Since we wanted to explore multiple spots and didn't want to rely on a travel provider, we needed to arrange ferries to get between islands, plus either a car or a bike to get around each island....
Blog posts from International Travel
Seychelles: where we stayed
Villa Bella (Mahe) Our check in was easy - the owner was waiting for us and showed me around while Eric unpacked the car. There was an additional tourism fee that needed to be paid in local currency...
Seychelles: flights & lounges
Altogether, we took a total of 7 flights going and returning from the Seychelles. Three of those flights were standard Southwest Airlines flights to position us to Chicago, or get us from New York...
Seychelles: introduction
Photos of the tropical Seychelle islands have intrigued me for years. Beaches lined with palm trees and massive boulders, plus large tortoises and the world's largest coconut? Yes please. However,...
September 2023 Wine and Rugby: evening in Madrid
We dropped off the car at the airport and took an Uber into the city. After relaxing in the room for a bit, I stopped into ALE-HOP to look for comfy socks and found a pair of fluffy rainbow slippers...
September 2023 Wine and Rugby: wine tasting in Rueda
Bodegas Muelas Walking the walls of the Cuellar castle put us behind schedule so we had to hustle several blocks from the (free) parking lot in Todesillas to make our reserved tour of the bodega....
September 2023 Wine and Rugby: Castilla y León sights
Cuéllar On the way to our first wine tasting in Todesillas, we stopped in the town of Cuéllar and paid 1,50€ each to walk along the castle walls. The access point was through a turnstile gate near...
September 2023 Wine and Rugby: daytrip to Peñafiel
The drive from Valladolid to Peñafiel was fairly easy, with most of the route through rural countryside (and a decent number of trucks). We stopped briefly at the necropolis ruins outside of town,...
September 2023 Wine and Rugby: Valladolid food + drink
La Parrilla de San Lorenzo - A traditional Spanish restaurant, this space is massive with large brick arches, knick knacks, and icongraphy. While it wasn't very busy when we arrived, they got...
September 2023 Wine and Rugby: Segovia
The 90 minute drive from the Madrid airport to Segovia was very scenic - just thirty minutes from the airport the road became more rural, culminating with a twisty road climb through forest up to...
September 2023 Wine and Rugby: Bordeaux food + sights
Food + Drink Aux quatre coins du vin - Hoping for the opportunity to try a few local wines, I booked us at a wine bar on Saturday night where we shared a card that allowed us to get a 3, 6 or 10 cl...
September 2023 Wine and Rugby: South Africa v Romania
Each of the host cities for the Rugby World Cup has a fan zone where you can go to buy merchandise, drinks, and watch rugby with a bunch of other fans on a big screen. Bordeaux's version was...
September 2023 Wine and Rugby: wine tasting in Bordeaux
After picking up our rental car from Avis at the Bordeaux airport, we headed toward Saint-Émilion to explore the town and wine taste... or so we thought. We found a parking space in the free lot...
September 2023 Wine and Rugby: Introduction
Our positive experience at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan lead us to highlight the 2023 tournament in France. This time around the ticketing process was more chaotic and difficult (thanks...
Italy 2023: Bologna food & drink
Monday On our first afternoon in Bologna we saw these little cakes in the window of Paolo Atti & Figli - torta di riso, so we had to try it. It is a lightly sweet cake made from rice that had a...
Italy 2023: daytrip to Modena
Modena has intrigued me for a while, after all it is the home of balsamic vinegar, with ham, lambrusco and other tasty items also produced locally. And with it being about 30 minutes from Bologna by...
Italy 2023: Bologna sights
Monday After checking into our apartment we walked about 15 minutes to the center, then onward to a view of the famous Bologna towers. There are a lot of power lines at the base, so it is hard to...
Italy 2023: 24 hours in Verona
There is always a delicate balance on where to stay and visit on our longer trips - moving every night is exhausting and impractical, but we also want to 'see all the things!' While planning this...
Our Itinerary
2026 Trips
Parrish, FL (Jan)
Medellin, Colombia (Feb)
Wilmington, NC (Apr)
Madrid, Spain (May)
Asturias, Spain (May)
Galicia, Spain (June)
London, UK (July)
Cotswolds, UK (July)
Long Island, NY (July)
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)