The Girl Who Goes

independent, intentional travel

Last Updated on

The Quito Countdown Is On…

quito ecuador

23 months since my last international trip. 20 months since the COVID-19 pandemic took over the Western world. And 18 months after we originally planned this… our Ecuador trip is only a little more than one month away!

To be clear, we’ve postponed this trip several times. Back in February, I was wondering whether we might finally make it work in 2021 — along with musings of other potential travel destinations (none of which panned out). Luckily, we had a much better 2021 than we did 2020. With trips to Milwaukee, the Pacific Northwest, Ann Arbor, and several visits to Washington DC, we were able to scratch the travel itch — at least domestically.

But after all this time, lots of waiting, three COVID vaccine doses each, and Ecuador passing the U.S. on the percentage of their population being fully vaccinated, we decided: it’s finally time. [Read more…]

Last Updated on

How I Created My Travel Gallery Wall

Hi, it’s me, your travel blogger friend who left her glamorous, frivolous life in Spain to settle back into the typical patterns of everyday American society for the past 10 months. (Thanks, COVID.) While our next adventures seem to be creeping closer, little by little, I’ve had some time to work on other projects that I’ve enjoyed. And one of them was decorating my very own office! [Read more…]

Last Updated on

Thinking About Our Travel Options for 2021

Reykjavik in December 2017 when I had the whole world within reach

We’re now two months into 2021. Though we all eagerly awaited the end of a very bad 2020, not too much has changed for most of us. The vaccines are a bright spot on the horizon, even though we know we certainly aren’t in a priority group. Matt and I are hoping we’re both vaccinated some time in the summer, and by that point many other people should have been vaccinated first. Could that mean a return to “normal” for us? [Read more…]

Last Updated on

What I Miss the Most About Traveling

travel-italy

Last night, my family and I finally had our Christmas. Yes, on January 9. Most of my family, except for me & Matt, and my sister Carrie, came down with COVID, so we had to postpone our celebration until everyone was healthy again. Luckily everyone is doing well! And while we were all together, we also did one of our New Years traditions — we each write down as many predictions as we can for the new year. Then, we take turns reading the last year’s predictions to see how many we got right.

I was first up. As I scanned through my typed list, which I’d emailed to my dad since I was in Europe last year, all I could say was… “Wow. This is sad.” Because of course, at that point I had no idea we were two months away from getting hit with the pandemic that would be life-changing for the next year, if not longer. [Read more…]

Last Updated on

Day Trip: Bilbao to San Sebastián, Spain

bilbao to san sebastian - feature photo

One of San Sebastián’s islands

When I visited Bilbao for the first time in November 2019, it wasn’t the only place I went. At the suggestion of friends — and the fact that I always want to visit more places in Spain — I decided to spend a day in San Sebastián. Though this city is relatively small, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to visit a coastal city in the north. And it’s only 15 miles from the French border! I was curious if/how that would factor into the city’s culture.

I arrived in San Sebastián in the evening and spent the night so I’d have all of the next day there. But if you have a little less time, I think you could arrive early in the morning and leave late at night and still have a good experience. Anyway, if you want to go from Bilbao to San Sebastián, here’s what you need to know!

[Read more…]

Last Updated on

Berlin Underground: Berliner Unterwelten Bunker Tours

berlin underground tour office

My last day in Berlin called for rain. Since I’d been to the city before, six years before, I’d already done a lot of the indoor tourist sights like museums and the Reichstag building. But as I browsed through the results of my Google search — “things to do in berlin indoors” — one particular thing caught my eye. “Berliner Unterwelten,” or Berlin underground bunker tours.

All of the reviews were positive, so I thought I’d give it a shot. [Read more…]

Last Updated on

Trip Review: Wrocław, Poland

Wrocław poland

View in Wrocław at Market Square

I had an ulterior motive when it came to visiting Poland for the first time. Way back in 2012, after spending a Christmas in the far northeast of Germany with my boyfriend’s family, we’d driven across the border to Szczecin just to say we’d stepped foot there. (And I think we ate pizza.) But since I didn’t spend much time there, I never really felt that I could say I’d *been* to Poland.

In order to alleviate this traveler’s cognitive dissonance, I kept an eye on flights to Poland in 2019, during my first year living in Spain. And finally, a cheap flight to a city called Wrocław aligned with a puente (long weekend) from school. [Read more…]

Last Updated on

Thailand: Elephants and Ethics

“I booked my trip to Thailand,” I told some friends, months before I would share this news with my parents.

“That’s so cool! You have to ride an elephant while you’re there,” one of them said.

“Oh, I totally will.”

I could just imagine it: photos I’d seen of other friends, and celebrities, perched atop the back of these gentle giants, danced in my head. Who wouldn’t want to ride an elephant? [Read more…]

Last Updated on

The Best Travel App Everyone Should Have: Citymapper

best travel app - feature photo

Best travel app ever | 📷 Gilbert Wedam

Travel and technology go hand-in-hand. You already know about my favorite cell phone carrier, T-Mobile, and you know that I’m a big fan of carrying a portable charger, especially when I’m alone. But I can’t resist singing the praises of what I think is the very best travel app to use during my trips — Citymapper. No matter where I am in the world, if Citymapper is available, it’s my go-to when it comes to navigation. [Read more…]

Last Updated on

How to Pack for Two Weeks in a Backpack

how to pack for two weeks in a backpack - feature

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…]