Everything you need to know: Travel guides, itineraries, travel costs and more
Slovenia is known for its sustainability focus. And it is the only country in the world with love in its name. How could we not be excited to explore this pocket rocket of a country? While we only visited for eight days (as Paul had to leave the Schengen Visa area at...
Our plane has started to descend. Below us, a river meanders through the landscape. In the haze ahead of us, the first features of the city appear. Strangely familiar, we have seen these features before, on different continents though: First, there is a bridge,...
Before we started our first ever Camino de Santiago (we chose the Camino Portuguese), we spent a few days in and around Portugal’s capital Lisbon, followed by a few days in Porto (Portus Cale in Roman times), the city that lent the country its name. If you are in...
We were in two minds whether we should visit Dubrovnik or not. Our curiosity and professional ethos won in the end: we want to experience the things we write about first-hand. And promoting sustainable travel also entails visiting destinations that suffer from too...
It’s crazy: people pay HRK200 (EUR27/USD30) and more to walk in blazing sunshine and over 30 degrees heat on top of a 2-kilometre long wall made of highly reflective, light-coloured stone. Now and then, the flow of people grinds to a halt, and they patiently wait in...
Our daily expenses to explore two famous cities in Spain were USD58.44 / EUR52.04 per person per day. Our budget as always is USD50.00 so we were well over. We spent the whole of April in Spain, actually a little more: 31 days to be correct. First, we walked the...
As a true Kiwi, there are few countries in the world Paul considers on par with or surpassing New Zealand when it comes to natural beauty. Iceland, Norway and Ecuador are strong contenders. And now we’re adding another one: Slovenia. We’d even argue that New Zealand...
With quaint medieval and pretty Austro-Hungarian buildings lining the Ljubljanica River, the Ljubljana Castle and the surrounding Alpine mountains, Ljubljana is one of the most picturesque capitals in Europe. It is also one of the most advanced destinations when it...
When people plan a trip to Montenegro it’s almost guaranteed their itinerary will include the Bay of Kotor. They may even venture to the sights along the Southern Adriatic Coast (to Lake Skadar, Stari Bar or even Ulcinj). Yet one destination that is only 12 kilometres...
Are you planning to visit Lithuania and wonder what there is to see and do (in a week)? Whether you only have time for a flying visit or three weeks to explore all three Baltic countries we’ve got THE itinerary for you. Most people don’t know much about Lithuania, the...
If you’ve got three weeks to spare and wonder whether you should use them to visit the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, this article is for you. The Baltics had been on our travel bucket list for aeons, and we finally managed to visit all three of them...
Our bus suddenly grinds to a halt. Somewhere in the middle of the Lithuanian countryside, a handful of people are eagerly waiting to get on. Among them, was a guy in his 40s. Faintly resembling Jason Donovan in Neighbours days, though with a moustache, he wears...
Being nomads, cooped up in New Zealand during the COVID-19 restrictions (of 2020 to 2022), we must admit had their challenges. And while it was only three years, we knew at the time, that we couldn't wait to just grab our travel packs and go wherever we’d like to go,...
Croatia was a big tourist destination before the War of Independence in the 1990s. After the war, as tourism slowly returned, it was considered to be one of the more affordable destinations in Europe. But things change. Some places – Dubrovnik and Plitvice Lakes...
Estonia is one of 51 countries that receive more tourists each year than its total population, and it is not surprising why. Tourism in Estonia is recognised as a major source of employment, and a significant contributor to Estonia’s economic growth. While we (coming...
Lithuania is one of the three Baltic countries we visited recently. Sandwiched between the Baltic Sea and almighty Russia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have a reputation for being affordable destinations, especially if compared with more established Western European...
Who hasn’t seen that picture: a Baroque church in the middle of a lake, surrounded by mountains that reflect in its stunningly blue water? Lake Bled with its island church is probably THE most Instagrammed place in all of Slovenia. While it’s easy to visit Lake Bled...
They say great things come in small packages, and that is certainly true for Slovenia. Considering it’s such a small country (thirteen times smaller than New Zealand), there is a surprising variety of traditional Slovenian dishes you can sample here. According to our...
We have seen many stunning mountains on our travels. The Andes in Ecuador, the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and New Zealand’s Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park are among our favourites. After visiting Western Slovenia earlier this year, we have now added the Julian Alps. If...
Are you planning to visit Estonia and wonder what there is to see and do (in a week)? If you are looking for an itinerary that shows you not only cities rich in history but also gives you a taste of Estonian island life in the Baltic Sea, you’ve come to the right...
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, Plitvice Lakes National Park / Plitvička jezera [Official website, Google Maps location] is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Croatia. And for good reason: the lake terraces are easy to explore and stunning –...
The Greek island of Mykonos may be best known as a picturesque cruise ship, upmarket shopping and beach party destination. But what many don’t realize: there is also a quieter, less crowded side to the island. All you have to do is hop on one of the public buses that...
Thanks to Game of Throne's popularity, easy cruise ship access and cheap flight connections to many European cities, Dubrovnik [Google Maps location] has become Croatia’s most visited tourist destination. The city’s fortified Old Town has become so popular that the...
Are you planning to visit Latvia and wonder what there is to see and do (in a week)? Whether you can only spare a week to visit Latvia, or you have three weeks to explore Lithuania and Estonia as well, we’ve got THE itinerary for you – showing you a bit of everything:...