there are special events going on or you are near popular “tourist traps”. Personally, we didn’t have trouble parking anywhere in June (busy season).

    We found ample parking in pay-by-the-hour lots, restaurants when we dined and campgrounds.

    We downloaded the “Way to Park” app for the unmonitored pay lots. For the monitored pay lots, we were able to pay by credit card to the parking attendant.

    Are open containers of alcohol allowed in the Florida Keys and Key West?

    NO! However, during block parties and closed street events, open containers may be allowed in a specific zone. Open containers in vehicles are also not legal. Use discretion and don’t cause a ruckus. Find the municipal code here for the city of Key West, Florida.

    What is the legal drinking age in the Florida Keys?

    21 years old is the legal drinking age in the Florida Keys. The national drinking age in the United States of America is 21 years old, and this trickles down to all 50 states.

    If you’re traveling from another country where the drinking age is lower but you are under 21 years of age, it is still illegal to drink alcohol as a minor despite the law being different in your land.

    Florida Keys Water Activity Resources

    If you’re looking for an active vacation spent on the water, then check out Hege’s blog on Key West vs. Key Largo.

    In it, she describes her adventures visiting the Dry Tortugas, kayaking in the mangroves, snorkeling in the sea, and partying it up in Key West!

    Conclusion to a Skoolie-friendly trip in Key West & the Florida Keys

    The Florida Keys and Key West have every right to belong on a skoolie-owner’s bucket list. This chain of islands loves supporting alternative living, whether that means driving an uncommon rig, being a part of the LGBTQAI+ community, exploring your spirituality, or perhaps a little bit of all of the above.

    It’s a fun, easy-going place to visit and we highly recommend it, even during the busy season.

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