Team Lavigne Travels: Your Guides to New Outdoor Adventures

Hi folks! My name is Mary-Kate Lavigne. I mostly go by MK. I’m one-half of Team Lavigne Travels. My husband Scott & I got bit by the travel bug when we honeymooned in Iceland and have been chasing new outdoor adventures ever since! We first met in 2013, and a few months into dating, we tested our relationship by taking a road trip along the Pacific Coast, and guess what, it worked! In 2016, we officially became Team Lavigne. We are originally from the Hudson Valley region of New York, where we share a love for the outdoors and fill our time with other hobbies. Over the years, friends and family have looked to us for travel tips, itineraries, photos, and more. I’ve been encouraged to start a blog but never had the confidence to dabble in this digital realm of successful writers. But here I am, so LET’S DO THIS!

Please, Leave No Trace

First, I want to emphasize the importance of Leave No Trace Principles. While I encourage everybody to explore the outdoors, Mother Nature is fragile in her old age. Be nice to her. Travel sustainably, especially for outdoor adventures. Doing this creates a balance between economic growth, environmental care, and social well-being. Sharing nature with those who share the same values helps us connect and enrich these travel experiences. Whether your ideal trip includes mountains and hiking, islands and beaches, camping and road trips, house rentals and barhopping, or well-known or off-the-beaten-path destinations, please respect this beautiful planet and the people around you. Locals welcome visitors into their homes as well. Be nice and respectful to them; they might share some unexplored secret spots!

5 Ways You Can Begin To Travel More

I always hear people say, “Wow, your trip looked amazing. I wish I could do that!” You can! How can you get started? Save money. Keep an eye on deals. Read blogs for tips. Be adventurous. Outdoor adventures and travel, how do we do it?

1. Start a travel fund. There always seems to be an excuse for why people cannot afford to do this. Well, I don’t buy it! Let me start by saying that I worked in the restaurant industry for 15 years. I have never had PTO, yet I would still take time off from work to embark on these adventures. We have responsibilities, but we also prioritize our happiness. Start by putting aside $20 a week. If you do not have tangible cash, start an additional savings account, and transfer $20 a week from your paycheck. After one year you will have over one thousand dollars in your travel fund! Eventually, you can add more if you can or find other ways to add to your travel fund. 
2. Making small cutbacks. You don’t need Starbucks to drink every day or every week. You don’t need to get your nails done regularly. The $12 bottle of wine at the liquor store is just as good as the $20 bottle of wine. Happy hour is your new dinner “date night.” Cancel cable and trade any streaming accounts with friends and family. You don’t need unlimited data on your phone, Wi-Fi is communal. There are so many ways to save money. And although it does not seem like much at the time, it all adds up! Recently, we did a “subscription audit” and lowered our monthly payments by over one hundred dollars!
3. Jump on Deals. People tend to shy away from certain websites or online deals. Start getting comfortable with them. It’s smart to research any company first and look for the details listed in small print. (Scott is an expert in scanning and not reading…) We have used Groupon for several outdoor adventures. We even went on our Honeymoon to Iceland using one of their deals! Other websites with travel deals or budget-friendly options include Booking.com, Gate1Travel, Skyscanner, and Kayak. I will dive more into the different websites we have used and the best deals to look for in a later post. Also, sign up for newsletters from companies and hotels because they don’t always advertise deals on their websites. Sometimes, places will e-mail a promotional deal they are running for a limited time with limited availability. 
4. Be flexible. If possible, do not be set on specific dates. We typically look at flight prices and lodging prices before we book anything. Prices will skyrocket if there is a popular event in the city you are flying to or if your travel dates coincide with a holiday. With a broad sense of when you would like to travel, check prices within and around the dates you have in mind. With our past jobs and schedules, we wouldn’t really take off from work on weekends or take off more than one weekend if we traveled longer. This has worked out to our benefit as far as mid-week deals go. Our busy seasons at work are also most people’s slow seasons. If you can, travel during off-peak seasons. This is ideal if you want to avoid crowds during your outdoor adventures!
5. Be adventurous. Keep an open mind about your destination AND your journey. You could be disappointed if you base your expectations on what you see online. In 2017, Scott and I planned to visit his father in Arizona and knew we wanted to make a trip out of it. With so much to explore in the state and many of our desired destinations spread out, our trip planning became overwhelming. Not to mention the estimated cost of a rental car and lodging. While mindlessly browsing my Groupon app, I saw a deal for a camper van company rental out of Phoenix. This was before the camper van movement became as popular as it is now. We had zero knowledge about its existence. While exploring the company’s website, I knew this was a new travel experience I wanted to try. Scott, well, it took a little (ok, a lot of) convincing. This budget-friendly joyride through the American Southwest opened a whole new world (cue Disney music) for us. The journey to our destinations created the adventure. Now, we have traveled by camper van rentals five times since. And 8 years later, we even purchased our own! So, that one new outdoor adventure changed the trajectory of our lives.

These are examples of how keeping an open mind can work in your travel plans. I have also based outdoor adventures around tent camping and staying in hostels, hotels, and houses of friends and family. There are plenty of ways to explore, I just recommend trying as many new things as possible! Exploring the undiscovered reveals so much about who you are and opens new doors of opportunity. 

Keep reading along for more travel tips and itineraries!

If you have any questions about any of these, just ask us in the comments!