Can you believe we’re halfway through 2018? Actually, we’re more than halfway. It feels like this year has absolutely flown by. I cannot believe we’re in July already. But when I look back at the first half of 2018, I did manage to cram in quite a bit! Milestones One of my biggest milestones from the first half of 2018 is actually this right here – this blog! I have been blogging since 2012 but only this March decided to take my blog public, commit to regular posting and actually share my writing with the world. And it’s been so… Read More
International Travel
The Top 3 Things You Must Do in Ireland
During our 10 day trip to Ireland, we crammed in a lot of sightseeing across four cities. While 10 days isn’t very long, we definitely managed to see and do quite a bit. But if I have to pick my top spots, these are the top three things you must do in Ireland. If you’re short on time or need help planning an Ireland itinerary, I suggest you plan it around these three activities. Walk around Giant’s Causeway So my first must do in Ireland isn’t even technically in Ireland – well, not in the Republic of Ireland, anyway. It’s… Read More
The Competitive Nature of Travel
I’ve been traveling my whole life and blogging about it since 2012. But it’s only in the last few months that I’ve taken this blog public and learned more about the crazy world of travel blogging and travel in general. I’ve joined travel groups on Facebook and followed travellers on Instagram. I’ve started reading lots of travel blogs and have even tried out Pinterest. And while I have definitely learned a lot, gotten some great travel tips and even made some new online friends, I’ve also noticed there are some darks sides and an almost competitive nature of travel. The… Read More
Ultimate Manifesto of the Almost Budget Traveler
Confession: I am an almost budget traveler. What does that mean exactly? It means that yes, I want to save money when I travel. I love finding cheap flight deals. I’ll stay in a hostel and eat their free breakfast. I’ve been on my fair share of free walking tours. But it also means I’ll splurge on a hotel every now and then. I won’t pass up a good meal or a once in a lifetime experience. I don’t track my expenses day-to-day on the road and I don’t worry about affording dinner. I’m an almost budget traveler. If I had… Read More
Big News: Europe in the Fall!
“When one door closes, another opens.” This has been so true for me particularly this past week. And that new door opening? It’s opening up in Europe in the fall! I could not be more excited about this. When 2018 started, we were looking at our big trip to Ireland in April. That was pretty much all we had in the books. I think we actually ended up booking Phoenix, Arizona at the very end of 2017 and we had plans to spend Christmas 2018 in Toronto. But our big travel plan was Ireland for 10 days in April. But… Read More
How to Spend 24 Hours in Belfast
As part of our Ireland trip, we spent a couple of nights in Belfast. The main reason we headed up to Northern Ireland was to tour the Giants Causeway and other sites up that way. But we also got to spend 24 hours in Belfast city, which was really awesome. Despite not being a huge draw for us heading up that way, our day in Belfast was actually one of the highlights. If you’ve got 24 hours in Belfast, Northern Ireland, here’s your perfect itinerary! PS: Heading to Dublin for a day? Don’t miss my itinerary for Dublin too! Morning… Read More
My Dream Travel Bucket List
To be clear, everywhere is my dream travel bucket list. The entire world would make my list because there are very few places I wouldn’t want to go (and those few are just due to safety concerns). But the following places are at the top of my travel bucket list. These are the places I have never been to and if I had the time and the money, I’d be booking a flight to these places first. I’ve listed these places by continent, with no definite ranking because it’s just too hard to choose. And because I’m really terrible at… Read More
How to Spend 24 Hours in Dublin
Colin and I recently got back from our whirlwind 10 day trip through Ireland. While I usually advocate for traveling slow, we decided to speed things up this time and visit four cities on our Ireland sampler trip. Our first stop and our last stop was Dublin. We didn’t get a lot of time there, but we did cram a ton in. Here’s how to spend 24 hours in Dublin, Ireland. To be honest, Dublin wasn’t my favourite city. I didn’t think it was going to be. Most people say that Dublin is just another big city and is best… Read More
How to Plan a Round The World Trip for Less Than $1500
A trip around the world. Sounds like the ultimate bucket list item, doesn’t it? For a long time, I thought the idea of doing a Round The World (or RTW) trip was terrible. Even if I could get that many days free to make it around the world, it seemed so expensive. But what if I could do a round the world trip for less than $1500? Colour me intrigued! What is a RTW trip? A round the world or RTW trip is literally a trip that goes around the world. It doesn’t mean you see every country or every… Read More
7 Tips for Your First Trip to Ireland
Colin and I just got back from our first trip to Ireland. We did a 10 day quick loop around the Emerald Isle visiting Dublin, Belfast, Galway and Cork following this itinerary more or less. We had an amazing time and would definitely go back (in better weather). If you’re heading out on your first trip to Ireland, here’s what you need to know. Tip 1: Dress for the weather It’s going to be cold. Apparently it warms up slightly in July and August, but the rest of the year is just plain cold. We went to Ireland in April… Read More
