Title: Out of Africa Author: Isak Dinesen (pen name of Baroness Karen Blixen) Year Published: 1937 Places Explored: Kenya, especially Nairobi and the Ngong Hills area My Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦ Review: I knew basically from the iconic first line, “I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of Ngong Hills”, that I would enjoy this book and I’m so glad I read it! The basic outline … Continue reading Out of Africa Review
As I’m preparing to head back to Europe in a few months, I’ve been thinking back to my first trip “abroad” and I thought I could share some advice, so I’ve compiled a list of 50 tips that I would give to someone heading out for their first international trip! The Basics #1: Pick somewhere on the beaten path. I know, I know, everyone’s always … Continue reading 50 Tips for Your First Trip Abroad
Recently I was doing some research for our upcoming Peru trip, and I started looking beyond the Amazon to see where you can see some of the world’s coolest wildlife! I made a list and thought I’d share it here… Unless otherwise noted, I haven’t actually visited any of these places, but my sources say they are your best bet to see these amazing animals! … Continue reading Where to See the World’s Wildlife
Ahoy, mateys! Before heading to Havana for a month I did a lot of research – and one of the things I tried to find out was if there was any interesting “pirate stuff” that you could see in Cuba. I’ve loved pirates since I first read Treasure Island in second grade, and that interest was further fueled by the release of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and a … Continue reading Havana for Pirate Enthusiasts: 5 Swashbuckling Things to Do
Title: Under a Lucky Star – A Lifetime of Adventure Author: Roy Chapman Andrews, American naturalist, explorer, and director of the American Museum of Natural History Year Published: 1943 Places Explored: The Arctic, The South Pacific, Japan, Korea, China, Mongolia My Rating: ♦♦♦♦◊ Review: I first heard of Roy Chapman Andrews about eight years ago, when I was in high school and picked up a book called Dragon … Continue reading Under a Lucky Star Review
When we hopped off the Metro at Syntagma Square in Athens, we were lucky enough to catch this performance of traditional Greek music and dancing! It was cool enough that I had to get a video… The first short clip is of a street performer playing a traditional Greek bouzouki near the Acropolis, and after that you can see two different dances that we saw … Continue reading Travel Video: Traditional Greek Music & Dance
We loved our visit to Santorini, but life moves a lot slower there than we were used to, so we were always looking for more things to do while we were on the island! We traveled during the off season, in November, so about half of the businesses on Santorini were actually closed – which we didn’t mind–we got to see this gorgeous place sans … Continue reading 10 Fun Things to Do on Santorini
When I was researching for our trip out to Bonneville Speed Week, there weren’t many resources to help with planning, and I’ve since learned that some of the information was outdated or incorrect. Therefore I wanted to try my hand at an updated guide for those wishing to attend Bonneville Speed Week as spectators! What is Bonneville Speed Week? Speed Week is an event that … Continue reading Bonneville Speed Week Travel Guide
I’ve never been one for New Year’s resolutions, but this year I did want to challenge myself in a few ways. I’ve been wanting to work more on this blog and my travel writing, and I’ve also set a higher goal on Goodreads this year than last year. Between these two things I saw an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, so I … Continue reading Travel Memoir Reading Challenge
1. Why Meteora? If you’re in the midst of planning a trip to Greece and on the fence about fitting in Meteora, I have one piece of advice: just go! This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a truly unique place in Greece where you can visit living monasteries, see gorgeous Byzantine-era artifacts, and experience the incredible landscape (and even more incredible monasteries clinging precariously to … Continue reading 8 Tips for Visiting Meteora, Greece