Back to Asia: Discovering Taiwan
The last time we were in Southeast Asia was in 2019, which now seems like a lifetime ago. Our first trip to that region was Thailand in 2013, followed by India in 2014, Japan in 2016, China in 2017, Cambodia in 2018, and finally Vietnam in 2019. On our first […]
France Flashback: Châteaux of the Loire Valley
If you’ve ever skimmed our blog, you already know our usual pattern: go to a country, spend two weeks there, enjoy the hell out of it, swear we’ll return, and then never set foot there again. It happens every single time, no matter how earnestly we insist that this time […]
A Year in the Windy City: Unique Things to Do in Chicago
With 2026 underway, we’re excited for all our upcoming trips this year. But globetrotting aside, our own city of Chicago offers enough adventures to fill a whole calendar. We love being tourists in our own backyard, exploring it even after decades of living there. And because we are always obsessed […]
The U.S. Virgin Islands: Unlikely, but Possible
After getting back from the U.S. Virgin Islands, we calculated our total expenses for two people for six days, one week before high season, and it came out to $1,875 for everything, including flights, accommodations, a rental car, food, and all entrance fees. Nowadays, whenever you don’t know how to […]
The U.S. Virgin Islands: America, But Not Quite the America You Know
“So, did we travel internationally or not?” We asked ourselves this question recently after returning from the U.S. Virgin Islands. Before the trip, we felt we weren’t traveling outside of the United States. The USVI is not a country. It’s a territory and part of the United States. The “U.S.” […]
Get Addicted to Viñales – Tobacco and Rum
In previous posts, Julia already described all the bouncing joy, painful blisters, and occasional aggressive biting of our horseback riding adventures in Viñales. While Julia’s most powerful impressions in Viñales happened on horseback, I found myself awed in the most unexpected of places – a tobacco farm. We arrived in […]
Horseback Riding Day 2: Chocolate Declares War and Loses His Manhood
Please start with Part I here. On the second day in Viñales, I woke up with a dull ache in my legs. “The four hours of horseback riding yesterday certainly left an uncomfortable reminder.” I mused as I waddled to the bathroom. The problem was that my adventures in the […]
Galloping Through Viñales
“Do you know how to ride horses?” our Airbnb host in Viñales asked. “Yes!” I answered without thinking. If I had thought about it, the answer would have been, “Yes, I sat on a horse twice this year while the owner led it up a mountain, so I can enjoy […]
Havana Ooh Na Na
There are two pictures I can show people who want to know the impression Havana left on me, both taken on our very first day, the first few pictures in the city. The first is the view from the balcony of our Airbnb. The second is the inside view of […]
Top 20 Things to Do in Mexico City
As we wrote before, Mexico City is one of our favorite cities. We’ve been there half a dozen times, and every visit we discover something new and fun. Here are our 20 reasons why you should visit. 1. Explore Zocalo and Centro Historico The city’s main square is the most […]
More Money, More Problems
Please start with the previous post, “Money, Money, Money,” where we ask money questions about Cuba, and then continue here, where we answer them. As we were settling into a colectivo (a shared taxi), one of the fellow tourists started rummaging through his backpack. Unable to find what he […]