Simple Love

Loving the Simple Life
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Welcome to the Simple Love Blog

Hi friend! I’m Natalie. Just an ordinary girl hoping to see the whole world. After living abroad during my teen years, I am always at my best when I don’t know the language and I’m eating mysterious and delicious foods. 

My husband and I live ordinary lives, on a regular budget, and our goal is to help make travel accessible to you, wherever you are, with whatever budget you have! Every time we travel, we are chnaged by the cultures and people who touch our lives. Travel grows our love for others. It’s that simple. We want you to experience that, too.

Recent Blog Posts

Your Simple Guide to Maui

Maui is a special island. Not just because we honeymooned there, or because two of our favorite people live there (my best friend and her husband who we also love). There’s something special about Hawaiian culture, the melting pot of people that make up the island,...

Your Simple Guide to the Road to Hana

Everytime we go to Maui, we drive the Road to Hana. And we never get tired of it.  If you only have a few days on Maui, the Road to Hana has to be a priority. It’s Maui at its best–wild, historic, adventurous. It is a full day event, especially if you do the full...

How We Budget Monthly To Afford Travel

I talk about budgeting for travel a lot. But, I’m really just talking about budgeting. Because if we don’t have budgeting down, we won’t be able to budget for travel.  I know this from experience. I’m the worst budgeter in the world. I won’t bore you (or embarrass...

8 Stops to Make on Your Tunnel of Trees Roadtrip

The Tunnel of Trees. It sounds cozy. Woodsy. Maybe romantic? It’s all of the above.  While Michigan isn't a hot tourist destination, after living in the state for more than a year and exploring the beauty and fun it has to offer, I can confidently say Michigan is full...

4 Tips to do Disney on a Budget

Two types of people exist: Disney lovers and Disney meh-ers. As a little girl growing up in Orlando, Disney was a yearly excursion for us (if we were lucky, multiple times a year!). Whenever family visited us from Cuba, my Dad insisted we take them to Disney.  He...

How to Travel on a Budget

'Tis the happiest season of all—travel (on a budget) season! People are getting vaccinated, cities are reopening, and we're traveling again. And everybody said AMEN. Doug and I are big on adventure, and we certainly did our share of travel in the first half of 2021...

Gluten-Free, Vegan Banana Bread

Let me preface this by informing you, I am neither gluten-free nor vegan. However, this gluten-free, vegan banana bread is just as delicious as other banana breads I've made. It's moist and sweet and decadent without any of the "dessert guilt."  A few notes on this...

Our Workation in Aruba

Workation. In the past year, workations have really had their time in the limelight. As an independent contractor, I can work from anywhere anytime. Now that Doug is doing school fully online, WE'RE IN BUSINESS. And by that I mean, we're mobile and the world is our...

The Ultimate One-Day Guide to Yosemite

Last summer, almost exactly one year ago, Doug and I did Yosemite in one day. One long, glorious, arduous 13-hour day. That's how the ultimate one-day guide to Yosemite was born.  We fell in love with the park, and this year, almost exactly one year later, we went...

Recent Reads: Quarantine Edition

I've read a lot of books during quarantine. And I really do mean a lot. My recent reads include over 20 books. Some have been great, some just okay and others plain embarrassing. During moments of high stress, I tend to read a lot more fantasy and I also revisit what...
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