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? 

Ask Me Anything!

Bof, and you guys thought I forgot about the AMA questions that I asked you to submit in November but never answered. But I never. Here are some of the questions about life in general that I still have on my list, and stay tuned, as there are some long lost bikepacking questions that I still have to wrap up! You can find other Q&As here. Also, to my US friends, I hope you are enjoying your day off! Yay. Here in Europe, it is cold and people are at work. But the good news is, I will be staying with a friend for the next week, so we will be trying to stay warm together. 

Basilica de Notre-Dame de Fourvière, Lyon

Stephany asked: 

How long do you plan on doing your bike trip and do you have any idea of what comes afterward? Well, this is a great question. As you know the bike trip ended "officially" in December, but stay tuned, because my feet are itchy and I think there is some exploring to do in this neck of the woods. TBD. 

What is the #1 piece of advice you'd give to someone else planning to quit their job and travel the world? I could get really long winded here, but first I would say that you need to save some money and also track your spending so that you know roughly how much a year of living costs you. 

If you have already done that and are financially prepared, I would say, don't wait. It is so easy to stay in the comfortable and to not branch out, but the worst that can happen is that you do it and you don't love it and you go back to what you were doing before. You have to give it a try. 

And then more practically, I would say that you can take a lot of the stress out if it is your first time by doing a group trip, or daily group tours and excursions, or if you are more adventurous, it does help to plan some things ahead of time so that you are not scrambling when you are in the new place. I prefer to have extra time to sit around because I planned ahead, than to be scrambling later on. However, I also think it is good to factor in some downtime and "nothing" time, so that if something fun comes up that you were not aware of, you can do it without being super rigid. 

What is something you wish you had done differently (and this could be about anything - relationships, schooling, the bike trip, etc.)? I am not really big into regrets, as in, there were things that I did not do efficiently, but they shaped who I am so I feel okay with those things. However, if you made me answer...I would say that I could have been more efficient with my college years. I transferred schools and did not prep well so had to retake certain classes that did not transfer. I went to France and was going to go and live there permanently and so did not register for the next semester and then the France thing fell through and I just kind of went "meh" and didn't try to get into the fall semester. I then spent a year goofing off (well, working) before finally deciding to shape up and go back to school. I could have definitely been done with school faster but I was not very motivated. 

Melissa asked: 

You mentioned your next adventure will be slow travel. What destination would you most like to spend a month in and why? Oh Melissa, this internet is not big enough to list all of the places I would like to spend a month. I would like to go back to several places where I have already been and spend a month there. Some that come to mind are South Africa, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, Argentina, Columbia (oh the list goes on). And then there are still over 100 countries that I have never been to and I am not a huge "box checker" and would like to spend some quality time checking them out too! And then every time you post a travel recap, I want to do that (Camino, back to Paris etc.) so...um...1,000 places to go before I die, I guess! 

What's your favourite US National Park and why? Is there one that you would like to visit and haven't? This answer is very similar to the last. I love Yosemite and Kings Canyon and the high Sierra in California A LOT. I suggest everyone go there. However, I think out of the 63(?) NPs in the US, I maybe have only been to about 20 of them, so I have a long way to go! I would like to visit Glacier, and I have never been to Yellowstone! 

When flying roller-case or backpack? Backpack 100%, no hesitation. I like being able to walk or run or climb stairs. I like to be able to squeeze it in the overhead. And I hate dragging something behind me, and I hate the sound the roller bags make when they are headed your way; I feel like running away sometimes! 

Diane asked: 

What are your "go to" things you do when you visit a new place?  (Or even when you re-visit a familiar place) I have a checklist for things to check before I go; here is a list of some of them: 

How to get from the airport/train station?
Is there an app for public transit?
Can I use tap to pay to get on bus/metro?
Did I / can I buy my airport transport ticket in advance?
Is it worth buying a weekly/monthly pass?
What is the exchange rate/currency?
Do I have the currency loaded on my calculator app?
How to say: Do you speak English? Please/Thank You. Hello/Goodbye.
Do I have the language downloaded on Google Translate?
Do I have the offline map downloaded on Google Maps?
Do I have my list of possible things to do done?
Do I have ideas for restaurants or foods I want to try?
Have I booked any critical things in advance?
Have I booked walking tour(s) or excursion(s)?
Do I have lodging and walking tour locations saved on map? 
Where are the walking/running routes?
Is there an expat or meetup group?
Is there a running club? 

For each of these things I have a column with Y/N and if applicable, the information (like foods I want to try). So I guess to answer your question, yes, whether I have been there before or not, I want to try new foods, walk around or maybe run around, see attractions and meet people!  

Do you have any scars or broken bones? I have only broken one bone and it was my pinky finger. I have a few scars, mostly from skinned knees, but also I once cut my thumb-pit pretty badly with a knife, and I once fell and hit my chin on a doorframe. The latter was my ONLY time I have ever had stitches (and I was in my 20s). 

Who was your favorite elementary school teacher?  This is a trick question, because I went to a one room schoolhouse, so we did not get a new teacher every year. In the years of K-6, I only had three, and they were all wonderful. BUT, the Kindergarten teacher used to strum her guitar and we would sing (it was the 80s, I remember a lot of Yellow Submarine and Anne Murray) and I loved that! 

Ernie asked:

I guess I could scroll back, but I wonder what you did for work before this trip and when/if you are done traveling will you start back to a job and if so will you work in the same field, or try something new? I used to work in Finance and it was lovely, but I don't anticipate going back. However, we do have licenses that we have to keep current, and I am contemplating whether I should keep renewing them. Re going back to a job, I am working on becoming a free agent, so we shall see how that goes. 

Bugsy asked: 

As I am staring at my jury summons...what, if anything, do you need to deal with something like jury duty? If you are traveling, you can try to make a case that you are not in the country and they will often postpone it. If you are living outside the country, you would need to show that you are no longer a resident of the state that you are registered in and give them your new address and then I think you would be excused for good. However, just a side note, even if you are not living in the US, even permanently, you CAN VOTE. So, go and vote, people! 

Have you considered (or have already) considered changing your residency to a non-state income state? I've seen people on YouTube talk about South Dakota, "America's Mailbox." I am guessing that you watched this episode. To this I would say that you should do your homework. I believe that some of the states where there is no income tax may not have a very good affordable care act healthcare program. So, if that is something that is important to you, you may want to read the fine print. Also, CA and NY are notorious for making people jump through more hoops than states like TX or GA when you want to "prove" that you are no longer a resident of their fine state. So, do your homework and if it works for you, have at it. I am going to hold off for now. 

Okay, well that is a lot of things to digest. Now it's your turn! 

Did any of my answers surprise you? I would love to hear if you guys have a "go to" list or any kind of checklist that you use when you are going on a trip or vacation. Also, backpack or roller bag? Let's discuss! 

Where's Waldo?

I still have some more wrap up and list type posts, but I am sure you are all getting bored of those! So today, I will talk a little about where I am and what's happening, since I feel like I have been pretty lax in doing that over the last couple of months.

First of all, can you find me in this photo? I will try to make it big enough that you can try! 

Mur de Canuts (photo credit: Bugsy)

In case you are wondering, this is the Mur de Canuts in Lyon, which is a mural depicting the silk workers. The history of this is facinating, and it began in 1466, when King Louis XI set up a national silk working industry in Lyon, consisting mostly of Italian workers, who were known for their silk making skills. However, it gets even better, as in 1834 the workers revolted against their employers, starting one of the first general strikes in an industry anywhere in the world. There was a whole life around this industry for years, and you can still see the remnants of this today, both physically and politically. 

But I won't bore you with too much history! Let me give you a quick update on where else I have been besides Lyon!

Coming Home. In December, I went home from Seattle and spent some days seeing friends before heading up to my parent's house for Christmas. Despite me thinking that a week would be plenty of time to be with the family, I felt like it went fast, probably because in between playing games and visiting, I worked on packing, getting some photos scanned, and seeing a friend whose Dad is quite ill. 

Ornament made by my Mom

Beginning to Travel Again. On Christmas day, my brother and I drove back to the Bay Area, where I stayed with my friend K for the night. On Boxing Day, we flew out of SFO to Frankfurt Germany! We ended up getting a place in Wiesbaden, which was perfect, as we could easily get into Frankfurt, Mainz or other outlying towns from there. We visited Heidelberg, Koblenz, Wurzburg and Rothenburg and had a lovely time wandering and eating and showing the kids how taking the train is fun! 

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

We saw tons of castles, took a train on the Rhine river, and had a great time. The only downside was that it was freezing, literally! The weather was in the 20s while we were there, and it even snowed a little. That did not stop us, it just meant more hot chocolate was needed! I also kicked off my running season on January 1st with an early morning run with L, my friend's 10 year old daughter. She and I were up early every day and usually we would hang out in the warm kitchen, but she was game to take a run on one of the freezing days, so we went and it was great! 

My early morning running buddy

Marzipan piggy

Flying Solo. After the girls left, I headed to Strasbourg, France, where I had a great time buying pastries and wandering around. If you have not been here, I highly recommend it! However, once again, it was in the teens and twenties and snowed, so maybe if you go, go in April, May or October! I continued my running game, and am trying to go a few times a week, and I did that, even in the rain! It is nice to be in a place where I can go back and get warm, which was not always the case when cycling. However, I kind of am jealous of the folks with bikes, as there are tons of canals and bike lanes to enjoy! I may need to get a bike at some point. 

Petit France, Strasbourg

After Strasbourg I went to Dijon. It is a nice little town that I would also recommend. I started to get in a groove, found a good bakery where I could get my daily baguette, and found a nice running path on the Burgundy canals, where I even did my longest run in a LONG TIME, 11 miles! I love being able to pair running with exploring a new place; it really makes the miles go by so much faster. 

Dijon + Notre Dame Church

Lunch Buddies. After Dijon, I went to Lyon. I had a couple of friends meet up with me in Lyon and what did we do? EAT! Lyon is known as the gastronomic capital of France and it currently has five two Michelin starred and twelve one Michelin starred restaurants! The ones we went to were called Bouchons, which are the typcial working class restaurants of the silk workers, and the food was very good! We also did a walking tour, looked at lots of old building, ruins and churches, climbed lots of stairs, found plenty of pastry shops and had a great time wandering around Les Halles (the food market). 

Oeuf mayonaise

So many treats!

Praline tart

Now my friends are gone again, and I am on my own. I have been enjoying trying out the local bike share, getting my bearings a little, wandering around the Croix Rousse neighborhood and checking out the views from the top of the hill (my apartment is near the river). 

Basilica de Notre Dame du Fourvière 

Roman Theater

Plans include lots more wandering and a Saturday market (or three). I am also trying to get at least 10,000 steps (about 5 miles) a day, stretching for 10 minutes a la Nicole, doing daily pushups and getting back into my running routine! I am also doing at least 10 minutes a day of language lessons and I may also go to a weekly French conversation meet up if I can get my act together! It is still cold, in the 20s and 30s, but at least it's not raining! 

À bientôt! Bonne journée!

Have you been to Wiesbaden, Strasboug, Dijon or Lyon? Have you ever been to a Michelin starred restaurant? Do you like marzipan? What daily routines are you doing this year? 

Best of 2024: Travel

I hope that everyone is having a great holiday week! It is that time of year again; let the round ups begin! Here are a few of my favorite places from my travels this year, in no particular order! 

Marquette, Michigan. This is a cute little town in the Upper Penninsula right near Lake Superior. They have a fun little farmers market, good bike paths and a good bakery. What more could you ask for? 

Lake Superior, Marquette

Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, Alberta. Although I have been here before, I liked it then and I liked it again! This is a beautiful park in the Canadian Rockies and is not quite as busy as Banff or Jasper, so is quite a treat! It has beautiful views of lakes and mountains and often you will see wildlife here (we saw a grizzly bear!) 

Day One of the Tour Divide

Icefields Parkway, Alberta. Yup, two Canadian places in one! It was cold and rainy when I was here, but it was still very beautiful! I also saw several bears here too and had fun camping in some very pretty locations. 

Waterfowl Lake, Banff NP

Crooked River, Oregon. As I passed people fishing and sitting next to their camper reading, I knew I wanted to eventually come back to this place again. It is dry and stark, but very beautiful all the same. 

Crooked River, Oregon

Bellingham, Washington. A fun town near water (I am seeing a theme here) with a Saturday market (another theme) and lots of good food, beer and places to walk. It checks a lot of boxes! 

I love a town that loves beer!

Nelson, BC. Another town near a lake with a nice walkable downtown and everything that you could possibly need nearby. There is hiking, skiing, water sports and more! Oh, and hamburgers and beer (another theme)! 

Nelson Post Office

Fernie, BC. A cute little ski town nestled in the heart of the Rockies. Also the downtown is walkable and the guys at the bike shop were very helpful. I am actually surprised this made the cut, as I actually passed through it twice and had to go to the bike shop both times! Booo! 

Downtown Fernie

Quebec City, QC. I also liked Montreal, but both cities have such a fun international flair and I enjoyed wandering, learning some history, and eating! 

La Fresque des Québécois

Colorado. Yup, the whole state. Actually, for the entire Tour Divide, Colorado was my favorite. I did not really stay in too many towns and a lot of the time I was riding as far as I could and spending most of my town time in grocery stores and crappy motels. However, even though it was hard, some of the climbs in Colorado were just beautiful, and were through forests full of trees, and I could feel the fresh air and I loved it. 

East San Juans, Colorado

Peggy's Cove, NS. The lighthouse here is one of Nova Scotia's most known and photographed lighthouses for a reason, as it sits on a rocky bluff and is surrounded by colorful houses and fishing bouys. Once again, places with water make the cut more often than not. 

Peggy's Cove Lighthouse

Obviously there were so many more places that I went this year that were beautiful, and where the people who I met were also great, and I could go on and on (as I sometimes do) but for now, I will leave you with these ten lovelies! 

Where was your favorite travel destination in 2024? Have you ever been to any of these places and if so, what did you think?