I was trying to speak Spanish to someone the other day and as my brain reached for the Spanish word for garbage can, out tumbled German like a pair of dirty underwear at an airport security screening. “Oh, I mean…uh…” I fumbled, embarrassed My German hung awkwardly between me and the confused Mexican woman… Read More Do you ever mix up your second and third languages?
I once made the mistake of traveling with my what amounted to my travel opposite, a boyfriend* who insisted our trip revolve around organized tours, timetables, and three meals a day spent with a group of loud, boisterous British backpackers. For someone who loves flexible, unstructured vacations where entire days are spent people watching, meandering through… Read More What’s Your Travel Personality Type?
This year I’ll be going to two weddings (one in Europe and the other in New York). I’m hoping that while in Europe (the wedding is in Helsinki, Finland) I’ll be able to visit friends in Switzerland, France and Belgium, but but how much I see/do depends entirely on my financial situation and how much time I… Read More What’s on your 2013 Travel Bucketlist?
I’ve been looking through my photos of my time spent living in Central America lately and have been missing my expat life something fierce. And since my last collection of expat quotes was so popular (Google search results love it, apparently), I’ve decided to put together another list of some of my fave quotes about… Read More 12 More Quotes about Being an Expat and Living Abroad
If you guys have been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of: 1. Anything well-written (duh, I’m a writer and former English teacher) And… 2. The subject of fear and courage and how it effects us (Don’t believe me? Read this. Or this.) So naturally, this well-written Ted talk… Read More Watch this: Inspiring TED Talk about what fear can teach us
My little brother gave me this personalized world scratch map (sometimes called “the where I’ve been” map) for Christmas. All of the countries on the map have a thin layer of gold-colored foil on them that you can scratch off with a penny or your fingernail, revealing a brightly-colored country underneath. The only downside is… Read More Decorating Ideas for Travel Addicts: Scratch World Map Poster