The Girl Who Goes

independent, intentional travel

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5 Things to Know Before Visiting Palma de Mallorca, Spain

palma de mallorca feature - cathedral

After almost 8 months of living in Spain, I finally took my first trip off the mainland. (Yes — in case you didn’t know, Spain has lots of islands!) During Semana Santa, or Holy Week, my friend Morgan came to visit and we went to Valencia and Palma de Mallorca. Palma is the largest city on Spain’s largest island, Mallorca, also known as “Majorca” in English.

We spent about two full days there, and even though I had visited 10+ other cities in Spain, Palma was very different than anywhere else I’d been. Here are some important things to know if you’re planning a visit yourself! [Read more…]

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Trip Review: Wrocล‚aw, Poland

Wrocล‚aw poland

View in Wrocล‚aw 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 Wrocล‚aw aligned with a puente (long weekend) from school. [Read more…]

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ALSA Bus Review: My Trip from Madrid to Granada, Spain

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For better or for worse, Spain’s ALSA buses are a topic I’m all-too familiar with. Every Tuesday and Thursday at 1:15pm, I would board a big green ALSA bus from Buitrago del Lozoya, where I worked, to get back to Madrid, where I lived. Occasionally I had to catch the 6:45am bus to work — but I don’t like to think about that because it was truly the stuff of nightmares.

Anyway, I don’t know what ALSA stands for, but I do know that it’s the largest Spanish bus company for more long-haul trips. So when I went to Granada for the weekend with my friends, that’s what we used. Here’s how the experience stacked up. [Read more…]

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7 Reasons Why You Should Visit Granada, Spain

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Granada, Spain, was a city that I’d always heard about while living in Madrid, but never gotten around to visiting. Its location — isolated in Spain’s deep south — requires visitors to have sufficient time to not only enjoy the city but travel there as well. Situated in a mountainous region of Andalusia, Granada didn’t even have a high-speed railway station until mid-2019! Which meant that my transportation options were limited to flights, cars, or buses.

One of my friends in Madrid, Ellie, had studied abroad in Granada during college. Along with our friend Sarah, we planned a weekend trip, traveling via bus. It was 5 hours each way, which was a lot, but it wasn’t horrible. From the time I set foot in Granada, I fell in love, and I think it’s my new favorite city in Spain. Here are 7 reasons everyone should visit Granada! [Read more…]

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Side Trip: Madrid to Zaragoza, Spain

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Plan your own trip from Madrid to Zaragoza and you’ll be rewarded with this view.

Since I didn’t go home to the U.S. for the holidays during my first year living in Madrid, I was lucky enough to spend Christmas in Sardinia and have visitors in Spain for New Years! One of my best friends from college, Carson, and his wife Natalie came to spend a few days with me in Madrid on their European holiday vacation. After starting their trip in Paris, they took a bus to Madrid, and they would then be continuing on to Barcelona by train. Along the way, they decided to go from Madrid to Zaragoza, which is about halfway to Barcelona.

Since I’d never been to Zaragoza before, I went along with them for a day trip. And I’m so glad I did! Here’s everything you’ll need to know if you want to plan your own trip from Madrid to Zaragoza. [Read more…]

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Trip Review: St. Petersburg, Russia

In front of the Hermitage/Winter Palace

In my ultimate quest of traveling as much as possible in my life, I always assumed I’d visit Russia *someday*. I certainly never thought it would be this year – until I found out that my cousin, Gillian, would be spending this semester studying abroad in St. Petersburg. Since I would already be in Madrid, which is quite a bit closer to SPB than the U.S., I figured now was the time. [Read more…]

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5 Things to Do After Arriving in a Foreign Country

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Even though I consider myself a travel expert, there are a few situations that can make me feel a bit overwhelmed. Arriving in a foreign country, especially one I’ve never been to before, can sometimes be complicated. And if the airport is far from the city where I need to go, that might make it a little harder. If that country uses a different alphabet than the Latin one — like in Russia, Thailand, or Cambodia — that definitely increases the discomfort level. Not only am I unable to read the signs, but I also can’t even attempt to sound them out in my head to make them feel more familiar.

Last week, I disembarked the plane in St. Petersburg, Russia, after a long day of traveling from Madrid. It was already dark outside since the sun sets at 4 p.m., and all the aforementioned scenarios were in play. Also, the pressure in the airplane had messed with my ears since I was sick, leaving me unable to hear for a few hours after landing. So yeah, I was a little bit stressed about next steps… until I remembered that I have something like a routine for times like this. I haven’t had to use it in a while, but I knew what I needed to do. [Read more…]

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Top 5 Museums in Amsterdam to Visit

Amsterdam is famous for a lot of things: legalized prostitution and marijuana culture come to mind. But Amsterdam is more than a place to get high and visit the notorious Red Light District. The Netherlands boasts more museums per square mile than any other country in the world, and 92 of them are in Amsterdam. Yep, there are 92 museums in Amsterdam!

Unfortunately, you probably won’t have time to visit all 92 museums during your trip, but I’ve put together a list of the top 5 most-visited museums in the city. [Read more…]

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7 Reasons Why Road Trips Are The Best

Hey everyone!

On Tuesday, I came back home from a week-long road trip out west with my family! They actually left a week before I did, but I couldn’t take that much time off from work, so I flew to LA and met them there. We always took road trips as a family when I was growing up, but as I got older and responsibilities increased, I hadn’t been able to join the yearly vacation. Until now!

I decided to share some of the reasons I think road trips are the best.

[Read more…]

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Top 3 Things to Know Before Visiting Mexico City

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When I booked my first-ever trip to Mexico City in April 2018, it was a last-minute, not-very-well-planned, thing. I didn’t know much about it or what was there, but I assumed I’d at least get some good food and the opportunity to practice my Spanish a bit. And at the time, Southwest Airlines flew there as one of their few international destinations. It cost me 15,000 points + $100 round-trip, so I really couldn’t complain!

Though less than a year later, in March 2019, Southwest ceased its service to Ciudad de Mexico (CDMX) meaning if you want to plan your own trip to the Mexican capital, you’ll have to look at another airline. [Read more…]