How to Make the Most Out of Your Road Trip

Last summer, Brandi from Not Your Average Ordinary moved from her San Diego home and drove back East on a solo four-week road trip across the northern states in the U.S. and even a dip into Canada. So I've asked her to share some tips about how to make the most of a long drive and how to relish the experience.

And P.S. we're having a wonderful time out here even if I haven't been popping in so regularly. Internet and cell phone service is pretty much non-existent once you enter parks like Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. It's probably for the best; we could use the reminder to step away from the electronics and enjoy the view. That said, our Facebook maps look awesome with all our check-ins!

When I first told friends and family that I was planning a solo cross country road trip, I don’t think they really thought I was serious. But as my departure date approached, it became clear that I would do it. Most people are unaccustomed to – and sometimes even uncomfortable with – traveling alone. I had never done it before, but I wanted the long miles of road to myself.

It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I met new friends, discovered cities I had never been to before, fell in love with mountains in the distance and alleyways and lazy days. I would do it all over again – and I may. This time, however, I know even better the essential keys to a successful solo road trip.

1. Listen to books. Get some good audio books, ones that make you want to keep driving just so you can keep listening. Maybe they’re bestselling works of fiction, maybe they’re guilty pleasures – but find ones that hook you.

2. Stop regularly. Have lunch in cafes and dinner in nice restaurants. Stop before you think you’ll need to. Stretch. Breathe. Enjoy where you are.

3. Take photos. Photograph your meals, the horizon, the sky, the streets. Photograph it all.

4. Talk to strangers. Chat up the people around you. Ask for suggestions of places to go and things to do. Make friends unexpectedly.

5. Carry a GPS. Because it’s really nice to know where you are, even if you’re in the middle of nowhere.

Images: all courtesy of Brandi of notyouraverageordinary.com

Where We Stayed During our European Travels

It's long overdue, but A. has written this round-up of all the places we slept in during our backpacking trip through Germany, the Czech Republic, France, Spain, and Italy. Some were wonderful splurges and others were cheap as hell, but they all gave us some interesting stories to tell. I was just excited to check out different hotels, get over my fear of staying in a stranger's home, and see what it'd be like to sleep during an overnight train ride into Paris. I'll chime in with some thoughts and answer any questions in the comments section.

In order to keep the trip costs down during our 23-day European vacation, we tried a variety of different lodgings. We tested out a couple Airbnb offerings, stayed in some cheap hotels, went totally budget with shared rooms in hostels and treated ourselves to a couple nice stays along the way. Here is a brief rundown of everywhere we stayed:

Hüttenpalast Hotel, Berlin, Germany

I wasn’t sure how to explain what this hotel was. On my Facebook status, I described it as treehouse + trailer park + warehouse + tea party. While this hotel had regular rooms, Dorkys wanted to try their more exotic offerings. The experience was a lot like indoor camping; a very large eccentrically decorated room contained a variety of vintage trailers and wooden cabins. We slept in one of the cabins that was just large enough to fit a double bed. The bathroom was shared.

Pros: Clean, quirky, friendly, the bar a couple doors down was a cool locals joint
Cons: Everyone can hear the noise you make, no airflow, it was slightly removed from the tourist part of town (this would be a pro if I were on this trip by myself)
Cost: $75 per night

Hobrechtstrasse 66; 49-030/3730-5806; huettenpalast.de

Michelberger Hotel, Berlin, Germany

We stayed in a room that wasn’t much larger than the one we had at Hüttenpalast, but at least this one had a shower, toilet, and sink mashed in there. The shower had a window so that anyone chilling on the double bed would have a nice show. Good way to force the issue with an unsuspecting travel partner. The vibe at the hotel was very social, with the charming common areas providing great places to meet other guests. There were several clubs, attractions, and restaurants within walking distance.

Pros: Clean, cool, social, close to the action.
Cons: The pillows felt like they were only filled by three cotton balls.
Cost: $83 per night

Warschauer Strasse 39/40; 49-30/2977-8590; michelbergerhotel.com

Jaeger's Hostel, Munich, Germany

After stepping into this hostel, I immediately felt very old. Music was playing and the bar stools were full. Our room had two bunk beds in it. We took one while a young backpacking couple from South Africa took the other. It wasn’t such a bad stay until our roommates were replaced by two South Korean boys who decided to wash their clothes in the sink, leaving the floor of the bathroom covered in water that smelled like industrial bleach. When we tried to clean our clothes the civilized way, the hostel’s dryer simply refused to do its job and they didn’t offer us a refund. We had to finish the job at a laundromat a few blocks away. Apparently doing laundry in Europe is expensive. One euro for 10 minutes of drying? Yeow!

Pros: Close to the train station, one free shot per person upon check-in.
Cons: It’s a hostel, the wifi didn’t penetrate into the rooms.
Cost: $28 per night per person

Senefelderstrasse 3; 49-089/555-281; jaegershotel.de

Train sleeper car, Munich, Germany to Paris, France

We justified this experience as just that, an experience, but we were actually just forced into sleeping on the train because the route we originally wanted was sold out. We slept in a compartment with six bunks, three on each side, and we took the top two. I was originally looking forward to the rocking motion of the train putting me to sleep, but by about the third hour of tossing, I was over it. It was hot and uncomfortable, and the train had a few stops along the way that interrupted what little sleep was possible. Realizing that you’re inadvertently leaning against a very removable railing that is barely preventing you from falling seven feet to the floor is also poor for sleep.

Pros: It's a story I get to tell in which I came close to death, but survived.
Cons: Did you not read?

Airbnb: Yassir H., Paris, France

Our first Airbnb experience was a good one; we stayed in a lovely one-bedroom apartment in Montmartre owned by a student. He gave us the bedroom and took the couch in the living room for himself. As luck would have it, he had to leave town for a few days while we were there, so we ended up with the whole place to ourselves. This proved to be convenient when I suddenly got sick and had to stay in bed an entire day.

Pros: Cheap, toned our calves and asses with the 7-floor walk-up.
Cons: Had to share the place with the owner for a couple nights, brand new towels left red lint all over privates.
Cost: $74 per night

Rue Damrémont; airbnb.com

Silken Diagonal Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

We decided to treat ourselves halfway through the trip, so we splurged on this snazzy hotel. The room was large, with a glass bathroom. As a cool perk, the hotel is situated right next door to one of Barcelona’s modern landmarks, the Torre Agbar, which we quickly took to calling “the dildo.” Though, to be honest, it looks more like a vibrator. Even more useful was the hotel’s proximity to Barcelona’s nude beach, Mar Bella, which in contrast to common nude beach reputation actually has a fair amount of attractive young people.

Pros: Very stylish.
Cons: Have to travel a bit to get to the touristy stuff.
Cost: About $165 per night.

Avenida Diagonal, 205; 34-934/895-300; hoteles-silken.com

Hostal Residencia Australia, Barcelona, Spain

This was a tiny 4-room hotel with a shared bathroom. In my defense, this was a last-minute booking. The proprietor, a native of Australia and Spanish guitar enthusiast, was fucking weird. He referred to the stuffed animal on the front desk as “Mr. Wombat” and, in the span of a few minutes, managed to refer to it several times as if it had its own personality and could actually tell me things if I directed my questions to it. Luckily, we only spent one night there before skipping town.

Pros: Really close to La Rambla and the Gothic quarter.
Cons: Mr. Wombat
Cost: $82 per night

Ronda de la Universitat 11; 34/933-174177; residenciaaustralia.com

Hotel Chanteclair, Cannes, France

The proprietor of this hotel is Danish and he decided to try something new, so he bought a shitty hotel in Cannes. To his credit, it looks like he’s been working at slowly improving it. Situated equidistant between the two notable beaches in this overpriced hive of rich people, it was a decent place to stay when you know that you’re paying a tiny fraction of what everyone else is to “enjoy” this culturally washed-out famous-because-it’s-famous former fishing village. The room was old and basic, with a shower stall and a sink, but a shared bathroom. Unfortunately, we were eaten alive by mosquitoes.

Pros: Steps from an open-air market, the stares from the rich people as they wonder how the hell you got there.
Cons: Mosquitoes! Arrrghhh!
Cost: $80 per night

12 rue Forville; 04-93/39-68-88

Hostel Archi Rossi, Florence, Italy

We expected a slightly better experience than Jaeger’s and we were right. The vibe of this place was much more sedated, despite having every inch of their corridor walls covered in writing from previous guests. If you have a thing for Korean women, stay here. While we shared our room with four others, everyone was quiet and respectful. The single best thing about this hostel was the free breakfast. I can’t tell you how much hassle it circumvents during budget travel to have your breakfast just handed to you. It just starts the day off right.

Pros: Free breakfast!
Cons: It’s still a hostel.
Cost: $35 per night per person

Via Faenza, 94r; 055/290-804; hostelarchirossi.com

Airbnb: Giuseppe A., Rome, Italy

We ran into our first trouble with Airbnb when we tried to check into the apartment and our host was nowhere to be found, nor did he pick up his phone. Standing out in the sweltering heat as we waited for him to show up was unpleasant, but once we got inside, it was a nice experience. My best analysis of the situation was that the host had recently moved to a new apartment and had kept his old one to rent out and make a few extra bucks. We ended up sharing the large apartment with a shy older couple from Norway.

Pros: At least checkout was easy.
Cons: No wifi, Rome sucks.
Cost: $81 per night

Via Giovanni Giolitti; airbnb.com

UPDATE: I've added my thoughts on each lodging in the comments below so be sure to check them out!

Settling Back Into NYC

We've returned from our European trip! It was such an incredible time filled with so many discoveries that it's inspired me to seek a life spent traveling abroad. After all that how can I sit still in one place knowing there's so much more to see in the world? But for now, I guess we're pretty lucky that coming home means returning to New York City. Three weeks felt like forever and honestly, by the time A. and I reached Italy we knew that we'd be ready to come back when the time finally came. Now if I could just get my body readjusted to the six-hour time difference...

Our trip by the numbers:

5 Countries visited
8 Cities explored in 23 days
15 Railway trains taken
2800 Miles covered by railway trains
4 Metro/subway systems conquered
9 Lodgings we checked into
$27 Price of cheapest lodging per person per night
$150 Price of most expensive lodging per night
3 Number of times we did laundry
4 Languages Dorkys was forced to speak
0 Times we were pick-pocketed, forgot something, or missed a train
2 Notebooks Dorkys purchased for her collection
2 Decks of local playing cards A. purchased for his collection
10 Ice cream, sorbet and gelatos consumed
3087 Pictures taken

Posts on Cannes, Florence and Rome will be ready soon along with my tips on backpacking and peeks into the range of places we stayed in. I'm so excited to show you guys some more photos! In the meantime, I'm sending a huge thank you and hugs to my awesome guest bloggers who not only contributed great insight for many of the cities we visited, but also kept in touch via email and Twitter during our travels. I'm so grateful to them all (especially those who checked in and sent tips when A. suddenly ran a high fever in Paris). In case you missed them:

An artistic view of Prague by Russian illustrator Yelena Bryksenkova.
Tourist do's and don'ts while in France by Milla Msa of Not Just Another Milla.
Parisian date ideas by Lindsey Tramuta of Lost in Cheeseland.
A love story spanning NYC to Paris by Kasia Dietz of Love in the City of Lights.
The Paris Color Project by Nichole Robertson of Little Brown Pen.
Travel is about how you see the world by Anne Ditmeyer of Prêt à Voyager.
The charms of Barcelona by Monna McDiarmid.
Going local in Venice by travel writer Lara Dunston of Grantourismo.
Memories of Venice by Eva of Four Leaf Clover.
Five ways to experience Florence like a local by Kate Hash of La Vita è Bella.
A fondness for Florence by Melinda Gallo.
Tips for living in Rome by Shelley Ruelle of Un'americana a Roma.

Tips for Living in Rome

Shelley Ruelle of Un'americana a Roma, knows a thing or two about making it work in the Eternal City - she's been living in Rome since 2001. Here, she offers a few suggestions for any expat-wannabe's who'd like to call Rome home, too.


Rome is so many things: chaos, a tiny town that only looks and seems big, a city with more than 2,000 years of history. Rome is gelato! Rome is men whistling at women on the street (foreign women that is, because the Italian ones won't give them the time of day. They know better!) Rome is muscular men dressed up as gladiators in front of the Colosseum. Rome is... Rome is my adopted city and it holds a place in my heart that truly nothing else in this world can compare to.

It's not easy to live in Rome so get all that "Eat Pray Love" nonsense out of your head. Living in Rome is about fighting for what you need, getting ripped off until you speak the language well enough to fight back and about fighting for your place in line... for all eternity.

But it's also fabulous chats with taxi drivers who can tell you all about the spirit of this city. Rome is about poets from the 1800s who wrote hilarious and vulgar poetry in the local dialect. It's about walking around the corner, seeing the Pantheon and never getting tired of it. It's about wearing heels and getting them stuck in between the cobblestones. It's about overpriced aperitivi, beautiful sunsets and kisses on romantic bridges. It's about life itself.

So you want to move here? Wow, brave you are. Well then, here are my tips:

1. First off, do you have an EU passport? You had better otherwise you'll be living illegally here after 90 days. Italy tends to turn a blind eye to Americans who "overstay" their welcome, but I'm not going to recommend it. It's incredibly hard to get a stay permit here. You could enroll in a study program and get a student visa or you could marry an Italian, but seeing as how I'm recently separated, I wouldn't exactly recommend that route.

2. Unless you're being transferred here by an American company your job options could be: teaching English as a second language, which is what I did; becoming a tour guide, which isn't easy because you need an official city license to do so; or translating. If you want to teach ESL, get your CELTA certification. You can do that here at the Accademia Brittanica. Everyone recommends the semi-intensive course because the intensive course is a bit too intensive.

3. Housing in Rome is EXPENSIVE. You can rent out a single room in the center in a shared apartment with one bathroom and kitchen access and you're looking at anywhere from €500 to €700, or $800 to $1000 a month. A good source for finding housing is the all-purpose expat mag Wanted in Rome. It's also a good source for job hunters.

4. A good way to get hooked into the expat network here is online. A lot of us are on Facebook and have blogs so search around and email expats who are already here. Generally we are pretty willing to help other crazy souls like ourselves because we get it. If you have the passion to want to live here, trust me, nothing is going to cure you until you do it.

5. Don't worry about having a car. Public transport is pretty crappy, but you'll have to rely on it. It's still one of the cheapest tickets in Europe - just €1 for 75 minutes and one subway ride. Just ignore the transport strikes that regularly occur on Fridays. I am convinced this is to give the transport workers a nice long weekend.

So here's wishing everyone who ventures to Rome a very buon viaggio. Cheers! Or, as we say around these parts, cin-cin!

Images: courtesy of Shelley Ruelle

Florence is Where My Heart Is

To continue the trend of Americans who've left the U.S. for green pastures across the pond, I leave you with Melinda Gallo, who decided that a trip to Florence might be the push she needed to learn the language and be inspired to write. It wasn't love at first sight, she says, but eventually realized that this was where she was meant to be.

I didn’t fall immediately in love with Florence when I first came for a visit. All the tourists, heat, and constant ruckus annoyed me. It was the middle of summer and I came for one day. I visited the Duomo and the Ponte Vecchio, but I don’t remember much else. At that time in my life, I had been living in France and England for six years and enjoyed my life in each one. It wasn’t until I returned the following year to study Italian and focus on my writing that I fell in love with Florence.

After my second day of Italian classes, I meandered the Florentine streets hoping to discover more of the city’s beauty. Up to that point, I could only recognize the main sights and was now enjoying Florence much more without the crowded streets that I had to contend with the previous year. I walked around the city aimlessly and let myself be led by whatever inspired me.

I eventually walked into an empty and dimly lit church just behind via Calzaiuoli, which I later learned was Orsanmichele. I sat down in a pew in front of a large painting of the Madonna and child, placed inside an ornate marble structure. After looking around a few times wondering why no one else was here to admire it, I felt as if I had just found a treasure and felt honored to be alone with it.

While I studied the church, a blanket of peacefulness came over me. In the silence, I had this overwhelming sense that I was home. My body relaxed into the pew and all I could feel was joy. In that moment, I realized that my living overseas had been about my finding a home. Even though I always felt comfortable where I’ve lived in the US, France and England, I knew that there was something missing. None of these places felt like home to me.

When I walked out of Orsanmichele, I was full of vim and vigor. Florence looked different to me: it became more alive and beautiful in my eyes. The expression “home is where the heart is” means more to me than the place I love the most; it’s the place where I can finally open my heart and become the person I was born to be. I've learned that home is not a destination, but rather a place where you grow and thrive.

My being in love with Florence has opened my eyes to her beauty. Each day that I am here, the city becomes more beautiful to me. Sometimes it’s just the angle of a monument in front of a building or the way the light reflects off the water in the Arno that melts my heart. Florence has had a great impact on me: my heart overflows with love and appreciation for this enchanting city that has not only welcomed me into its heart, but also encouraged me to open my own.

Images: courtesy of Melinda Gallo first published here and here

5 Ways to Experience Florence Like a Local

When I was looking for someone to write about life in Florence, I was so fortunate to stumble upon Rob and Kate Hash's blog La Vita è Bella. I think mine would be too if I were so lucky to qualify for a dual citizenship in the U.S. and Italy and stay as long as I wish. That said, I think just being able to experience the city for a few days is pretty damn good...even if I do have to return home eventually.

Hi everyone! My name is Kate and I'm a dual Italian-American citizen living in the gorgeous city of Florence, Italy. When most people conjure up an image of Florence, it's typically of the Ponte Vecchio, the Uffizi, Piazza Signoria, The David or another popular tourist attraction. While they are all must-see sites for a trip to Florence, I highly encourage you to get out and experience the city with the locals while you are here. Here are five ideas to get you started:

1. Apertivo

Think happy hour, but with free food. Apertivo is a way of life here in Italy. For about 10 euro you receive one drink and endless plate refills of an appetizer buffet. One of my favorites is the 8 euro apertivo at Kitsch 2; it can get crowded, but the selection of food is great. Via San Gallo, 22


1. Odeon Theater

One of the most beautiful movie theaters that you will ever step foot in, the Odeon plays a great variety of American, Italian and foreign films. The best part? "Libero Ingresso" or "Free Entrance" movies are pretty common -- just the other day I saw "Per un Pugno di Dollari/A Fistful of Dollars" with my Clint Eastwood-loving husband. After a long day of touring, can you think of anything better than catching a great flick in gorgeous surroundings? You can check out the schedule here.


3. Free Museum Tuesdays

If you happen to be in town on the last Tuesday of the month, be sure to enjoy state museums' extended hours. When most tourists are heading out to dinner, those in-the-know are heading out for free entrance to some of the city's best museums.


4. Notte Bianca/White Night

If you're lucky enough to be in town during a White Night celebration, make sure you do not miss it. Typically two are held in the late-Spring/early-Summer -- one in the city center and the other in the Oltrarno (my neighborhood!). Great entertainment, tasty food and streets packed with people combine for a spirited atmosphere. Google "Notte Bianca" to see if your trip dates match up to a celebration.

5. Gelato Tasting

Ask five people to recommend the best gelato in the city and you will get five different answers. Gelato is a very personal thing! Do you like yours creamy or icy? Rich or sweet? Chunky or smooth? So many questions, so little time. My suggestion? Dedicate an entire day to tasting gelato at random gelaterias that you see around town. It's gluttonous, but also fun -- because in the process of looking for shops you are bound to find corners of the city that you didn't know existed.

Images: flickr.com, flickr.com and flickr.com

A Stroll Through a Venetian Memory Lane

I first discovered Eva of Four Leaf Clover when she guest blogged at Not Your Average Ordinary during Brandi's road trip from California to New York. After reading about her travels through Paris, Venice, Athens, Prague, Krakow and Vienna, I wanted to know more (and take off on my own trip already)! Luckily for us she was more than happy to share her fondest memories about her time in Venice. Like her, I'm sure once I visit the city I'll feel like my time will be much-too-short.

Venice, Italy will always have a special place in my heart. It's full of old, beautiful buildings, bridges, boats and apparently a lot of things that start with the letter "b." Reminiscing over my favorite parts of the city and the time I spent in Venice has brought up a whole list of memories. Here are some of my favorite.
One of the first and last monuments I saw in Venice was the Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge). When nearing our first stop on the boat taxi, my friend and I passed under the Rialto and from then I was determined to go back to it within the three short days of our time in Venice.

It happened on our last day in Venice and only a few hours before we had to catch our ferryboat to Greece. Although we were cutting it close, I persuaded my friend to go back into Venice one last time. I chose the steps of the Rialto Bridge to enjoy those last few moments and boy, am I glad! Those minutes made the whole trip worth it. It was the first day the sun had graced Venice during my time there and the city was taking it all in. People were pulling up their pant legs, taking off their shirts (guys and girls, but the girls had tank tops, of course!) and tanning along the canal. It was as though the city wanted me to remember it in its full glory.

Not only is Venice unique because it's a city made up of islands, but the architecture is something else as well. Each building has so many details in the window frames, the wall colors, the design. If only the whole world tried its very best to keep everything as unique and full of details as Venice does. At the time, I was disappointed with how many buildings were covered in scaffolding, but it takes a lot of effort to keep a city like this in good shape.

My friend and I got lost so many times in Venice. All those bridges and alleyways get you from one island to five over in no time. Looking at the map, you'd think you're far from one main island only to be crossing over a bridge to where you want to be a few minutes later. Getting lost, though, was one of the best things we could have done. We saw things we'd never have known about had we just stuck to the main spots. We ended up in local neighborhoods full of cats, hanging laundry tied from one window to the other across the pathway and empty streets.

In the image above, notice that the boats aren't the famous gondolas that always represent the city, but rather the ones locals use as their main form of transportation. We got to see what it's really like to live in Venice. At the same time, it made me sad to think that Venice would soon become quite empty if it weren't for tourists bringing in business.

Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square) was the first place in Venice where I set my feet down and one of the last views I got of the city from the ferryboat. It's hard not to believe in magic in such a miraculous place. Since it's been a few years since my last and only trip to the city, I can only remember bits and pieces. Venice is a city which pulls you to return and I don't know what the Italians have done to sprinkle charm over their whole country because even though I was only there for three days, it sparked that desire within me.

Images: all by Eva

Going Local in Venice

A few days before leaving for our trip, A. and I decided to scratch Venice off our long list of cities to visit in order to give ourselves more time in Barcelona, Cannes and our next stop, Florence. Still, I wanted to share a couple great posts about traveling through Venice. Hopefully one day I'll get to visit her myself.

Travel writer Lara Dunston of Grantourismo and her photographer husband Terence Carter have been visiting Venice for over a decade and she says that she was smitten by Venice when she opted against staying in another hotel. “The first time we went it was just for a few days, as part of a longer backpacking trip through Italy, Spain and Portugal. We stayed in a budget hotel with a telephone-box-like shower in the bedroom! On the second visit, we rented an apartment, and I fell head over heels. Last year, I finally realized it was a deep and meaningful love after we spent two weeks in Venice in a vacation rental – a palazzo apartment on the Grand Canal!" The couple has been all over the world as part of a yearlong grand tour they did in partnership with HomeAwayUK where they stayed in a whopping 36 vacation rentals over 12 months including a beach house in Costa Rica to a penthouse in London. But even with all she's seen, Venice still remains Lara's favorite spot.

There’s no denying that Venice is over-run with tourists – it’s one of Europe’s most popular travel destinations and it gets around 23 million visitors every year. But contrary to rumors, Venetians do live in Venice (some 59,000 of them when we were last there) and the best way to experience Venice is the way the Venetians do. Here are my tips:

1. Stay in a local sestieri. Stay away from the touristy areas around St. Marco and the railway station and stay in a local sestieri, or neighborhood, instead, where Venetians live. I really like the backstreets of Castello and Cannaregio where you find fewer tourists and will see little old ladies gossiping on benches in the squares and kids playing beside the tranquil canals.

2. Rent a palazzo. Skip the hotels and hostels and rent something instead. While I understand a whole palazzo is probably out of your price range (it’s certainly out of mine!), you can find great value apartments in old palaces. The first one we rented years ago was a small studio that cost us just 60 euros a night – a bargain for Venice. On the last trip, we stayed in an atmospheric 17th century Grand Canal palazzo where I could lean out the window each evening and wave at the tourists on the gondolas gliding by!

3. Buy "My Local Guide to Venice." It’s a lovely, compact little guide published by Venetian husband and wife Matteo Bartoli and Mara Sartore, written by locals and available in most bookstores in Venice. It’s crammed with local tips on walks, galleries, museums, churches, shops, cafés, bars and restaurants, many of them off-the-beaten-track or given a fresh local perspective.

4. Stroll everywhere. Most Venetians we meet tell us that they walk everywhere – that’s why they’re so slim! Even locals agree that the vaporetto (public ferry) is expensive. While I’m not recommending you sprint around the city like a Venetian, if you do want to get somewhere fast, just hold on tight to the shirt-tail of a local! If you’ve got time, however, it’s best to take it slowly. Focus on exploring one sestieri at a time. Don’t throw away the map though, because you will get lost. When you do, just look up and you’re sure to see a sign pointing you to Rialto or Accademia (the two bridges) or San Marco or Piazzale Roma (the main squares).

5. Shop Venice’s markets. If you’re able to rent a place, do your shopping at the Rialto markets early each morning, where you can buy wonderful, local seafood, or the Monday organic markets (which start around 11am-noon) at Piazzale Roma, where there’s beautiful fresh fruit and vegetables from the islands in Venice’s lagoon. If you’re not renting a place, the markets are still the place to head to buy delicious fresh fruit to munch on during the day or cheeses, cold cuts and wine for snacks in the evening. There are a few lovely quiet spots on the canal behind the markets where you can dangle your legs over the side and watch the boats go by.


6. Buy a quintessentially Venetian souvenir. Mementos don’t come more local than the beautiful handcrafted notebooks, journals, albums and stationery made by master bookbinder Paolo Olbi, one of the city’s true artisans, in his workshop in Castello. You can visit Paolo at one of his two pretty shops, on Calle della Mandola or Campo Santa Maria Nova where you could be lucky to spot him embossing patterns onto exquisite leather covers. Say I sent you! If you only buy one thing, make it something of Paolo’s. Campo Santa Maria Nuova 6061; 041 523 7655 and Calle della Mandola 3653; 041 528 5025

7. Eat like the locals. This means not eating at the tourist restaurants on the main squares or beside the Grand Canal, and slipping into the backstreets, where you probably won’t have a spectacular view, but you will get to eat stunning food. Make your first stop my favorite Venetian restaurant Trattoria Antiche Carampane (Rio Tera de la Carampane, just off Ramo del Tamossi at San Polo). Note the sign out front which says, "No pizza, no lasagne, no menù turistico” – this is exactly what I love about this place. Owner Francesco heads to the Rialto markets with his chefs every morning to buy the freshest local seafood and that’s what you find on the tables here. Call ahead and book a table, and take a map, it’s tricky to find. And that’s exactly how we like it! Ask Francesco or his waiters for more eating tips.

8. Better yet, learn to cook local cuisine. Try to make time for a cooking class with Countess Enrica Rocca to learn how to cook Venetian cuisine. It’s a full day but a fun day. It begins with a chat over coffee at a café with the other students to decide what to cook, followed by a market walk to see what’s fresh and buy the ingredients, a visit to MilleVini (one of Venice’s best wine shops where Lorenzo will brief you on Veneto wine) and then a spritz at the bar across the lane before strolling back to Enrica’s. Held in her light-filled Dorsoduro home, this could just be the best time you’ll have in Venice, if not your whole trip!

9. Kick Back on Campo Santa Margherita. Forget Harry’s Bar and the usual spots mentioned in all the travel guidebooks. My favorite place for a drink in Venice is one of the handful of bars and pubs on Campo Santa Margherita. They’re nothing special, so don’t order a martini, what you’ve come for is the local atmosphere. If you’re tired, head here for a quiet sunset spritz, but if you’re up for a bit of party, head here late when the square gets jam-packed with university students drinking beers. Prices are cheaper than Harry’s Bar and the place has a whole lot more atmosphere as far as I’m concerned.

10. Learn to love the spritz. That’s the tangerine-coloured drink you see Venetians clutching in their hands, from early in the morning (that’ll be council workers or market vendors who’ve been up since 4 a.m.!) until late at night (that’ll be the students on Campo Santa Margherita who don’t drink beer). I like mine in the late afternoon, just as the sun is setting. If you rent an apartment, you can make your own: Aperol or Campari, Prosecco, soda water and a slice of orange. Cin cin!

Images: courtesy of Terence Carter and Lara Dunston

The Charms of Barcelona

Canadian writer Monna McDiarmid currently resides in Yokohama, Japan, but she's also been fortunate enough to have called Thailand, Spain, Mexico and Colombia home in the past, too. She not only blogs about her travels, but also gives us a glimpse into the details of her expat life. As someone who's lived in Barcelona for three years and names it as one of her favorite cities (and just returned from a week-long visit there), I asked Monna to share some insights and tips about the Catalonia capital.

As our plane dropped out of the clouds and swept over the Mediterranean coastline, we leaned towards the window, taking in our first, glorious views of Barcelona in two years. I turned to DP and whispered, “Why did we ever leave?”

Life, of course, is not that simple. As international educators, we are responsible for funding our own retirement and it was clear that the kind of aggressive saving required was never going to happen while working at our tiny international school. So, after three years in Barcelona, we had moved to Asia where we would be able to live well while saving money.

But, somehow, life has not been quite as sweet since.

Barcelona is of Spain but is not Spanish. When dictator General Francisco Franco tried to squash the spirit of the Catalan people during the Spanish Civil War, he couldn’t have predicted that his actions would actually help strengthen their fierce pride. The Barca football stadium was the only place where Catalans could speak their language without suppression and the team quickly became a symbol of Catalan sovereignty. Today, most Catalans speak Spanish but they may prefer not to.

I remember a particularly ornery waiter who worked at Bar Tomas in the neighborhood of Sarria. As DP and I had lived in Colombia and Mexico, we were comfortable ordering in Spanish but the waiter always responded in English. This was particularly noteworthy because he clearly did not speak English and his attempts sounded like the barking of a large, angry dog. Finally, we came to understand the root of the problem and switched to English, which was clearly less offensive than our Spanish. He nodded and laughed and smacked our plate of patatas bravas down on the table with such force that I thought the plate might snap in two. We had finally passed his test.

During our trip this summer, we met up with photographers Kyle Hepp and her husband Seba and retraced the steps of our daily walk home through the neighborhood of Gracia. The neighborhood was just as we left it and the golden light flowed down the side streets like liquid gold. The woman at our local bakery recognized us immediately (we don’t really blend) and she ran out from behind the counter to give us a hug. We had been regulars; she had never minded our Spanish.

In our three years in Barcelona, we learned that enjoying the city was like falling out of bed – anyone could do it. But to BELONG in Barcelona, now that was quite a different matter requiring patience, time, a sense of humor and a commitment to extending oneself – linguistically and socially. One needed to court Barcelona carefully, according to her rules and whims. But, from time to time, when the gods of Catalunya embraced us, it was true love. 

Whether you seek to enjoy or belong, we recommend the following during your time in Barcelona:

- Learn a few words of Spanish and Catalan before you arrive.
- Guard your valuables carefully; the thieves in Barcelona are, perhaps, the most innovative in the world.
- Eat tapas. Patatas bravas, pan con tomate and escalivada are all musts.
- Sip cava at a café.
- Fall under the thrall of Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia.

- Cheer Barca to victory in a home game at Camp Nou. Be careful…you may just fall in love with the coach, Pep Guardiola!
- People-watch in one of the city's amazing plaças. Our favorite was Plaça Rius i Taulet (now called Plaça de la Vila de Gracia).
- Walk along the beach.
- Ramble up Las Ramblas. We favor Rambla de Catalunya, which runs North of Plaza de Catalunya.
- Buy a pair of espadrilles or menorquinas.
- Take in a concert at the Palau de la Musica.

Every city has its own charms. Barcelona has way more than her fair share.

Images: courtesy of Monna McDiarmid

Travel Is About How You See the World

If you find yourself on foreign soil and want to read about local perspectives or just need to feed your wanderlust, graphic designer Anne Ditmeyer's Prêt à Voyager is the site to visit. She regularly features interviews with characters from around the world and "the creative ways people travel" in her Boarding Pass series. As a Paris resident (who hails from the United States), she also shares her own wealth of tips and info about visiting the city. But Paris is not her whole world as she's been seriously hit with the travel bug herself - Anne has currently visited 29 countries along with 47 of the U.S.' 50 states! Check out her slide show about the things she's learned from her travels and read on for her thoughts on roaming the world and discovering that there's a story to tell no matter where you are.

The tagline of my blog is "travel is not about where you go, but how you see the world." That pretty much sums up my approach. Often times I'll email interesting people, who will respond, "but I don't go anywhere exotic and I'm not a mega traveler." Good, that's not what I'm interested in anyway. Travel can happen where you live. Having lived in Paris two years now (three if you count my two prior stays) I'm on a mission to constantly discover new things in the city. I'm not necessarily looking for the "next big thing," but rather something that is new to me. This summer I ran my "Tour de France" series looking at the 20 arrondissements of Paris through the eyes of various local bloggers. It was highly inspiring for me to see my city through different eyes, and I learned about so many wonderful places I would never have know about otherwise.

As for exploring the rest of Europe, as far as I'm concerned you can't go wrong anywhere you go. In addition, a stellar network of trains and public transportation makes it easy. I remember going to Geneva years ago. A friend and I went for a weekend, and typical of most of Europe almost everything was closed on Sunday. However, by chance there happened to be a fantastic chocolate festival happening in the streets of the city – it made everything better. Last summer I went to Amsterdam for an Urban Arts Festival where I realized I could not only go to a city I loved, but two lovely designers who I had been in contact over the years would be there and I was excited to finally meet them. In fact, more often than not where I travel is dictated by who I know there rather than anything else – it makes for a fun, local twist for wherever I'm going.

Next up? Still to be determined, but I'd really love to take advantage of zepass.com or trocdestrains.com and buy a cheap last minute ticket to somewhere I've never been...

Image: courtesy of Anne Ditmeyer

The Paris Color Project

Have you ever walked down a street only to have your eye unexpectedly caught by a bright blue car parked by the sidewalk? Or smiled at the colorful shutters of an old apartment building? Nichole Robertson has been beautifully documenting these bursts colors and details of Paris for the last two and a half years and it's become such a pretty collection. Ordinary objects - chairs, street lamps, signs - get their shining moment in the Paris Color Project and it's been a treat to look through her project's archives and then happen upon a few of those scenes during my walks around the city.

Her book, "Paris in Color," will be a collection of her photos set to be published by Chronicle Books in Spring 2012, but if you can't wait until then, she also sells prints through her Etsy shop Little Brown Pen. Below, she explains the inspiration behind the project and the story she hopes to share through her Paris photos. But before she takes over, I have to share a line from the post where she shares the exciting news of her book deal: "As a small-town girl from Pennsylvania who moved to New York to pursue a writing career, and moved to Paris to pursue happiness, the one thing I've learned is that going for broke (and occasionally going broke) is worth it." Absolutely!

In January 2009, my husband, two sons and I moved to Paris. When we arrived, it was the dead of winter, but despite that, we did nothing but walk around. I had traveled to Paris many times before and I was not interested in monuments or tourist spots, so we just wandered around to get to know our new neighborhood.

As we walked, I noticed the way certain colors popped against the muted grays and whites of the buildings, and started to photograph them and post them to the blog. And that's how the color project was born. My readers asked for more, and I was happy to oblige so I kept posting.

The Paris Color Collections celebrate the city’s intimate details, often overshadowed by iconic landmarks. The photographs offer candid glimpses of the thoughtful craftsmanship, pedestrian pleasures and gracefully worn textures that cumulatively capture the unmistakable charm of Paris.

Images: courtesy of Nichole Robertson

New York to Paris, With Love

What happens when a girl meets her Mr. Perfect on Prince Street in New York City and then runs off to live with him in Paris? You ask her to write about it. Because I might love my L.A. boy, but I simply cannot be held accountable for what may happen if I encounter a sexy accent with a seductive smile in the coming days. Kasia Dietz writes about her musings in Love in the City of Lights and also designs these bold, reversible handbags including styles inspired by her adopted home.

Having lived in NYC for almost 12 years, excluding the one in which I left to travel the world, I often wondered if it was possible to find love in this city of over 8 million. (A fleeting romance certainly, but true love?) I was beginning not to think so. Until one unassuming day in March, on my way to yoga, I met with a pair of smiling eyes on Prince Street. And that is where the story begins. We took our time to fall in love. Six weeks to be exact. Five months later to the day, I moved to Paris, to live my love story. A city in which I had always dreamed to live. Little did I know.

It is now just over two years and life has proven even more a fairytale than my romantic mind could have imagined. In June we were married on the sea in Monterosso, Italy, home to my Italian. And now home to me. A place I first discovered and became enamored with during my travels. (Foreshadowing?) We are both traveling souls and have adopted Corsica as our island, exhibiting a mix of Italian and French culture. The Greek Islands have also become part of our love story, the setting of our engagement and honeymoon. France too we often explore. From the charms of Honfleur to the gardens of Giverny to the regal Loire Valley. Much more remains to be discovered in the years ahead, in Paris, in France, in ourselves and in the world.

As for life in Paris, it is not a city easy to conquer, even for a New York girl. Each day holds in it a challenge and more often than not, a reward. Life has certainly proven a unique and beautiful journey, and for this I am grateful.

My advice to those in search of love and adventure, don't be afraid to follow your own path and always smile at handsome strangers!

Images: courtesy of Kasia Dietz

Parisian Date Ideas

Lindsey Tramuta is a Philadelphia native who fell in love with a Frenchman and then moved to Paris. "Cliché, right?" she quips. Perhaps, but romantic nonetheless. Her blog Lost in Cheeseland chronicles her adventures in her new home and is a wonderful source for reviews, things to do, where to go and even how to fit in with the locals when you're the tourist. She was so sweet when I tweeted that I needed some date ideas for my time in Paris that I asked if she'd like to share a few more for day and night time rendezvous. (And P.S. she's written for Travel + Leisure, too!)

Something happens to people when they come to Paris. Expectations soar, hearts flutter wildly and vocabularies dwindle to two simple yet powerful words – love and food. When you visit the city of love and light with a loved one, or someone you are fervently trying to make your loved one, these feelings are understandable. At every turn there is beauty, magic and the sweet aroma of fresh pastries and chocolate – if you don’t fall in love with a human during your time in Paris you’ll certainly become an erudite hedonist in no time.

To fully take advantage of the landscape during your romantic excursion, here are a few ideas for daytime and nighttime outings à deux (think simple!):

Stroll aimlessly.

There are few American cities where you can honestly say it is safe to stroll without at least a rough idea of a destination point – one block can make all the difference. In Paris, the streets are yours to roam. In fact, my first date with my husband consisted of eight hours of on and off strolling that began at Odéon, took us through Luxembourg Gardens, wound us around Saint-Germain, led us to rue Montorgueil for a cheese plate and rounded out in the Oberkampf neighborhood of the 11th arrondissement for an evening drink. With countless cafés and restaurants along the way, you will have ample choice when you’re ready to rest your feet.

Suggested starting points: Metro exits Abbesses or Lamarck Caulaincourt for a tour of Montmartre. There are enough hidden passageways, charming boutiques and hills to climb for one date!

Head to the water for a Seine-side picnic.

What’s cheap, relaxing and offers one of the best views in the city? A picnic right along the Seine in the Square du Vert Galant, the island underneath the Pont Neuf. Grab a blanket, some sandwiches and sweets from any of the million bakeries the city has to offer, some wine and lounge to the sound of the water. Go for a midday food break or make it an intimate tête à tête at dusk with a bottle of champagne.

Suggested picnic spots: Parc Monceau, Place des Vosges, Jardin du Luxembourg, Jardin du Louvre

Get close in the kitchen.

The mecca of sweet and savory is the best place to learn how to make macarons like Ladurée (minus the factory), croissants like the corner bakery or a traditional French meal in a few hours time. Paris boasts a guidebook’s worth of cooking schools that offer classes to satisfy all tastes in both English and French. My husband and I took a macaron class over Valentine’s Day weekend at La Cuisine Paris and had a ball together - a sure fire way to get close.

Suggested schools: La Cuisine Paris, Cook’n with Class, Lenôtre, Le Cordon Bleu

Be charmed over breakfast.

One of my favorite spots for breakfast in Paris is a charming salon de thé in the 7th called Pain et Chocolat. Run by a sweet, older couple, the restaurant offers a complete breakfast, à la carte options and an ambiance that is quintessentially Paris-perfect. The street is calm, the welcome is warm and the food is delightful. Go first thing in the morning and then walk up Avenue La Motte Picquet toward the Eiffel Tower to beat the crowds.

16 avenue la motte picquet, 75007 (Métro: Ecole Militaire)

Whatever you do together in Paris, there is no need for frills or elaborate plans. Just enjoy each other and let the city do the work.

Image: courtesy of Lindsey Tramuta

Tourist Tips for la Belle France

Milla Msa is a London girl who, after living in New York City and Tokyo, decided to settle down in Paris. Her blog, Not Just Another Milla, details her obsessions over fashion, pastries and luxury travel while her tweets are full of great finds and news around the city. Since I've written about tourist do's and don'ts for New York City, I thought it'd be fun to know what to expect during my tourist experience in Paris.

Traveling to France is such a wonderful opportunity and despite the ups and downs, I'm still here. I want to share my tips on how to best enjoy your time but you know, each person has a different experience. Know yourself and most importantly, know what you want to get out of your trip.

1. Don't get frustrated or angry when people do not understand you. I know it's hard but the reality is that you're in France and the official language isn't English. You don't have to enroll in Alliance Francaise to enjoy your visit here but learn the basics. Coming from London, the idea of saying “good morning” to the bus driver is a foreign concept to me. I'm not sure we even make eye contact back home! As I prepare to visit another country, the first thing I do is learn how to say basics such as hello (bonjour), goodbye (au revoir), please (s'il vous plaît) and thank you (merci). In a country where you always say hello upon entering a shop, before ordering or inquiring, when entering a taxi or boarding a bus, your study time will not be wasted and once you get over the initial insecurity of your accent, you'll be fine. Go on, give it a go!

2. In France, people dress well and the only casual style you're going to see is smart-casual. That doesn't mean you have to run off to Céline and stock up on things you may not be able to afford or really like. It simply means tuck in your shirt, don't wear sports clothes unless you're working out and understand that flashy translates to tacky.

3. Paris is a city of unequivocal beauty and my favorite way of getting around, even after almost two years here, is walking. Of course the metro is highly convenient (though very dirty) and the buses run on time, but walking gives you a chance to discover little secret gardens, patisseries with displays to make you wish you all your clothes had an elasticated waist and a real opportunity to see la vie Parisienne.

Bon voyage!

Image: courtesy of Milla Msa

Magical, Melancholic Prague

When Russian illustrator Yelena Bryksenkova first arrived traveled to Prague to study art, she'd no idea of the impact her brief stay would be on her work. "It greatly influenced my color palette and inspired an appreciation for precious, friendly, and quietly beautiful things," she says. Here she shares how Prague's magic slowly revealed itself to her and forever made its mark.

I came to Prague to study illustration at the Academy of Applied and Decorative Arts during the second semester of my junior year in college. I arrived alone on a cold February night and when the taxi dropped me off in front of the beautiful dormitory in Prague 7, I was greeted by a little old woman who spoke no English but, lucky for me, a little bit of Russian. She ushered me into a modest but cozy room on the top floor and after some commotion and funny misunderstandings, I was left standing alone, with my little bed - covered in starched linen and a wool blanket - a wooden desk, a large closet and the empty bed and desk of my future roommate. I remember looking out of the large window onto the dark street and promising myself that tomorrow I will find a grocery store, my school, and most importantly, the city I've been dreaming about.

The next morning, as I was exploring my surroundings, the city appeared so suddenly below me as I reached the edge of the park that my eyes filled up with tears. I didn't know what awaited me then, but in the next five months I learned to ride the trams and the metro, speak some very basic Czech and get around without a map. I browsed antiques shops for treasures, went dancing on Tuesday nights, went to children's puppet shows that I didn't understand, and turned 21. It was everything I could ask for as a student abroad, but the city also worked its mysterious charms on my little heart in such a way that I was quite changed.

Prague is the strangest, most magical place I have ever encountered. From the beginning, my life there seemed to be ruled by kismet and coincidence and every circumstance seemed to be just a little odd, even though if you asked me what exactly seemed off, I would never be able to tell you. A mysterious tea club at the top of a tower, a dark and crumbling house on the next street, a hidden amusement park found suddenly at the edge of a park where all of the trees have eyes.

I explored the city on foot and by tram, alone and with others, and I felt romance, beauty and melancholy in everything. I peered into windows of old mansions, wandered like a ghost through ancient, overgrown cemeteries, looked down at the entire city from the tops of rocky hills and spent solitary evenings sitting in the middle of a giant yellow canola field, drinking kefir and watching the clusters of neat little houses with orange shingled roofs spout plumes of white smoke from their chimneys.

The Czech people are private and don't let others in easily, a trait which is often perceived as arrogance. On more than one occasion I felt the painful sting of being an outsider, but I have seen the craftsmanship and love with which every aspect of the Czechs' visual culture was built, the care with which it is preserved and displayed in well-kept museums. There's the quiet pride they take in their city, which is cared-for even after all of the troubles it has been through and for that, I grew to really love the Czechs.

My work is inspired by friendly images and melancholy themes alike. I was able to find both, living together in harmony in Prague, this city of precious little houses and dark, Gothic castles. There are so many beautiful things for the romantic-at-heart: art nouveau hotels, a small museum displaying richly embroidered folk costumes and hand-painted Easter eggs (as a recording of chirping birds plays in the background), the black and white tiled floor in the bathroom of the Café Louvre or the slightly worn 19th century houses, hiding beautiful apartments that a lucky few have privatized in the days of Communism. Prague's true beauty is in these details. I rarely had to go looking for magic; it found me first at every corner, and turned out to be the long-lasting kind that continues to stir my emotions and color my everyday life.

Images: courtesy of Yelena Bryksenkova