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1 week ago | 
onlyinyourstate.com | Andrea Verschuyl
One of my favorite things about Alaska has always been its culture of foraging. Whether it’s gearing up for the return of salmon, spotting bright fiddleheads in the forest underbrush, or coming back from a garden walk with the front of your shirt filled with wild mushrooms, there’s something deeply rewarding about being fed by the nature around you.
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1 week ago | 
onlyinyourstate.com | Andrea Verschuyl
One of my favorite childhood memories is berry-picking. Sure, I wasn’t very good at it — most of the berries ended up in my mouth instead of the basket — but I savored the chance to be outside with my mother and friends on sun-kissed afternoons. And as much as I adored U-picks, I might’ve loved finding wild berries even more. Learning which ones were edible felt like unlocking a secret.
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1 week ago | 
onlyinyourstate.com | Andrea Verschuyl
Despite its laid-back, surfer reputation, I’ve always found that Southern California, especially in its cities, moves at a pretty fast pace. Like anyone, I have a soft spot for whirlwind adventures; some of my most treasured vacation memories were made while flying by the seat of my pants. Still, I rarely return from those getaways feeling truly recharged. That’s where the concept of slow travel comes in. Slow travel is all about breathing deeply and savoring small moments.
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1 week ago | 
onlyinyourstate.com | Andrea Verschuyl
Okay, I’ll admit it — I didn’t love fishing when I was growing up. I didn’t feel connected to the process. Why was I spending hours being quiet to catch a fish I could’ve easily bought at the store? It wasn’t until I became older that I began to reassess those memories, finding a new appreciation for what they were really about. For me, it was usually about spending time with loved ones — away from the distractions of our hectic schedules.
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1 week ago | 
onlyinyourstate.com | Andrea Verschuyl
Although I love a whirlwind adventure as much as the next person, I've grown to appreciate the joy of slowing down. After all, when I’m trying to escape my hectic routine, the last thing I want is to dive headfirst into another jam-packed schedule. Only recently did I learn that this impulse has inspired an entire genre of vacationing called slow travel. With its emphasis on breathing deep and savoring the moment, slow travel gives adventurers of all kinds permission to unplug and truly relax.
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1 week ago | 
onlyinyourstate.com | Andrea Verschuyl
When he was around nine years old, my brother went through a phase where he’d only eat one ice cream flavor: huckleberry. To this day, our family has no idea what came over him. His first taste of that flavor — on a vacation to Lake Quinault one fateful summer — rewired something in his mind. For about a year afterward, he lived to recapture that double-scoop of flavorful revelation. As most phases do, the huckleberry ice cream obsession faded without fanfare.
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2 weeks ago | 
onlyinyourstate.com | Andrea Verschuyl
Fishing is one of the best ways to get acquainted with an ecosystem. Whatever your style, it invites you to slow down and pay close attention to what's around you — to make mental room for the subtle changes in nature that might normally slip beneath your radar. In this way, like any activity that sharpens our focus on what's easily overlooked, fishing refreshes our perspectives on familiar places.
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3 weeks ago | 
onlyinyourstate.com | Andrea Verschuyl
Picture this: It's early morning, and you're standing on the back deck of a charming lakefront home, the day's first cup of coffee in your hands, watching the sunlight move across the water. The hours from now until dinnertime are yours to do with as you please. In fact, your only "to-do" is to settle in on the private dock with enough time to catch your evening's meal. Maybe a bass?
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3 weeks ago | 
onlyinyourstate.com | Andrea Verschuyl
For the longest time, I didn't know that my preferences for a vacation aligned with the principles of slow travel — journeys that prioritize more thoughtful engagement with local communities and a deeper connection to place. To be honest, I just figured I might be a bit lazy. Especially compared to my family, who tackle their vacation itineraries like they're running a campaign. To be fair, there's a sweet spot to be found between these approaches.
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4 weeks ago | 
onlyinyourstate.com | Andrea Verschuyl
One of my most cherished childhood memories is a summer trip to Lake Chelan, when my family visited friends at their hand-built cabins tucked deep in the wilderness and reachable only by a multi-hour boat ride across the lake’s deep blue water. There was no electricity. If I recall, two cabins didn't even have running water. Their interiors were dusty and timeworn, filled with the quiet residue of decades' worth of family stories.
