One of the most wonderful things about homeschooling is my family’s ability to travel. I still have a ton of classes that can’t be missed and work to be done, but because I can shift some of my work around from day to day, we can plan trips throughout the school year, instead of waiting for longer school breaks.

So far this  fall, we’ve been to Orlando to see my grandparents (and spend a few days at Walt Disney World!); Lancaster, Pennsylvania to meet up with one of my mom’s best friends on a girls’ trip; and a quick overnight trip to Charlotte to visit an art exhibit on Caravaggio and see a botanical garden.

In the past couple years, we’ve also been to western NC for the beautiful fall leaves, weekend trips to Richmond, Roanoke, and Charleston, and longer trips to Washington DC! And sometimes we’ve done day trips, to local North Carolina historical sites like New Bern or to the Sylvan Heights Bird Park (the birds there and I have an ongoing feud).

It’s something of a hobby for me to take photos everywhere I go, so here’s a few of my favorites and the stories behind them.

A faint rainbow & sunset from the monorail at Walt Disney World

Gorgeous clouds at sunset from WDW!

A lake in the Smokies at a national park whose name I haven’t been able to find, unfortunately

Statue at sunset in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

A close-up tromp l’oeil shot from inside one of UNC Charlotte’s greenhouses

“Fairy gate” from the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens

My mom and dad posing in front of the “fairy gate”

A (slightly edited to make the colors pop) photo from a trip my mom & I took for a writing retreat a few years back when we both attempted NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month (write a novel in a month, for those unfamiliar)

Pic taken from the car on one of our many and frequent roadtrips

A view from just outside Paris sitting on a bench–waiting for our dinner reservation, which we arrived outrageously early to.

Photography has always been something I love, and I’m rapidly learning the tips and tricks that make a photo that much better; how to angle the camera, make a phone lens look professional, etc. I’m so excited to use my new skills on my upcoming trips to NYC and Europe next year!