Travel

Ithaca Island, Greece
Europe, Greece, Travel

Ithaca Island, Greece

Travel Dates: May/June 2019 for 2 weeks Ithaca is a small island off the west coast of Greece in the Ionian Sea. You probably remember the name from high school English class when you had to read The Odyssey, as Ithaca is the home of the hero Odysseus. But beyond […]

Brač Island, Croatia
Croatia, Europe, Travel

Brač Island, Croatia

Travel Dates: May 2019 for 2 weeks As we researched our first trip to Croatia, it was a bit overwhelming to choose the perfect place to spend 2 weeks. Between the mainland and the many islands, it seemed there are no shortage of beautiful beaches and landscapes (which we will […]

São Miguel, Azores
Europe, Portugal, Travel

São Miguel, Azores

Travel Dates: April 2019 for 9 days The Azores are an archipelago of nine volcanic islands in the Atlantic Ocean west of Portugal. Along with Madeira, the Azores are an autonomous region of Portugal. The islands are a result of tectonic activity due to their location at the intersection of […]

Madeira
Europe, Portugal, Travel

Madeira

Travel Dates: March 2019 for 1 week Madeira is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean southwest of Portugal. It was discovered by Portuguese explorers in 1419 when their ship ran aground during a storm. Sugarcane production became the main commercial crop as the island’s climate was perfect for growth and […]

Guanajuato, Mexico
Mexico, North America, Travel

Guanajuato, Mexico

Monica and I were drawn to Guanajuato after seeing photos of beautiful buildings and rugged natural surroundings. After our first visit in November 2018 for Dia de los Muertos, we realized the city had so much more to offer and we were hooked. To kickoff our 2019 year of travel, […]

Querétaro, Mexico
Mexico, North America, Travel

Querétaro, Mexico

Travel Dates: January 2019 for 2 days We took a quick weekend trip to the city of Querétaro from Guanajuato. The Primera Plus buses offer quick, cheap and comfortable rides and the trip is only 2.5 hours. Querétaro is a fairly large city recognized for its safety and quality of […]

Hội An, Vietnam
Asia, Travel, Vietnam

Hội An, Vietnam

Travel Dates: March 2018 for 5 days Travel Buddies: Ben + Stacey Located on the central coast of Vietnam, Hoi An is an undeniably charming UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was a Southeast Asia trading port between the 15th and 19th centuries. Unless you’re touring the coast of Vietnam, you’ll […]

Trekking in Sapa, Vietnam
Asia, Travel, Vietnam

Trekking in Sapa, Vietnam

Travel Dates: March 2018 for 3 days, 2 nights Travel Buddies: Ben + Stacey Sapa is a hill town in the Hoàng Liên Son Mountains of NW Vietnam, near the China border. While the town itself has seen much tourism-focused development over the years, it is most commonly used as […]

Lan Ha Bay, Vietnam
Asia, Travel, Vietnam

Lan Ha Bay, Vietnam

Travel Dates: March 2018 for 3 days, 2 nights Travel Buddies: Ben + Stacey Ha Long Bay (bay of the descending dragon), is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a New 7 Wonders of Nature site. The countless limestone karsts jutting out from the water create an otherworldly landscape that […]

Oaxaca, Mexico
Mexico, North America, Travel

Oaxaca, Mexico

Travel Dates: November 2017 for 1 week Travel Buddies: Monica’s parents Each time we land in Mexico, I cannot wait for the airplane doors to open to be greeted with warmth. It’s a warmth not only from the perfect temperature and sunshine, but also from the people. Despite our never […]

Mérida, Mexico
Mexico, North America, Travel

Mérida, Mexico

Travel Dates: September 2017 for 1 week Travel Buddies: Adam, Brittney and Ben from Portland Mérida, the capital of Yucatan, is home to around 1 million people, 60% of which are of Mayan descent. It was founded as “Mérida” in 1542 by Spanish conquistadors, on an existing Mayan city, which had […]

Belize – Mainland
Belize, North America, Travel

Belize – Mainland

Belize, formerly British Honduras, became a country in 1981 when it was granted independence from British rule. With a total population of around 330,000, Belize is a very small Central American country nestled under Mexico along the Caribbean Sea. Its territory is comprised of slightly more sea than land because […]

The view from our stay at the Barefoot Beach Hotel. I proposed to Monica on that dock!
Belize, North America, Travel

Belize – Islands

Belize, formerly British Honduras, became a country in 1981 when it was granted independence from British rule. With a total population of around 330,000, Belize is a very small Central American country nestled under Mexico along the Caribbean Sea. Its territory is comprised of slightly more sea than land because […]

Buddha Park
Asia, Laos, Travel

Vientiane, Laos

We arrived in Vientiane via minibus from Vang Vieng. The 4 hour ride felt long as it was our 4th minivan ride of this length within 2 weeks in Laos. As far as ways to get around in Laos, we would recommend the minivans. The upside is you get places […]

Bridge crossing to the Chang Caves
Asia, Laos, Travel

Vang Vieng, Laos

We arrived in Vang Vieng via minivan from Luang Prabang. The 4-5 hour ride takes you through mountainous terrain that is filled with hairpin turns and potholes. However the bumpy ride is made up for with some of the most beautiful scenery in Laos. Similar to Nong Khiaw, this region […]

Nong Khiaw, Laos
Asia, Laos, Travel

Nong Khiaw, Laos

Nong Khiaw is a small rural town in the hills of northern Laos. It was the second stop on our Laos trip. For greater context of our trip and decisions to visit Laos, see the first paragraph on our post of Luang Prabang. While the drive from Luang Prabang to […]

Haw Pha Bang
Asia, Laos, Travel

Luang Prabang, Laos

Sabaidee from Laos! To physically arrive here from the US required two days of flying, stopping in Seoul, South Korea and Bangkok, Thailand. To mentally arrive here required time traveling to a mystical place seemingly frozen in a complicated past. As Americans, it also required mentally addressing the not so […]

The photo does the scale no justice.  What a humbling yet inspiring place
North America, Travel, United States

Bryce Canyon + Zion National Park

After completing our trips to Europe and Mexico the year before, we craved an epic trip in our own backyard. What better than the American Southwest, packed with National Parks and rugged landscape as far as the eyes can see. Monica surprised me with plane tickets for Christmas. With only 5 […]

Prague, Czech Republic
Czech Republic, Europe, Travel

Prague, Czech Republic

We flew from Paris into Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. We only had 4 days to soak in as much as we could. When planning our Prague trip, I started my search with the historic Old Town Square in Old Town, as it was the hypothetical site of one […]

Brussels, Belgium
Belgium, Europe, Travel

Brussels, Belgium

We arrived in Brussels via train from dreamy Amsterdam. Sandwiched in between France and The Netherlands, Belgium is mix of about 80% French and 20% Flemish (Belgian Dutch). Our AirBnB stay was in a beautiful split level flat owned by a girl around our age named Amelie. She was a lovely host who […]

All that is Amsterdam
Europe, Netherlands, Travel

Amsterdam, Netherlands

After a quick 3 hour train ride from Osnabrück, we made it Amsterdam, the third stop on our 6 country tour. Amsterdam is initially a lot to take in as there are thousands of bikers, mopeds, cars, trams and pedestrians, whizzing in all directions on the skinny streets.  While our hometown of […]

Hannover and Osnabrück, Germany
Europe, Germany, Travel

Hannover and Osnabrück, Germany

This vacation abroad marked our first trip together as a couple.  Not only was it our first time traveling together, it was a quest to visit 6 countries in less than 3 weeks.  Ambitious, yet manageable.  Monica has grown up traveling the world.  However I am playing catch up, and […]