Hello! We are Kim & Mike
World Travelers & Passionate Bloggers
Taking on the World, One City at a Time
When you are bursting with passion for something, naturally you want to share it. This is why we started A Suitcase Heart… to share WITH YOU some of the little nuggets of wisdom we have picked up along the way in order to ease some of the anxieties that come along with travel planning and to give you ideas on how to maximize your vacation! We pride ourselves on always scoring maximum payout for minimum cost. Sometimes this takes effort and research…and we want to do that FOR YOU! Countries
Cities
Continents
blog posts
Travel Slide Show
HOW WE BECAME PASSIONATE ABOUT TRAVEL
We have always had a passion to go see the world. Take in the places and all that they have to offer. We didn’t always feel we had the opportunity to do so quite how we wanted. We have had full-time jobs pretty much since the day we graduated and started our Healthcare (Imaging) careers and often not nearly enough vacation time to really EXPERIENCE places. Do you know that of the RICH world, the USA has the LEAST amount of vacation time?
It didn’t start that way for us. Early on in our relationship, we quit “life” as we knew it (working two great full-time jobs in Seattle, Washington), threw our few belongings in storage, and moved to Australia.
We bought a van, traveled for a year… if we found a beach we loved… we’d stay a week. If not, we’d move on. We traveled over 25,000 kms in Dora The Explorer (our trusty Van). We lived more in that year than perhaps we have lived in all our years combined. That year was greater than the sum of its parts (it’s parts being the number of days in a calendar year).
When we got back, we fell back into the socially accepted (and expected) career life. We sought out the American Dream. Full-time jobs, little house (regretfully first buying a huge house… for the TWO of us. Sheesh. Then came the cute little house!) Wracked up some debt… you know the story… we’ve all lived it. For some, this IS their dream and THAT is FINE! It just wasn’t OUR dream. We needed to change the narrative a bit. As it stood for years, we would save up our vacation time for a year (only allowing weekend trips), NEVER calling in sick, so that we could have a solid month in one country just to feel as if we could appreciate it and not just scratch the surface or just see the tourist spots.
The
Living in Australia I went for a walk many mornings and smelled the roses of each garden I would pass… I literally stopped and smelled the roses a lot that year…and
By being open to what they share with you, you’ll gain insight into their culture and beliefs which will make you a better and more tolerant person. In every place, you go, and the whole time you’re there, be open to them. They will teach you things at every turn. They can teach you things you don’t even know you need to learn. They can teach you things you don’t realize until years pass and it all begins to make sense. As far as being adventurous or brave… the world is big… but not as scary as you might think. Don’t listen to what they say… go see for yourself! By experiencing it, the world will open your heart.
3 Days in Dublin!
TRAVELING TO DUBLIN! Are you traveling to Dublin and are curious about the best things to do? If you have 3 DAYS IN DUBLIN, we've got the ultimate itinerary to get you on the right track! You'll eat the food, roam their streets, and maybe dance a jig and have a pint...
Squamish… TAKE A HIKE!
Squamish wants you to TAKE A HIKE! Squamish is known as Canada's outdoor capital... CANADA'S outdoor capital. Canada is already the outdoor icon of the world..., so to get travel insights into its outdoor capital, SCORE one for you! When you picture Canada, you might...
5 MISTAKES TO AVOID AT AIRPORT SECURITY
Let's Pack For This! You've heard the saying "Happy WIFE, Happy LIFE" yes? When traveling, although it doesn't have the same ring to it, it's "Happy TSA, Happy Travels"! Here are the 5 mistakes to avoid at airport security to ensure "Happier Travels"! 1....