After having spent about six weeks in Southeast Asia (in Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia), we were starting to feel like we were getting the hang of it. We were recognizing similarities between the countries we had visited and began to think we knew what to expect. Street food on every block. Crazy motorbikes zooming in […]
Eleven Days Down Under
A lot of people asked us why Australia was part of our itinerary. Isn’t it going to be just like back home? Don’t you want to spend time in more exotic places while you have the year off? Isn’t it too expensive for a budget traveler? To be honest, we didn’t know what to expect. […]
New Zealand: A Budget Traveler’s Challen
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 […]
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 […]
UNESCO in our Backyard: Visiting the Sta...
“The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity.” – UNESCO.org One of our goals on this trip is to visit as many of these World Heritage sites as possible. As […]