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? 

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? 

What I Learned

San Francisco Bay

Have you ever taken a flight that has been canceled? I am sure many of us have. Well, this happened to me in September of 2022 and I learned something on this trip that I am going to share with you. First, spoiler alert, I got cash for my troubles! The bad news is that I did not know the rules, and the same thing happened to me in 2019 and I did not get any reimbursement. 

In 2022, I flew from the US to Amsterdam, had a long layover in Amsterdam and then had a flight scheduled from there to Vienna. I was flying Austrian Airlines, and when I went back to the airport to catch my flight to Vienna, we sat for a while before finally getting on the plane, and then once on the plane, sat again, and then finally they deboarded us and sent us on our way. It was very confusing for me, as in the US, when this happens, we normally get in a long line at the airline counter to rebook our flight. 

In Europe, there are a few different rules about flights. First of all, instead of going to stand in a line to rebook once our flight cancellation was announced, they send you an email with your new flight details. Although this saved us waiting in line, it was a little bit of a pain to not have any control over the new flight and my new flight was scheduled for 6 am the next day AND had a layover in Dusseldorf, so would not get me to Vienna until later in the day (and I still had to get from Vienna to Maribor, Slovenia after that, but that is a story for another day). 

The second thing that they did was they automatically booked us into a hotel, so once we figured out what the heck was happening, we took a bus to the Sofitel near the airport, where many of my other flight mates were staying. When we got there, we just told the hotel our name and voila, we had a room. I did not get checked in until about 1:00 am however, as the bus to the hotel had taken a while to get to us. So 4:00 am the next day came fast! 

Long story short, I got to where I needed to go. However, once I got home, I emailed Austrian and told them that I would like to have my ticket refunded and also get reimbursed for the hotel that I had booked in Vienna and never used. They actually came back to me pretty quickly and asked for more info, which I sent them, and then they said it would take a couple of months to process. They kept following up with me when the couple of months had passed, but I did finally get a credit of €250.00 in the end, which I was happy enough with. 

I thought I was just really good at negotiating, but I found out afterwards that there is a rule in Europe (EU261). You can read all about it here, but basically if your flight is canceled, depending on how many kilometers/miles it was, you are entitled to compensation. FYI, they usually will NOT advertise this, and you have to request it! So if I had not emailed them, they probably would have never said anything! Here is the breakdown: 

Up to 1,500 km (930 miles) --> €250.00 

1,500 km to 3,500 (2,170 miles ) --> €400.00 

more than 3,500 km -->  €600.00 

You have three years in most cases to claim this under rule EU261, so think back and if you have a flight that was going to, from or within Europe, you may be owed money. Just as a side note, in the US, it may be worth emailing them too if your flight ever gets canceled, as I have gotten some money back by doing this too (as well as a hotel room and a meal usually). It does not hurt to ask!

Have you ever had a flight canceled? If so, what did you do? Have you heard about this rule? 

If you haven't already, you can fill out this form with any questions you want answered for my upcoming ask me anything post!!

This post is part of NaBloPoMo. You can find the rest of my posts for this challenge here. You can find the list of participants and their information here. 

Travel Planning: Getting The Most Out of Google Flights

Planning travel can be fun, and over the years it has changed (remember calling each airline to ask for pricing when you wanted to book a flight?) However, now we almost have too many ways to do it!! So I am going to tell you one main tool I use and how to get the most out of using it. Obviously flights and accommodation are usually the highest cost items, so in this post I will talk about what I use to find cheap flights, and that is Google Flights. 

Google flights is part of the Google Travel suite, and you can also use it to find hotels and vacation rentals. However, I will just talk about flights for now. Before I start, one of the best ways to get good prices on flights is to use points! However, I will be talking about that on my Money Monday post next week so stay tuned! Let's assume you don't have any points. Here are a few ways to maximize your experience and minimize your cost for flights. 

First, if you have any flexibility around your destination, you can put in your home airport and put "Europe" or "Anywhere" in the destination field and then you can pick depending on price. I use this a lot, as you can easily get from one place to another using regional transport or trains once you are there (which I will discuss more below). 

Next, it may make sense to put in multiple airports in either the to or from field. To do this you just click the plus and add any airports you want to check. In my case, I could go from SFO, but it may make more sense to fly from LA (LAX) for some destinations. If it is a significant difference, you can get a cheap flight on Southwest or whatever the local carrier is and possibly save money without sacrificing time. If you have a lot of time, you can even use further locations and you may even be able to have a couple of fun days in a new place! You can also check "San Francisco area" instead of San Francisco and it will automatically search from San Jose, Oakland, SFO etc. 

Doing this for a trip to Berlin, it was $400 less to go from LA, and a Southwest flight from Oakland to LA is only about $200. If you don't have the time or the patience for this, I understand! However, if you do, it could work out well. Also if you live in a small town or city, it may make more sense to choose some larger cities and then get to the airport on a separate flight or drive. 

I recently looked into flying from SFO to South America. From SFO to Buenos Aires it was about $500-$900 one way on Avianca, but if you go from Miami, it is $300, and you can get a flight from SFO-MIA for $90 on Frontier or $84 on Jet Blue (including one carry on). That is a savings of ~ $110 - $510 each way depending on which one you choose! Sure, it may take more time, but you could go a couple of days early and experience Miami too. 

Speaking of carry on, when I search for flights, I always put a few things into the filters. First, put your luggage in; this will edit the price for airlines like Frontier, where if you do not put this in, the flight looks cheap, and then you add your options (choose seat, luggage, etc.) and it is not as great of a deal. Just beware, as this will add the cost of baggage for some, like Frontier or United, but not for others, like EasyJet. 

I also sometimes deselect some of the connecting airports. If you have ever transited through Chicago O'Hare or Washington Dulles you will know what I am talking about, as some airports are a pain to go through, especially for international flights. 

Speaking of that, for all flights, but specifically for international ones, a couple of other things I watch for are layover time and connecting airport. If you have to go through customs, I would suggest a minimum layover time of an hour and a half, just in case. I once had a 50 minutes in Frankfurt and even though I only carry a backpack (no rolling luggage) I was sprinting and sweating to get to my flight on time. I don't know why they do this, but I would check that closely! 

For connecting airport, here is the rub. Let's say you are flying from Berlin to San Francisco. If you transit in Frankfurt, you will have to go through the European exit customs in Frankfurt, so you will need extra time there. If you fly from Berlin to JFK and then to San Francisco, you will go through the European exit customs in Berlin, and the US entry customs at JFK. This can pose a problem as well, as you may have to retrieve your luggage and put it back through security at this point, so you will need extra time. This is yet another reason to only travel with carry on. Personally I would rather transit in Europe and skip a US layover, and go through customs when I get to SFO, so I plan my flights accordingly. Or even better, I buy a non-stop flight. Sometimes the extra cost is completely worth the decreased hassle factor. 

Speaking of non-stop flights, just as with the departure city, sometimes it makes more sense to get a non-stop flight to whatever major city is cheaper, for example, SFO to Frankfurt, which can be cheaper and saves issues with transiting and customs, and then taking a regional flight or a train or a bus to wherever you want to go. At the time of this writing, round trip flights in January from FRA to either Marseille, Krakow, Barcelona or Seville cost around $200. 

Last, but not least, if you have flexible dates, you can look at the price or date graph, and you can toggle the "track prices" button to get emails when the price changes. 

Actually, THIS is last, but I never book through Google Flights or Expedia or Orbitz; I always go to the specific website for the airline. I also don't book one leg with one carrier and another leg with another, as I have done this in the past, and when one flight is delayed or canceled, it can be a rescheduling nightmare. The good thing about Google Flights though is that you can click through their site to book the flight on the carrier website once you have decided which flight you want. 

I think that is everything! Let me know if you have any questions or want more information. If you are new here and you want to see where I've traveled so far, check out my Around The World page! 

Also, tell me: What website or method do you use to find good deals on flights?

This post is part of NaBloPoMo. You can find the rest of my posts for this challenge here. You can find the list of participants and their information here. 

Six Things to Do in Portland, Oregon

I first came to Portland about 15 years ago, and for the last ten years, I have been to Portland on average about once a year. It has been so fun to explore the city and the more times I come, the better the visits get, as they are very low key and I can spend my time doing what I love doing best, walking around and looking at stuff! Besides just doing that, here are six things that I would suggest to someone who was going to visit Portland. 

(1) Drink beer / go to breweries! I had to lead with this one, because if you are a beer drinker, you will love this town. There are so many options and I could name about a million of them but some of my favorites so far (and I am still testing this out) are Hopworks, Breakside, and Upright (I went to this one when it was basically just a cave in a basement). 

(2) Explore the neighborhoods: I had to say this, as this is one of my favorite things to do. There are so many little neighborhoods, each with their own flare or charm. Portland is set up in quadrants, and I like to check out a bit of each, but I have predominately stayed in the NE when I have come. Some fun ones are Alberta, which is known for its art scene, Hawthorne, which has tons of good food and shops and Laurelhurst, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Portland and one of the first planned neighborhoods ever. You can find more specific info about the 95 neighborhoods here. 

Rose City Park neighborhood during Halloween

(3) Forest Park: This park is right in the middle of the city. It is beautiful and it is easy to do loops of any distance and you don't even feel like you are near a city, even though when you are done, it is close enough to go and get a multitude of different foods (and beers!) within a few miles. 

Forest Park in winter

(4) Columbia Gorge: Although technically not in Portland, it is worth a trip out to see this. Whether you drive it or hike it or camp it, there is so much to do in the gorge. It is so green and lush and if you are feeling frisky, you can get up high for a wonderful view. Not only that, but you can fish, drink beer, eat great food and see tons of waterfalls, rivers and creeks. I suggest the Eagle Creek trail, where I once saw salmon spawning, and then lunch in Hood River at either Bette's Place or Mugen Noodle, and then an after lunch beer at pFriem Brewery. 

(5) Powell's: Books, books, books! This is the best bookstore and if you like books, you have to go here. If you don't like books, well, maybe go and get a coffee while your friends look at books. It is three floors of every book you can possibly imagine, plus they even have used books. Pro tip: go to the flagship store on Burnside!! 

Powell's

(6) Eating! There is so much good food! I personally love a good breakfast place, and for that I would suggest Screen Door, Tin Shed or Pine State Biscuits. For lunch/dinner, I like Otto's Pizzeria (best GF crust I have had so far), Matt's BBQ...and so many more! 

Matt's BBQ

The above list is just a taste of all of the fun things there are to do! I still have a lot more exploring to do and I am sure I will find many more things that I love to do in Portland before long.

Have you ever been to Portland? If so, what is your favorite thing to do there? If not, what is your favorite city/place to wander around? 

10 Things To Do In San Francisco

I know many of you have probably already been to San Francisco, and have done the usual touristy things (Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, Golden Gate...etc.) but thought it would be fun to provide you with a few of the lesser known things to do on your next trip that are a bit less touristy! Or, if you have never been, perhaps you can do a bit of both. This is obviously not an all encompassing list, but just a small slice of the many fun things to do! Everything on this list can be reached by public transportation or on foot, or there are many public bikes and scooters if your feet need a break (link to below map here). 

                   

1) Twin Peaks / Sutro Tower: My family has always called the tower Godzilla, and I am not sure why because I Googled it and can only find reference to it being called the Space Claw... It is kind of a monstrosity either way, and was built in 1973 (it recently had its 50th birthday) to help improve the television signal in the city. However, the real reason to go up there is the fun drive (or hike if you are feeling athletic; it is only a couple of miles depending on where you start) up and down and the great view you get from the top! 

View of downtown from Twin Peaks

(2) Golden Gate Park: This is a lot of ground to cover, but a favorite loop of mine is to go and ogle the bison in their paddock (2a), walk past the Dutch windmills and tulips (2b) (in bloom in February) and then end up at Ocean Beach (2c), where you can watch the (kind of scary) waves of the Pacific beat on the shore. If you like walking a lot, you can keep going and head over to the Cliff House (2d), an icon of the city, and the Sutro Baths (2e), where people used to bathe with a view of the ocean! For these places basically being in the middle of the city, they can all be surprisingly quiet. Tip from a local: bring a jacket, no matter what month it is. It gets chilly on that side of the city! 

Dutch windmills & tulips

(3) Land's End: If you keep walking after the Sutro Baths, you will get to Lands End, a dirt walking trail along the coast, which has some good views of the ocean and the Marin Headlands to the north. Also, this is right near the Legion of Honor (3a), which is worth a look-see (and if you don't want to walk so much, you can split the park and these two places into two groups). 

(4) Irving Street: Since we are already down near the park, we may as well go to Irving Street for something to eat! There is pretty much anything you could want between 19th St. and 24th St., but some of my favorite things to get are either pho, dim sum or Thai food (Marnee Thai  (4a) is a must and if you go, you have to try the kanom krok - even if you don't see it on the menu, ask for it). You also can't go wrong if you just wander, or stop when you are hungry (after your GG park walk you will be!) This guy has a fun map with restaurant names and notes. Oh, and if you feel like straying a bit for a good pizza or bread, check out Arizmendi Bakery (4b) on 9th and Irving. 

(5) Chinatown: Pick up some dim sum to-go from Delicious Dim Sum (5a) and sit in Portsmouth Square (5b) where you will have a view of the Transamerica tower, and watch the locals play their daily board games. They really get into it and it is fun to watch the competitions arise! Plus the area is just so vibrant; it is a great place to people watch. 

Delicious dim sum!

After that, if you feel like being a tourist, you can walk down Grant Street, or if you want to see how the locals shop, take a stroll down Stockton Street (5c). Local tip: You can get great prices on fruit and vegetables here. If you want to buy anything from the shops, there are not really proper lines. Just walk in, put your item on the scale next to the register and get your dollars out quick. It is a dog eat dog world out there and you need to be quick to win your right to pay for your goods! Also, I have never paid with a card, so I can't confirm whether they take them, but I would have cash on hand just in case. 

(6) Filbert Steps: These go from Sansome Street up to Coit Tower, so they are a little touristy, but it is also  fun to go up or down them. It is a stairway within a neighborhood and it is fun to check out everyone's gardens and at the same time you get a glimpse of the Bay Bridge and the San Francisco bay. If you feel like doing a loop, I like to go up (or down) Vallejo Street (6a) which is also steep but provides a nice view. If you like hidden staircases like I do, San Francisco has over 600 public stairways (map here) for you to explore; here is an article about 11 of them to get you started. 

(7) The Murals in the Mission: Head down to Clarion Alley (7a) and scope out the cool murals, and afterward, go and get a burrito. There are so many places to choose from, and you can't go wrong with most of them, but I often end up at either El Farolito (7b) on Mission & 24th or El Toro Taqueria (7c). And don't forget to eat the burrito properly, which I describe in this post. You can also find more mural locations in this article. 

(8) Crissy Field/Fort Point: If you feel like taking a nice walk along the water, you can go from Crissy Field down to Hopper's Hands (Fort Point) (8a), which is about 1.5 miles each way. If this is too much, there are options: you can park in the Warming hut lot (8b), which makes the walk only about half a mile, or you can drive all the way to Fort Point if the gate is open. Either way, it is a great way to get outside and get some fresh air, plus you have the added bonus of a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, the water, the Marin Headlands and the city! Basically you can't go wrong. Don't forget to touch Hopper's Hands for good luck when you get to Fort Point! 

Fort Point

View from Crissy Field

(9) Fort Mason: You can go and watch the sea lions at Fisherman's wharf, or you can go to Fort Mason instead and watch them at the marina, swimming around and sunning themselves on the docks. Also, if you are looking for love, supposedly the Safeway (9a) across the street is frequently listed as one of the city's best pick-up spots and is affectionately known as the "Dateway." 

Fort Mason / Marina

(10) Biking the Embarcadero: Most people talk about San Francisco's hills and how scary they are when running or biking, but despite the rumors, there are a lot of flat options! The simplest one is to bike along the Embarcadero where you will have to climb a small hill to get to Fort Mason, but after that, you will go back down towards the Marina and Crissy Field where it is flat again. Of course, you can make this a multi-mile trip pretty easily: the Mission is also flat, Ocean Beach/Great Highway are gorgeous, you can even bike to Sausalito (and beyond)! Really the city is your oyster. 

Bay Bridge / Embarcadero

Well there you have it folks, a handful of fun things to pick from next time you are in San Francisco! Of course feel free to ask questions if you need more information! 

Have you ever been to San Francisco? Have you been to any of the places/done any of the things on this list? If not, what is your "local tip" for your neck of the woods? 

The Last Frontier

Alaska has been on my list for years; it is wild and untamed. It is dark and cold. It is  full of large creatures. It has very few roads. It is literally in the middle of nowhere. Well, I guess supposedly you can see Russia from some parts of the state, but I did not experience that myself. 

What I did experience were adventures, beautiful scenery and some challenging backcountry hikes. Here are some of the highlights from the trip. For context, I flew into Anchorage and planned most of the outings within a few hours drive of the city. I have noted the driving times below.

Denali NP – it is worth taking a bus on the Denali road (you can do an audio tour or just take the normal park bus depending on what you like. We just took the simple one, and you can see lots of animals and possibly Mt. Denali if the weather cooperates, which it did not do ☹). This is 3 hours north of Anchorage by car or you can take the train.  

There are a couple of short hiking options near the visitor’s center or you can get a permit and a (free) bear canister from the building by the bus depot and tromp around the back country (no trails), fording rivers, whacking bushes and fleeing bears, which is what we did (minus the bears). The park road is about 100 miles long and currently it is closed due to a landslide at mile 42 (supposedly to be fixed in 2025), but there are still plenty of hiking zones to choose from. 

Teklanika River

Hatcher Pass – great views and lots of hiking opportunities with different lengths depending on fitness level. This is about 1 hour north of Anchorage by car.  Note: it is a dirt road part of the way, but it is very smooth and we had no issues whatsoever. We also did the Bomber Traverse, a hike starting from the Gold Mint Trailhead and continuing past the Mint hut, the backdoor gap, the Bomber hut and the Snowbird hut (and many glaciers!). This hike is about 25 miles in total, with about 7 or 8 of them off trail, so we ended up doing it in two days. If you want to sleep in the huts, you can join the Mountaineering Club of Alaska (MCA), or you can just camp near the huts (or anywhere) for free. 

Pennyroyal Glacier -- Backdoor Gap -- Bomber Traverse

Seward – port city, gateway to Kenai Fjords and the start of the Iditarod trail; Great place for hiking, eating, and lots of walking along the water. Lowell point walk (about 2 miles each way), Sweet Darlings for ice cream and Firebrand BBQ for their pork belly are a must. We also hiked up the famous Mt. Marathon, which is a 3,000 foot climb in 1.5 miles if you use the official race trail or about 2.5 miles if you go via the hiker route. The views from the top are fabulous! 3 hours south of Anchorage by car.

View from Mt. Marathon

Kenai Fjords NP – The Exit glacier and Harding icefield are beautiful. The Harding Icefield trail is a 4.1 mile each way out and back which is about 3,000 feet of climbing, but the views of the glacier along the way as well as the icefield at the top are stunning. It is well worth the climb, but I suggest you start early as we were the first ones to the top and had the view to ourselves (around 8:30 am) but there were a lot of people heading up when we were headed down. 20 minutes from Seward by car. 

Harding Icefield

Anchorage – you can rent bikes and ride (or walk) along the coastal trail which goes from downtown to Kincade point, about 10 miles each way. It is a very pleasant and flat bike trail along the mud flats. I would recommend Snow City Café for breakfast/lunch, but be prepared to wait a little while (you can put your name in and walk around while you are waiting or you can grab a mug of coffee and sit outside and enjoy the weather). 

Chugach National Forest – there are so many hikes and so little time, but two that we did that I would recommend are the Lost Lake trail and Crows Pass. The Lost Lake trail is about 20 minutes from Seward and is about 7 miles each way, but it is only about 2,200 feet of gain, so it is uphill but not too strenuous. Again, I suggest starting early, as there were a lot of people on the trail on our way down. The Crows Pass trail is a 21 mile trail each way, but if you start on the south end near Girdwood (about one hour south of Anchorage), you only need to go about 4 or 5 miles before you see all of the good stuff (the Crows Pass cabin, the Raven glacier, great views) and can turn around and go back. After that it is very brushy, so save your energy for something else. Part of this trail follows the famous Ididerod trail too! 

Lost Lake

And just like that, the one week trip was sadly over. 

Have you ever been to Alaska? What was your favorite thing that you did? Have you been to any of the places on my list? 

Flying Solo

The first time I traveled abroad I went solo. Of course, these were the days when people could take you to the airport and sit with you while you waited, so my parents came with me and waited with me for part of the time. But then I was a free bird, flying east to France to seek my destiny. I arrived in Paris with two huge suitcases, which I had to drag around the city and then onto the train to Bordeaux, where I would be living for the next few months. 

Paris

Since that day, which was many years ago, I have spent a lot of time traveling solo. Sometimes it is nice to have a buddy to share time and experiences with, and usually when you are alone you can easily find a buddy to share with, but sometimes you just want to do things on your own. Also, sometimes nobody has the time or the money or the desire to do what you want to do, but I prefer not to let that stop me! I feel that although it is sometimes difficult and scary and strange, it has many benefits as well. 

Namibia

Things are hard. Yup, things are hard! You have to figure out in a different language how to get to your next destination or find a product that you need or ask a question. I was in Peru and I needed gas for my stove for a multi day hike and I went to the outdoor equipment store and was ignored at first and then stumbled over the words like a two year old (gas? gaso? fuego?) and then found the gas to be very expensive. I decided to take a pause and recollect my thoughts. I went back to my hostel and saw some gas cannisters at the check in counter and tried again. It turned out, they were half used cannisters left by other people and the guy gave it to me for free! After that, I felt like I was superman, just for something that at home would be a simple chore. 

Laguna Churup, Peru - 4,450 meters (14,685 feet)

There are sometimes scary moments. I was walking on a beach in Brazil when I was catcalled by a bunch of guys just hanging out on the shore. I don't think you need to understand the language to get what they were saying. However, I held up my head and walked past them and of course checked my back when I felt it was safe. On one hand, maybe they were just the "construction workers" of Brazil, but without knowing what they were saying or what the customs were, I knew I should be careful. When I was younger I was so embarrassed when this would happen at home, but while traveling I got through it, and was proud of myself for not just giving up and going to sit in my room alone. 

Barerrinhas Lencois Marahenses, Brazil

You are your own cruise director. There is nobody to help you with the planning, which is sometimes a bit daunting, but on the other hand, you are your own boss. If you want to pivot, you can, and you will not be beholden to anyone but yourself. I traveled to Sweden for a 12 day long hike and about six days into it, it started to pour down cold rain nonstop. By day ten I was wet and cold and tired of setting up my tent in the pouring rain, so I decided to get off trail two days early and go and get a hotel with a warm shower. Did I finish what I had planned? Nope! Did I still have a great time? Yes. Was I disappointed in myself? Not really. But if I had been with someone else I may have done things differently due to external influences. This has allowed me to be more confident and sure of myself and to learn to live up to and learn from my failures, manage changes of plans and deal with obstacles along the way. This also means that if you want to throw in the towel on one activity and go lay on the beach and eat bonbons, you only have yourself to answer to (and myself says, "I love bonbons!")

Sweden - beautiful, but rainy in September!

Even introverts can make friends. I can spend all day in a room by myself with my book and not be unhappy. However, I can also strike up a conversation about nothing with a stranger and soon have a fast friend. I stayed in many a hostel and made plans with a new to me friend to go and see the sights and before we knew it we had spent weeks together. In Rome, I arrived late and everyone in the hostel I was staying at was already asleep. The next morning, when I got up, there were all kinds of people, and I sat and chatted with them while eating breakfast and found out they were basically going to all of the places I had planned to go, so we decided to go together. I ended up not only hanging with this group of people for a couple of days but also went with one of them to my next destination of Naples and spent a couple of days together there. It is so easy to meet people and often when you are with someone else, you stick to yourselves. However, when alone, you are sometimes more open to meeting others! 

Frasier Island, Australia

Of course, being alone does have it's issues. For instance, when biking alone, when you need to go to the bathroom, there is nobody to watch your bike! The same thing goes for luggage, although I have learned a lot since my first two-suitcase-trip and I can usually carry my pack into the restroom with me. Hotels are more expensive when you can't share, and sometimes going out to eat alone is not super exciting (tip for this: sit at the bar and then you can talk to the bartender, the guy next to you, or nobody, depending on how you feel). 

Uyuni Salt Flats, Bolivia

One thing  many people have asked me is whether or not I feel safe, and I can resoundingly say that I do. There are less times than I can count on one hand when I have been bothered or felt unsafe; in fact I have felt less safe in certain places in the U.S. than I have in places like Africa or Central America. Don't let the fearmongers get you down; get out and fly! 

Have you ever traveled alone? Why or why not? Do you enjoy it? What do you consider the most challenging part of traveling / traveling alone?