Judy Karnia

I travel multiple times each year and these are items that I rely on to make my trips enjoyable rather than stressful.

The Scottsdale and Phoenix area hosts many wonderful winter holiday events. The warm weather ensures you can enjoy these events for hours. Check out more information on my travel blog: travelingnature.com/best-winter-holiday-events-in-scottsdale-in-2025

I moved to Scottsdale in order to spend most of the year outdoors. I love hiking, walking, and biking and the Phoenix area offers lots of options to do all of these things. I included some of my favorite items to help you enjoy your time. Check out my blog for more information about enjoying nature in Scottsdale.

Fall offers so many interesting things to do and see around the country. It is one of the best times to enjoy the outdoors due to cooling temps and changing leaves. These are some of the favorite things that I have done in the autumn months. To read more on a few of these topics, check out my travel blog Traveling Nature

Here is a bunch of the essentials I use every week to try to stay healthy and enjoy my meals. I tend to shop mainly at Trader Joe's with a few items at other grocery stores or Target. I often brig them along on my travels or find a Trader Joe's near where I am staying.

When I travel, I seek out gardens and spend hours in the best ones. These are my favorites around the world. Leave me your favorites in the comments so I know where to head next. Enjoying nature is a fabulous break during traveling, as good as any art museum and a great way to enjoy any weather.

Lisbon is a scenic city with rolling hills of pastel buildings and terra cotta roofs. One of the main draws is the amazing viewpoints across the city. Read more about them in my blog: https://travelingnature.com/best-views-in-lisbon-city-of-hills/

Lisbon is one of my favorite cities in the world. The tile of the sidewalks and buildings is beautiful. So many great viewpoints and streets to explore. Great food and drink - definitely try pastel de nata and ginja. You can read more on my blog: travelingnature.com/ultimate-guide-for-solo-travel-in-lisbon

I enjoyed a four-day trip to Berlin. There is great food, fun bars, and lots to do during the day. Stay near Museum Island to be close to activities and near easy-to-use public transportation.

One of the benefits of visiting the Phoenix and Scottsdale area any time of year is all of the fantastic parks and gardens that you can visit. Here are my favorites. Get out early if you are visiting when the temps are high and bring lots of water along to drink. Read my blog post about best nature activities in Scottsdale for more information: https://travelingnature.com/best-nature-activities-in-scottsdale/

My favorite restaurants with great patios for outdoor dining. Read more at my blog: https://travelingnature.com/outdoor-dining-scottsdale/