A Month in Europe: What to Bring

One major challenge in spending a month away from home is deciding what to bring and how to bring it. Realizing that we were going to be constantly on-the-go, walking on cobblestone sidewalks and riding Europe’s public transportation, we decided to go the backpacking route for our recent month-long trip. We honed in on the Osprey …

Travel Planning Tips: How to Plan a Trip to Europe

I think that half the fun of taking a big trip is the anticipation and planning leading up to it. Alex and I just returned from nearly a month abroad and have learned a lot about what it takes to plan a big trip. I am a total planner. Alex and I spent the better part …

Our Trip To Europe: A Recap

After 9 plane rides, 8 train rides, 7 hotels, 1 AirBnB rental, 8 cities, 5 countries, 5 different languages, 3 currencies, more than 60 meals in restaurants, and 26 days of traveling, we have returned home from our trip to Europe. Our adventure began in mid-June with a full day in Cinque Terre, Italy, where …

Trip to Europe: Amsterdam

After spending more than three weeks in Europe the time had come to visit the last city on our stopover. We spent our last two days in Europe in the heart of Amsterdam and we were pleased to find that we saved one of the best for last. Even with really crummy, rainy weather we …

Trip to Europe: Lake Como, Italy

The third stop on our recent Euro trip was Lake Como, Italy. This has been an area that Alex especially has wanted to visit, as his great uncle Larry has a home there. Lake Como is situated in the northwest section of Italy and borders the Swiss Alps. The lake is massive – something like …

Trip to Europe: London

The second to last stop on our trip to Europe was London. Neither Alex nor I had been to London before and both of us were really looking forward to a change in culture and cuisine. The trip to London started in Alicante. Not having had our coffee yet, were off our game that morning. …

Trip to Europe: Alicante, Spain

The sixth stop on our Europe trip was Alicante, Spain, a small city on the Costa Blanca {located on the Eastern coast of Spain right on the Mediterranean Sea}. We chose to go to Alicante for two reasons: the beach and to re-visit the location where I studied abroad in 2006. I was excited to …

Trip to Europe: Priorat Wine Tour Outside of Barcelona

Some time ago Alex and I fell in love with Spanish wines, and in particular, those that reign from the Priorat Region. This region is known for its difficult growing conditions, as it is at a higher than usual altitude (over 2,000 feet) and the terrain is basically slate – the lower elevations are black …

Trip to Europe: Barcelona, Spain

The third country in our recent trip to Europe was Spain. We visited two Mediterranean cities in Spain: Barcelona and Alicante. First up, Barcelona… After a long train ride from Zermatt, Switzerland to Geneva, a lengthy wait at the airport, a reasonably quick flight and an easy bus ride to the city center we arrived …

Trip to Europe: Zermatt, Switzerland

After spending a week in Italy it was time to move on to the second of the five countries we had set out to see on our journey abroad. Early one beautiful June morning we hopped into Alex’s parents’ rental car to make the hour and a half long drive to St. Moritz, Switzerland to …