Honest travel guides for people who actually read them. Written by someone who lived them.
No five-star fluff, no sponsored detours. Just real itineraries, the costs I actually paid, and the bits I'd skip if I went back tomorrow.
Routes I've actually walked.
Day-by-day breakdowns with the prices, the wrong turns, and the cafés worth a second visit.
Marrakesh to Merzouga, slowly
Why I skipped the group tour, what the desert camps don't tell you, and the bus that almost broke me.
Bali, Lombok & Komodo: The Honest Itinerary
Three weeks, five islands, whale sharks in Saleh Bay, and the boat tour that will stay with you forever.
Southern Patagonia: 26 Hours on a Cargo Ship
The tour got cancelled. The chairlift broke. We hitched a ride down a snowy mountain. Still the best trip I've taken.
Stockholm + Helsinki: A Girls Trip Done Right
Lakeside Stockholm, archipelago day trips, Helsinki saunas, and the best pastry you will ever eat.
Portugal
Lisbon to Porto, no rental car. The train route that's actually faster, and the day trip I'd genuinely skip.
Vietnam
Hanoi to Hoi An, sleeper trains, and the food street I'd fly back for. Includes the scams I fell for.
Real talk, no clickbait.
The stuff I wish someone had told me before my first solo trip — and the second, and probably the seventh.
How not to lose your passport (a survivor's guide)
I've left mine in a hostel safe in Lisbon, a café in Hanoi, and exactly one pair of jeans in the wash. Here's the system that finally stuck — and it has nothing to do with a money belt.
The "airport currency exchange" trap
Spoiler: it costs you about 12% before you've even left the terminal. What I do instead, with the actual card I use and how much I save on a typical week-long trip.
Packing for two weeks in one carry-on
Not a minimalism flex. Just a list of what I actually wore, what came home unworn, and the one thing I always forget no matter how many times I make a list.
Solo dinners without the weird vibes
Bar seats, lunch instead of dinner, and the underrated power of bringing a real book. Plus the three countries where eating alone genuinely felt strange and what I did about it.
Hi, I'm the one writing this.
Originally from Canada, I’ve spent the last four years navigating life from my home base in Germany. I’m not a "digital nomad" living out of a backpack—I have a full-time job that I actually keep.
My guides are built for people like me: those of us maximizing our PTO to see the world without draining the savings account or pretending that travel is always a postcard.
I'm in my early thirties, based out of a suitcase about half the year, and I have strong opinions about airport coffee. If that sounds like your kind of corner of the internet, the newsletter's down there.
— with love and slight jet lag
The gear and tools I actually use.
Nothing here is on the list because someone paid for it. If a link is affiliate, I'll always say so.
Osprey Fairview 40L
Three years, four continents, zero complaints. Carry-on legal on every airline I've tried.
Wise multi-currency card
Honest exchange rates and no surprise fees. The card that quietly saved me hundreds last year.
Airalo eSIM
Data the moment you land, no SIM-swap dance at the airport. Works in basically everywhere I've been.
SafetyWing insurance
Used it once in Vietnam, got reimbursed without a fight. That's the only review that matters.
Maps.me (offline maps)
Free, offline, and weirdly better than Google Maps in places with patchy signal. My desert camp lifesaver.
A real, paper notebook
Yes, really. Customs forms, hostel WiFi codes, and the one café you'll never find on Instagram.
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