It seems everyone dreams of quitting their job to travel the world, but what does it take to actually do so? Depending on your personality and risk tolerance, it can be fairly complicated. But it can be done! 1. Figure Out Your Money Situation Yep, money comes first. One of the more annoying things to figure out, but alas – the world does run on money. You’ve got a number of options for the best way to handle money – savings, having a plan to work abroad, etc. Make sure you’ve thoroughly investigated each one. Saving Money to Travel the World There are lots of pieces of advice on how…
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How To Plan A Round-the-World Trip
There are no shortage of logistics when you’re planning any sort of trip, but when you’re thinking about how to plan a round-the-world trip, there are even more. So when it came to planning my four-month round-the-world trip, I knew I was in for some major planning. Here’s a recap of how I planned my round-the-world trip, with some lessons I learned from hindsight as well. Put The Big Rocks In First You know the story about putting the big rocks in first in life? It’s equally applicable when you’re planning a big trip. For me, the big rocks were the key things I wanted to do. Everything else could…
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Visiting Europe In the Summer: What You Need to Know
School’s out, the sun’s out – it’s summer! You finally have a few weeks to take the dream vacation to Europe. Before you go, make sure you’re prepared for what to expect from summer in Europe. 1. Air Conditioning Is Not Used As Much As in the US Europeans, in general, are much more tolerant of the heat than in the US. If you must have air conditioning, make sure to double check that your hotel offers it – and definitely check if you’re using AirBnB. For places that have AC, know that it won’t be turned down quite as much as it would in the US. I heard many…
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Romantic Places Around the World
Happy Valentine’s Day! Whether you have a Valentine this year or not, the world is full of romantic spots. Some areas are just incredible to appreciate the history of romance, and some are great with your Valentine in tow. If you’re looking for a romantic vacation beyond the beach and Venice, read on! The Taj Mahal, India This is a monument built to love. Thus, it’s the perfect place to reflect upon love! Not to mention, it’s an incredible testament to human accomplishment. The level of detail in the marble inlays is stunning!
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My Ranking of 34 Italian Gelato Flavors
I love ice cream. And I love gelato. So I knew I’d love Italy! This is not a comprehensive list of all of the gelato flavors I tried (alas, I forgot to write some down… whoops!), but suffice it to say Italy has pretty amazing gelato. I heard people say before that “you get like a ton of gelato for like one Euro!” and I don’t think that’s true any more – or it wasn’t true where I went! It was more like you get a nice serving for 2-4 Euro, depending on where you are. The chains are more expensive, as are the super-nice gelaterias in Florence, Rome, Venice,…
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My Round-The-World Trip: By the Numbers
So many people have questions about this stuff – so here goes: the trip by the numbers! If I’ve left any out you’re curious about, just let me know! Days: 120 Countries: 15 Canada, the Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar, India, Jordan, Egypt, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Italy, France, & the United Kingdom Cost: $13,975.64 See the full details in this post.
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Murano and Venice
I woke up on Saturday morning (early) to head to the airport to meet my mom. At this point, I was so excited to see her for so many reasons! First, I was so excited to see Italy with her. And second, I’d known for a while that her joining me on the trip meant that the trip was basically ending. I had one week with her, and then it was time to go home! And of course, I was just happy to see HER after four months! It was so fun to see her there, and we immediately got on the water taxi to see Murano. We decided it…
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Brasov, Romania: The Entry to Transylvania
After Bucharest, I decided to go to Brasov, Romania. It seemed like a good stopover on the way to heading into more of Central Europe and, let’s be honest – it’s in Transylvania. For real. Transylvania is not just a place of legend, it’s a place in real life! There are lots of castles and other sites you can get to from Brasov, and the town itself is just completely picturesque and charming. Brasov is very centrally located in Transylvania, and it’s in the mountains so the weather was far cooler.
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Breathtaking Views at Seven Rila Lakes
When I was researching what to do in Sofia, I came across day trips from Sofia, and one that was highly recommended was the Seven Rila Lakes. I decided that sounded perfect – I have seen many temples, many churches, and many museums – it’s a good change to get out into nature! Seven Rila Lakes is about an hour and a half drive from Sofia, and I used a tour organized by my hostel to get there. In my car, there were three others – Hailey, an Australian girl, and a pair of French friends – Eric and Genevieve.
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Sofia, Bulgaria
I took the train into Sofia from Thessaloniki, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s Bulgaria, so I knew I’d try to find Viktor Krum (no luck…), but other than that… I had no idea what was in store. I am definitely making up this part of the itinerary as I go! I booked two nights in a hostel in Sofia, and checked in after getting off the train. I decided to walk in from the train station – about a mile – and it was a good way to start seeing the city. I spent the afternoon walking around town. First, I went to Cathedral…
