For those in the Northern Hemisphere, winter is fast approaching. Though some of us are still having sunny days and good weather, soon the inclement side of things will be rolling in. After ending up “accidentally” backpacking through central and Eastern Europe last winter, I can’t recommend anyone try to repeat this. Traveling is already challenging enough when you don’t have to factor in hauling around snow boots and heavy …

I was extremely surprised when I came across this article the other day, talking about tourists paying to go on a simulation of a Mexico-USA border crossing. The participants pay a relatively small fee (one is cited as 15 USD) to race after mock human traffickers without food or water. The slow ones are captured by “border patrol vans” and “deported”. For me this rang a similar note to Favela …

Staying in shape while traveling is an always-present dilemma for vagabond ladies. While an easy way to get your daily exercise is to bring a pair of trainers and run, a lot can get in the way such as ankle and leg injury/sensitivity, poor air quality, winter weather, or unsafe streets. I like to do yoga at home, but find it hard to muster the discipline to do longer, more …

This winter as I braved the elements across Europe, I settled for just under a month at a dairy farm a little ways out of Salzburg in Austria. I woke up every morning at 5am to help milk to 30 or so cows, spent the day doing tasks around the house, playing with my hosts’ son, taking small walks in attempts to glimpse the Alps through the fog, and desperately …

Hey ladies,
One of the biggest problems I encounter when packing for trips is not how many pairs of shoes I need or what shades of nail polish to leave home. No, I struggle the most with exactly what combination of cameras and gear to bring along. We Travelettes are very passionate about our photography and while we recognize that it’s ultimately up the photographer to make a good shot, equipment …

Summer is the perfect time for a camping trip…warm weather, beautiful landscapes, refreshing dips in the lake, and hopefully some days off from school or work. But for those of us used to dealing day to day in civilization, it may be difficult to pick all the right goods to pack. Here are some necessities, as well as some less obvious things that are good to have on hand. Based …

I had an interesting time visiting in Slovenia. Fresh from a few weeks in Italy and on my way to visit my friend in Austria, I decided to stop for a few days in this tiny former Yugoslav nation.
Of course I had to visit the capital, Ljubljana and take a bit of a walk uphill to the castle. The castle is of medieval origin, but has been renovated over time …

Hey ladies,
I have to confess I have a huge coffee addiction. And as any others with similar afflictions know, traveling can cause an upset to our caffeination routines. Before I left for Europe I was rather used to soy lattes or watery American drip coffee. Living in Budapest without a coffeemaker, I adjusted to instant coffee from a jar. In Bosnia and Croatia I picked up Turkish coffee, switched back …

When we travel to cities, we often opt for larger, better known destinations.  It’s understandable to do this because of the time that goes into travel, language barriers, and not being sure if we’ll be able to successfully find things to occupy ourselves with, but one of my favorite parts about staying in a country for a longer period of time is getting to explore its smaller cities and towns. …

My last destination in Europe before I caught my flight back to the states was Warsaw, Poland. I was planning to stay in my friend’s flat, go out a few nights, stock up on some of my favorites Polish things, and relax into the idea that I was heading home. However, I arrived on the exact morning that the Polish president, his wife, and 94 others, many who were top …