Visiting Vang Vieng, Laos: Balloons, and Blue Lagoons

After the peaceful temples of Luang Prabang, our next stop took us to Vang Vieng. Surrounded by towering limestone karst mountains, this small town has become one of Laos’ most iconic adventure destinations. Once known primarily for its backpacker party scene, Vang Vieng has reinvented itself as a hub for outdoor adventure, with turquoise lagoons, …

Visiting Frank Lloyd Wright’s Chicago

Presidents Day weekend has become a little tradition for my friend Sheri and me. For the past five years, we’ve packed our bags in the middle of winter and set off together for a long weekend, trading Ohio’s gray February skies for somewhere new to explore. Gettysburg, Nashville, Buffalo, and Savannah have all been stops …

Two Days Exploring Marseille and Aix-en-Provence

Welcome back to my progression of blog posts about my epic ‘Tour de France’ roadtrip of summer ’25. If this is your first time to Catching Katie, I have a whole series of posts about this epic trip, starting in Dijon, followed by Annecy, Lyon and a bunch of adorable small towns in the French …

Day Trip to Menton, Èze, and Villefranche-sur-Mer

After having explored Dijon/Beaune, Annecy and Lyon, the next portion of our 2025 Tour de France brought my friends Lindsey, Jed and I to the southern Mediterranean part of France. We stayed in Antibes for several days, making that our home base. However, we wanted to explore more of the French Riviera and so decided …

Exploring in and around Zanesville, Ohio

You know that I love a road trip! (And if you’re new to the Catching Katie blog- welcome, thanks for coming, I’m Katie and I love a road trip). Sometimes you don’t need to take a long road trip in order to explore someplace new. And while I love driving around and exploring other countries …