Travel off the beaten track and experience

Croatia is world-renowned for its gorgeous coastline, islands, and beaches of Upper Dalmatia.  Less famous?  The urban gateways to these islands: the cities of Zadar and Split. Dave and I decided to visit both cities in one day after driving down from the Plitivice Lakes. In turn, we discovered two mid-sized cities that we liked — a lot! Zadar Every publication I read about Zadar tossed out the same word: “underrated.”  Zadar doesn’t receive nearly the tourist volume of Split, and as a result, it feels more like an Croatian seaside town. Zadar’s Old Town is compact, pastel-toned, and home to two interesting works of art: the Sea Organ and the Sun Salutation . The Sea Organ is a massive instrument that creates music based on the speed and velocity of the waves rushing in, a melody alternately mournful and jubilant.  Here’s a video of it in action: The Sun Salutation is a giant solar-powered panel that blasts out designs that evoke the solar ...

Your heart is beating faster than usual.  Butterflies are fluttering around your stomach.  You can barely contain your excitement. No, you are not in love (well, maybe, but that is your thing). You have decided to embark on yet another great adventure.  The time to depart is coming close and you can only think about the places you are going to discover, the tasty morsels available on local markets and the quirky characters you may bump into. Hold on your thoughts. Let’s analyze this for a moment. Do you want to have a wonderful time? Yes.  Are things going to run smoothly like a fine tuned watch?  Not necessarily. Even with the realization that things may derail at a given moment, I still believe any trip can be meaningful, rich and fun.  It all depends on our attitude. Here are some thoughts on how to approach travel with the correct attitude. Do not take things personally During my travels, I have had many negative experiences.  I have been taken advantage of, scammed and mis...

My whirlwind jaunt to Edinburgh was filled with a surprising amount of sightseeing for the short time that I was there.  Get enough travel bloggers in one place and that will happen, more often than not! I always recommend visiting a city where your friends live and having them show you their favorite places.  It’s also a great way to try out solo travel for the first time — particularly if your friend is working while you’re visiting. I was lucky enough to have a friend in Edinburgh — Kash, The Budget Traveller himself — who really went above and beyond in being a great Edinburgh tour guide and showing us how to have fun on a budget! Here are some cheap and fun things to do in Edinburgh: Arthur’s Seat This was the first thing that I saw after arriving in Edinburgh — and seeing Arthur’s Seat during the amazing summery weather made it all the more beautiful.  You get great views of the city from the top, and it’s almost like ...

Garrapata. Garrapata. It is difficult to understand how a noun that inspires all sorts of disgusting thoughts can be used to describe such a beautiful place. I am referring to the Garrapata State Park located in the northern part of Big Sur (about 7 miles south of Carmel). Garrapata means “thick” in Spanish.  After some comprehensive research, I haven’t been able to find why this park bears this name.   Different areas within the park are named after the families who owned the land before the state acquire it.  However, there are no references to the garrapata origins.  Since this land was used to raise cattle, I am assuming the current name has something to do with the little blood suckers infesting the livestock. But let’s forget about the name for a moment and focus on what it is important.  In this place you can find a jagged coastline, white sands, redwood-filled canyons, 60 species of mammals and 110 species of birds.  I do not know about you but this is what I call amazing!...

Sihanoukville, Cambodia, may look close to Koh Chang, Thailand, on the map, but the journey’s quite a long one — I’ve been on the road for eleven hours, and I’ve only just arrived on the island. I’m sitting in the back of a sawngtaew on the way to the hippie enclave of Lonely Beach. To my left is an affable, mid-forties Scottish man; across from us is a couple in their late twenties.  The guy is tall and Irish; his ponytailed girlfriend, Thai. “Reckon it gets hot in Koh Chang?” the Scotsman asks. “Not for her,” the Irish guy says, his arm draped lazily around his girlfriend.  “She’s from the hottest part of Thailand.  Right between Bangkok and Chiang Mai.” From the way the Thai girl looks at him, you’d think he was talking about how he discovered the cure for cancer. Her cheeks are pink; her eyes are shining. “We’ve been traveling all day and all night from Chiang Mai,” the Irish guy...

For the last month or so my old Xbox video game system has been rattling around the back of my car. I tried to trade it in at a store for an Xbox 360 but somehow my Xbox’s serial number was smudged out, thus it was tainted and dubbed “un-tade-in-able.” Around the same time my roommate mike moved out, taking with him his toaster. I never realized how much I enjoyed warm bread. It’s funny how you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone. Sad. Anyway, one of the local radio stations hosts a buy and sell show appropriately titled “Tradio.” Thus I put in my somewhat one sided trade request and now I am happy to say I am the proud owner of a toaster that is possibly from the 70’s. It’s clean and browns bread. What more could a guy want?

I LOVE Saigon. Are you surprised?  Everyone keeps saying to me, “Jeez, Kate, is there any place you don’t like?” (Well, yes.  Luang Prabang.) I do love Bangkok.  I love Hanoi.  I love Phnom Penh.   But Saigon is more than just another Southeast Asian city I love — it’s the city that would make the best place for me to live. Yes, the metropolis officially known as Ho Chi Minh City is tailor-made for Adventurous Kate.  Here’s why: Saigon has style. Women and men are far more fashion-conscious in Vietnam than any of the other countries I’ve visited in Southeast Asia, and they go all out in Saigon! Fashion makes for entertaining people-watching.  The last thing you want is a boring city! Saigon has greenery. When I was living in the centro of Florence, Italy, I realized how important it was to be surrounded by parks, grass and trees.  Florence’s centro is devoid of any greenery, and it drove me crazy. But Saigon is filled with par...