During a road trip a few years ago, Laurence and I made a detour to visit the covered bridges of Madison County, Iowa. Madison County is located about 30 miles from Des Moines and is known as the “Covered Bridge Capital of Iowa,” home to six historic covered bridges. We drove the loop, walked through each of the six bridges, and the photos throughout this guide are our own from that trip. Here is the quick version if you are short on time: There are six covered bridges in Madison County, all within about a 30-minute drive of the town of Winterset. The driving loop between all six takes about an hour without stops, so allow around 2.5 hours with short photo stops at each. It is free to visit the bridges year-round, with small free parking areas near each one. Cedar Bridge is the only one you can still… Read the rest
Archives for August 2018
3 Days in London: A Complete 3-Day London Itinerary
Three days in London is enough to visit the major landmarks, explore two or three distinct neighbourhoods, and still leave time for a pub lunch in a park. We have visited London dozens of times over the past decade, and Laurence used to live there. This 3 day London itinerary reflects what we would actually recommend to a friend visiting for the first time. Over three days, this itinerary covers Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Borough Market, the South Bank, and Windsor Castle, along with several free museums, scenic walks, and one of the best viewpoints in the city. Total cost for paid attractions on this itinerary runs roughly £150 to £200 per person depending on what you choose to visit, though you can cut that significantly with a London Pass (we show the exact savings breakdown at the end of this… Read the rest
Best Compact Cameras 2026: Top Picks for Every Budget
I have been a working travel photographer for 15 years, and Jess and I have built our two blogs around the cameras we actually carry on the road. The compact camera is the one I get asked about more than any other, and the answer has shifted a lot recently. For a few years, I was telling most people to use their smartphone. In 2026, that has changed. Manufacturers are making new models again, younger photographers are choosing dedicated cameras over phones, and for the first time in years there are good options at several price points. This guide is built from the cameras we have personally used or extensively tested across actual trips, not from spec sheets and press releases. If a recommendation here is on the list, it has either been in our bag or has been picked up, handled, and benchmarked against cameras we own. Where we… Read the rest