adventure blog

As a young adult, international travel was an entirely new realm for me. An entire map of unexplored territory. Six years and 30-some countries later, I've fallen madly in love with places around the globe.

airport sleeping pods

Jet-Set & Jet-Lagged: 10 Airports with Sleeping Pods for the Nonstop Adventurer

Jet-Set & Jet-Lagged: 10 Airports with Sleeping Pods for the Nonstop Adventurer April 25th, 2024 As wanderlusts, globetrotters, jet-setters, and adventurers, we’re no strangers to the flurry and frenzy of airports. Sometimes, long layovers feel like a necessary evil to…

Tips for Working Remotely While Traveling

Tips for Working Remotely While Traveling April 10th, 2024 I have been fully remote since 2017. It was during that year I was in a transition period and committed to finding a full-time remote job so I could have the…

Best Places to Travel in January 

Best Places to Travel in January

Travel With Me! Discover trips to Iceland, Patagonia, and Thailand in 2024 & 2025. Explore here Best Places to Travel in January February 5th, 2024 January can be the best or worst time to visit specific places. For example, you…

best greek islands to visit in the fall

Best and Worst Greek Islands to Visit in The Fall

Best and Worst Greek Islands to Visit in the Fall December 27, 2023 I had always heard that early fall was the best time to visit the Greek Islands. By mid-September, the majority of travelers have traveled home. The islands…

Where is The Best Place to Exchange Currency For a Trip?

Where is The Best Place to Exchange Money for a Trip? June 30th, 2023 Planning for a trip abroad can be exciting and overwhelming at the same time. Even after 40 countries, I still get overwhelmed the night before a…

Do Americans Need a Visa for Vietnam

Do Americans Need a Visa for Vietnam? 2023 Updates

Do Americans Need a Visa for Vietnam? 2023 Updates January 15, 2023 I’ve made plenty of mistakes while traveling, and one of the biggest in recent memory is thinking I could get a VOA (Visa on Arrival) when entering Vietnam…

how much does bali cost

How Much Does Bali Cost to Visit (2024)

How Much Does Bali Cost (2024) Updated: February 13th, 2024 Bali has long been known as one of the cheapest places to travel in the world. However, many people in the United States overlook the destination solely based on distance.…

Booking Tickets Directly Through Airlines vs. Third Party Platforms in 2022

Booking Tickets Directly Through Airlines vs. Third Party Platforms in 2022 October 14, 2022 I’ve recommended third-party platforms on my blog many times in the past. As a budget traveler for many years, third-party airline booking options and deals were…

Where to Exchange Currency for a Trip

Where to Exchange Currency for a Trip (2024) Updated: February 14th, 2024 Anytime you travel abroad to a country with a different currency, you will need to have a plan when it comes to how you will make payments.  It’s…

Cusco to Machu Picchu: How to Get to The Sacred Valley of The Incas

Cusco to Machu Picchu: How to Get to The Sacred Valley of The Incas April 29, 2022   Machu Picchu has long been a top bucket list location for many travelers. In 2007, when the list of the new wonders…

5 Places to See in Iceland’s West Fjords

5 Places to See in Iceland’s West Fjords February 15, 2022 After my first visit to Iceland in 2015, I couldn’t help but regret choosing not to visit the West Fjords of Iceland. The more I saw photos of it,…

How to Pack for Backpacking

How to Pack for Backpacking: Best Tips for First-Time Backpackers

How to Pack For a Backpacking Trip: Best Tips for First-Time Backpackers June 22, 2021  My mom was a 5th-grade teacher and at the end of every school year, she’d bring her students on a weekend-long backpacking trip along the…

How to travel cheap

How to Travel Cheap: A Complete Guide to Saving Money While Traveling

How to Travel Cheap: A Complete Guide to Budget Travel in 2024 Updated: February 15th, 2024 If I hadn’t learned how to travel cheaply, my travel resume would be nonexistent. I never would’ve started this blog. I never would have…

things to do jaco costa rica

7 Things to Do Near Jaco, Costa Rica

7 Things to Do Near Jaco, Costa Rica March 10, 2021 I was 6 or 7 years old when I got a postcard from my aunt in the mail from Costa Rica. She always sent me postcards on her exotic…

hiking old man of storr

Three Things to Know Before Hiking Old Man of Storr

Three Things to Know Before Hiking Old Man of Storr January 25, 2020 The buzzing of my 4:00am alarm still rang in my head as we loaded the car and began the three-hour journey from Fort William to Isle of…

Minimalist Packing: How to Pack Everything Into a Carry-On

Minimalist Packing: How to Pack Everything Into a Carry-On January 12, 2020 It doesn’t matter how long I’m traveling for or what kind of weather I’m flying into: I pack only in a carry-on. Always. I was once an obsessive…

Norway - Backpacking in Europe

The Best (And Worst) Countries for Backpacking in Europe December 15, 2019   Best: Norway  Although expensive, Norway’s flexible camping laws quickly offset higher costs for goods and services. More so, backpacking in Norway is completed with ease thanks to…

afford to travel

I’m 26 and I’ve Traveled the World. Here’s How I Afford It.

I’m 26 and I’ve Traveled the World. Here’s How I Afford it. September 17, 2019 I’ve been to more countries than years I’ve been alive, which often ignites an interesting conversation that revolves around how I afford to travel at…

iceland travel guide - west fjords

How Iceland Has Changed, And Why You Still Need to Go

How Iceland Has Changed, And Why You Still Need to Go August 28, 2019   The initial draw of Iceland was its remote, wild landscapes that tested the adventurer in all of us.  Road tripping Iceland is much different now…

Best Scotland Road Trip: Top Things to See in The Scottish Highlands

Best Scotland Road Trip: Top Things to See in The Scottish Highlands January 22, 2022   Scotland Road Trip Notes I can’t pinpoint the exact moment Scotland piqued my interest. Maybe it was a picture of a highland cow on…

Melbourne Australia things to do

Seven Rad Things to Do Around Melbourne, Australia

Seven Rad Things to Do Around Melbourne, Australia Melbourne is one of the few places I’ve visited twice. In a world of new adventures, I often opt to visit new places instead of returning to old destinations. However, thanks to…

A Solo Hike Up New Zealand’s Gertrude Saddle

A Solo Hike Up New Zealand’s Gertrude Saddle   Updated: March 31, 2020 Around dawn, I peeked my head out from the thin blanket I had spread across myself in the backseat of my compact rental car. The night had…

You Can Come With Me to PERU!   YOU can join me on an EPIC adventure to PERU! I’ve partnered up with EF Ultimate Break to bring you an incredible opportunity to visit Peru and hike Machu Picchu with me in…

Lost in Translation: Why We Thought We Were Being Robbed in Colombia

LOST IN TRANSLATION: WHY WE THOUGHT WE WERE BEING ROBBED IN COLOMBIA   As I packed up the last of my belongings at our Colombian mansion I couldn’t help but think how smoothly the trip had gone despite the many…

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan

The Four Weirdest Places We’ve Slept While Traveling

The Four Weirdest Places We’ve Slept While Traveling   I’m sorry if this is your first time here. We’re about ready to get to know each other real quick. Josh and I travel on a tight budget, which often times…

Europe on a Budget: Slovenia

Six Travel Hacks to Extend Your Dollar in Europe

SIX TRAVEL HACKS TO EXTEND YOUR DOLLAR IN EUROPE   I’ve heard it time and time again. Travelers spending anywhere from $2,000 to upwards of $25,000 for a ten-day jaunt through Europe. The thought of traveling overseas automatically means spending…

How to Go From Counting Quarters to Counting Countries

HOW TO GO FROM COUNTING QUARTERS TO COUNTING COUNTRIES If you’re reading this and live in the United States or another first-world country, you are more privileged to travel than a vast majority of the world. It doesn’t matter where…

Chicamocha Canyon: Colombia Travel Tips

How I Managed to Get Eleven People to Travel to Colombia

How I Managed to Get Eleven People to Travel to Colombia     If you ask me how I managed to get eleven people to travel to Colombia, I don’t have an answer. Rewind a few months. I’m sitting in…

Female Solo Travel New Zealand

Seven Places to Go When You’re Lost, Broke, and Ready for Adventure

Seven Places to Go When You’re Lost, Broke, and Ready for Adventure   You’re at a crossroad in your life. Maybe it’s a failed relationship, a crappy job, or just a total “over it” outlook on life. You’re ready to…

How to Support Ethical Animal Tourism

How to Support Ethical Animal Tourism   Oh, animals. They’re fluffy and cute, sometimes massively terrifying, and other times mildly so. We’re instinctively drawn to interact and be in their presence. I mean, who doesn’t want to cuddle an adorable…

New Zealand Solo Travel

It Took Me Three Days to Fall in Love With THIS Country

IT TOOK ME THREE DAYS TO FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS COUNTRY     I think New Zealand is the world’s “most wanted” travel destination. Have you ever had someone tell you they DIDN’T want to visit the land of…

Stories Behind My Ten Favorite Travel Photos

STORIES BEHIND MY TEN FAVORITE TRAVEL PHOTOS Pictures are worth a thousand words, but sometimes they’re worth much more. Travel or not, we each have photos we cherish that capture a particular moment of happiness. Or perhaps a not-so-happy moment…

How I Snagged a $21 Flight to Australia

HOW I SNAGGED A $21 FLIGHT TO AUSTRALIA   I recently had you all guess where I snagged an international flight for $21 on Instagram. I received dozens and dozens of questions from you asking how it was possible once…

Six Overrated Tourist Attractions

SIX OVERRATED TOURIST ATTRACTIONS     There are certain places which travel beyond our expectations, and then there are those which fall short. There aren’t many (or possibly any) places I can say I hate, but there are a few…

How Much Does it Cost to Travel The World for a Year?

How Much Does it Cost to Travel the World for a Year? January 25, 2020 One of the most frequent questions I receive is “how much does it cost to travel the world for a year?” It’s a tough question…

How to Travel With Your Significant Other and Not Kill Each Other

HOW TO TRAVEL WITH YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER AND NOT KILL EACH OTHER     I’ve stood on a lot of cliffs with my boyfriend, Josh. Together, we’ve traveled to twenty-some countries and over thirty states. To be honest, I’m surprised…

Four Reasons Why Everyone Should Visit Scandinavia

FOUR REASONS EVERYONE SHOULD VISIT SCANDINAVIA   Scandinavia might have words like menneskerettighetsorganisasjonene, and the winters might be brutal, but if you’re looking for awe-inspiring landscapes, friendly people, and saunas with beer, it’s a region not to be missed. Consisting…

One Year of Travel: A Photographic Journey

ONE YEAR OF TRAVEL: A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY It’s officially been a year since I declined a full-time job after graduation to embark on a life-altering adventure. I could write a book (actually, I am writing a book…eek!) about everything that…

One of the Most Underrated European Countries: Poland

  When we think of Europe we often think of the quaint coffee shops of Paris, pubs of Dublin, and gelato of Italy. Don’t get me wrong, Italy’s gelato=one of my closest moments to reaching the clouds of heaven, but…

Eight Other Travel Blogs to Inspire Your Wanderlust

EIGHT OTHER BLOGS TO INSPIRE YOUR WANDERLUST   When I begin looking for my next destination, I don’t often turn to guidebooks or the Travel Channel. Instead, I gain most of my wanderlust from reading other blogs. Bloggers tend to…

Seven Things That Suck About Long Term Travel

SEVEN THINGS THAT SUCK ABOUT LONG TERM TRAVEL   I dreamt for years about traveling long term. Waking up every day in a completely new environment, without the slightest clue to where I was going next or how I was…

European towns: Cheb, Czech Republic

8 Alternative European Towns to Visit

8 ALTERNATIVE EUROPEAN TOWNS TO VISIT We all know about Paris and Rome. We’ve added Santorini and Cinque Terre to our list of “must-see” places. Twenty years ago these sights were busy, today they are a tourist hell. Sure, some…

Around Europe in 90 Days

AROUND EUROPE IN 90 DAYS (VIDEO)

Everything You Need to Know About the Eurail Pass

Everything You Need to Know About the Eurail Pass Updated: March 21, 2020 Gallivanting around Europe is nothing new to young explorers. For those taking the leap to travel Europe for an extended period of time, there is one key…

What Happens in Europe…

WHAT HAPPENS IN EUROPE…   Three months in Europe comes with a lot of memories (and mishaps). When beginning a journey of such magnitude, you know that along the way you will create stories both good and bad, and come…

How to Travel Europe on a Budget (25 Countries for Under $3,500)

How to Travel Europe on a Budget (25 Countries on $3,500) Updated March 23, 2020 Here is a map of everywhere we stopped and traveled to during 90 days with $3,500 each while traveling Europe on a budget:   I…

Mount Olympus: A Trek up Greece’s Highest Mountain

MOUNT OLYMPUS: A TREK UP GREECE’S HIGHEST MOUNTAIN   And I peeked over the edge, only to realize that a thousand-foot cliff waited for me on the other side. I was roughly 400 vertical feet from the summit of Mount…

European towns: Quedlinburg, Germany

Traveling Europe on A Budget

Tips for Traveling Europe On a Budget January 25, 2020   You’ve journaled price estimates, added every quarter to your travel fund, and mapped out exactly where you want to go. You have dreams of a classic European backpacking adventure,…

What I’ve Learned from My First Month Backpacking Europe

WHAT I’VE LEARNED FROM MY FIRST MONTH BACKPACKING EUROPE     When I said goodbye to the United States on June 1st with nothing but a backpack, a passport, and a boyfriend, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. We…

The Island of Cies

THE ISLAND OF CIES   Arriving in Europe on June 2nd with no plans, no itinerary, and a limited budget was probably one of the scarier things I’ve done while traveling. I’ll admit that although I’m not a planner (or…

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