Tag: blog

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Europe Trip Planning: How to Get Around Europe for Cheap

Europe Trip Planning: How to Book Affordable Transportation within Europe

Europe Trip Planning: How to Book Affordable Transportation within Europe

Plane? Train? Automobile? A combination of all three? Planning a backpacking trip around Europe isn’t as easy as it used to be, because now there are more transportation options with a wider variety of prices. If you do your research, you’ll often be rewarded with some really great prices. But it’s a lot of work for a multi-destination trip, and it’s even trickier if you’ve never heard of the transit companies you’ll be booking with.

I recently planned out our spring Europe trip and discovered some helpful online tools that make booking transportation easier. We booked a combination of buses, trains, flights, and cars in advance, online, to get us around Europe on a budget. Now three weeks into our trip, our pre-booked transit tickets have kept us moving around Europe quickly and comfortably.

Want to get the most for your money but don’t know where to begin? Use my trusty transportation planning strategies to find your most cost-effective route around Europe! Continue reading “Europe Trip Planning: How to Get Around Europe for Cheap”

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Our Spring 2016 Europe Trip Itinerary

North to South's Spring Europe Trip Itinerary

North to South's Spring Europe Trip Itinerary

We’re going to Europe! Well actually, we’re already in Europe, but we’ve just finished planning our two-month Europe trip. We’re visiting (at least) 12 countries and 21 cities on our trip. Below, find our itinerary for our spring trip (April 20 – June 24, 2016), and let us know if you’re planning a trip to (or have recommendations for) any of these destinations. We love chatting about travel plans!

P.S. Follow along on Facebook or Instagram (hers/his) — we’re posting photos daily! Continue reading “Our Spring 2016 Europe Trip Itinerary”

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Our Hiking Gear

Our Hiking Gear (and why we love it) | North to South

Our Hiking Gear (and why we love it) | North to South

Hiking is one of our favorite outdoor activities. It always offers up something amazing: spectacular views, wildlife encounters, a breath of fresh air… Plus it’s a hobby that requires little money — Yay! — after a small initial investment.

From basics like boots to specialty items like bear mace, if you want to know what gear we use (and recommend) for hiking, find out right here!  Continue reading “Our Hiking Gear”

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U.S. Road Trip Re-Cap: Week Eighteen (Niagara Falls to Washington D.C.)

North to South U.S. road trip recap week eighteen

North to South U.S. road trip recap week eighteen

I can’t even express what a good time we had riding the Maid of the Mist around Niagara Falls! Who knew you could have so much fun being soaking wet?

Niagara Falls has been on my Must See list forever, so when we left the Adirondacks, we headed west to experience the cool mist on a hot day. It was perfect. And after that it was back to the East Coast to finish off the week in our nation’s capital.

Note: I’m still catching up on our weekly road trip re-caps! This one covers September 6-12.  Continue reading “U.S. Road Trip Re-Cap: Week Eighteen (Niagara Falls to Washington D.C.)”

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Escape Campervans Review: Los Angeles to Death Valley (and why we don’t recommend Escape Campervans)

Escape Campervans Review and Our Trip to Death Valley

Escape Campervans Review and Our Trip to Death Valley

Let’s visit a popular U.S. National Park in peak season at the last minute! Yeah, that sounds like our travel style. And that’s how our conversation started two weeks back when we decided we had to see the Death Valley Superbloom.

All advance reservations for park accommodations were full. We could try our luck at a first-come first-served campsite, but we didn’t really feel up to tent camping this trip. So we decided to try something new: the rental campervan.

Despite paying more than we should have (no thanks to Escape), we had a good time on our trip. Want to know what the campervan life is like? Keep reading to find out! (More on why we don’t recommend Escape Campervans, too.) Continue reading “Escape Campervans Review: Los Angeles to Death Valley (and why we don’t recommend Escape Campervans)”

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The Superbloom of Death Valley National Park: A Photo Journal (California, USA) [by: Ian]

Death Valley Superbloom Spring 2016 on North to South: a Photo Journal

Death Valley Superbloom Spring 2016 on North to South: a Photo Journal

After receiving substantially more rain than typical in the 2015-2016 winter season, Death Valley National Park is experiencing a rare “superbloom” of wildflowers. The last superbloom event was 11 years ago, in 2005.  Since missing this year’s superbloom could mean waiting another decade or more before it happens again, we knew we had to go see this rare event.
Continue reading “The Superbloom of Death Valley National Park: A Photo Journal (California, USA) [by: Ian]”

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[VIDEO] Our Road Less Traveled Life

Our Road Less Traveled Life

Exciting news! Last month in Seattle, we dedicated a lot of time to putting together this short promo video for North to South. Click the play button above to watch our video about our journey to a “road less traveled life,” and let us know what you think!

If you find our video inspiring, help spread the word! (Our video is on Facebook, too.)

Thanks for watching, sharing, and following. Happy travels!

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U.S. Road Trip Re-Cap: Weeks Sixteen & Seventeen (Maine to the Adirondacks)

North to South U.S. road trip recap week sixteen-seventeen

North to South U.S. road trip recap week sixteen-seventeen

Ahhh, the Adirondacks. These two weeks were probably the most peaceful of our whole 50-state trip. Completely unplanned — as are most of our favorite trip highlights — we enjoyed a two-week stay in a private cabin at Adirondack Woodcraft Camps. We’d received the invitation from a new friend we met in Acadia National Park the previous week, and I’m glad we took him up on the offer!

Read on for the serene lake settings and wooded wanderings from our stay in the Adirondacks this summer, plus snapshots from our journey there.

Note: I’m still catching up on our weekly road trip re-caps! This one covers August 23 – September 5.  Continue reading “U.S. Road Trip Re-Cap: Weeks Sixteen & Seventeen (Maine to the Adirondacks)”

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U.S. Road Trip Re-Cap: Week Fifteen (Exploring the Northeastern Coast)

North to South U.S. road trip recap week fifteen

North to South U.S. road trip recap week fifteen

In contrast to our urban existence in NYC last week, week fifteen was filled with shorelines and seafood. Mystic Seaport, Cape Cod, Boston, and Bar Harbor were on the itinerary this week. We hit the easternmost point of the U.S. in Lubec, Maine, and since the Canadian border was so close by, we pulled out our passports to explore Campobello Island, too.

Read on for photos and details of our eastern coastal road trip experience, from Connecticut to Campobello Island and (almost) everywhere in between!

Note: I’m still catching up on our weekly road trip re-caps! This one covers August 16-22.  Continue reading “U.S. Road Trip Re-Cap: Week Fifteen (Exploring the Northeastern Coast)”