Our last full day had us leaving Galway in the late morning and heading south to (eventually) drop the car off at the airport that evening. I mapped out a route that would let us see some...
Blog posts from International Travel
Leandra’s 50th: daytrip to Inis Mór
On the morning of our trip to the Aran Isles we woke up to very gray weather. Unfortunately for us, it turned into rain as soon as we headed out to the ferry terminal so we got pretty soggy on the...
Leandra’s 50th: Galway food & drink
We didn’t have reservations for Monday night so we figured going out a bit earlier would be helpful. The lower level of The Dáil Bar was crowded but the upstairs had plenty of tables to choose from....
Leandra’s 50th: Galway sights
We spent three days in Galway and explored a little bit on each day. Many streets were closed to cars, and the main restaurant streets were packed with lots of people out walking around. One of our...
Leandra’s 50th: Keshcorran Caves & Castlerea
On the way south to Galway, we stopped at the Keshcorran Caves, parking in a decent sized lot down a very narrow lane close to the town of Keash. After a short but steep walk uphill we had great...
Leandra’s 50th: Sligo food & drink
After we got settled into our apartment, we headed out to Hargadon Bros for oysters as I knew they had 6 for 14€ on the menu. The place was full when we arrived but after I told the hostess, Amy,...
Leandra’s 50th: Sligo sites & experiences
We booked the Atlantic Sheepdogs demonstration a couple days out and we woke up to drizzle on Sunday morning that turned to full rain throughout the entire experience. Our host, Martin, was engaging...
Leandra’s 50th: Castlebar and Turlough
My inspiration for the my Guinness drinking tour of five counties was a photo taken in Castlebar 30 years ago, so we had to stop at this town! We found a spot in one of the lots but only one of the...
Leandra’s 50th: Connemara sites
High on my list of things to do on this trip was visiting Connemara National Park. I remember coming here in 1996, so it was nice to return and see the place in its full green glory (rather than in...
Leandra’s 50th: Clifden food & drink
Marconi Restaurant (Clifden) The staff couldn’t find our 7pm reservation when we arrived but that didn’t stop them from being very friendly and seating us in the Garden Room as expected. The rosé...
Leandra’s 50th: Clifden sites
On the way north to Clifden from the airport, we made a quick stop in Athenry (A-thin-RYE) to view the castle and church (now a heritage center featuring paid tours). One of the largest medieval...
Leandra’s 50th: overview, travel and where we stayed
We celebrated Eric's 50th birthday in northern Spain and I also wanted to enter into a new decade overseas. From the beginning we knew that most of Europe would be too hot and busy in August (and...
UK Summer Trip 2026: Cotswolds food and drink
Sunday On our way to Cirencester we stopped at the Pheasant Inn to break up the drive. A lovely gastropub with indoor and outdoor options, we chose to sit inside but near a large open door to catch...
UK Summer Trip 2026: Cotswolds sites
Malmesbury and Cirencester On Sunday, we drove from Heathrow to Cirencester, making a quick stop in Malmesbury along the way. Malmesbury Abbey was the primary sight here, and the stop gave us our...
UK Summer Trip 2026: London food and drink
Thursday While we were waiting for our rooms to get ready, we walked over to the Kensington Terrace Cafe for a leisurely breakfast. I got the avocado toast and a flat white, Dad got pancakes and...
UK Summer Trip 2026: London sites
On the morning of our arrival we needed to get outside and walk, so we headed to Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. At the Serpentine Gallery we saw Jesús Rafael Soto's Pénétrable BBL Jaune, a cool...
UK Summer Trip 2026: Wimbledon
2026 Wimbledon was fairly similar to my 2025 experience, since we spent most of our time watching the matches on Centre Court. This year, my dad and I arrived around 10:15am and were through...
UK Summer Trip 2026: overview + where we stayed
In 2025, we finally realized our goal of seeing Wimbledon in person. My dad loves tennis, so for 2026, Leandra set up an account for my parents and watched the secondary market for tickets. After...
Our Itinerary
2026 Trips
Parrish, FL (Jan)
Medellin, Colombia (Feb)
Wilmington, NC (Apr)
Madrid, Spain (May)
Asturias, Spain (May)
Galicia, Spain (June)
London/Cotswolds, UK (July)
Long Island, NY (July)
Western Ireland (Aug)
Vietnam (Nov)
Laos (Nov)
Cambodia (Dec)
Singapore (Dec)
2025 Trips
Tampa Bay, FL (Jan)
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Feb)
Villa la Angostura, Argentina (Feb)
Bariloche, Argentina (Feb)
Iguazu Falls (Feb)
Miami, FL (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Mar)
Boston, MA (Apr)
Kathmandu, Nepal (May)
Bhutan (May)
Doha, Qatar (May)
Bristol + London, UK (Jul)
Long Island, NY (Jul)
Slovenia (Sep)
Treviso, Italy (Sep)
Bologna, Italy (Sep)
day trips from Bologna (Oct)
Turin, Italy (Oct)
Greensboro, NC (Nov)