The Girl Who Goes

independent, intentional travel

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The 5 Travel Essentials I Can’t Live Without – 2024

Hi everyone! With this post, I’m taking a little break from writing about specific places… are you ready to find out about my favorite travel essentials in 2022?

2022 has been a year crazy full of travel for us! And I couldn’t be happier about that. This is going to be our fourth international trip so far this year, and by the time it’s over we will have spent almost 4 months out of the country. But if you don’t have your packing routine down, with a bag full of items that make life easier and more comfortable, it can be difficult.

So I wanted to share the 5 things I can’t live without during all of my travels this year. I hope you find this list helpful! [Read more…]

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Hola, Ecuador!

park carolina quito ecuador

Finally, finally… we are in Quito, Ecuador.

There’s not much else to say about how much we’d been anticipating this trip. I’ve already said it all, and I don’t want to repeat myself too much. Feel free to read more here, and here, and here if you want the whole background on the situation.

But now, we are here. And I’m so excited to have something to write about again!

I guess I’m going to start by sharing the story of our travels and everything that we needed to get into Ecuador. Here we go! [Read more…]

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Hasta Luego, España

To say that my second year in Spain didn’t go quite how I expected would be an understatement. It makes me more grateful for the whole, uninterrupted first year I had. Traveling to another country every month, riding the metro around the city on the weekends, meeting friends at cafes, taking the train or bus to new cities in Spain. [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…]

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Packing for Southeast Asia: Lessons Learned

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Packing for Southeast Asia? Please learn from my mistakes.

Back in 2017 when I went to Thailand and Cambodia for the first time, I was committed to packing for two weeks in a backpack. I knew exactly how to pack — I’d done it plenty of times before, and at that time in my life I was working as a traveling consultant, living out of a carry-on suitcase most weeks. So when it was time to start packing for Southeast Asia, I was like “I got this.”

Oh, how hindsight is 20/20.

Not to be overly dramatic, but I did not “got this.” While I used the same principles as usual when it came to packing, my issues were mostly with the clothing choices I made. Fun fact: Southeast Asia’s climate/culture/fashion is totally different from Europe! (Who woulda thought?)

You can benefit from my mistakes! Here are the most important lessons about packing for Southeast Asia that I learned from my trip. [Read more…]

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How to Pack for Two Weeks in a Backpack

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Think it’s not possible to pack for two weeks in a backpack? Think again.

It was July 2011. At the tender age of 18, I was preparing for my first international adventure — a two-and-a-half week trip to Germany to visit my then-boyfriend. Never having packed for something like this, and obviously wanting to impress my boyfriend, I packed almost everything I owned. I rolled up to the luggage counter to check my gigantic suitcase, tipping the scales at just barely under the 50-lb limit. Sigh of relief.

As the years passed, I continued to follow this same, pack-more-than-you-could-possibly-ever-need model every time I took a trip to Europe. But when I took my first solo trip in 2016, I decided to change my tactics. Knowing I would be constantly on the move, traveling around the country without staying in one place for long, it didn’t seem very appealing to lug that 50-lb rollerbag around with me.

So how did I, the former serial overpacker, manage to pack for two weeks in a backpack (and still have room for souvenirs)? Here are a few of my best tips. [Read more…]

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Alaska Packing List: Packing for Alaska in the Summer

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Alaska packing list essentials

If you’re planning a trip to Alaska this summer, you probably have one major question: What should go on your Alaska packing list?  I had the same question — but every time I Googled it, I got packing lists for cruises. I’ve never been on a cruise, and I might try one someday, but it’s not really my preferred method of travel. During this trip to Alaska, I was flying up and renting a car with one of my best friends for a week. And we didn’t know what to pack.

So I decided to put together my own Alaska packing list (summer) for your land-based Alaska trip. Here are five things you absolutely need. [Read more…]

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How to Not Look Like a Tourist in Europe

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Wondering how to not look like a tourist in Europe? It starts with your clothing.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with looking and acting like a tourist. You are a tourist. But in some situations, looking like a tourist can make you a target for pickpockets, scammers, and other crime — a chance that only increases if you’re traveling alone.

Luckily, if you’re traveling alone, you also have a unique advantage — one that I think is lots of fun. When you’re alone, you can pretend you’re a local, just doing local things. I know I’m succeeding at this when someone comes up to me and asks for directions in the country’s native language 🙂

Here are a few of my best tips on how to not look like a tourist in Europe.

[Read more…]

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Solo Travel Packing List: 5 Things You Need

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A journal should be on every solo travel packing list.

Some people don’t like packing, but I have to admit that I kind of do. There’s the excitement of deciding what to bring on the trip (and ordering new things from Amazon), the thrill of seeing whether it all fits, and the sheer hope that you didn’t forget anything. Packing is a drama and an art form.

Based on my experience, here are 5 things that should be on every solo travel packing list.

[Read more…]