The Top 6 Traveling Frugal Foodie Mama Posts of 2016

From travel tips to historical destinations to amazing family dining, here are the Top 6 Traveling Frugal Foodie Mama Posts of 2016 as clicked on & shared by you...

When I decided to publish my first ever travel post on Frugal Foodie Mama in 2013, I really didn't set out with the intention of merging my predominantly food & recipe blog with a family friendly travel blog. My family and I had stayed at a bed & breakfast in Virginia for a little weekend getaway, and I was impressed with how the innkeepers had went above and beyond to accommodate us. I wanted to show my appreciation and gratitude, so I thought why not write up a little review of our stay on my blog and share it with my social media followers as a way to thank them for their generous hospitality? I had no idea how my loyal readers would react to a travel piece, but I figured it was just one post so why not?

Luckily for me, my first ever travel review was well received by you all. But I wasn't entirely convinced that I should delve head first into travel writing, so it took me over a year to write and publish my second ever travel post. When that post was also pretty well received, it dawned on me that I might be onto to something here and Traveling Frugal Foodie Mama (or #TravelingFFM, as it is known on social media) was born! :)

Since that time, I have published a total of 39 travel posts to the blog- 16 of those being from 2016 alone. Yep, I really upped my travel game in the past year, folks. While I am not sharing all 16 travel posts from last year with you all here today, I am sharing my top 6 travel posts from 2016. Hopefully, you all will find a little family travel inspiration for 2017 below... 

How to Spend 24 Hours in Portland, Oregon

From where to eat, must-see sights, and local festivals, this is How to Spend 24 Hours in Portland, Oregon...

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I have to admit that this post has been long overdue, you all. I actually visited Portland, Oregon for the first time when I attended the Indulge conference last May, but this post kept getting pushed to the back burner. 

Not only was this trip my first time visiting the city of Portland, but it was also the first time that this East Coast gal traveled all the way to the West Coast. I ended up spending about 53 hours in the city before catching an overnight flight back to Pittsburgh. 

Can I just say that the 3-hour time difference is sort of brutal?? I didn't think that 3 hours could make such a profound difference, but I came back home exhausted. Like I crashed on the couch for a solid 3 hours. In the middle of the day. And I don't nap during the day, folks. Like ever.

But enough about the trials and tribulations of traveling across the country and through 3 different time zones. Let's talk about Portland, shall we? ;) 

Let's just say that you happen to find yourself with only 24 hours to spend in the city- an unexpected or planned layover, or maybe a free day during a work conference, or maybe you live within driving distance and want to spend the day in the city. 

I have gathered some of my best ideas for spending a whole day in Portland, Oregon, & I am sharing them all with you in today's post. Granted, I do not think that for 5 seconds that my 2 day+ experience in the city makes me an expert on all things Portland. But I will say that I was amazed at how much you could pack into a day while visiting there....