The area around La Fortuna is a "must see" for any visitor to Costa Rica. Home to beautiful jungle, active volcanoes, waterfalls, and hundreds of sloths, it is literally a tropical paradise! Plus, it's named "fortune" but sits at the base of an active volcano, you gotta love that optimism! Whether you want to go hiking, rafting, and kayaking, or just relax in a natural volcanic hot spring, you will definitely find something you love…
If you find yourself in Albania’s quirky capital in the heat of summer, you know how hot it can get! As much fun as it is exploring Tirana, it can be nice to get away and cool off by the ocean. This is where the tiny town of Durrës comes in- Only a 40 minute drive from Tirana, Durrës is situated on the Adriatic coast. When I traveled there with my husband, it felt like…
With just a few days on Santorini, here is what I recommend! This is based on my girls trip here, which was arguably the best vacation of my life. There are loads more things to do, but this should be a good overview for any first timers! Don’t forget to check out my FULL GREECE ITINERARY blog that corresponds with this post! Map of the sites in this post: DAY 1- Arrive to Fira, Santorini…
Dreaming of visiting Peru and Bolivia, the ancient lands of the Inca, but not sure where to start? It can be overwhelming, but I am here to help! Right after I graduated college, I decided to take a 3 week backpacking trip to these amazing places. Most people may not have that kind of time, so luckily these itineraries can be chunked into smaller visits! Day 1- Arrive to Lima Lodging: Barranco's Backpackers Inn Day…
Back in 2012 I found myself living in Valencia, Spain. Without realizing it, I slowly developed an itinerary for whenever friends and family would visit me. It ended up being perfect for any first time visitors to see the best of the city with just a few days. Whenever I hosted a visitor to “my” city, this is how I split it up! My love for Valencia and the surrounding areas knows no bounds, so…
Iceland, the land of ice and fire, has become a pretty huge deal lately. This isolated Scandinavian nation was “off the radar” for a while, but has recently seen explosive growth. Lately it seems like everybody is traveling here- and for good reason! I traveled to Iceland for a ten day road trip with my husband in August of 2016. The lack of traffic and easily navigable roads make this an ideal place to explore…
Italy is a big tourist hot spot in the global travel circuit, and I completely understand why! Fascinating architecture, a colorful history, and some of the world’s best food are just a few reasons why people are continually drawn to Italy! After spending sixteen days in Italy with my family, and coming back to the country three more times after that, I feel like I can safely say this is a quality itinerary! This schedule…
I traveled a lot this past year, but nothing has sparked more interest from people than my trip to Cuba. In this post I'm going to explain where we went, how we got around, and what all you should do to have the perfect Cuba itinerary! For details on how you can independently travel to Cuba as a U.S. Citizen, check out my other post! Here’s my detailed 10 Day Itinerary: Day 1: Havana - Cuba’s…
In July 2017 my husband and I set out on a tour of Egypt with Travel Talk Tours. We also added time in the Sinai Peninsula and Jordan as an optional tour extension afterwards. This post details my Egypt experience with this company, and also provides ideas on things to do, see, and what to expect! Before our tour officially started, my husband and I arrived to Cairo, Egypt 2 days early. We wanted to…
Beijing is perhaps the one city that is most quintessentially “China”. What foreigners picture China to be, Beijing is. Coming in as the 8th most populated city on the planet, Beijing can be hectic, busy, and smoggy. Despite this, there are truly beautiful sights and unique experiences to be had. With just 3.5 days in this historical Chinese city during a longer trip in Asia, here was our lineup: Day 1- Arrive into Beijing! After…
