Thoughts on slower travel, trip planning, favorite neighborhoods, and the experiences that make a destination memorable beyond the major attractions.
For years, I thought I knew what kind of traveler I was. I loved cities. I loved movement. I loved stepping outside my hotel and knowing there would be museums, restaurants, cafés, and neighborhoods waiting to be explored. Beaches never held my attention for long, and I certainly wouldn’t have described myself as an outdoorsy…
Hi, I’m Andrea. For years, I thought I simply loved traveling. What I eventually realized was that I love planning trips almost as much as taking them. In some ways, I may enjoy it even more. Long before I book a flight, I’m researching neighborhoods, comparing routes, reading trip reports, and trying to answer questions…
A realistic travel planning process (not just inspiration) Most travel planning advice starts after you’ve picked a destination. Mine starts much earlier. Before I think about hotels, attractions, or even flights, I’m trying to answer a much simpler question: What would this trip actually feel like? Is it a destination where I’ll naturally slow down…
Some Trips Feel Harder to Start Some trips feel harder to bring to life than others, and I think even for experienced travelers, that feeling never fully goes away. For me, Europe—especially cities like London or Paris—has become relatively easy to plan. Even parts of Central and South America now fall into that category after…