Five years ago today, I set off on my first independent trip: a recent high school graduate, it was me, my best friend, our backpacks, and Europe. We spent exactly three weeks traveling around Ireland, Northern Ireland, and England. It was the trip of a lifetime! It made me love England more than I thought… Read More A Reflection On 5 Years of Independent Travel
Venice’s reputation as one of the most beautiful, romantic cities in the world has landed it onto the list of the “greats” in Europe. For my first ever visit to Italy, I spent just over a day in Venice, wandering the canals of the city built on a lagoon and seeing the sites. While I… Read More 5 Things You Must Do In Venice
Rounded onion domes, fairytale palaces, the place that has espoused both tsars and communist leaders… Russia is a country like no other. Two years ago, I lived out one of my greatest dreams and finally visited Russia, a country that has fascinated me all my life. While frustrating visa processes may deter many travelers from… Read More 10 Reasons Why You Should Visit Russia
On my most recent trip to the Balkans, I spent a lot of time getting from one place to the next. There were surprises, random detours, many “I wish I had known!” moments—and all of it required a lot of patience. While undoubtedly some of this advice will apply to the other southeastern European countries… Read More Planes, Trains (Coach Buses, Minibuses, Ferries), and Automobiles: Transportation in the Western Balkans
Sintra is a town located west of the Portuguese capital, Lisbon. The town is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, due to its many important (and beautiful!) structures and buildings. But more importantly, Sintra is home to a shocking number of palaces that beg to be explored! While Sintra is one of Lisbon’s most… Read More 5 Tips For A Palace Daytrip To Sintra
The capital of Ireland, Dublin has a special place in my heart. Not only was it the first location of my first independent trip to Europe (accompanied by my best friend), but after six trips there, it is a city where I always want to keep returning. Ireland has completely stolen my heart, and Dublin… Read More A Weekend In Dublin
All aboard! Nothing quite makes for a better story than taking the night train through Central-Eastern Europe. In order to save time and get a cheap fare, I took the 22:25 train from Budapest, Hungary, to Belgrade, Serbia. While this wasn’t the first time I’d traveled by night train in this part of the world… Read More Taking the Budapest-Belgrade Night Train
The Rock of Cashel is one of Ireland’s biggest tourist attractions. It brings in a staggering number of tourists—well over 250,000 a year, and almost 2,500 visitors a day in the busy month of August! So while the Rock is famous and obviously worth a visit, it is frequently only a stop on a coach… Read More Why You Should Stay In Cashel
Kilkenny is a popular destination in southeast Ireland. I don’t know if it was the beautiful weather I had during my visit, the excitement of going to a new place in Ireland, or the mixture of the two, but I thoroughly enjoyed my day in Kilkenny! The town all too often gets skimmed over on… Read More A Day In Kilkenny
My first visit to Lisbon absolutely blew me away. The title might be misleading since you could easily spend more than just a weekend here—as one day of my three was sacrificed to the hangover gods, I felt like I left with a lot undone. While there are lots of reasons to go to Lisbon,… Read More How To Spend A Weekend In Lisbon
For my first ever trip to Portugal, I headed for a few days to the capital: Lisbon. Bright, warm, and lots of fun, Lisbon has a charm that really makes you kind of just want to stay forever. Thinking about heading to Lisbon? This is the sign that you should go! Here are 5 reasons… Read More 5 Reasons Why You Should Visit Lisbon
I have no idea how it took me so long to visit Berlin: the German capital is just so COOL! And while it was an incredible city to visit, it was also shockingly affordable for Western Europe. In addition to the ever-useful student discount, there’s lots to do in the city that is completely free!… Read More The Top 8 Free Things To Do In Berlin
Nottingham is a city with great nightlife. Having lived in Nottingham for a year, and spent a few weeks in the city over the last couple of months, I’ve been working on my bucket list of Notts bars. In the name of research, I’ve been busy checking out some of the best bars and seeing… Read More Where to Drink in Nottingham: My Top 10 Favorite Bars
The Balkans is a region located in southeastern Europe that generally comprises the countries of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece. It is one of the most underrated yet stunning areas not just in Europe, but possibly the whole world! I recently traveled to the western half… Read More 15 Signs You’ve Traveled in the Balkans
There is no doubt about it… London is one of the most expensive cities in the world. There’s so much to do and see in London (like these 25 places you can’t miss), and you never seem to have enough time or money. While London is expensive (to the point where you feel even breathing… Read More How to Do London on the Cheap
Postojna Caves is one of the largest cave complexes in the world, and located in central Slovenia. It is, in fact, a real-life version of Gringotts from Harry Potter! Massive caves, train rides, stalactites and stalagmites—Postojna is really just missing a dragon or two and huge quantities of wizard gold. Here’s everything you need to… Read More Visiting the Real-Life Gringotts: Postojna Caves
On my most recent trip to Ljubljana, I gave myself a few days to explore more of Slovenia outside of the capital. Lake Bled is one of Slovenia’s most popular tourist destinations, and with good reason! The beautiful lake is complimented by its picturesque island, watched over by a castle on a hill, and surrounded… Read More A Lake Bled Daytrip from Ljubljana
Ljubljana (pronounced lee-yoob-lee-yana) is a mouthful to say, but is still absolutely worth visiting. I arrived to the Slovenian capital knowing next to nothing about the city, only to find that is an incredibly charming and underrated European capital. While you can see most of the main sites in a day, I’m definitely glad I… Read More Charming Ljubljana: A First-Timer’s Guide to the Slovenian Capital
On my most recent trip to Croatia, I finally made it to the capital city: Zagreb. I only had one day to explore, but I did my best to make the most of my limited time! Zagreb is full of Austro-Hungarian architecture, al fresco cafes, and lots of squares and parks. If you have only… Read More One Day in Zagreb
The island Lokrum is the closest island to Dubrovnik’s Old Town, and one of my favorite spots in Croatia! It is a great way to escape the crowds from cruise ships that inundate the Old Town during the day. Here’s everything you need to know about this island daytrip! Lokrum is a nature reserve, full… Read More Lokrum: A Perfect Dubrovnik Daytrip