Dear friends,

Welcome to Compass & Key, a new travel planning resource designed to help you get the most out of your precious vacation time. Travel is powerful: it allows you to learn about new cultures, experience the breathtaking beauty of our natural world, rest and recharge the batteries. But it doesn't have to be complicated to plan a remarkable holiday.

While the plethora of travel publications, guide books, and review sites are helpful, they can be crazy overwhelming. Compass & Key distills all of this information and, combined with personal travel experiences, provides curated recommendations in one simple guide.

You'll find a mix of destinations, from urban centers to countryside escapes, to the humbling beauty of National Parks. All of our guides include ways to recharge in nature, from small city parks to vast wilderness.

Itineraries encourage what we call, "Travel by Wandering". That means highlighting a neighborhood, a park, or even a particular street that will give you a place to start exploring. Itineraries vary in length, from a few hours to a full day, but we always leave plenty of time so you can make your own discoveries. For us, extra time allows us to enjoy a long picnic lunch, or watch the world go by from a sidewalk cafe, or pop into a beautiful church that we came upon.

Four categories set the stage to plan your next vacation:

Essentials - when you should visit, where to stay and dine, and how to reach the destination and get around
Itineraries - self-guided tours to help you experience the main attractions without the crowds while also visiting places favored by locals and like-minded travelers
Resources - things to know before you go, our favorite guidebooks and helpful links
Interactive Map - a visual guide to destinations in our itineraries and beyond

I'm so thrilled to launch the site after months of writing, designing, researching and cultivating the best travel content with you in mind. Please share your wisdom, ideas, and experiences in these pages so we can all become better travelers.

Get started by exploring our destinations page, read more about us, or pick up some new travel tips.

See you on the road,

Tara