When I’m in the mood to stay at a hotel, nothing does it for me quite like a boutique hotel. Boutique hotels by definition are designed to feel small, intimate, and unique. Our stay at Torel Avantgarde in Porto, Portugal went above and beyond our expectations and to this day remains one of my favorite … More Torel Avantgarde- Porto
As a seasoned traveler, I’m always looking for apps that make my trips easier while taking up as little room on my phone as possible. Having just gotten back from a multi-month trip around Europe, I’m able to say with confidence that these five travel apps were absolutely essential to my trip! … More Top Five Travel Apps to Keep On Your Phone
Sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria, the tiny country of Liechtenstein been a point of interest for me- I’d been near it so many times, yet had never quite made it into the alpine principality. Luckily, I had some spare time on my most recent trip to Zurich and was able to fold in a day … More Visiting Vaduz, Liechtenstein
William Shakespeare- the man needs no introduction. Widely regarded as the most prominent and influential writer in the English language, his works inspired countless generations over hundreds of years. It’s no wonder, then, that sites related to him have become almost pilgrimages for those familiar with his works. Stratford-Upon-Avon (more commonly referred to as Stratford) … More A Sojourn With Shakespeare- How to Spend a Day at Stratford-Upon-Avon
The famous Lipizzaner stallions of Austria are housed at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, which is actually located surprisingly center city. So named for the Spanish horses that helped develop the Lipizzaner breed, the Spanish Riding School is one of the four most prestigious riding academies in the world. The stables are located inside … More A Guided Tour of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna
This holiday season was accompanied by a slew of train strikes in three consecutive countries that we were traveling through. We were able to dodge these with a Matrix-like series of pivots until it caught up to us at last in Birmingham, England. Luckily, this was the best possible point that this could have happened … More Winter Delights at Warwick Castle
Most visitors recommend taking an overnight trip to the famous tidal island of Mont Saint Michel, and rightfully so. Unwilling to leave our base in the city, however, we decided to take this day tour from Paris.
Being on the far side of Normandy, it’s important to note that this trip requires five hours of driving in each direction- so you really make sure that you’re invested in seeing this abbey, but trust me, it’s worth it. … More What to Expect When Visiting Mont Saint Michel From Paris
While many winter markets are slowly rebranding themselves as “Holiday Markets”, or “Winter Markets”, Brussels is ahead of the game by referring to it’s market as “Plaisir d’Hiver”- Winter Pleasures. Originally, I had made the mistake of thinking that the one collection of market stalls I’d stumbled across was the entire market. I was very … More The Pleasures of Winter in Brussels
When I thought of Christmas markets in Europe, I had always pictured something similar to a crafts fare. After market hopping for a few weeks, I’ve realized that the crafts goods are usually more along the lines of holiday decorations than Christmas presents, though it can vary dramatically from market to market. Traveling with a … More Christmas Market Survival Guide
You can’t flush the toilet paper! This is not an incredibly uncommon request from countries with older plumbing, but we were caught off guard that Greece was one of them! There are usually signs above the toilets asking you to throw your papers in the bin, but only by asking was I able to clarify … More Things No One Warned Us About Before Visiting Greece