The Girl Who Goes

independent, intentional travel

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Is Albacete Worth Visiting in Spain?

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With last Thursday being Thanksgiving in the U.S., we decided to take advantage of the holiday by taking a day trip from Alicante to Albacete — about an hour away by train, halfway between here and Madrid.

To be completely honest, Albacete is a city I’d never really heard of and never really thought about. Even when you search Google Images for pictures of Albacete, most of the photos are of picturesque pueblos in the surrounding areas. But something about its somewhat forgotten status, along with the fact that it seems to be a place you pass through on the way to other places, gave me the idea that it might be something like the American Midwest. Flyover country, as we often hear.

Those of us from the Midwest, though, know that it’s full of hidden gems and places waiting to be discovered, if only people were to give them a chance. So… is Albacete worth visiting? Keep reading for my verdict. [Read more…]

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Packing in Only a Personal Item: My CabinZero Review

cabinzero review

Hello again from Dublin, Ireland! Matt and I are back in Dublin for the second time since August, visiting Sarah and Kelan — I love living in Europe and being able to hop around to different countries so easily. But I’m coming at you today with a review of my brand-new CabinZero backpack, which I bought specifically for trips like this where I’m packing in only a personal item.

As you may know, flying with low-cost carriers in Europe like RyanAir or Transavia means that you typically only get a personal item/underseat bag for free. Beyond that, you’ll need to pay if you want to bring an overhead/cabin bag. While sometimes we’re willing to just suck it up and pay the extra cost — like when we take our 10-day Christmas market tour across Eastern Europe in a few weeks — it’s really not necessary for four days at our friends’ house. And while I’ve generally got the personal item packing list down, I felt like my usual everyday backpack wasn’t the most efficient for this type of trip.

If you’re also trying to avoid airline baggage fees, I put together a full guide to choosing the right personal item travel backpack, including the best CabinZero options. Read it here → The Best Personal-Item Travel Backpacks for Lightweight Packing

A few days after our destination wedding in Catalonia, we came across a store in Barcelona selling CabinZero bags. I thought they seemed to be a great size, made efficient use of the space, and were cute, too! And after a week of thinking about it, I decided to order my very own CabinZero backpack. [Read more…]

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The Best Travel App for All Your Flights: Flighty

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Flighty is the best travel app for travel days | 📸 Flighty.com

I want to start off this article by sharing three truths.

First, this post is in no way, shape, or form sponsored by Flighty. When I was considering the pro membership, I was a little hesitant about the price, so I emailed them asking if I could write a post in exchange for a discount. They never responded. I also don’t get any kickbacks if anyone signs up after reading this article.

Second, Flighty is currently only available on iOS, so iPhones or iPads. I really wish they had an Android version so that I could become Flighty friends (more on that later) with my dad, but it sounds like that isn’t in the works quite yet. It’s an even bigger bummer because it sounds like another similar travel app that was available on Android, App in the Air, recently shut down. So if you stop reading here because you’re an Android user, I’m not offended. [Read more…]

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7 New Experiences I’ve Had Living in Spain This Year

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After two months visiting the U.S., we’re only a few days away from heading back to our other home in Alicante, Spain. I’m really excited to get back, though I’ve definitely enjoyed our time here this fall. But it has been endlessly busy! From playing in a soccer league and sand volleyball league, to two friends’ weddings and our own wedding reception, our annual Halloween party, fostering a cat, and watching the Chiefs games with family and friends, life here has looked a lot different from the Spanish lifestyle we’ve gotten used to.

But the lifestyle is one of the biggest reasons we love living in Spain, and it’s hard to believe we’re already coming up on a year since we moved to Alicante! While I had lived in Madrid for two years, life in Alicante looks a lot different, and I’m always excited when I get to experience new aspects of life in Spain.

So I thought it would be fun to share seven new experiences I’ve had living in Spain this year. [Read more…]

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A Review of the Sunrise Cog Train to Pikes Peak, Colorado

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Earlier this month, Matt and I went to Colorado Springs for about four days — one of our friends was having her wedding there, so it was the perfect excuse to squeeze in some domestic travel as we wrap up our time in the U.S. this fall. And when we told friends we were going to Colorado Springs, they had two questions: “Are you going to feed the giraffes at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo?” and “Are you going to take the Cog Train to Pikes Peak?

While I had been to Pikes Peak on my two prior visits to Colorado Springs, both times I’d driven up to the summit by car. But we’re all about unique experiences, so we decided to check out the cog train to Pikes Peak. [Read more…]

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Trip Review: Colorado Springs, Colorado

garden of the gods colorado springs

This past weekend, one of our good friends and former co-workers got married out in Colorado Springs! When she sent us the save-the-date, we were so excited that it was only two weeks after our wedding reception — it was easy to decide to stay in the U.S. at least until after her wedding. And it had been a few years since our last visit to Colorado, so we figured we might as well make a trip of it. So on Thursday afternoon, we flew to Denver, and we returned to KC on Monday night.

We had about three and a half full days in Colorado Springs, and we sure packed a lot in! Of course, we did some of the “typical” Colorado Springs things like going to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and Garden of the Gods, but I feel like we also had a few less-common experiences that really made our trip special. [Read more…]

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5 Times That Living in Spain Has Made Me Cry

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Raise your hand if you’ve ever watched Emily in Paris. 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️ Season Four recently came out, and Matt and I watched it all within a week. We’ve been Emily in Paris “fans” since it first premiered in October 2020, as we got snowed into our Montana apartment and we decided to watch for the beautiful Paris imagery, dreaming of days when the pandemic would abate and we could travel internationally again.

But four seasons in, I have to admit that we’re hate-watching more than actually enjoying the show. Vapid Emily, who represents the worst of American corporate culture and does nothing but make one baffling decision after another, floats through life in Paris with no consequences to her dumb actions. The plot holes are too numerous to count.

Has Emily ever taken the metro? Why does she leave every cafe without paying? How was her suitcase not stolen when she left it in the middle of a plaza and walked away? Why does she still know like no French? When does her visa expire? Also (spoiler alert for Season 4/5) how can she just move to Rome with no paperwork whatsoever?

I know that it’s a TV show and it’s not supposed to be anything more than fantasy. But as an actual American living abroad, I feel that Emily in Paris is missing far too many crying scenes. [Read more…]

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What It Was Like To Have a Destination Wedding in Spain

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Castell de Llaés | 📸 Anna Svobodova

Special edition blog! It’s officially been a month since Matt and I got married in a 10th-century castle in the countryside of Catalonia, Spain. And it was more than a wedding venue — the castle had 8 bedrooms, which meant that up to 16 people could stay there, so our families came a few days early and we spent three nights together. (You can book it on your favorite homestay booking app, like Booking.com!) Then, on the day of the wedding, about 15 more friends came in by shuttle bus from Barcelona for the ceremony.

As you can probably imagine, planning a destination wedding wasn’t easy — especially because I didn’t have a wedding planner. I figured that since it was going to be so small, I’d be able to figure it all out on my own. And I did! But it was a lot harder than I was expecting. 😅 So I thought I would share some wisdom about what it was like to have a destination wedding in Spain. [Read more…]

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How to Visit Mount Tibidabo, Barcelona

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If you’ve ever done a Google Images search for “Barcelona,” then you’ve undoubtedly seen the picture: a spiky-looking cathedral perched on a hill, a golden statue of Jesus with his arms outstretched, Rio-de-Janeiro style, balanced on top.

With this in mind, you couldn’t be blamed for assuming this is one of Barcelona’s most important icons. (Last year when I had a countdown to a Barcelona trip on my phone, even I was suckered in to selecting a photo of this church to go along with the countdown, despite knowing nothing about it. The photo was so pretty though, and the sunset made it extra dramatic.)

But the truth is that this church isn’t one of Barcelona’s most famous, and most visitors to the city never actually venture out to see it. I’d been to Barcelona four or five times and knew this church existed but had no idea what it was called or how to get there. Until our most recent visit, when we had a free day, and I decided I was finally going to figure it out. [Read more…]

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Day Trip: Barcelona to Montserrat Tour with Tapas and Wine Tasting

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While I’ve been to Barcelona about four or five times now, my most recent visit was extra special — Matt and I got married in the countryside of Catalonia, and our families were in town with us in Barcelona for a few days! Not long after meeting up with my parents, my mom mentioned that she wanted to visit Montserrat, but she couldn’t figure out the best way to get there. After a little bit of research, we decided to book a Barcelona to Montserrat tour that also included tapas and wine tasting.

So the next morning, we set off on our excursion from Barcelona — and we had such a good day and learned so much! Here’s exactly what our day looked like, if you’re interested in the same Barcelona to Montserrat tour. [Read more…]