Planning to spend 3 days in Mexico City? You’re in for a real treat! Mexico City is one of the most surprising cities we have ever visited–the sheer aliveness of the city is captivating, and it teems with energy 24/7 in a way that is commonly associated with cities like Bangkok and New York. It …
Planning a trip to Cambodia on a budget and wondering exactly how much a trip to Cambodia costs? We’ve rounded up our full Cambodia travel budget in this blog post, and even though we blew our personal travel budget a bit on comforts like nicer hotels and restaurant meals, we still walked away feeling like …
Gorgeous, ethereal, detailed, and magical are just a handful of the phrases visitors typically use to describe touring Angkor Wat–and after spending a couple of days visiting Angkor Wat, we couldn’t agree more. This temple complex is a traveler’s dream, full of history, beauty, and a little bit of mystery. It is, hands down, the …
Looking for a relaxing island getaway in Cambodia? Try backpacking Koh Rong! This tiny island is where you go to soak up beautiful sights, do a tiny of sightseeing, and then just be. Exploring the fun things to do on Koh Rong Island is a fantastic addition to any Cambodia itinerary! Koh Rong–especially when we …
By far, the most horrific, terrible sites that we saw in Southeast Asia were the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21) and the Killing Fields in Phnom Penh, Cambodia–and while absolutely no one would call the experience fun, we consider them among the most important places to visit in the region. These sites are relics of …
When planning a trip to Laos (or Southeast Asia in general), one of the first things you will notice people talking about is the weather: there is a “dry season” (also the high season), and a “wet season”, when the monsoon rains come. Sometimes you’ll also see note of a “hot season”, when the air …
Planning to explore Thailand and wondering how much a trip to Thailand costs? We’ve shared our real-life example Thailand travel budget to help! The theme of our travel budget for Thailand (and Laos and Cambodia, for that matter) was this: we could have done it cheaper, but we simply didn’t want to. We kept to …
Interacting with elephants may be the most sought-after tourism activity in Thailand, and we were no exception. Even before arriving, we knew that visiting and swimming with elephants in Thailand was at the top of our priority list. While spending a month backpacking Thailand, we were lucky enough to spend a full day with 4 …
When I first published this essay in late 2016 on how living a life of travel changed my entire lifestyle, I had just turned wrapped up my first stint of long-term travel at 26 years old. In the years since, my travel lifestyle has only continued to intensify: my husband Jeremy and I traveled full-time …
If there’s one thing you’ll notice the moment that you arrive in the city for your first time in Bangkok, it’s that Bangkok is chaos. It is sprawling, sweltering, smelly, sophisticated, and spunky. This is a city that has a vibe, an attitude, a life of its own. It was hard for me to love …
For many backpackers like us, scuba diving in Koh Tao is the ultimate reason to visit the stunning island of Koh Tao–and both the island and the diving more than live up to the hype! When we set out to go backpacking in Southeast Asia, we knew that taking a PADI open water course and …
Wondering how much a trip to Croatia costs, and if Croatia (or more accurately, Dubrovnik) really is expensive to visit? This Croatia travel budget guide is for you! The travel budget for Croatia outlined here reflects our exact expenses during a 2 week trip to Croatia in July–in other words, the most expensive time to …
Heard a lot about Airbnb and apartment rentals over the years, but not sure exactly how to use Airbnb? If so, then this guide outlining how to set up an Airbnb profile, plus plenty of Airbnb tips for guests, is for you! With more than 70 stays at Airbnbs in dozens of countries under our …
Planning a trip to Slovenia and wondering how much to set aside for your Slovenia travel budget–or, in other words, wondering if Slovenia is expensive? We’ve been there! We weren’t quite sure what to expect when it came to planning our first Slovenia travel budget. On the one hand, we knew that the Balkan countries …
Beautiful Piran captured our hearts from the beginning. From the fun things to do in Piran to the sheer joy of simply relaxing there, this Slovenian seaside town is well worth a visit. The tiny beach town of Piran, Slovenia is set on the tip of the peninsula that makes up Slovenia’s modest but lovely …
Modern, lively, and famously fashionable, spending one day in Milan isn’t quite like spending a day in any of Italy’s other popular tourist cities! With an energy and style all its own, the capital of the Lombardy region offers art, architecture, and food in spades, as any classic Italian city is likely to do–but it …
Morocco is, by and large, a very budget-friendly destination, and a Morocco travel budget can accommodate anything from very bare-bones backpacking (under $30/person/day) all the way up to extreme luxury (the sky’s the limit). We didn’t find it difficult to keep to our overall Morocco travel budget, but there were definitely varying degrees of how …
Now that we spend so much time in Italy, it seems a bit strange to imagine that the first place we ever visited in the country was Bolzano. As the capital of the South Tyrol region, Bolzano offers an incredible cultural mix of Italian and Germanic influences (you’ll see some references to Bolzano as its …
Planning to visit Madrid on a budget and wondering how much money you need to pull it off? Spain’s capital city makes for a wonderful trip: the city is laid-back, livable, and packed with delicious and affordable food options like tapas and churros con chocolate. As a result, visiting Madrid on a small budget is …
With more than 4 years as full-time travelers and nearly a decade of full-time travel blogging under our belts, we have experienced more than our share of long flights–and as a result, we’ve developed an extensive list of long haul flight essentials and air travel tips to keep our travel days running as smoothly as …
Few small cities can claim to be as beautiful or as historically fascinating as Toledo–and as it is located less than an hour away from Madrid, is it any surprise that taking a Madrid to Toledo day trip is a fabulous way to spend a day in Spain? More than 2000 years old and standing …
Planning a big overseas trip–maybe even for the first or second time–and trying to put together the perfect international travel checklist to ensure you don’t forget anything before you leave? We have you covered: as full-time travelers for more than 4 years across nearly 50 countries, we are well accustomed to preparing for international travel. …
There’s something special about Great Smoky Mountains National Park: no matter how many times we visit, we seem to fall a little bit deeper in love with America’s most-visited national park. If you’re looking for a great way to enjoy the Smoky Mountains on your next visit, consider adding the Rainbow Falls trail to your …
Set on a barrier island along North Carolina’s Crystal Coast, Atlantic Beach will always be one of my favorite beach towns on the planet–and despite its small size, there are a surprising number of fun things to do in Atlantic Beach, NC! This small town, along with surrounding spots like Morehead City, Beaufort, Emerald Isle, …
With its otherworldly landscapes, Mighty Five national parks, fascinating slot canyons, and its seemingly endless number of state parks and other beautiful natural spots, Utah is, without a doubt, one of the most unique states in the USA–and nothing puts that uniqueness on display quite as well as a Utah national parks road trip. Utah …
Once an obscure but mesmerizing riverbend view in a little-visited corner of the American Southwest, Horseshoe Bend, Arizona has emerged in the last few years as one of the most sought-after viewpoints (and Instagram photo spots) in the region. Heading to Arizona or nearby Utah and hoping to lay eyes on the beautiful Horseshoe Bend …
Hiking into the Grand Canyon is an unforgettable experience. No photos or videos can capture the sheer vastness of the place, nor the overwhelming, almost eerie beauty that you can enjoy from any of the best day hikes in the Grand Canyon. While reaching the floor of the Grand Canyon is a bucket-list item for …
Considering a 6 month round the world trip soon? We’ve been there! I originally published this blog post in early 2016, on the cusp of starting what we then believed to be a 6 month RTW adventure that would see us backpacking parts of Europe, Southeast Asia, and South America. Fast forward 7 years, and …
Just a short ferry away from the popular Cliffs of Moher sits what is possibly one of the most interesting places in Ireland: the island of Inisheer (or in Irish, Inis Oírr). There may not be tons of things to do on Inisheer, but there are certainly plenty of reasons to visit the smallest of …
Visiting the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland is at the top of many people’s Ireland bucket lists, and it is an absolutely unforgettable experience! We’ve now visited the cliffs twice, staying in the area for several days each time, and have put together this guide to make your Cliffs of Moher visit even easier. Want …