Taking a little break from Costa Rica this week to bring you some extra content from my trip to Santorini!
On our last day in Greece, on the island of Santorini, Carolina and I decided to explore one last area. The Akrotiri peninsula includes a few nice highlights that are worth the bus ride down for part of the day.
We went to the red beach and to the Venetian Castle of Akrotiri. Both of these were free to visit. We had the option to also visit the Akrotiri Museum but we opted not to. Sometimes there are certain highlights that I choose to pass up on trips especially when they cost money. The fee and not feeling enthusiastic enough about the museum turned us away.
Otherwise we had a nice visit to Akrotiri before we departed for our next adventure in Sweden and Norway!
I only planned to be in Oslo, Norway for 2 nights. Then my COVID-19 test remained positive and 2-nights turned into 5!
I had to find things to do that were not only predominantly outdoors and socially distant but also low budget—just in case my travel insurance didn’t come through for me on this occasion (it did!).
Anyway, what I learned is that Oslo is a small, fairly quiet city and it has some really special features and experiences that make it stand out.
I had an awesome time exploring everything from its outdoor sculptures to parks and waterways. Check out this post for my list of low-budget highlights in the beautiful city of Oslo!
As one of Norway’s three most spectacular hikes, Trolltunga easily made it to my top 5 hikes of all time. The hike met my standards in terms of length, challenge, and interesting terrain.
The views, especially at the “Troll’s Tongue,” are what made this out and back hike move right onto my favorite hikes list.
The hike from the village of Skjeggedal requires some pre-booking and planning especially depending on the time of year and extent of the challenge that you want. That way, if you happen to go, you can choose the best way for you to enjoy this hike’s spectacular Norwegian landscapes.
We began our road trip into Norway after picking up Carolina's coughing, sniffling child in Stockholm (lol). We were on our way but stopped for a night at a friend's place in Kopparburg, Sweden and at a park before crossing the border north of Oslo.
In this post, I cover the major highlights we saw as we made our way from the Oslo area out to the Bergen area and back over 7 days.
From roadside views with multiple waterfalls to the longest tunnel in the world, Norway is a great country to take a road trip.
Carolina and I had time to kill in Stockholm for a day as we waited for her daughter to arrive from Italy. After recovering from our red eye flight from Greece with a car garage nap, we wandered the streets and did a little self-guided landmark and art museum sight-seeing.
We were on our own and pretty aimless until we met up with an old friend of mine. Giles took us around to a few of the more interesting spots including a sunken warship museum with a funny backstory.
This top 10 must-see’s include some typical stops but also some unexpected ones, like where to find Stockholm’s legendary stone face crying over—you’d never guess it—a sculpted vulva! Keep reading to find out more about our 24 hours in Stockholm!
I was embarking on the second half of my trip to Europe in July 2022 knowing full well I had a lot less control over what was about to happen.
For one, I would be traveling with Carolina in her part of the world so I let her do most of the planning. We were going to be using her car and using her high quality camping gear for the majority of the trip. Plus, we were going to be traveling with her child.
All of these factors had benefits to me as a solo traveler because it’s always less expensive and fun when you can share the costs of things with locals. What I didn’t anticipate was us all getting sick with COVID-19, diminishing the fun and causing the costs to skyrocket quickly!
In the end, insurance saved me and I got a huge reimbursement bringing my expenses to just under $1500. Not bad for one of the more expensive places in Europe to travel!
As I am preparing to write about my days in Santorini last summer in Greece, I was motivated to write this quick post summarizing the highlights from my time in Crete.
There were 7 major experiences I had that were the best of the best. I wrote in depth about each location, which you can click to read more about at the links provided. This post provides a nice overview—a quick guide, if you will!
Next time I visit, I would like to see more toward the center and Eastern side of Crete but I know I would definitely revisit several of these experiences. If you have the opportunity to go to Crete, do not miss the following!
I knew Crete had hiking. But I didn’t know Crete had a hiking experience that would make it to my top 5 list!
Samariá boasts a difficult, steep, downhill hike that levels off through an absolutely stunning gorge. The views of Crete’s White Mountains on the bus ride there and the hike down only add to the overall experience. The scenery is unique and varied throughout Samariá. As a national park, there are amenities and clean water the whole way that make it as comfortable and safe as possible, too.
I had very few expectations about this hike except that I was afraid it would be too much of a touristy experience for me. Having to take a bus tour there did not sit with my independent, adventurous style. But I listened to other hikers advice and did it a different way from my usual standard—and it paid off! This hike was perfection from start to finish!
What could possibly make a beach a unique and interesting experience? At a typical beach, you’ve got sand, you’ve got ocean, you’ve maybe got some decent beach amenities like lounge chairs and food options.
But Preveli Beach is not your typical beach.
Preveli is special because a freshwater river dumps into the sea there. This river also flows its way through one of Crete’s largest, most beautiful palm forests! If that weren’t enough, Preveli Beach has crystal clear water with a perfect area for snorkeling.
All of this combined makes Preveli one of the most adventurous, diverse, and unique beach experiences I’ve had in a long time!
I found another one of my top favorite locations in the world while in Crete. Balos Beach is definitely up there in my top 5 somewhere. The reason is clear, as you’ve already caught the main photo on this post!
The dreamy views of the Balos lagoon and surrounding islands alone are amazing. Swimming in these magical waters was incredible. But what made this experience top notch was exploring the surrounding landscape.
From a private little snorkel spot to sea salt-infused rocky tidal pools, I really loved our full day spent at Balos Beach. We stayed until all the tourists cleared out to catch a totally natural sunset view which made this an especially unique experience.
Sometimes I randomly pick adventures to go on without doing much research in advance. This has it’s benefits and its drawbacks!
The first adventure Carolina and I went on outside of Chania was one of these unresearched occasions. I thought we would go on a short, meandering hike to a beautiful, ocean chasm for a nice swim on a hot day. In reality, it was a sun-soaked and complicated path down to unknowingly treacherous waters!
While this hike to Katholiko Bay had some difficult twists and dramatic turns, I still can’t wait to share all the beautiful scenery, the ancient ruins, the cool caves, and the turquoise waters we encountered. In the end, I highly recommend this hike but definitely pay attention to some of the lessons I learned!
Chania is a new favorite city of mine and its all because of its area called Old Town. I had the perfect Airbnb location in the center of the Jewish quarter of Old Town. This put me right in the middle of an incredible mix of historic architecture and modern tourism.
From the crumbling ruins to the colorful painted alleyways, I was utterly enchanted by Old Town. Walking the streets alone was a magical experience. Add in a charming, Greek local who I heard open up his restaurant each morning, an Egyptian lighthouse reflecting off the waters of a Venetian harbor, and some furry friends and you have a total package of an experience.
I have so much to share with you in this post. There’s so many photos that I hope capture at least a small percentage of the feeling of this place! Enjoy!
My recent trip with an old travel friend to Crete, Greece was an amazing adventure! We spent 8 nights indulging in great food, hikes, beaches, ruins, and lots of history.
I anticipated that costs would be high for this trip right on the cusp of peak season and with inflation going up. But I managed to keep costs down while spoiling myself with a few luxuries.
The trip ended up costing me less than $1200 including all expenses (flights, car rental, accommodation, food, activities, and more). In this post I describe how much I spent so you can best estimate the costs of travel to Crete, Greece.
It’s the big reveal post! If you didn’t guess it last time, now you know that I flew to Sweden from Greece. Carolina and I planned a road trip from the Stockholm airport into Norway. Our main destination was actually Norway, but we also passed through parts of Sweden to get there.
Carolina’s daughter is on this trip with us. She is adorable and it’s fun to have some kid energy. I’ve never traveled with a child before! I am excited to write about what that has been like. I am sure my readers who travel with children will be especially interested, particularly because we are camping and hiking, too.
This post is just a quick little update and to share a few initial photos. Get a sneak peek at what’s to come.
Hello everyone! I am writing to you very briefly from Greece. I have been here for about a week now and I cannot wait to share with you all of my adventures so far.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic is not over, and there is much unrest in Eastern Europe and the rest of the world, I felt it was important to take advantage of this small window in which things are relatively stable. At least, they are stable enough for me to feel I could manage within my personal comfort zone.
But what made me travel? Where am I? Who am I traveling with? And where I am going next?
There is so much to see and do, mostly for free or low cost, in any big European city. London is no different.
I spent about 4 weekends exploring London during my visit to England in 2012. On those visits, I wandered the streets of London and found incredible history, architecture, art, shopping, food, parks, and more.
I share in this post all of the highlights from my mostly self-guided experience around London.
Years ago, I wrote about my experience couchsurfing all over the world. I never talked about how exactly I got into couchsurfing. The story dates back to 2012 when I spent a summer doing research in England.
I took the train into London on the weekends. On my first weekend there, I met a friendly local who decided to take me in on the weekends. In addition to showing me around all over London, he gave me a place to stay with his roommates so I didn't have to travel back and forth.
I did not expect to learn about couchsurfing and become a huge advocate within the couchsurfing community!
