The Girl Who Goes

independent, intentional travel

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A Review of FlixBus: My Trip from Wrocław to Berlin

The last time — and only other time — I tried to take an international bus trip, it didn’t turn out very well. That was when I wanted to go from Brussels to Amsterdam. After waiting for the bus to show up for two and a half hours, in the pouring rain and freezing cold very early in the morning, I gave up and took the train.

So I was a little nervous about my plan to take a bus from Wrocław, Poland, to Berlin. I decided to use a different bus company than the one that had failed me (I’m looking at you, OuiBus). My friends Carson and Natalie had used FlixBus for their trip from Paris to Madrid, and their bus clearly showed up, so my standards were pretty low. But I have to say I really enjoyed my FlixBus experience! [Read more…]

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Side Trip: Madrid to Salamanca, Spain

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A view of New Cathedral in Salamanca

When my friends invite me to do something, I try to say “yes” as much as I can. You Only Spain Once. (Maybe.) Anyway, my friends Sarah and Ellie decided to plan a trip from Madrid to Salamanca. With the high-speed train, it was easy enough to do as a day trip — no need to book a place to stay for the night — so when they invited me, I said yes.

Here’s everything you need to know to plan your own trip to Salamanca, whether you go for the day or the weekend. [Read more…]

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How to Plan a Day Trip to Teotihuacan Without a Tour

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Me at Teotihuacan without a tour in 2018

For those visiting Mexico City, you can’t miss out on a visit to Teotihuacan. This fascinating archaeological site is 25 miles from the city center. As with any day trip, you’ll have to do a bit of planning to get the most out of your experience — especially if you choose to visit Teotihuacan without a tour, like I did for the first time in 2018.

A couple of notes before I get into it. I’ve now been to Teotihuacan twice, with my second visit in 2022 — so as you can imagine, a lot has changed as a result of the pandemic. During my first visit, you could climb the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon, as well as the smaller buildings lining the long avenue. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case, as these are all off-limits due to preservation efforts.

With that in mind, I’m not sure I would recommend visiting Teotihuacan without a tour as highly as I did before these recent developments. That’s because it takes a lot of time and effort to get out to the archaeological site, and if you’re not able to climb, all you can really do is walk around, and it’s a looooong walk from one end to the other. (The pyramids are still really amazing to marvel at, of course!) But I personally feel that, now, it’s more worth it to join a tour — whether that’s a Teotihuacan hot air balloon tour like we did in 2022 (read my review here) or a different guided tour.

Anyway, if you still prefer to go it on your own, here’s how to plan your trip to Teotihuacan without a tour. [Read more…]