September 4, 2015 by Eeva Routio Leave a Comment

Albanian Alps: Why You Need To Go There NOW

Picture Perfect Albanian Alps. Photo: Eeva Routio.

Albania… Albania? Albanian Alps? If you’re like me, your initial thoughts probably are a) where exactly is Albania and b) I thought the Alps were somewhere else. But if you love stunning scenery and exploring destinations under the radar, trust me – you will want to know exactly where Albania and the Albanian Alps are.

I have to admit my own ignorance and thank the Lonely Planet Europe guide for educating me and putting Albania firmly on my travel map. The guide described this intriguing country with a complex history and endless possibilities for exploration – especially if you’re after something a bit off the beaten path. Rugged mountains, uncrowded beaches on the Mediterranean (yes Albania is a beach destination too, and a fabulous one at that!), traditional villages and some truly unique cities. We were sold.

Sandwiched between Greece and Montenegro, Albania is also perfect for those who’re planning to traverse the Adriatic Coast of the Mediterranean Sea. You can pretty easily make your way from Greece [Read more…]

July 12, 2015 by Eeva Routio Leave a Comment

What Makes Samara Beach, Costa Rica So Special?

Samara Beach Costa Rica sunset. Photo: Eeva Routio. — Samara Beach sunset. Need I say more? Photo: Eeva Routio.

Costa Rica is well and truly on the beaten path of travelers but there are still many rather undiscovered, or at least half-hidden, gems in this popular Central American country. Samara Beach, or Playa Sámara, is definitely one of them. I actually almost don’t want to write about it in fear of exposing this ‘secret’ tropical dream destination. To borrow some words from this little movie a few years back – there’s something about Samara.

So what exactly makes Samara Beach so special? It may not be immediately obvious when you arrive. It doesn’t necessarily hit you in the face. Samara is a charming small beach town with a string of shops and restaurants, and a beautiful beach. Yes, it’s pretty, but beyond that the ‘something special’ is intangible. There’s just something about Samara that really sticks with you and the longer you stay the harder it seems to move on.

We spent over a month in this dreamy beach town and simply fell in love with it. The wide golden beach with its beautiful warm water is fantastic for swimming, relaxing, kayaking and surfing. It also has the most stunning sunsets and the long beach is perfect for a romantic stroll. There’s jungle [Read more…]

June 22, 2015 by Eeva Routio 2 Comments

Osprey Sojourn Review – Our Trusty Luggage!

His packing list. Photo: Eeva Routio — Steve’s ‘family of bags’. The Osprey in the background. Photo: Eeva Routio.

Osprey Sojourn 80L/28″ Wheeled Convertible Luggage

Choosing the right type of luggage for a long trip is quite an art form. You need to think about the size, type, weight and features of the bag. And the cost too – good luggage is not cheap. But investing in a good travel bag is SO important. You don’t want to be that traveler dragging your luggage – complete with sparks and accompanying sound effects – with a missing wheel through the airport. Or the one trying to carry a backpack with a broken strap. What you do want is a bag that’s durable, easy to maneuver around and light – qualities generally not found in cheap bags. Your luggage also needs to fit the type of trip you’re planning to undertake.

We were initially thinking about getting backpacks for our 15-month trip. But since we knew we had to pack quite a decent amount of stuff (see my Tips for Packing: How and What to Pack for Long-term Travel post for all the stuff I have in my bag!) we started leaning towards wheeled luggage as the idea of carrying around heavy backpacks wasn’t that appealing. We did a fair bit of research online, and Osprey seemed to be one of the brands that kept popping up in many travel blogs. We then discovered their wheeled convertible luggage and were intrigued – a wheeled luggage that could be converted into a backpack, as needed? It seemed perfect for us and after seeing the bag ‘in person’ we went ahead and got two identical Osprey Sojourn 80L/28″ bags (in hindsight we probably could have gone for different colors…).

Osprey Sojourn Review

This trip has so far taken us to cities, beaches, jungles, mountains and pretty much everything in between, on all sorts of terrain. There’s been lots of unpacking and repacking throughout the trip, as well as plenty of wheeling around the luggage. But the one thing we actually have not used is the backpack conversion… There have been a couple of times when we were thinking about whipping out the backpack straps, however messing around with your bag in the middle of a street in Paris just [Read more…]

June 8, 2015 by Eeva Routio Leave a Comment

Traveling On A Budget: 10 Tips For Keeping Your Travel Expenses On Track

Traveling on a budget. Photo: Eeva Routio. — Keep those piggies smiling! Photo: Eeva Routio.

Smart choices and tracking your expenses will make traveling on a budget easier

“Expenses tracking, oh yes please tell me more!” – said no one ever. I’m the first to admit there’s nothing exciting or sexy about budgets or tracking your expenses. But what IS exciting is that by dedicating a bit of time and effort to your travel budget you can not only ensure that you can keep traveling, but also stay on the road for longer.

Keeping track of your travel expenses can actually be done very quickly and easily. Something that takes maybe a minute or two each day can save a whole lot of hassle later and ensure you can stick to your travel plan and budget. There are also many small things you can do on the road to help you stretch your dollar and your travel budget further. Small adjustments to your travel spending habits can have a big impact long term.

By managing our travel budget carefully and understanding the impact our travel choices make on our budget, we’re actually tracking well under our initial travel budget. This encouraged us [Read more…]

May 28, 2015 by Steve Owen 1 Comment

9 Tips to Set Your Travel Expectations and Avoid a Disappointing Trip

This Isn’t What I Expected!

While walking through Venice, Italy, we heard a very loud voice talking into a mobile phone from a woman standing on one of the many beautiful canal bridges:

“No one told me that I had to walk everywhere! There are no cars here! I have had to walk all day. Just steps and alleys everywhere you go!”

I don’t want to judge (and by saying that I have obviously done so already). She might have had a hurt foot or maybe her travel agent told her there were people movers or golf carts here. Either way, it highlighted to us that people may set the wrong expectations for their trip and why it is important to do some research before you go.

9 Tips to Set Your Travel Expectations — What your friends show you…

Another example was the man who was standing in a castle on the coast of Ulcinj, Montenegro

and again, talking loudly enough for all of us to feel his pain.

“I can’t wait to go home! I’m so tired of not having working air conditioning.”

Once again, maybe he had a bad day. Maybe his room was very hot, but here we were in Ulcinj, in a castle, on the coast of a very beautiful setting.

There are many posts about holiday makers complaining about some crazy things, and we all like to laugh about them and at them on occasion. That being said, if you plan on dropping your hard-earned dollars on a holiday, you certainly don’t want to be disappointed.

Why We Whinge

We all whinge occasionally as it seems to be part of our nature. We got caught off guard in a beautiful area of Nicaragua when we didn’t anticipate the start of local holiday season and spent a week listening to explosions, loud celebratory gatherings on the streets and Christmas music that shook the windows of our apartment. We whinged and then with a head slap realized that we didn’t do the same thing we tell others to do. We didn’t do our research and ask the right kind of questions about where we were going and the best time for us to be there (some people would have enjoyed every minute of loudness). We acknowledged our mistake and then went outside to watch the homemade fireworks land on top of our apartment from seven p.m. till midnight (for about two weeks). Turned out to be fun with some wine and cake.

9 Tips to Set Your Travel Expectations

So here are 9 ways to set travel expectations for a more enjoyable trip and to avoid disappointment. The “you” below is a general you, not you specifically. Unless it is you.

[Read more…]