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Stephen & Giselle backpacking the Sierra High Route

THE LOVERS PASSPORT

Welcome to The Lovers Passport!

We are Giselle and Stephen, a couple of California natives with a HUGE passion for outdoor adventure & travel! We thrive on exploring everywhere from the beach to the backcountry, and we just can’t get enough of it! From backpacking and camping to traveling abroad, we’ve got your couple’s travel inspo covered!

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5 Must-See Gems in the Southwest 🏜 (‘𝗦𝗮

5 Must-See Gems in the Southwest 🏜 (‘𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲' 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿)
:::
The landscapes in the Southwest of the US are mind blowing 🤯 Earlier this year we took a road trip through Utah and loved the National Parks, but the areas off the beaten path were what really left us speechless. Here are 5 Gems you need to add to your Southwest Road Trip Itinerary 🚙
:::
📍Cedar Breaks National Monument - this spot is right up the road from Zion National Park and is the closest thing to Bryce NP. Seeing a sunrise here needs to be on everyone’s bucket list ☀️
:::
📍Toadstool Hoodoos- these hoodoos are right outside Lake Powell and are incredible to see for sunrise or sunset. The hike is very easy and the rock formations look insane! Do not climb on them because the mushroom tops are very delicate 👍🏼
:::
📍Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument - this is a short drive from Zion & Bryce and is filled with endless slot canyons and some of the least explored parts of Utah!
:::
📍Goblin Valley State Park - this is hoodoo city! This state park is close to Capitol Reef and best explored for sunset or sunrise when all the ‘goblins’ aka hoodoos glow!
:::
📍Dead Horse Point State Park - this is a great alternative to the insanely busy Horseshoe Bend. The sunset here is one of our favorites in all of Utah!
:::
Do you visit an area just for the Tourist Spots like the National Parks OR do you like to find the spots off the beaten path? 👀

Sunrise Photography Tips ☀️ (‘𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲' 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿)
:::
Sunrise is SO HARD to get up for sometimes 😴 but it is almost always worth it in our opinion. We try to do at least 1 sunrise mission every weekend because we think it is the perfect way to start the day 🙌🏼 We also love how most spots are EMPTY compared to how busy sunset can be. Here are 5 Tips that have helped us on our Sunrise Adventures!
:::
📱PhotoPills - this app is a game changer! It is $9.99 but @photopills opens up so many opportunities for photography! It gives settings, where the sun will be, night photography assistance, and so much more!
:::
🔦 Headlamp - phone flashlights are nice, but having a good headlamp will make a big difference. We love headlamps because it keeps our hands free to hold camera, easy to use on hikes, and they are so small we always keep them in our backpack
:::
⏰ Alarm Clock - Use 2 alarms!! Just the other day Giselle and I missed a sunrise because we only set one alarm 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏼‍♀️ It is best to have someone to hold you accountable or set multiple alarms to help you get up!
:::
🌅 Be Early - sometimes the most beautiful sunrise colors are 15 minutes before the sunrise, especially if there are clouds. Plan on arriving to your destination 15 minutes early for Blue Hour and gives you plenty of time to relax before first light ☀️
:::
📷 Overexpose - we love the golden glow for sunrise and usually take pictures a little bit over exposed. We love the way the light looks compared to being underexposed and a bit too dark. The Photo settings for this shot were ISO 200 16mm f/11 1/20sec
:::
When the alarm goes off are you up for a sunrise or do you hit snooze? 😴

Bringing the adventure with us on date night 👫

Bringing the adventure with us on date night 👫 #ad
.
Whenever we aren’t out hiking, backpacking, and road tripping, we’ve been loving having adventurous date nights every week that still add some fun to our usual routine! We try and have a date night every week to spend some quality time together and sometimes it can be a challenge to spice it up and do something different! SO last week, we did another mystery date from @theadventurechallenge where we didn’t know what it was going to be until we scratched it off! We ended up having to go to the middle of nowhere and chill out under the stars blasting music from the car while dancing in the beam of the headlights. 💃🚘
.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
We learned that Stephen can’t dance, that we really want to learn more astrophotography, and that hiking trailheads make for great photoshoots at night 🙈
.
Want to join in on the fun!? They have a friends, family, AND couple’s edition available on their site! Visit the @theadventurechallenge’s page and use the code “CM20” at checkout to receive 20% off their scratch off book!
.
What is your love language for date nights? 💖

Winter is coming ❄️ . The first time we experi

Winter is coming ❄️
.
The first time we experienced Sequoia National park was earlier this year in the summer, but we don’t think it could get more magical than watching the first snow fall arrive in the park.
.
In Southern California, we don’t get to experience many seasons so it’s always special for us to go and explore the snow! We always have to drive a few hours in order to enjoy it so we were so blown away and happy with how beautiful and special this park was. 😍 Definitely add Sequoia and Kings Canyon to your winter National Park bucket list! If you are heading out to this area this year make sure to pack some warm clothes and chains for your tires ⛓
.
Where is your favorite spot to see the snow? ☃️

Our Favorite Items in our Camera Bag 📸 (‘𝗦

Our Favorite Items in our Camera Bag 📸 (‘𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲' 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿)
.
📸 Camera Bodies: For just starting out this year, we absolutely have LOVED our Canon 80D. It was the perfect body for beginners, was more affordable, and fantastic for adventures since it is so durable and weather resistant. BUT we have OFFICIALLY JUST UPGRADED! 🎉The past 2 weeks we’ve been playing around with a Canon 5D Mark III and we have nothing but good things to say. It’s weather sealed (perfect for when we were in the snow) and has a full frame sensor (versus the 80D which is a crop sensor) so the photo quality has been insane!
.
📸 Lenses: Our holy trinity of lenses for our full frame camera have been the 16-35mm f/2.8, 24-70mm f/2.8, and our 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6. For our Canon 80D, which had the crop sensor, we loved our 17-55mm f/2.8.
.
📸 Microphone: We have been using the Rode Microphone for vlogging our outdoor adventures for our Youtube Channel and IGTVs! It’s really great for the outdoors especially if there’s a bit of wind! However, it definitely produces an echo when you’re indoors so just be aware of that.
.
📸 Remote & Tripod: we can’t emphasize enough how much these two pieces of gear have changed our photography game. We have two different remotes by Enegon & Aodelan because we like to have a backup in case one breaks! And our Peak Design Travel Tripod has never failed us, never tipped over, and has a lifetime warranty. That one’s pricier though but you’ll never need a new one after that since it’s such amazing quality (and it’s on sale for Black Friday!)
.
We linked all our camera gear in our bio if you want to see what else we bring with us to capture our adventures!
.
Do you have a favorite piece of camera gear or are you all about the iPhone bangers? 📱

We are so grateful! 🧡 . Happy Thanksgiving ever

We are so grateful! 🧡
.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Although the holidays are looking a bit different this year we could not be more thankful that 2020 has really made us slow down and really not take for granted the little things. We keep gratitude journals for every day of the year and the common trends we are especially grateful for are:
.
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Our supportive families & friends
🚘 Road Trips
🏡 The roof over our heads
🌅 Sunrises with amazing views & coffee (thanks @kujucoffee!)
🏔 The mountains
🥋💻 Our jobs
🐶 Our pups
📱And of course, for every single one of you for supporting us throughout this year!
.
Cheers to appreciating the little things every single day, not just on Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for this year? ✨

If we can do it, so can you! 🙌🏻 (‘𝗦𝗮

If we can do it, so can you! 🙌🏻 (‘𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲' 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿)
.
People often ask us how we are able to go on so many adventures, and the simple answer is you don’t need to quit your job to travel the world! Stephen and I both work full time jobs which require going into the office during the week and basically only travel on the weekends and on our time off 📅
.
Our travel isn’t always as glamorous as it seems 😂 We built out the back of Stephen’s 4Runner to have an air mattress, window insulation, and storage compartments for all of our gear and it has been an awesome investment! It took less than $50 to get all the equipment needed and less than 1 day to build. That way every weekend if we wanted to, we could just start driving and know we’ll have a cozy spot to camp. We often camp out in the middle of nowhere like in this spot pictured above or on other free land or Walmart parking lots (yes, you can car camp at most Walmart’s) unless we’re feeling like balling out! 🚘
.
In terms of budgeting our biggest expense is almost always gas which we split. We bring our own food and don’t usually eat out on our trips, and we bought most of our gear over the past two years during big sales to save money. 💰
.
You just have to make adventure and travel a PRIORITY! We trip plan before and after work during the week. The reality is we often drive many many hours on the weekend to find cool new spots to explore but we absolutely love it! We drive out on Friday’s, go from sunrise to sunset on both weekend days and then cruise on home! 🤙🏻 We’ve been doing this for almost 2 years now even before we started this page and it’s just something we mutually enjoy! So as long as you don’t mind “go go go” travel on the weekends, you can totally get out and about even while having 9-5s!
.
Are you more of a part time traveler or full time explorer? 🚗✈️

Happy Birthday Giselle, my better half, my best fr

Happy Birthday Giselle, my better half, my best friend, my love ❤️
:::
Giselle and I met on her birthday 2 years ago at a joint birthday party for her and a friend 🥳and I never would have thought this is where it would have led us. 🙈 We have only known each other for 2 years and have gone through so much 😅
:::
We have gone through🦵a knee surgery, 🚙multiple road trips, ⛽ almost running out of gas, 🏔climbing 14k ft peaks, 😷 a pandemic, 💻starting a blog, 🥾more adventures then we can count, all of it has brought us so close together.
:::
Thank you Giselle for being my partner in life and my forever adventure ❤️ Have the happiest of birthdays, and cheers to many more birthdays that we can celebrate together 🥂
:::
How old do you think she is turning? 🥳

Our Itinerary Planning Process 📝 (‘𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲' 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿)
.
One of the most fun parts of our adventures is actually all the behind the scenes research we do for each spot we go to! We love scouting for cool locations and off-the-beaten path spots to visit, probably more so than most because we are both related to Travel Agents 😂 Since we are only traveling on the weekends or on our time off, planning during the week is super important for us to make sure we maximize our time at locations. Here’s what we usually do when planning out an adventure together:
.
🗺 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗽𝘀: Input every location you want to stop on your trip and it will make a grand circle of your whole trip so that you can figure out the timing for driving in between locations. The total mileage can also give you on estimate of how much money you’re going to be spending on gas!
.
⛺️ 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀: Once we have the order of spots we want to hit, we usually look for campsites around the area that are free like BLM land or we’ll find a Walmart to car camp at 😝
.
🗒 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: We always make sure to check if we’ll need a permit for whatever we are doing in the area, as some require it for just overnighters while at other locations you actually need day permits to visit.
.
💻 𝗛𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀 & 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗼: We LOVE getting inspiration for our national parks trips from the cutest coffee table book from @reneeroaming and @matthewhahnel! It’s called Roaming America and gives in depth itinerary ideas for every national park! We also spend a ton of time on blogs and Pinterest to find the spots we end up hiking to!
.
〰️From there, we just 𝗴𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄! If we don’t get to everything, we have an excuse to go back, and if we end up loving a spot a ton, we’ll usually ditch the rest of the itinerary to enjoy it! We like a good mix of planning and spontaneity!
.
Do you love planning your adventures? Or do you make up a plan as you go?

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LATEST POSTS

Utah Road Trip Itinerary Overview

October 28, 2020
First Adventure to Bryce Canyon National Park

September 21, 2020
Thousand Island Lake Backpacking from Agnew Meadows

September 14, 2020

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5 Must-See Gems in the Southwest 🏜 (‘𝗦𝗮

5 Must-See Gems in the Southwest 🏜 (‘𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲' 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿)
:::
The landscapes in the Southwest of the US are mind blowing 🤯 Earlier this year we took a road trip through Utah and loved the National Parks, but the areas off the beaten path were what really left us speechless. Here are 5 Gems you need to add to your Southwest Road Trip Itinerary 🚙
:::
📍Cedar Breaks National Monument - this spot is right up the road from Zion National Park and is the closest thing to Bryce NP. Seeing a sunrise here needs to be on everyone’s bucket list ☀️
:::
📍Toadstool Hoodoos- these hoodoos are right outside Lake Powell and are incredible to see for sunrise or sunset. The hike is very easy and the rock formations look insane! Do not climb on them because the mushroom tops are very delicate 👍🏼
:::
📍Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument - this is a short drive from Zion & Bryce and is filled with endless slot canyons and some of the least explored parts of Utah!
:::
📍Goblin Valley State Park - this is hoodoo city! This state park is close to Capitol Reef and best explored for sunset or sunrise when all the ‘goblins’ aka hoodoos glow!
:::
📍Dead Horse Point State Park - this is a great alternative to the insanely busy Horseshoe Bend. The sunset here is one of our favorites in all of Utah!
:::
Do you visit an area just for the Tourist Spots like the National Parks OR do you like to find the spots off the beaten path? 👀

Sunrise Photography Tips ☀️ (‘𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲' 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿)
:::
Sunrise is SO HARD to get up for sometimes 😴 but it is almost always worth it in our opinion. We try to do at least 1 sunrise mission every weekend because we think it is the perfect way to start the day 🙌🏼 We also love how most spots are EMPTY compared to how busy sunset can be. Here are 5 Tips that have helped us on our Sunrise Adventures!
:::
📱PhotoPills - this app is a game changer! It is $9.99 but @photopills opens up so many opportunities for photography! It gives settings, where the sun will be, night photography assistance, and so much more!
:::
🔦 Headlamp - phone flashlights are nice, but having a good headlamp will make a big difference. We love headlamps because it keeps our hands free to hold camera, easy to use on hikes, and they are so small we always keep them in our backpack
:::
⏰ Alarm Clock - Use 2 alarms!! Just the other day Giselle and I missed a sunrise because we only set one alarm 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏼‍♀️ It is best to have someone to hold you accountable or set multiple alarms to help you get up!
:::
🌅 Be Early - sometimes the most beautiful sunrise colors are 15 minutes before the sunrise, especially if there are clouds. Plan on arriving to your destination 15 minutes early for Blue Hour and gives you plenty of time to relax before first light ☀️
:::
📷 Overexpose - we love the golden glow for sunrise and usually take pictures a little bit over exposed. We love the way the light looks compared to being underexposed and a bit too dark. The Photo settings for this shot were ISO 200 16mm f/11 1/20sec
:::
When the alarm goes off are you up for a sunrise or do you hit snooze? 😴

Bringing the adventure with us on date night 👫

Bringing the adventure with us on date night 👫 #ad
.
Whenever we aren’t out hiking, backpacking, and road tripping, we’ve been loving having adventurous date nights every week that still add some fun to our usual routine! We try and have a date night every week to spend some quality time together and sometimes it can be a challenge to spice it up and do something different! SO last week, we did another mystery date from @theadventurechallenge where we didn’t know what it was going to be until we scratched it off! We ended up having to go to the middle of nowhere and chill out under the stars blasting music from the car while dancing in the beam of the headlights. 💃🚘
.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
We learned that Stephen can’t dance, that we really want to learn more astrophotography, and that hiking trailheads make for great photoshoots at night 🙈
.
Want to join in on the fun!? They have a friends, family, AND couple’s edition available on their site! Visit the @theadventurechallenge’s page and use the code “CM20” at checkout to receive 20% off their scratch off book!
.
What is your love language for date nights? 💖

Winter is coming ❄️ . The first time we experi

Winter is coming ❄️
.
The first time we experienced Sequoia National park was earlier this year in the summer, but we don’t think it could get more magical than watching the first snow fall arrive in the park.
.
In Southern California, we don’t get to experience many seasons so it’s always special for us to go and explore the snow! We always have to drive a few hours in order to enjoy it so we were so blown away and happy with how beautiful and special this park was. 😍 Definitely add Sequoia and Kings Canyon to your winter National Park bucket list! If you are heading out to this area this year make sure to pack some warm clothes and chains for your tires ⛓
.
Where is your favorite spot to see the snow? ☃️

Our Favorite Items in our Camera Bag 📸 (‘𝗦

Our Favorite Items in our Camera Bag 📸 (‘𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲' 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿)
.
📸 Camera Bodies: For just starting out this year, we absolutely have LOVED our Canon 80D. It was the perfect body for beginners, was more affordable, and fantastic for adventures since it is so durable and weather resistant. BUT we have OFFICIALLY JUST UPGRADED! 🎉The past 2 weeks we’ve been playing around with a Canon 5D Mark III and we have nothing but good things to say. It’s weather sealed (perfect for when we were in the snow) and has a full frame sensor (versus the 80D which is a crop sensor) so the photo quality has been insane!
.
📸 Lenses: Our holy trinity of lenses for our full frame camera have been the 16-35mm f/2.8, 24-70mm f/2.8, and our 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6. For our Canon 80D, which had the crop sensor, we loved our 17-55mm f/2.8.
.
📸 Microphone: We have been using the Rode Microphone for vlogging our outdoor adventures for our Youtube Channel and IGTVs! It’s really great for the outdoors especially if there’s a bit of wind! However, it definitely produces an echo when you’re indoors so just be aware of that.
.
📸 Remote & Tripod: we can’t emphasize enough how much these two pieces of gear have changed our photography game. We have two different remotes by Enegon & Aodelan because we like to have a backup in case one breaks! And our Peak Design Travel Tripod has never failed us, never tipped over, and has a lifetime warranty. That one’s pricier though but you’ll never need a new one after that since it’s such amazing quality (and it’s on sale for Black Friday!)
.
We linked all our camera gear in our bio if you want to see what else we bring with us to capture our adventures!
.
Do you have a favorite piece of camera gear or are you all about the iPhone bangers? 📱

We are so grateful! 🧡 . Happy Thanksgiving ever

We are so grateful! 🧡
.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Although the holidays are looking a bit different this year we could not be more thankful that 2020 has really made us slow down and really not take for granted the little things. We keep gratitude journals for every day of the year and the common trends we are especially grateful for are:
.
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Our supportive families & friends
🚘 Road Trips
🏡 The roof over our heads
🌅 Sunrises with amazing views & coffee (thanks @kujucoffee!)
🏔 The mountains
🥋💻 Our jobs
🐶 Our pups
📱And of course, for every single one of you for supporting us throughout this year!
.
Cheers to appreciating the little things every single day, not just on Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for this year? ✨

If we can do it, so can you! 🙌🏻 (‘𝗦𝗮

If we can do it, so can you! 🙌🏻 (‘𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲' 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿)
.
People often ask us how we are able to go on so many adventures, and the simple answer is you don’t need to quit your job to travel the world! Stephen and I both work full time jobs which require going into the office during the week and basically only travel on the weekends and on our time off 📅
.
Our travel isn’t always as glamorous as it seems 😂 We built out the back of Stephen’s 4Runner to have an air mattress, window insulation, and storage compartments for all of our gear and it has been an awesome investment! It took less than $50 to get all the equipment needed and less than 1 day to build. That way every weekend if we wanted to, we could just start driving and know we’ll have a cozy spot to camp. We often camp out in the middle of nowhere like in this spot pictured above or on other free land or Walmart parking lots (yes, you can car camp at most Walmart’s) unless we’re feeling like balling out! 🚘
.
In terms of budgeting our biggest expense is almost always gas which we split. We bring our own food and don’t usually eat out on our trips, and we bought most of our gear over the past two years during big sales to save money. 💰
.
You just have to make adventure and travel a PRIORITY! We trip plan before and after work during the week. The reality is we often drive many many hours on the weekend to find cool new spots to explore but we absolutely love it! We drive out on Friday’s, go from sunrise to sunset on both weekend days and then cruise on home! 🤙🏻 We’ve been doing this for almost 2 years now even before we started this page and it’s just something we mutually enjoy! So as long as you don’t mind “go go go” travel on the weekends, you can totally get out and about even while having 9-5s!
.
Are you more of a part time traveler or full time explorer? 🚗✈️

Happy Birthday Giselle, my better half, my best fr

Happy Birthday Giselle, my better half, my best friend, my love ❤️
:::
Giselle and I met on her birthday 2 years ago at a joint birthday party for her and a friend 🥳and I never would have thought this is where it would have led us. 🙈 We have only known each other for 2 years and have gone through so much 😅
:::
We have gone through🦵a knee surgery, 🚙multiple road trips, ⛽ almost running out of gas, 🏔climbing 14k ft peaks, 😷 a pandemic, 💻starting a blog, 🥾more adventures then we can count, all of it has brought us so close together.
:::
Thank you Giselle for being my partner in life and my forever adventure ❤️ Have the happiest of birthdays, and cheers to many more birthdays that we can celebrate together 🥂
:::
How old do you think she is turning? 🥳

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