Travel Dates: June 2019 for 1 week Cappadocia is a small region in central Turkey known for its dramatic natural beauty. It brings flocks of tourists from around the world to a very concentrated area in an otherwise vast landscape. There are several small towns in the area but most […]
Travel
Puglia, Italy – Bike Tour
In early June, we did a 6 day self-guided biking tour totaling 285 km in the Puglia region of Italy (the boot heel). The tour was organized by Puglia Cycle Tours who provided the bikes and moved our luggage from town to town as we biked. We were provided a […]
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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, 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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
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 […]
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 […]
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
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
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 […]
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
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 […]