Tag: Travel Tips

Travel, Travel Products, Travel Tips

How to Outsmart a Pickpocket: 15 Items with Hidden Pockets

Alyssa places a phone in her inside jacket pocket

Google “Paris pickpockets” and you’ll receive nearly a million results. The city is famous for its landmarks and pastries, yes, but it’s also famous for something else: pickpocketing. In the months leading up to our first trip to the City of Light in 2014, I spent hours online researching scams and pickpocketing techniques (it’s an …

Belgium, Destinations, Travel

The Ultimate Travel Guide for Ghent, Belgium

View of Ghent from Gravensteen

My top picks for a weekend in Ghent, Belgium – including all the best places to eat, drink, and shop!

Travel, Travel Tips

20 Questions You Should Ask a Potential Travel Partner Before You Leave Home

Paris Guide Book

Let’s set a scene: You’re hanging out with your best friend you’ve known for ages (it’s late at night, and there’s probably wine involved) and someone declares, “You know what? We should go to Paris!” You clink glasses and each fantasize about what it would be like to explore the City of Light, eventually heading …

Destinations, Netherlands, Travel, Travel Tips

Getting from A to B: What You Need to Know About Public Transit in Amsterdam

Tram lines in the sky at sunset in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a city best explored on foot or by bicycle as it is compact, well-organized, and features plenty of walking and biking lanes. That being said, there are times when it makes more sense to travel across the city via a faster method: when you’re in a hurry, when you are heading clear across …

Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Travel, Travel Tips

International Travel Timeline: Booking My Trip to the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium

A photo of Kinderdijk Windmills

I get a lot of questions about how far out to book a trip and how to create an itinerary. There is no right or wrong answer of course (despite what you read online, flights aren’t always cheaper on Tuesdays, for example), but my trips to destinations further afield tend to follow a similar booking …

Destinations, Food, Mexico, Restaurants, Travel

Flavors of Mexico: A Mexico City Food Guide

Alyssa holds a juice in Mexico City

Mexican food is vastly underrated. It might be due to the fact that, in other countries, it has been so altered from its original form that it is rendered almost unrecognizable. Authentic Mexican food is deceptively simple; the reality is the cuisine is complex, rich, and vibrant. Nearly everything is made from scratch, no matter …

Travel, Travel Tips

Laundry on the Go: How to Easily Wash Your Clothes While Traveling

A silk dress from Everlane soaks in a sink

I love traveling with just my carry-on. The clothes inside have been carefully selected, I’m left with a free hand to navigate directions on my phone or eat ice cream (this scenario is the most likely), and I can hoist my own bag into the overhead bin, thank you very much. I don’t think I’ll …

Reflections, Travel, Travel Tips

5 Easy Things You Can Do Today to Save for Your Next Trip

A green piggy bank with a stack of coins

1. Stop shopping I realize that shopping might not be everyone’s weakness, but it’s definitely mine, particularly when I’m stressed, bored, hungry, or tired. Close the tabs, empty the carts (digital and IRL), and unsubscribe from the emails. Determine what marketing tactics work for you, and do the exact opposite (e.g. if pretty displays in …

Travel, Travel Tips

Seven Tips for Choosing the Perfect Airbnb

An Airbnb balcony in Italy's Cinque Terre

I’ve written before about my love for Airbnb, but today I want to share a few tips on how to find your perfect “home” out in the world. Why choose Airbnb when there are perfectly good, well-rated hotels nearly everywhere you want to go? I find that hotels put a distance between you and the …

Packing Lists, Travel, Travel Products, Travel Tips

How to Pack the Away Carry-On

Alyssa holds the Away suitcase in one hand to demonstrate how lightweight it is

On Monday I shared my thoughts after a year of using my Away Carry-On suitcase, and today I thought I’d share my packing strategy. It took several tries before I finally figured out what works best for me (my last suitcase had one large compartment rather than two smaller sides), and now I finally have …