Budget Advice: How to Save Enough Money to Quit Your Job and Travel

Posted on by Krystal
I'm writing this from the back of the bar I work in.  Staring down the row of empty bar stools, wishing I could enjoy the mild February temperatures that have graced New York this week. If you can believe it, I actually wore sandals. Most New Yorkers are out enjoying the weather and not sitting inside a dark bar. So as I sit here thinking about the little amount of money I stand to make today,...more

All About the Time I Hiked the Italian Coast in Cinque Terre

Posted on by Krystal
On my first long backpacking trip to Europe, my travel partner and I were terrible planners most of the time. To missed trains, running after buses, and not checking in for our Ryanair flight before we got to the airport, we were the target of most rookie travel mistakes. But sometimes terrible planning worked out better than we could ever have imagined. Like the time we got on a much later train than expected from...more

Spending the Day In NYC and Why You Should Be A Tourist In Your Home City Too

Posted on by Krystal
Sometimes it's really easy to forget that I live in a city that people from all over the world come to visit. I forget in the middle of my routine of train rides, bar shifts, and dodging tourists on the street, that there is so much to see right here. Occasionally, I brave the crowds (and sometimes snowstorms) to get out of the little bubble I've created in New York City. It's important to be...more

My Top Three Unplanned Italian Destinations

Posted on by Krystal
When it comes to Italy, it is easy to ramble on about the impeccable cuisine, high quality coffee, beautiful language, the winding canals of Venice, breathtaking coast of Cinque Terre and the ancient cobblestones in Rome. From top to bottom, it is arguably my favorite country. It is also one of the first places I recommend to anyone who is planning a trip to Europe. There are so many obvious reasons to love the country....more

The 5 Month Couchsurfing Experience I Had in Order to Budget Travel

Posted on by Krystal
My five month couchsurfing experience taught me everything I needed to know about privacy. We all have a personal bubble, we need space, and we need to know that we have somewhere to seek refuge, to escape from the world and everyone in it when it’s just too much. So how did I spend 15 weeks jumping from dorm hostel to strangers couches in an attempt to travel as long as I possibly could? I...more

My First Big Adventure is Booked

Posted on by Krystal
Los Angeles to New York, New York to Boston, Boston to Portugal. Plane tickets are purchased, itineraries booked, there’s no turning back now (not that I want to). I am about to embark on my first big backpacking adventure. It started a little less than a year ago (8 months to be more specific). I had what I thought was a crazy idea to sell my things, quit my job, pack a bag and just...more