The city of Johannesburg was our arrival point in South Africa. We had one day to spend here before traveling on to other places. Now we were a party of six, as Kathy and Valerie, our Moms, arrived in Johannesburg on the same day as us. They will be traveling with us for over two […]
Dachau Concentration Camp was the first of the Nazi concentration camps. It is located near Munich, Germany. A visit here is an incredibly moving experience and a valuable history lesson. Here are some things you should know while planning your visit. Dachau was the Nazi’s first concentration camp and was the only concentration camp to […]
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a wonderful small town located in Bavaria, Germany, was our home base for one solid week. From Garmisch-Partenkirchen, we frequently day tripped to Austria, Liechtenstein, and other destinations in Bavaria. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a great place from which to explore southern Germany. It is located in the German Alps, just a few miles from the […]
Berchtesgaden, Germany…a small corner in southern Germany, tucked away in the Alps, is surrounded on three sides by Austria. This is the land of wiener schnitzel, lederhosen, and beer. We spent three wonderful days here touring all of the big sites and taking a day trip just over the border to Salzburg, Austria. About Our […]
The Puez-Odle Altopiano trail is a 17 km (10.6 mile) hike along some of the highest mountain peaks in the Dolomites. We hiked this lesser-known trail on our first trip to the Dolomites and it is a spectacular hike from start to finish. With jaw-dropping views of the Dolomites, fields of wildflowers, and endless alpine […]
The Lagazuoi to Passo Falzarego Trail is an easy, downhill hike in the Dolomites that combines stunning alpine views with World War I history. It’s a great hike for families and those looking for a short, sweet hike combined with a thrilling cable car ride. This was the very first hike that we did in […]
The Cinque Terre is one of Italy’s most iconic coastal hikes, connecting five colorful villages by cliffside trails overlooking the Mediterranean. Here’s exactly how to hike the Cinque Terre from Riomaggiore to Monterosso, including trail closures, ticket costs, one-way rules, and what to expect in 2026. We hiked the entire route as a family. Our […]
San Gimignano is famous for its medieval towers, and yes, you should climb one. But a great visit here goes beyond the main piazzas and the gelato line at Dondoli. On our first trip, we arrived by bus from Siena on a busy morning with our kids, climbed to the top of Torre Grossa, ate […]
Spending three days in Sorrento is one of the easiest and most convenient ways to experience the best of the Amalfi Coast, Capri, and Pompeii, and you don’t need a car or a big budget to do it. Sorrento makes an ideal home base for this part of Italy, since it’s well connected by train, […]
Capri’s Blue Grotto is famous for its glowing electric-blue water and tiny cave entrance that visitors must duck through by rowboat. But between the crowds, the cost, and the wait to get inside, many travelers wonder: is the Blue Grotto really worth it? The Blue Grotto is Capri’s most famous attraction. Visitors climb into small […]
Rome is one of those cities where it feels like there is something worth photographing around every corner. Ancient ruins sit beside busy streets, church domes rise above terracotta rooftops, and some of Rome’s most famous landmarks look completely different depending on the time of day and where you are standing. We first visited Rome […]
The Appian Way is one of Rome’s ancient roads, connecting Rome to the Adriatic Port of Brindisi. This road was a marvel of Roman engineering at the time it was constructed, 2000 years ago. Today it is a place for biking, viewing ancient Roman ruins, touring the catacombs, and taking a break from the hustle […]
Our around the world journey began with a flight from New York City to Copenhagen, Denmark, where we had a six-hour layover before a later flight took us on to Rome, Italy. Six hours is a long time to spend hanging around an airport, so we decided to make the most of it and see […]
The Romsdalseggen hike is a point to point hike that traverses the Romsdalseggen Ridge, with views over the fjords, the town of Åndalsnes, and even out to the western coastline of Norway to the Atlantic Ocean. On our first trip to Norway, this was the hike that I was looking forward to the most. The […]
Trolltunga was the third hike on our first Norway trip, and by then we had a pretty good read on what Tyler and Kara could handle. They’d already done Pulpit Rock and Kjeragbolten, two hikes that would have been on most adults’ bucket lists, and they hadn’t complained once. Tyler was 10. Kara was 8. […]
Kjeragbolten is one of Norway’s most iconic and nerve-wracking hikes: a boulder wedged 1,000 meters above Lysefjord, reached by a strenuous 12 km trail from the Stavanger area. When Tim and I first researched Norway as a travel destination, we repeatedly saw photos of what looked to be crazy people standing on a boulder with […]
There are 30,000 islands that make up the archipelago of Stockholm. These small islands dot the shoreline of Sweden, separating the city of Stockholm from the Baltic Sea. About 150 of these islands are inhabited year round, and several make a great day trip from Stockholm. The most popular islands to visit are Grinda, Vaxholm, […]
In 2012, our trip to London and Paris was our kids’ very first experience in Europe. We spent five days in London before making our way to Paris, wanting both cities to deliver recognizable landmarks, good food, and things that would keep an 8- and 9-year-old entertained. During our four days in Paris, we toured […]