It wasn’t until recently that I had any experience with hostels. For so long, as I think is true with a lot of people, the word hostel conjured up somewhat negative images. The movie Hostel didn’t really help that idea either. Up until my last trip I had only ever stayed in hotels. Most of... Continue Reading →
4 Countries, 8 Days
Impulse is a funny thing. For some, it results in online shopping sprees, benders, haircuts, etc. For me, it resulted in an eight-day backpacking trip through four countries. My last solo trip was the product of over a year of planning. This time, I had three weeks. At first, the thought of not having a... Continue Reading →
France After Dark: Cathedrals and Light Shows
I'm not one to waste time when I travel. If I've set aside time for some sort of relaxing activity like a spa or the beach, that's one thing because it's part of the experience. I'm generally on the go, though, and don't like sitting around if it isn't adding to the trip. A... Continue Reading →
The Benefits of Mapping Out Your Interests
Today I want to dive a little bit into my process in planning my trip to France. There are a ton of factors that go into choosing a location, a route, where to stay, etc, but I think plotting out my options beforehand had to be one of the most helpful things I've ever done... Continue Reading →
Visit Europe In North America
It's no secret that I loved France. When I started looking through pictures of Montreal and Quebec, I realized that it's entirely possible to step into a little piece of French culture and history here in America. I'm more than excited for my next opportunity to cross the Atlantic but my budget is very tight... Continue Reading →
How Layovers Become Future Destinations
Layovers are one of the most frustrating and time-wasting parts of travel, right? Not always! For the improvisational traveler or backpacker, layovers and transfers can become quick adventures to help you get even more out of your travels. Naturally, this doesn't apply as much to travel by plane as much as travel by train or... Continue Reading →
The Time I Visited Camelot
I know that I've said a million times how much I love the Middle Ages, but a lesser known fact about me is that I also love Merlin on BBC (I love Arthurian Legend and anything surrounding King Arthur.) It's cheesy, it's nerdy, I love it. It was while watching some behind the scenes videos... Continue Reading →
Answering Your Questions- Part 4
-What was your biggest culture shock? Honestly, I did not spend a whole lot of time with other people. The majority of my trip was me wandering around from city to city viewing the monuments. For the most part, the people I interacted with were mostly hotel receptionists/concierge, servers at restaurants, SNCF (France's main railway... Continue Reading →
Answering Your Questions- Part 3
-If you could go back to one place you visited, where would you go and why? I had a really hard time with this question because I saw so many cities in such a short span of time (24 cities in 17 days!) I feel like I could return to any of the places I... Continue Reading →
To London!
Hi All! Today's post (if it wasn't obvious) is about the first leg of our journey! We only spent one night in London (regretfully only one, there was far too much to see in such a short time) but we slammed it with as much as we could squeeze in! As will most usually be... Continue Reading →
The Soul Knows No Borders 