You can’t go far in New Zealand without seeing backpackers. They’re everywhere – hitchhiking on the side of the road, packed into cafes and coffee shops, biking on mountain paths, or checking in to the some of the many “budget” hostels the country has to offer. We use the term “budget” loosely because we had […]
Christmas in the Seychelles
We spent Christmas morning on the beach in the middle of the Indian Ocean on the tiny island of La Digue, in the Seychelles. This was a place we had dreamed about – a tropical retreat, secluded from the rest of the world, and more remote than any other destination on our trip itinerary. The […]
Spectacular Sri Lanka
Stop reading this blog post. Please. Immediately close this page and open up a new tab… And book your next vacation to Sri Lanka A.S.A.P. This country has it all. Beautiful beaches, ancient ruins and temples for days of exploring, mountains for hiking, national parks for safaris, and even men in skirts. You name it […]
Reflecting on our Volunteer Experience i...
“India is a land of contrasts” the coordinator of our volunteer program told us during orientation. This became evident to us immediately. The wealth gap stretches way beyond what most other countries experience. On the street you will see women dressed in the most beautiful sarees in every color of the rainbow, but you will […]
Turkey: From Europe to Asia
Eighteen days after the deadliest bombing in modern day Turkey occurred in the capital city of Ankara, we arrived in Istanbul. This was in addition to a bombing that had happened in Istanbul back in August. For the weeks leading up to our arrival, we had seen the non-stop news coverage of the rising death […]
Back to Sicily
When it comes to traveling in Italy, there is a well-worn path consisting of a few destinations that seem to always be a part of any itinerary, and with good reason. There’s Florence, along with the entire region of Tuscany, and its beautiful landscapes. There’s floating Venice with its many islands and interconnecting canals. Of […]
Grateful Houseguests: Visiting Friends a...
One of the goals of our trip was to visit as many friends and family around the world as possible whom we don’t normally get to see very often. Over the past two weeks, we’ve spent three days staying with family just outside of Paris, reunited with a high school friend in Berlin for a […]
Paris on a Budget
After having spent a week in rural Réparsac, France, keeping an eye out for mice, flies, spiders the size of your hand, and working with more goats than people, we almost wept tears of joy when we pulled into the Gare du Montparnasse in Paris. The City of Lights made us feel like we were […]
Sipping Bordeaux in Bordeaux
After a chill week in Vias, we hopped on a very hot train, without AC, to head north to Bordeaux for a few nights. This is the first place that we used AirBnB to book a private room. Choosing the private room instead of renting the entire apartment helped us save a few bucks, but […]
Gaudí’s Barcelona: Our 3rd UNESCO site
It’s hard to think of any other place where a single architect is so widely praised and represented throughout an entire city than in Barcelona. When we were researching things to do and see during our visit, the name “Gaudí” just kept on popping up. After a few days of walking down Passeig de Gràcia […]