Plan, Prepare, Pack
How Did I Get Here?
I’m sitting in a bedroom in an apartment in Loano, Italy listening to scooters fly by and the sounds of tourists in the distance. I’ve been here a month now and don’t have any plans to return to the US for another month. Or two. Or three. Most people plan long-term travel trips for months, if not [...]
Thrifty Travel Tips
Brooke vs. the World has asked travel bloggers to put together their best thrifty and resourceful travel tips for a helpful, free ebook. If you think you’re thrifty and would like to participate, check out the official rules.
As I’ve lived and traveled overseas for the past 12 (!) years, I’ve [...]
Couchsurfing Virgin No More
I heard about couchsurfing a couple of years ago and since then have repeatedly met people who have done it, but it was never really on my radar to do it myself until recently. I decided to try couchsurfing when planning my trip to Europe. I couchsurfed for two nights in a row; one night in Munich [...]
I need my jeans!
I’m a light packer. For a month long trip, I usually pack half of a 45 liter backpack. I’ve learned how to pack by trial and error and know what I need to bring versus what others might say I should bring. I don’t think packing comes naturally; you need experience to determine what you do and [...]
Train Travels in Europe
I can say a lot about traveling around Europe therefore this posting this will be a brief overview of train travel.
I’ve traveled in Europe multiple times via train, alone and with friends, and think it’s the best way to get around. After finishing college, I went to Europe for two and a half [...]
Train Travels in China
I’ve had some great train rides and I’ve had some not so great train rides. One of the most painful was a 32 hour train ride from Guangzhou to Xi’an, China. There were multiple reasons behind this, some that I could’ve prevented and others that I couldn’t.
I was 19 and studying abroad in Hong Kong [...]
And Sometimes You Do
In Fall 2009 I was interested in traveling to a new location – new country, new continent, new culture. I began researching the travel costs, history and culture for countries in Central and South America. I eventually narrowed in on Belize and Panama. After discovering a flight to Belize was [...]
Sometimes You Don’t Need a Plan
I’ve been to Europe a few times, sometimes for month long trips and other times for weekend trips. In February 2009, I wanted (needed!) to take a trip out of the country. I hadn’t left the US for almost a year and was becoming antsy. I started researching late January / early February, but nothing [...]
