Back in June, we were two drinks into happy hour at Stout (our favorite Chicago bar) when we  hopped on our laptops and registered for the Budapest Marathon. We had intended to try to run a few marathons abroad and Budapest fell perfectly in the month we planned to be in Europe. We probably would …

My husband hates salad. He hates that as a vegetarian, people think that salad is valid meal option. He also hates lettuce, which is included in salad, but his hatred extends to lettuce on sandwiches, tacos, burgers, etc. I have managed to trick my husband into eating salad for a few years now by calling …

Connection 1 Origin: Chicago, United States (ORD) Destination: New York, United States (JFK) Flight Cost: $126 Payment Method: Cash Value per Point: NA Flight Date: 9/26/17 Flight Time: 1 Hour 35 Minutes Flight Delay: 0 Miles Covered: 810 Airline: Jet Blue Plane: Airbus A320 Class: Economy Entertainment: Modern Family Amenity Kit: None Food: Cheese Its Drink: Sparkling water Primary Language: English Memorable Moment: Uneventful, honestly. Connection 2 …

After spending three months in South America, we flew back to the US for my high school best friend’s wedding. We found a great deal to fly Air Canada Business Class from Santiago, Chile to Toronto, which is honestly why we planned the trip to Santiago at all. After an amazing Business Class experience, we …

I came to Vienna with a lot of optimism. I liked the idea of the grand Baroque city, home to Mozart and Freud, and the scenes of the Sound of Music (which turns out was actually filmed in Salzburg, so that’s my bad). I took the walking tour, like I do in every city, and …

We got into Krakow at 8 AM after taking the over-night train from Vienna. It was nine hours on a stop-and-go train, that was running an hour late (ask me how I feel about train logistics, I dare you), with crappy sleep in 20 minute increments. We hadn’t showered and our walk to the hostel …

I walk into a coffee shop in Prague and the barista is chatting in Czech with the customer in front of me about what I assume involves whether she wants her muffin for here or to go. When they’re finished, I smile and say, “Hello.” I do this intentionally, not only because it’s polite, but …

When we were in Medellin for three weeks at the beginning of this trip, I made a comment that I didn’t really feel like a backpacker, yet. Even though I had a backpack and was in a different continent, I didn’t feel like I’d earned my stripes. Europe has earned me my backpacker wings. Every …

Nothing makes me feel more undeservingly cool like flying in upper cabins on huge airplanes for long-haul flights. I clearly don’t belong there. I’ve constantly got Fergie’s “Glamorous” stuck in my head, I’m wearing the same shirt I’ve worn for the past three days, and I take more pictures on the plane than in most …

October First is a holiday I made up to celebrate the start of fall, my favorite season. I realize that Fall technically begins in late September, but September always felt like more of a back-to-school month and it was always too hot in Illinois, anyway, to really feel like fall. The origin of October First …