Help, I Need Somebody

Happy Thanksgiving week to my US friends! Gobble gobble! 

I need help! So I am calling out to you. Here are a few things I am looking for and I thought I would crowdsource to see what y'all had to say about the following. 

I no longer need these!

Unicorn Pants. Sometimes you look for a unicorn, and my unicorn is traveling pants! I want them to be black, in a fabric that I can hike in, lightweight, packable, quick drying, and look nice enough that I can wear them to dinner/out. They don't have to be fancy, but they should be versatile. I don't want to pay an arm and a leg, but I am willing to pay if they are going to last and are good quality, and it would be even better if they have a good return policy. Am I asking too much here? (FYI I tried a pair of Patagonia that did not work, and have heard good things about pRana; have you tried them?)

Offline Feed Reader. I use Feedly, but this is not that helpful when I am out of service and am looking for some quick entertainment or the ability to catch up on news. I would like it to be free and if it is in the format of Feedly, that would be nice (aka clean, easy to sort and categorize etc.) I would also like it to have both mobile and web based (for use on laptop) versions. 

New Pick Me Up Playlist. A couple years ago, I asked for a few pick me up songs from each of you and I got some great suggestions. This playlist got me through almost 9,000 miles of cycling and really helped me on some rough days. It's still good, but I need a refresh! Can you give me 1 - 3 fun peppy songs to keep me inspired throughout the day when I am on a long hike or bike ride? 

Packing cubes. I have some super old ones, but it's time for a refresh! I like these, but I was wondering if anyone had a less expensive version that they like, as I would prefer to pay a little bit less. I would like them to be compressible, I actually don't need more than two or three and it would be nice if they were durable. 

Can you help me? 

FAQ: Traveling Full Time (E1)

As many of you may know, since March 2024, I have been full time traveling around the world, and doing it a bit more slowly, generally one month at a time in one place. I will fill in shorter gaps with 4 days to a week somewhere from time to time, and I also will add stints of hiking or active adventures. 

One month in Antalya Türkiye 

My (our!) friend Elisabeth just announced that she and her family are moving to Europe for a few months next year and she had a few questions for me. She and I talked about most of them already, but I thought I would put some of them here and also add some of the other ones that I have been asked a lot by other people in case they will be helpful to anyone. 

How do I find a long term furnished rental (and get the best deal)? 

Airbnb and Booking.com give a discount for a 28 day stay, so I usually just book my stays through one of them. You could book through a more local provider, but that will require a little extra work and will also be different per country, so for ease, especially if you are just starting out, one of them will probably work just fine. 

Pros of Airbnb: better communication with check in procedure etc., better messaging system, better conflict resolution (as long as you communicate on their app), much better review system (aka renter is also rated, does not show rating until both people rate)

Cons of Airbnb: no loyalty program, usually you pay full amount up front which can add up fast, often less cancellable options, have heard that some reviews may be removed (inaccurate ratings?)

Pros of Booking: loyalty program, can pay later or at least closer to reservation date, often properties that are not cancellable on Airbnb are cancellable on Booking

Cons of Booking: communication is inconsistent, sometimes only cash is accepted for payment, conflict resolution does not seem good

What does the Schengen or the "Schengen shuffle" mean?

The Schengen is a set of countries in Europe that have an agreement, and because of this, they have open borders and essentially for visa purposes act as the same entity. Think of it like the US; you can fly into New York, travel around, and leave from San Francisco, but you don't get to reset your visa time just because you crossed a state border. The same goes for the Schengen, but with country borders. You only get to stay for 90 days out of the last 180 days, so you look back each time at those 180 days, count your days and you must not have more than 90 or you may get barred from coming back. 

The Schengen shuffle usually consists of traveling in the Schengen zone for roughly 90 (or less!) days, then going to a non-Schengen country for 90 (or more!) days before going back to the Schengen zone. However, this is getting harder, as each year more countries get added to the Schengen zone. Currently you can stay in the Europe area, but not be in the Schengen zone if you go to: the UK, Ireland, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, N. Macedonia or Kosovo (or the nearby countries of Türkiye, Georgia & Armenia). 

As of 2025

How do I use my phone while abroad (and get the best deal)? 

This is a two step process. 

For your usual phone number, which is needed for two factor authentication (2FA): You will need to port your number to a internet based provider. For US you can port to Google Voice, which costs about $30 one time fee, or Tello, which costs about $5 per month to maintain your US number. For Canadians, you can do the same with Fongo, which has a $25 transfer fee and plans that start at around $10 per month. 

For data: You can buy an e-SIM depending on which country or region you are going to. I use the company Airalo, but there are several options. You will need to download the app, buy the e-SIM you need, and install it over WiFi before you go into the new region/country.  Some examples of prices include: Europe region 90 days + 50 GB = $100, or 30 days + 20 GB = $49. Personally I usually use WiFi for about 99% of my data, and I download things like maps and info for offline use, so I only need 1-2 GB per month. So in my case, 30 days + 3 GB = $13.00. 

Examples for the Europe Region e-SIM

Tip: don't forget to check sites like Rakuten for cash back opportunities; right now they are doing 4% back on Airalo. Also there are often coupons. I got my last e-SIM, which was one year and 20GB worldwide for about $30 after discounts and cash back! Also FYI, even if you are not traveling abroad, this may be a good workaround for in country phone use too! Tello has US data plans or if you use Airalo they range from $9-$45 a month, depending on data use (5 GB - 50 GB in this example). 

How do I get health insurance while traveling? 

There are nomad insurance plans and depending on your health and age etc. you can get them for a fairly low cost. I use Genki's basic plan, which cost about 74 euros per month. It does not cover preventative care, but often that is not very expensive when abroad. For example, I got a dental cleaning for about $60 in Georgia. Also medication can be a lot less expensive abroad, and often in Europe, things that are prescription in the US are over the counter, or you can get them after talking to the pharmacist (no doctor appointment needed).

Genki has a 50 euro deductible and the basic plan covers treatment for any new issues or injuries. There are some restrictions, namely that coverage in Canada and the USA is limited to the first 7 days of each stay and only includes medical emergencies. Coverage in your home country is always limited to the first 6 weeks of each stay and only includes medical emergencies. The higher coverage plan has additional items. 

You can also get a global health plan, like Cigna Global for example. I had this when I was in the US and Canada, and it cost about $250 per month. 

How do you budget and/or how much do you budget? 

I budget $2,500 per month. I started by looking at what I normally spent each year and then adjusted each category with estimates. The most expensive thing for me (about 50% of my monthly spend) is accommodation, so I went on Airbnb to find out what I would pay for a month by doing the following: 

Add guests. Select the following: washer (do not select dryer), kitchen, wifi, TV, Entire Home, #bed/bedroom, #bathroom + any others that are must haves. I also prefer self check in, as it saves you having to coordinate, but that is a personal preference, and sometime coordinating is unavoidable. 

Choose a price around what you would really be excited to get something for (low end). For example, I put in max $1,400 just to see what would come up. You can always go up higher later if needed. I also said 2 BR, 2 bath, 3 beds. 

Optional clicks: guest favorites, if possible cancellation option (ideal if it is cancellable), then click "show X homes" even if it says zero. Zoom out on the map and zoom into the area you want. Then see how much you can get them for. 

As you can see there are options, but you need to dig in a bit to be sure they are close enough to transport, have a couch and a workstation etc. Ones I have messed up on are: no couch, no table to work on (sometimes the counter works, but if you are there for a month you don't really want to do that forever), no oven (if you care), no coffee maker, no microwave (if you care) or no AC (if you care).  If any of them do work, you can then use that number as your accommodation budget! Like I said, for me it is about 50% so I would just double that for myself and know that I would likely come in somewhere around there for a total. Obviously if you already know exactly where you want to go, you can put in a location instead. 

What things are "must brings" from home (aka you can't buy them abroad)?

Not a lot. Literally, your passport and phone is all that you really need. But...some countries have weird rules, like in Poland you can't get ibuprofen over the counter, so if there is a medication you need, you may want to bring a few of them. However, often they are much better, like in the UK they have a magic potion called Lemsip (is a powder you add to hot water for cold/flu) that beats Theraflu in a heartbeat. In some countries you may not find your normal brand of running shoe, but really there is not much that you cannot buy when you are on the road, or maybe just do without. 

What apps are helpful? 

Trainline -- for looking at all countries, all companies of train schedules and prices (then I usually buy the ticket on the actual app, but it is not always cheaper, so you CAN buy them on Trainline as well.)

Organic Maps -- offline maps, has streets AND trails, and it is FREE to download any region or country offline. This is a crowdsourced app, so it also has toilets, water fountains and other items notated. You can route a walking route from A to B and see the elevation gain, all offline. 

Moveit -- in some countries (Turkiye, the Balkans, etc.) Google maps is okay for public transit, but often it does not update the realtime. Moveit shows which buses are coming to the stop where you are waiting and when, and has realtime departures for the line you are trying to catch. Also depending on where you are, Yandex Go also can be helpful for the same thing (Armenia, Georgia etc.) 

Google Translate --  you've heard it before. Moving on. No, but really, if you don't already know, you can set it to translate (real time) your audio conversation, or you can type in and translate, or you can hold it up to menus, strange things in the grocery store, etc. to read any text you need to translate. Pro tip: Download the language offline so you can use it without using data!  

How do you fit everything in a carry on? 

One bite at a time. No wait, that is an elephant. One word: layers! Also clothing that matches everything else, so you can easily mix and match. I basically carry one week worth of clothing for no matter how long I am traveling for, and for some things, like undies, I carry even less. These items can easily be handwashed, or if you really are in a bind, there are clothing shops everywhere. I also only carry two pairs of shoes; trail runners, which double as hiking shoes, walking shoes, and fancy dinner shoes (who am I kidding; there are no fancy dinners!) and one pair of sandals (which would actually be the fancy dinner shoes). 

I also carry 8 shirts (4 tank, 4 short sleeved), 3 pants (jeans, joggers, capris), 1 shorts, 1 running outfit, 1 sweater, 1 zip hoodie, 1 puffy, 1 rain jacket, 2 socks, 5 undies (the latter two get handwashed most days), a beanie, gloves and a pashmina (can use as scarf or to cover your head or legs in church/mosque/temple). I've talked about merino before, but a merino blend shirt is a good purchase, as it is more durable than 100% merino, it wicks moisture (so it is not hot in the summer) and it magically doesn't stink, so you may not even need to do laundry once a week after all. I also like merino socks for this reason, and have had luck with Darn Tough and Mammut. 

You can see my full packing list with photos in this post.  

The last tip is to leave your toiletries like shampoo or soap behind. Often the Airbnb will have products (and a hairdryer) or you can buy them once you assess the situation abroad. Or you can bring bar versions which don't take up as much space or weight. 

What other things are important to have? 

A VPN, which helps with security, which is important when you are using public wifi all the time, but it also allows you to set your location as your home country so that you can do easier banking, watch your normal streaming shows (they differ by country) and other things that require you to be in your home country (or are just easier if you are in your home country).  I use NordVPN, which I have been happy with so far. 

My portable charger has saved my butt a few times, when I was out longer than anticipated, taking too many photos, or needing to use maps which drain the battery faster.  

An adapter/converter with multiple USBs and input/output prongs. I like this Tessan one, which has three USB A and one USB C so I can charge everything (and use my computer) all at once. 

A collapsible backpack. I use this Osprey model and it has been great. It packs up into a tiny cube and takes up little space, but when folded out, I can easily do a day hike with it or use it to carry groceries. Speaking of groceries, I also carry a collapsible shopping bag. I have used Chico bags forever, so that is what I use, but there are several options available. 

What other things are important to know? 

If you book your train more than 30 days in advance, you often get a good discount. For example, when I went from Frankfurt to Strasbourg, I paid about $65 for a ticket on the day of travel, but would have paid around $30 had a bought it earlier.

You can also put many of the train tickets in your Apple or Google Wallet so you don't have to have a bunch of different train company apps on your phone. 

If you can get an ATM card that refunds ATM fees, do it. Two I know of are the Schwab card (I used this for my very first long journey) and the Fidelity Cash Management Account card. I chose the latter this time around because the interest rate for the cash sitting there was better. Plus if you want you can invest it (but you do not have to!)

Always download maps for offline use (and/or use Organic Maps). I also will often take a screenshot of a train ticket or put it in my Google Wallet so that I can access it if there is no service for some reason. 

 If you can get a travel rewards credit card of some kind, this helps offset the costs of your travel and may even afford you a few nights or so in a swanky hotel. For general travel I like the Chase Sapphire Preferred; for hotel brands I like the IHG card. Just the two sign up bonuses alone for those two cards would get you 1-2 round trip flights and 4-7 days in a hotel. 

I am sure there are some things that I am missing, so I will likely be back at some point with a part II! 

Any questions? Have you ever done a multi month trip to a different place than where you are from? 

Summertime, and The Living is Easy?

I had to do several things when I was in the country of Georgia and it is amazing how hard a normal everyday task can be when you are in a place that you are unfamiliar with. We kind of take for granted the fact that if we need batteries, we can just go to Target (or wherever) to get them, or we can order them from Amazon. But where do you go to buy batteries in Georgia/Turkey/Thailand? Here are a few things that I did and a quick(ish) note on how they went. 

Getting your teeth cleaned. A few months before I left home, after having one filling keep falling out over and over because it was kind of situated on the side of the tooth so it couldn't hold on, my dentist told me that I needed a crown. When I inquired about the cost, the receptionist told me that actually their office did not accept my insurance for this procedure. I found this odd, since I had been going to them for years at this point, and had even had fillings redone with no (insurance) issues. They told me I had to have the PPO vs the HMO type insurance in order to do the procedure. So during open enrollment (December) I swapped to the PPO only to find out later (doh!) that my dentist was not in the PPO network. What the what? So I had to find a new dentist two months before I left, book an appointment and ask them to do a crown. However, the new dentist told me I did not need a crown and that she could fix my filling. In the end, this is probably the best accidental decision that I could have made. She also did a cleaning, fixed another filling that was kind of old, and fit me in on a Saturday to get it all done before I left. Best dentist ever (but this bar is pretty low to be honest). 

Bear with me here! My point is that I don't love going to the dentist in good circumstances, when I speak the language and know how to use (kind of!) the insurance system. But I had waited long enough; it had been a year since that last cleaning and I knew I needed to get my stuff in gear and just get it done. I looked into it in Türkiye, as they are known for dentistry, but nobody got back to me; I assume it could be because I was only wanting a cleaning rather than some huge dental procedure. Also when you ask about a good dentist in the expat group, you get some answers that kind of look like ads (this happens for apartments and other services as well) and so it doesn't inspire confidence. 

Turkish Dentistry Ad (not my teeth😊) 

So I asked about it in the Georgia expat group and got a few answers, so I started emailing dentists. I find this easier because if I call and they don't speak English it is hard to communicate over the phone. Also it gives me an idea of whether or not someone in the office does speak English. I emailed three and two of them got back to me and they both spoke English but one did not really answer my questions so I went with the other one that was more expensive but had better communication skills. 

I went to the office on the day of my appointment and it could not have been easier! The receptionist spoke English, the office was clean and cozy, it had a clean bathroom and a water cooler, the dentist was very nice and she explained everything to me before she did it, and she told me I had good teeth (I love her!) It was all very professional and I was in and out in about a half an hour. I could use my credit card to pay and the dentist even asked if she could write me a note or something to use for my insurance so that I did not have to pay it all out of pocket (my insurance only covers dental emergencies). In the end, it cost me about $60 USD. 

Getting a haircut. Luckily, in my case, I don't really care about my hair. The last time I got my haircut was when my friends came to see me in Canmore (June 2024) and I had my friend trim the ends. 99% of the time, my hair is up and so this is not something I really worry about too much. However, I was starting to have a little trouble putting it up (it was getting very long) and also the ends were pretty ragged, so one day I was walking around a small town and I saw a hairdresser and I got a wild hair up my a$$ (pun intended) and decided to walk in and see if they had free time. 

The hairdresser did not speak a lick of English. She spoke Russian, Armenian and Georgian, which did not really help me, but thanks to Google translate, we figured it out. I told her I just wanted to cut it shorter, she asked me a few questions, we negotiated a price of 40 GEL, which is about $15 and we were off to the races. She did an excellent job shampooing and massaging my head and then we were in the chair doing a bit of a blow dry when the power went out. This kind of cracked me up because (a) normally when I get my hair cut, they cut it when it is wet and (b) of course the power went out and (c) she refused to cut anything until it was more dry. So we had a coffee and sat and waited. It took a while for my hair to dry, so I probably sat there for about a half an hour before we finally got started with the cut. 

Getting a haircut in Borjomi, Georgia

Interestingly, she actually did the first cut with a pair of hair clippers. I have had people use razor blades, but never hair clippers, on the ends (not to shave the sides or something). Then she fine tuned it with scissors. When she was done, she styled it and waxed it and sprayed it. She then told me that since I had to wait so long, she would only charge me 30 GEL ($11). All in all, it took about an hour and 15 minutes maybe, and I was very pleased with the results. 

FYI, I have also had my hair cut in Argentina (a bob) and Thailand (a pixie) and in both cases, they did an excellent job. 

Buying running shoes. Luckily, I am not super picky about my brand of running shoes. I have tried several with good results, but I normally go with Saucony. At home, I put several pairs in my Amazon cart and let them sit there until the price goes down and I always (ALWAYS) buy them on sale. So usually I get a pair of $125-$150 shoes for about $50-$60. Well I don't have the luxury to do all of that when I am traveling! First of all, and I will talk more about this in another post, I sometimes don't have an address to send things to. Second, they don't always have the brands that you may be used to. I don't really want to buy a European brand unless I have heard of it or tried it. For example, I have used Solomon before and I would buy those if I saw them. Also La Sportiva is well known throughout the running world and so I might buy them, but I have never tried them. 

I really needed to go to a brick and mortar store. Have I mentioned that I hate shopping? Do you know the last time I bought shoes at a brick and mortar store? It's been a while! So I look up sporting goods stores and go to the first one near me. I walk in and the salesperson automatically asks me if I need help (in Georgian) and I go through the "do you speak English" rigmarole and find out that the running shoes are downstairs. I go downstairs and the salesperson asks me if I need help (in Georgian) so I go through it again and find out that they only carry Nike, which does not work for me, plus their running shoes are more like walking/jogging shoes, and I need something substantial. 

I go to the next store, do the Georgian/English dance with the salesperson, and they only have La Sportiva, and they are around $180 USD. I don't really feel comfortable paying that much for a brand I have never tried. I am okay paying normal retail (I mean, I am not, I would rather have them on sale, but needs must) but not for an unknown brand, and I will be leaving Georgia soon and would have no way to return them later if needed. Plus, do they even do that here? I don't know. 

I go to the next store, which is a New Balance store, and do the Georgian/English dance with the salesperson. I haven't worn NB since the 90s but it could do in a pinch. Once again, they cost around $150 USD and they are mostly walking/jogging type shoes. I really want a trail running shoe if possible or at least a hefty street shoe. 

I go to the next store, and do the Georgian/English dance with the salesperson. This store has a few brands, one being Jack Wolfskin, which is a German brand of outdoor apparel and all I know about it is that it is expensive and popular, but I have never tried it myself. I consider this but then, lo and behold, I spot a familiar logo, Hoka! I wore Hokas back in the day when they first came out and had those huge soles, but have not worn them in probably at least 10 years. However, they are one that I know works! They are around regular price ($150) and only have my size in one style (the Clifton). I would have preferred the Challenger, which is a trail running shoe, but they did not have my size, and after going to three stores already, I was ready to go home and have a glass of wine. Have I mentioned that I hate shopping? So I bought the Clifton, paid twice as much as I would have at home, and got a brand that I probably would not have bought had I had a choice. However, I was quite happy about it. See what happens when you lower your expectations!? 

Old shoes vs new shoes

I realize that this post is getting a lot longer than I thought it would so I will do a part two where I talk about the following "easy" tasks: Getting a new credit card sent to me. Shipping documents to the U.S. Getting something notarized. Doesn't that sound exciting? Stay tuned...

Have you ever had to do an "easy" thing in a different country that was harder than it should have been due to the customs or language barrier etc.? Or...what thing at home is always harder than it should be? 

What I Learned & Looking Back & Looking Forward: June 2025

Happy summer! Happy belated independence day to everyone from the U.S. and Canada! The heat is on! I hope that everyone had a great long weekend and is ready to jump back into it! Its time once again for a monthly wrap up! Please copy and paste the questions at the end and add your answers to the mix! 

Where was I? Georgia & Armenia.

Ice cream for breakfast, kitties, lots of churches
and mountains and historical buildings!

1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? 

January: Baguettes and Many Steps

February: In Like Minnesota; Out Like Hawaii

March: Wet and Wild

April: My Life is in Ruins, and Beaches Too

May: Al Fresco 

June: Tales as Old as Time: The Christianity and Wine Versions

P.S. Armenia holds the distinction of being the first nation to adopt Christianity as its state religion in 301 AD. Georgia has a rich history and archaeological evidence suggests they were among the earliest regions to develop winemaking, roughly 8000 years ago, or around 6000 BC. Also, fun fact, they do not call their wine "red" and "white," they call it "black" and "amber."

2. What did you learn last month? 

Aside from the above (that is a long time to be drinking wine!) I learned a lot, probably too much to go into here. However, here are a few notable things. First, there are a lot of men in Georgia named Georgi. My walking tour guide, whose name was...you guessed it....Georgi, said that if you ever forget the name of a friend or a cab driver or whatever, just call him Georgi and you will probably have a good chance of being right. 

Interestingly, Georgia was not named after St. George, as some people may think. The natives do NOT call it Georgia, they call it Sakartvelo. However, Türkiye and Iran (and perhaps others) call it Gürcistan and Gurjistan, and Gurj means wolf, so the theory is that the Persians called the Georgians wolves because there were wolves in the region where Georgia is and it morphed into Georgian in English. 

I looked up how the state of Georgia was named just for fun, and apparently it was named after King George II. But wait, you may ask, why was it named after a Brit when the US was trying to escape them? Well, supposedly it was named this in 1732, before the US had independence. Also, at this point in time, Georgia was a colony that also encompassed part of what is now Alabama and Mississippi. Woof, I think I need to brush up on my U.S. History! 

Province of Georgia, USA

3. What was the weather like where you are? 

It was hot enough to go swimming (or to want to!) a couple of times, and then rainy a few days, but otherwise mostly in the 70s and lovely! 

4. What event last month was your favorite?

I really enjoyed the churches and the wine; I mean learning about them! Okay fine, and drinking them in the case of the latter. If you ever see a Georgian Saperavi in the store, snag it, because that is my favorite kind! 

5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month?  

Book: How To Read a Book, or Look Closer

Movie/Show: N/A

Podcast: The Choose FI guys did an interview with James Clear that I found interesting.

6. Tell us one funny recent story. 

This is not really that "funny," but when I was in Armenia, I got food poisoning (I think?) for the first time in my life. Although this is never really a fun thing no matter what, it was even worse, as I had booked a guesthouse with a shared bathroom (but my own room) since I was only going to be a few days there and I still kept my apartment in Georgia at the same time. Not only that, but I also booked a tour for the day after I arrived, and the night before, I was not doing so well, and so I tried to get them to change the date, but they wouldn't, so I decided that rather than lose money, I would go on the tour. I mean, at this point, I was not needing to run to the bathroom a lot, but I was not really feeling great. 

The tour was good, but it was super hot that day and there was a lot of stopping to get out of the car, get back in the car, get out of the car etc. and every time we stopped, I would go to the bathroom just in case, but was doing okay for the most part. However, I did not have breakfast as I was not feeling great, but I thought maybe I would try having lunch and that would help. It did not help and luckily the last stop of the tour had lots of bushes, as I had to lose my lunch in one of them when everyone else's back was turned. It was not ideal. 

7. What are you looking forward to this month?

I am looking forward to a lot of things! I will be moving a bit faster, which can get tiring, but will cover a lot of ground and will finally do a hiking trip that I have been looking forward to for a while! 

JUNE:

1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? 

2. What did you learn last month? 

3. What was the weather like where you are? 

4. What event last month was your favorite?

5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month?  

6. Tell us one funny recent story. 

JULY: 

7. What are you looking forward to this month?

Bonus question! If you are from the US, what did you do for the holiday weekend? If you are from Canada, what did you do for Canada day? If you are from neither, when is your independence day holiday?

Our Small World

If you know me, you know that I am not one to discuss politics. I think it was Elisabeth that said that this was not good small talk, and I agree. Why would you bring this up in a group that you are not familiar with, and especially when we (by we I mean the US) are currently in a climate that is less than stellar?

However, I have been in an area with some political things happening lately! In Georgia, the country, not the state, you may or may not know that they have been having protests lately. I actually got a notice from the US State Department warning me of this and I did look into it to see if this was something that should keep me from traveling there, but it is not currently a dangerous situation. However, I want to say clearly that the US State Department is in the business of covering their donkeys, and often ramp up the warnings at the slightest provocation. I have been to several countries where they have had some sort of warning against traveling there, and I have been totally fine. 

Ilia State University, Tbilisi

Currently Georgia is on the Level 1, "exercise normal precaution" list, which is the top (best) one. However, Türkiye, where I just was, is on the "exercise increased caution" list, as is the UK FYI. And my favorite, Columbia, is on the "reconsider travel with higher security risk areas to avoid" list and several parts of Mexico are on the "do not travel" list. You can find the current travel advisory map here. Obviously Russia is on the "do not travel list." 

Current map (June 2025)

So I have some things to say about Russia. Firstly, the other day I was 3.7 km (2.3 miles) away from the border, which is the closest I have ever been to Russia. In addition, there are two parts of Georgia that are still occupied by Russia. I have been around a lot of Russians lately, as the countries that they can travel to at the moment are few, and also the proximity to Russia to where I have been is close. So that brings me to these questions. Do you know the details of the situation between Russia and Georgia? Or any of the other former USSR countries? 

There is a large mountain in between

FYI, creepy shirtless guy took this photo for me. :)

Or what about the history of Yugoslavia? Do you remember hearing about Serbia and Bosnia and Kosovo  on the news? Did you know that it was only in the aughts that some of them broke free from the regime (Serbia and Montenegro did not dissolve until 2006!)? That area has had a lot of conflict. I was in Albania in 2010 and the host at my lodging in Saranda was talking about the recent civil wars. Did you know that they were warring as recently as the late 90s, basically just over 10 years before the time that I was there (PS it was probably on the "do not travel" list at that point!)? 

All of these things make me realize how small my world really is, all of the things I have not learned, things I do not know, and people whose stories I have not heard. And the more I travel, the more I realize this. When I was in Türkiye, I went to a ruined town called Ani, which sits right on the current border with Armenia. I could look across the river and wave at the Armenian side. However, this land was at one point part of western Armenia, and they had their own dialect, and the town of Ani was a strategic trading hub for them. Currently, you cannot cross the border from Türkiye to Armenia by land, as the relations between the two countries are not great.

I later went to Armenia and learned a lot more about the history there, but also, while I was there I had a conversation with a woman from Iran about the current situation and how she had to travel over land for 24 hours to get a flight from Yerevan (the capital city of Armenia) because all flights from Iran (in and out) have been canceled. There were many Iranians seeking refuge in Armenia when I was there (you can read more about it here), and once again, this made my world, and all of my "problems" seem small. 

I will not talk about being on one side or the other, or believing in one political thing or another. What I believe in is the importance keeping our minds open to learning new things, and listening to the people who are living through or have lived through things that I cannot even imagine. As I have mentioned once or twice, I also believe that people are inherently good, and I refuse to believe that all of one group is bad just because there is a bad apple in the bunch. Lastly, I will once again say how grateful I am that I am happy and healthy, have clean drinking water and a toilet, and that I am able to travel and learn more and more every day. 

Are you well versed in world history? Have you spoken to anyone who has been through any of these conflicts? Would you travel to a country bordering Russia right now? What was the last thing you learned that you thought, "wow, why didn't I know more about this already?"

Living Out of a 40 Liter Backpack

The last time I did a packing round up was when I was still carrying everything with me on my bike and that was extreme! Now, as you know, I am traveling abroad for a year, and so I thought it was time to do an update! (also Birchie's post the other day where she asked if anyone had packing posts reminded me that I have had this one in my drafts since March! Oops.) As you know, I am a carry on only type of gal, and also prefer a backpack to a rolling suitcase for ease of maneuvering up/down stairs, over cobblestones and using small forms of transportation (crowded minibuses with no luggage storage means I have to put my bags on my lap sometimes). 

All packed and ready to go

Everything that is inside the bag

Let's talk about the weather. Since I was going to be in the northern hemisphere for the entire year, I pretty much needed clothes for every season. Also, I planned on doing some hiking, so I would also need to pack clothing appropriate for this, as well as some equipment for this too. This also meant that I would need to have a vessel to carry my hiking gear. So, although it is not the most practical for when I am not hiking, I opted to carry my hiking backpack as my carry on for this trip. For those of you who have been here for a while, this is also the same pack that I used as my rear rack pack when cycling last year. I will get into this more in a minute.

I also knew that I would have downtime and I did not want to be doing everything on my phone, so I am carrying my laptop with me, along with various camera gear. This meant that my personal item would have to fit my laptop, and luckily I have a huge purse that actually fits my laptop in it (I have a 16 inch screen)! Inside this purse, when I am traveling, I also put the following: pashmina (doubles as scarf, headscarf, blanket, pillow), electronics (charger, Kindle, cables, battery bank, camera, phone), empty water bottle and puffy jacket (no matter what season it is; sometimes the plane/train/bus is cold). Also in winter, I put my umbrella, gloves and beanie in here too. 

Laptop fits!

Personal Item

Wintertime contents of my purse
(plus laptop, minus fanny pack)

I also carry my trusty fanny pack with me everywhere, and in it I put (did you ever play that game? I packed my bag and in it I put...?) the following items: passport, headphones, wallet with ID, credit card, ATM card and small amount of cash, ChapStick, and floss pick (never leave home without it).

I am all about the layering system. What does this mean? This means that I basically have one of every layer, plus extras of some of them. But you don't want to hear about it; I will show you! 

Ready for every season

As you can see from above, I have a top for everything. Actually I have more than one, so let's break it down. 

Tank tops (plus the one worn in the photo)

Tank tops: Five. I believe that more lower level layers is better and it gives you a chance to have a variety when it is hot out, plus have more clean shirts when it is hot, and you are probably sweating more. Two of them are merino wool, including the one shown in the main layering photo above. 

Short sleeved shirts

Short-sleeved shirts: Two. In this case, one is a strictly running shirt and the other is a merino wool shirt that could be used as a out and about shirt except that I used it for backpacking and it is now permanently grey (not a good look) so it is now actually only an active shirt as well. Bottom line: I need a new "out and about" short-sleeved shirt.

Long-sleeved shirts: Two. Pictured above. One sweater (merino wool), and one zip-up hoodie (Uniqlo), which can be used as an out and about shirt or an active shirt, as it technically is a sunscreen hoodie, but is black so is a little more versatile. However, this one too is also on it's last legs (I also wore it the entire year last year while cycling, so I am surprised it has lasted this long to be honest. Uniqlo for the win! Well worth the $30 price tag!) 

Jackets: Three. Pictured above. The windbreaker is a great light layer that packs up into itself and is easy to carry around when its in the 40-60s just in case. The puffy, as I mentioned, goes everywhere with me, stays in my purse or daypack, and is a great pillow, extra layer on the plane, or emergency layer and I also take it with me backpacking. The rain jacket is mostly for backpacking, but when I was in France and it was below freezing outside I wore it when I went for runs. Its not the most attractive thing, but it does the job. If I had my way, it would be black, but that was not an option for this model. 

Pants: Four. Jeans (shown above), capri pants for either active days or travel days, jogging pants for lounging around, or going outside when you are lazy (if you are in Poland, but not when you are in France) and rain pants for hiking mostly, but hey if it was really cold I guess I could wear them outside! Also when I was in Germany in December/January, I did wear my capris under my jeans as an extra layer. Aside from the jeans, the rest are all black. 

Pants/shorts (jeans not shown)

Shorts: Three. I have one pair of "going out" shorts, one pair of running shorts, and one pair of lounging/pajama shorts. To be honest, I have rarely used the latter, but they take up basically no space. 

Undergarments: Four undies, four socks, one sports bra and one regular bra. I normally am fine with having two pairs of undies and handwashing, but this time I decided to splurge and bring more so that I don't have to handwash as often. Same goes for the socks, especially when I am in one place for a few weeks or so, it is really easy to just wash and hang each evening (especially for my favorite pair of Darn Tough socks, which are also merino). However, sometimes there is not enough time to dry in one day if you are moving faster, so this way I have a little leeway. As far as bras go, the tank in the photo above has a built in bra, so I can wear that when I need to wash my sports bra. To be honest, I have not worn the regular bra yet. 

Packed! Still have a bit of room!

Accessories: Beanie, pashmina (can be worn in churches, or used as a scarf, skirt or blanket), gloves (all black), running hat, buff, umbrella, sunglasses, and a swimsuit that I have barely used (one time so far in six months! What can I say, I like to swim in the buff. Just kidding!! Haha. I usually just swim in my running clothes/sports bra). 

Toiletries: My rule about toiletries is that you can always buy it where you are going if you need it, so I don't bring a lot. Also I don't really wear makeup, or care what brand of this-or-that that I use, and I don't really need to condition my hair. Here is what I do bring: 

Liquids

Liquid: contacts, contact solution, hand sanitizer, mascara, Vaseline (mostly for running/hiking chafe issues), sunscreen, extra ChapStick. 

Non-liquids

Non-liquids - packed

Non-liquid: Shampoo/conditioner bar, soap bar, toothpaste tabs (now all gone, so I am back to regular toothpaste), toothbrush, floss picks, fingernail clippers, glasses, dry wet wipes, feminine supplies, TP (must have in some countries!), brush, earplugs, pills, laundry sheets, razor + extra blades, q-tips, hair ties, sewing kit, facemask. 

For toiletries, I usually just keep them separate and keep the liquids handy when I am flying, but they both do fit in the one Lermende bag if needed. Also, I have a little reusable zip-up baggie (the blue one under the sanitizing wipe) that I will put my "essential" items in if I am traveling by train or staying in a place with a shared bathroom (toothpaste, toothbrush, contacts, shampoo/soap, earplugs) so that way I just have one essential bag to keep handy. Also, as a side note, in the last year, I have stayed at literally well over a hundred different places, and there have probably been about three of them that have not had soap and/or shampoo.

Electronics: Kindle, battery bank, adapter/converter, cords, running watch, GoPro, phone, headlamp/Inreach for hiking.

I also have these essentials: Osprey 18L foldable daypack (seriously, I have gotten so much use out of this bag!), Chico bag, my Solomon running hydration vest 2L. What can I say; I like bags! 

Foldable backpack

Shoes: Two. One pair of flip flops and one pair of running shoes. No fancy shoes. If I need to go somewhere fancy, I will buy something to wear. Until then, I will wear my running shoes. 

Camping Specific Gear: I also carry these camping items which will be of no use to anyone else most likely: sleeping mat, sleep sac (actually, even if you stay in huts or hostels, this comes in handy), water filter, stove, emergency items (first aid kit, lighter, headlamp, Garmin Inreach satellite tracker, athletic tape, duct tape and various other items). I also acquired a pot/bowl/cutlery set and a sleeping bag when I was in Türkiye and I can fit it all into the carry on but I have not had to fly with these last two things yet. 

Guilty pleasure and/or random stuff. I do carry a few extra ziplock bags with me just in case. I like to keep my passport in one and have one extra that I have in case I need to toss my phone in there. I will also snag a lotion or a shampoo if I stay in a hotel, but if I am flying and I need to cut weight, those are the first to go. 

I basically wear my heaviest item on the plane, which means: jeans, tank top, sweater, running shoes, socks, and zip-up hoodie. 

Are you a carry-on only person? Backpack or rolling suitcase? What is your guilty pleasure? 

The Bane of My Existence E1: Communication Apps

So many apps!

I am titling this part one because there are a lot of things that fall into this category! When I am cycling or hiking, it is rain for instance. However, I am not here to talk about rain today. A while back, Rachel did a post about her screen time, and my comment was so long and I still had more to say, so I thought I would do a post about it as well. 

I won't quote my own comment verbatim; you can go and read it if you want. However, here is the short of it. On the day of my comment I had 2 hours and 10 minutes of screen time. 31 mins of that was camera use, as I was at a UNESCO site and I took a lot of photos, 33 mins was YT, as I watched one video before going to bed, much of the other time was split between audiobooks and podcasts and 13 minutes was $%^&*# WhatsApp, which is what I want to talk about. I also had 59 notifications from WhatsApp that day, and spoiler alert, this is only from chats that I have not muted!

Many people have asked me how I meet people while traveling. Luckily there are a few ways; one is Meetup.com, which usually consists of a once a week organized meetup of some sort. The next one is FB groups; this can be expat groups or local hiking groups or general travel groups. But usually, each of these groups also has an associated WhatsApp group chat, and this is a very common way to organize meet ups. 

In addition to the groups, many international people use WhatsApp to communicate, since it is free to send a "text" from one international number to another, which may not be the case with your regular text message platform. Also, many businesses use this, which is great because just like with the other travelers, this is free to communicate and makes it much easier to make a reservation or call a business if you need something. 

So, it can be a good thing for sure. However, weeding through the chatter to get to the things that are actually important to me is not always easy. Most of the expat groups have a lot going on, such as questions like where to buy a dresser or find a hairdresser who speaks English, or where the party is tonight, and there are often chats 24/7, and videos of last night's shenanigans. I definitely keep these big groups muted, but I still have to check them from time to time to see if there is anything useful there. 

Most of the time there will be a side chat for certain activities, but these can be a lot too! I joined a hiking side chat and in the 48 hours it was live there were 117 chats, including 234 photos and who knows how many likes and hearts and thumbs ups! That is 59 notifications a day right there!

Additionally, depending on where you are, there is also FB messenger communication; there is an app like WhatsApp called Telegram (there is also one called Signal) and there are even Slack group chats. If you want to know about expat events, you may also have to check Instagram, Facebook or a specific webpage to keep up. Of course if I want to try to get involved, I have to do a complete 180 from my normal style, which was to ignore everything, and now I either have to have things binging and buzzing all day long and/or I have to go in and check 17 different sites to find out what is happening. 

Unfortunately, for travel, unless you want to sit in a vacuum by yourself, you have to check these apps and use them to communicate, but I hate it. I generally have all notifications off on my phone except for my regular text messenger and my Google chat, which is where my family communicates. Otherwise, I will go and check certain things a few times a week and respond as needed. However, now I kind of have to have more of them turned on or I could miss stuff, but I really don't like it. I still (stubbornly) keep a lot of the notifications off but then I have to either be sure to purposefully check or I sometimes miss things. 

Did I also mention that any time you book a tour or any activity, there are several more WhatsApp notices with the same information that was already in the original email and then follow up chats about reviews (in addition to the ones in my email)? Sigh. 

However, I do wonder why the US has not yet really adopted these channels, and when I had to get in touch with customer service to AMEX about a travel related issue (so, yes, I am not in the US), I had to make a real live phone call! So, I guess in the end, I would rather put up with the WhatsApp etc. than have to pay extra to make a simple phone call in the year 2025. 

But wait, I am not done with this rant yet. Can I tell you how annoyed I get when people just text the word "hello" and then nothing else? Or when you text them with a very long explanation and/or question and they return text only one word or an answer to only one of the five questions you asked? Or instead of texting one paragraph, they text five separate texts with a sentence each, which means, you guessed it, you get five notifications! This seems to be very prevalent in Türkiye. I am not saying that there are not people in the US that do it; there are! However, just get to the point people! 

Shopping for a new phone in France

So what is the point of this rant? When you are traveling, you really can't live without a smartphone. I mean, you could, but life would be a lot harder. So as much as I try to ignore it, I need it. I really don't want to go back to paper maps and phone cards, and I am pretty happy with the fact that I can land in a new city and make connections so quickly, but sometimes I wish I could just turn the dang thing off for a long, long time. 

P.S. I wrote the first part of this post back in April when Rachel wrote her original one, so I thought it would be fun to check again to see what my usage was yesterday. 

Saturday June 7th: 

Screen time: 2 hours, 2 mins. 

Clock 20 mins (I used the timer)

AOL 19 mins (I decided to unsubscribe and archive a bunch of emails - this is an old email address with a lot of junk)

Goodreads 12 mins

FB 11 mins (travel groups)

Chrome 10 mins

Telegram 8 mins (travel group)

Notifications: 69. Mostly from:

Clock (not sure why)

Messages (texts)

WhatsApp

Chat

Unlocks: 22

Bottom line: it is not really much different than April! 

Your turn! I have questions for you! 

1. What are your phone stats (how many times do you unlock? How much screen time do you have in a day? How many notifications do you get per day)? 

2. What is one app you cannot do without? 

3. What app that you need/have to use most annoys you? 

4. How do you feel about people who either do one word texts OR really long ones?

5. Which of the apps in the photo above do you use to communicate? 

Good Morning!

I was walking along the other day and I said good morning to someone and they responded by saying something that sounded like "Dobre." Afterwards, I was going over in my mind where I thought they were from, as you sometimes do when you are traveling. Do you do that? The "judge the tourist" game, or is that just me? Often you don't ever get the answer but it's fun to guess. For example, two people kissing on two cheeks... They could be French, Italian, Latin American or even African (as well as many others). But what if they kiss on three cheeks? They could be Dutch, or from the southern part of France, the Balkans, or maybe even the Middle East. What if they bump foreheads? They could be Turkish or Maori! In Africa, it's common to see two male friends holding hands and I've seen the same thing in Türkiye. 

But I digress. Going back to the Dobre people, this is a hard one, as there are many languages who say something similar to say good morning or good day. So they could have been Russian or Polish or Czech. My guess was Polish because I have recency bias since I was there a couple of months ago. And I'll never know! 

Some once asked me (Michelle? Kae?) about how I managed languages while traveling. I have a list of phrases and I always check those before I go so I will be ready. I am a firm believer in not just approaching everyone and immediately speaking English to them. If possible , I always ask them in their language, "do you speak English?" and then go from there. If they say no, I either use the point and guesture method, or I whip out Google Translate and type in what I need. Pro tip: download the language so that you can use it offline in case you are not in wifi or your SIM card is not working. 

Unless I have a complicated question, I generally just use baby phrases, like, "bus, Paris?" Instead of trying to ask "where is the bus to Paris and when does it leave and how much is the ticket?" Then we often go back to the point and guesture method. I once was hiking in Slovenia and it was raining and I was coming from the Alps into a very tiny town where I was going to try to catch a bus into a bigger town. A man pulled over asked me sometging in Slovenian and when I said the name of the tiny town he guestured for me to get in. So I did. The car ride was fun because somehow despite neither of us speaking the other language, I learned that the bus to the bigger town was leaving in about an hour and he dropped me off right next to the stop. Luckily the word bus is often similar in other languages, and it is avtobus in Slovenian. 

Some other phrases which are helpful are: yes, no, thank you, bathroom (although often you can say "toilet" and people will know what you mean, or you can make the pee-pee face and cross your legs and they will get the point), bus, and, to bring it back full circle, hello, good morning or good day. 

In many cultures it is rude to just walk up to someone and demand or ask for what you need without first saying hello, good morning or good day. In fact, even in some places in the US this is the case. So, at the very least, I always make sure that this is something I know how to say. Here are some of my favorites! I am going to spell them phonetically so excuse my poor spelling.

In Japanese, you say Ohio! 

In Slovakian, you say Ahoy! 

In Swedish, you say Hey! (Spelled Hej)

Here are a few more casual greetings:

In French instead of Bonjour (formal), you can say Salut!

In German instead of Gluten Tag, you can say Servus! 

I have a list of common words and phrases that I want and usually I just plug it into chatgpt before I go to the country and then I copy and paste the list into my notes app (Google Keep) which will be offline. If I am going to be moving around, I will ask it to do the list for the next five countries all at the same time. 

If I am doing something specific, like hiking, I will have it put together a list with common phrases for that activity like, "Where can I find water/food? Can I camp here? Do you have a room available? How much does it cost?" And of course "bus, bathroom, thank you" still come in handy.

I also like to learn a few numbers, especially if I plan on going to the weekly markets, and then the word for "kilo" or "gram" so that I can buy tomatoes or cheese! So at least "one" or "half" is handy to know. I mean, half a kilo is about a pound and I can eat a pound of most things! 

So that's it, that's what I do as far as languages in other countries. Your turn! 

What do you do regarding language when you are traveling? Do you have a go-to list of phrases? Do you stay in hotels or do tours so that you don't need to worry about it?? 

Not in This Car Mister; It's a Mercedes

I have reached the fast travel portion of my journey, and I think that it may no longer be my style. In the last ten days, I have been to four different places, and while it is fun to see a lot of stuff, I think I actually short change myself a little because I don't see as much as I could, because I don't really want to be in the go-go-go mentality at the moment. Let me explain. 

Destination one (Krakow) was cold, and while there were a ton of things I wanted to see, museums and Auschwitz and running on the river etc. I just did not feel like it half of the time. Don't get me wrong; I went out and did them, but I think I would have liked to have more time to spread out the things rather than cramming them into a smaller period of time. I went to one museum and unbeknownst to me, arrived there at the same time as the tours all started, and it was a funnel type of museum where you have to follow a prescribed route, and I had tours in front of and behind me, sometimes barely so. I was trying to read the history information and all I could hear was a lady in front of me speaking German and a lady behind me speaking Italian and at times there were people touching me as I stood there. It was not peaceful and I ended up trying to pass one group, only to realize that there was another Spanish group in front of them! On the flip side, due to the cold (15 degrees F / -9 C on some days!) and rain there were not a ton of tourists out, and I did have some nice solitary runs through the old town area. 

Krakow - St. Joseph's Church

Destination two (Amsterdam) was to visit a friend, and we had a great time catching up! However, I did not do anything touristy, and don't feel bad about that. Side note, if you want to go to the Anne Frank House, you MUST reserve early! They only open up ticket sales six weeks in advance and they book up fast. I did have a great time riding bikes around the Netherlands and spending time with my friend, but I was not motivated at all to go and check off any boxes. 

Even the cats ride bikes in the Netherlands

Homemade Stroopwaffle - I recommend it

Destination three (Brussels) was kind of the same thing. I did not feel like making yet another list of things to do and to see, so I drank beer and wandered around in a leisurely way. I even booked a walking tour and then canceled it because I could just go and see the things on my own, but then I only went to about half of them in the end. 

Could not miss the pissing boy (PS he is tiny)

Brussels Main Square

I arrived yesterday at destination four but did not feel well. I don't know if it was the early morning flight, weird food over the last day or so, or the fact that I worked out the day before (I lifted weights for the first time in years!), but I have been feeling a bit nauseous. I wandered around a bit when I first arrived and then went back home for a nap that ended up being a full night's sleep! I am still here and plan on doing a walking tour today but am leaving tomorrow for yet another destination. 

The moral of the story for me, and this is something that I had already realized, is that I don't want to be on two week vacation mode. I like settling into a place and living the day to day life rather than feeling like a tourist who has to go and see everything in a one or two or three day period. I don't want to feel guilty for not going to this or that museum or attraction. I definitely have the mindset that I can come back, and this is not just placating myself, as I have returned to several places that I have been before, sometimes several times. 

Of the last four places I have been, three were new, but I also "checked off" two new countries. However, I don't really like "checking off" countries or ticking boxes. I want to really get to know the place. I already knew that, but I think I needed this four country-palooza to remind myself of it. Luckily I will be staying for a month in the next place I am going so I will have time to do just that! 

It's not all doom and gloom; next week I will be finishing up my FIG list, so stay tuned! 

What is your usual travel style? How many places is enough for a two week vacation for you? Do you feel guilty if you don't check off your list?