Category ArchiveEverywhere Once |

America the Beautiful

by Brian on July 4, 2015 in Travel, United States

Before embarking in 2010 on what turned out to be a four-year-long, coast-to-coast U.S. road trip, we couldn’t possibly appreciate–or even comprehend–the stunning beauty of our home country. The diversity of its natural wonders is perhaps unique in the world. So on this, the 239^th anniversary of a revolutionary experiment in democracy, we celebrate our nation’s founding by reminiscing over just a few of the remarkable scenes we had the pleasure of seeing during our journey from sea to shining sea.

Happy Birthday, America. You truly are beautiful.

What to Do in Santorini, Part 1

by Shannon on July 3, 2015 in Europe, Greece, Travel

Santorini just might make for the perfect holiday. Not only is it easy on the eyes, a stay on the Greek island can be as active or as leisurely as you’d like. Go sailing, take a hike, explore ancient ruins, or do nothing but sip wine and gaze at the sea. Even after spending six days there, it was one of the few places I didn’t feel ready to leave when the time came to pack up and move on. The bulk of Santorini’s visitors dock for a day, barely scratching the island’s surface. But linger if you can. You certainly won’t regret it.

One Night in Vienna

by Shannon on June 22, 2015 in Europe, Travel

On route from the U.S. to Greece, we made the most of a 23-hour layover in Vienna. This brief but memorable visit not only introduced us to a beautiful city but also reminded us why we love Europe so much—breathtaking architecture, history at every turn, and delicious food and wine.

During our whirlwind visit to Vienna we had just enough time to…

Why You Can’t Listen to Anyone Else About Travel, South East Asia Edition

by Brian on June 15, 2015 in Asia, Travel

“There are certain things that cannot be adequately explained to a virgin by either words or pictures. Nor can any description that I might offer here even approximate what it feels like to”¹ . . . lose yourself in a place that is completely foreign.

Try as we might, no one can really tell you about travel. Some things you just have to experience for yourself. That’s true even under the best of circumstances but especially so when talking about areas that are rapidly changing, like South East Asia.

Rarely have we experienced such disconnects between the things we read and our experiences on the ground as we did in this part of the world. So much is changing so fast that the travel article written even a couple of years ago is now badly out of date. The same is true of the stories you hear on the road. Time and again we met people who told us things about places that turned out not to be true.

Here are just some of the things that surprised us on our eighteen-week tour of the region.

Airlines May Reduce Carry-On Bag Sizes, Who Cares?

by Brian on June 11, 2015 in Travel

Not long ago, this week’s announcement that airlines may further reduce the already small size of allowed carry-on bags would have filled us with dread. Today we just shrugged.

You see, we used to be a carry-on-only couple. It was an accomplishment we had worked hard to achieve. And it wasn’t easy either. Downsizing everything you need in life to fit into the space of a fourteen-inch square box is no small feat.

We didn’t get there overnight, for sure. It probably took years of weaning ourselves of various “necessities” so that we could travel for any length of time utilizing only the contents of our carry-on bags. And like most other travelers who manage to make do with small luggage we felt a certain amount of pride, and even a bit of superiority, in our abilities.

Oh, how we’d scoff at all the travel noobs struggling with their monstrous suitcases. What do they pack in those things anyway? Spare children?