From our community to your inbox, we trace what's worth discovering—the finds, voices, and recommendations shaping how we choose.
Hello friends,
I want to tell you about our spring break plans because they're an honest reflection of how life changes and why that’s perfectly okay.
Two years ago, my husband and I took our boys to Paris and Morocco. Last year it was Palm Springs and Joshua Tree. This year? We're driving three hours south to Beaver Lake in Northwest Arkansas.
And I am really looking forward to it.
Some years I am all-in on adventure, but with building a start-up and parenting middle schoolers, life has been busy. I don’t have the bandwidth to plan a big trip to some far-off destination. Beaver Lake is beautiful. It's close enough that the drive doesn't break anyone, and we don't have to pack for two countries and three climates. Spring break is a chance for us to pause and spend some time connecting as a family.
Whatever your spring break looks like this year — beach, mountains, a road trip to somewhere you've never been, or a full week at home pretending your couch is a resort — here's some recs to make it count.
Happy travels.
-Karli
✨ Pack it, wear it, bring it
Whether you're heading somewhere warm or just finally using those vacation days, these are the things our community actually travels with.
Away The Carry-On | $275
“I got this carry-on when Away first hit the scene years ago. It has held up amazingly well over the past 8 years, and I love how all the away pieces just fit together so well. I would recommend this to anyone forever!”
Left on Friday Swimsuits
“I tell all my mom friends about Left on Friday. They are pricey, but it’s the best I have felt in a swimsuit since having kids. The fabric is amazing and holds up really well and I like to mix and match colors. So many reviews with photos to see what it would look like on your body.”
Kopari Rose Gold Sun Shield Body Glow Sunscreen SPF 45 | $42
“Smells great, protects, has a subtle sheen AND soaks in and actually nourishes my skin. Love it!”
goodr sunglasses OG | $30
“The way goodr sunglasses stay on my nose even when I'm sweaty has been a GAME CHANGER! Plus, they come in fun colors and at $30 it's not the end of the world when I inevitably lose them on vacation.”
Vissla Hemp No See Ums Eco 18" Elastic Hybrid Walkshort | $65
“If I had to only have one pair of shorts for the rest of my life, this would be it. They are insanely comfortable, lightweight, and a big stretchy.”
Sand Cloud Party Blanket | $118
“LOVE these XL blankets for the beach. They are made from organic Turkish cotton, repel sand, dry fast, and are soooooo soft!”
💬 Community asks
This community has such great knowledge and taste. Help out someone else with a rec the need:
Elizabeth C. is wants recs for “smart health accessories (rings, necklaces,etc.)” to track sleep and women’s health. [Share your rec]
Kirsten M. is looking for family device charging solutions. “We’ve got all the devices (watches, tablets, phones, etc) that are all needing to be charged in the same location and it’s a cord tangled ugly mess. All ideas welcome.” [Share your rec]
Kirsten M. also needs neck pain solutions. “I occasionally wake up with a crick in my neck that I don't think is serious but it is uncomfortable for sure. Any ideas to help speed up the recovery from this?” [Share your rec]
🤩 Community hilight
Every week we spotlight someone in our community whose collections are too good not to share.
Meet Kirsten! Kirsten is our software engineer at hili who loves board games. She and her family have been hosting game nights at their house for nearly ten years! They love how board games provide a fun way to connect with friends, build grit and problem solving in kids, and get everyone away from screens. Her "Great Family Games" collection is a place to start if your family wants to try out a new game and includes games from very simple to a bit more crunchy if you're up for it.
💜 Karli Loves
Here are a few things I have been digging this week:
📷 Dove head first into the Life Magazine photo archives. I used to sit on the floor of my local library growing up and flip through every Life Magazine they had looking for old images of The Beatles and my other favorite celebrities of the 50s and 60s.
💬 I’m a naturally curious person and love having deep conversations with people. These conversation starters make it easy for anyone to get beyond pleasantries.
💾 I started hili because I was tired of big tech and all the ways they extract value from their customers, but I still love the promise of what technology can do for humanity. That’s why I was delighted to find the world’s largest collection of projects using tech for the common good.