ADVENTURE ON A BUDGET | TRAVEL BLOG
We are 100% convinced that the true beauty, the true essence of France is far from its cities, far from its historical sites, and far from its beaches… The pulsing heart of it instead lies in its provincial villages where the well kept heritage remains. We were grateful to get to spend four weeks in such villages, and even more…
From Andorra, we hopped into a rideshare through BlaBla Car with two French girls to traverse into our next country. Greg had used BlaBla back in the “olden days” when rideshares were posted on hostal message boards and it took 10 minutes to write a text message. Today, of course, there is a easy-to-use app which matches drivers and riders…
Chugging along from Spain, we took a pricy bus ($36/each) three hours northwest to the little principality of Andorra, a country which has remarkably been around for 1000 years and has never been involved in a war. Also yes, that counts as a new country for both of us. Andorra, swallowed by France on one side and Spain on the…
For four centuries, the distinguished and elegant university town of Salamanca (population 150,000) attracted prestigious names such as conquistador Hernán Cortés (Yeah, the guy that wiped out the Aztec Empire) and Christopher Columbus who came here in 1486 on a fruitless attempt to get the university to fund his exploration plans. The town, draped in a seductive sandstone, deteriorated for…
From Porto, we hopped a one hour train ride north to the town of Braga, a lively city which is one of the oldest in the country dating more than 2000 years. In fact, in the Middle Ages it competed in power and importance with Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Its cathedral is the oldest in the country built in…
Porto is one of those cities that is dripping with European charm...red roof tops, contrasting sapphire blue waters, port wine flowing like water, and azulejos bedecking every other surface you encounter. It has a long and fascinating history as a port city, endless captivating colors and pedestrian thoroughfares dotting the spaces near the Douro River. It's undoubtedly immensely walkable, and…
We came to Peru from Colombia basically because we wanted to experience it, particularly Machu Picchu, before all the crowds return following COVID. While this had proven to be pretty successful, we knew that planning our trekking routes would be a little more challenging considering it was low (aka rainy) season, which runs from December-March. However, we also read that…
Any true traveler has “suffered” through a budget airline. We use quotes because we realize flying is privilege (which we’re grateful for) no matter what sort of jet box you’re gliding through the air on. In our travels, we have been on many, but perhaps none so restrictive or annoying as Viva Air. If you’re familiar with budget travel in…