On my group trip to Galicia, my partner and I made an eye-opening discovery. We are the minions in our group of friends. And not just any minions: specifically, James and Henry.

If you’ve never watched The Minions movies or don’t remember the characters by name, here’s a breakdown of their roles in the recent Minions & Monsters:

• James [me]: An aspiring filmmaker and storyteller who dreams big and comes up with the idea to make a monster movie after the tribe gets fired from Hollywood.

• Henry [my partner]: James’ best friend who finds humor in their chaotic banishments and often has a plan for James’ crazy ideas.

We discovered this the first time we went hiking with the rest of the group. Prior to this, it had never occurred to us that we explored the world differently from others. The rest of the group followed a clear path and kept going until they reached the end.

Consequently, they finished much faster than we did.

However, we took almost every detour we found.

We stopped to splash in puddles at the creek, to peek into the old windmills, to see if a tree was climbable, to pick fruits, and to see whether the smaller path on the left arrived at the same place as the right.

In the end, though it took us longer to get there, we had so much more to see and share than the others. They took a walk in nature and got good exercise. We left with memories of almost falling out of a tree and beautiful photos of waterfalls and creeks.

There’s a life lesson in there somewhere. And I’m sure you can see it! But in real-life, there are benefits to taking the straight and narrow to achieve your goals quickly. Not everyone can afford the adventure of expensive detours.

When you travel, however, it’s the perfect time to channel your inner minion.

Don’t just visit places. Experience them.

Enjoy them.

Immerse yourself.

Leave the trail with more than just 10,000 steps blinking on your smart watch at the end.

Next time, I’ll share some tips on how to be a minion when you travel. After all, maybe it doesn’t come naturally to everyone. But we all have a little minion inside us that’s eager to see the world. Let him out.

This is the follow-up to the post: Should You Opt Out of Group Trips as an Introvert? If you don’t have a paid subscription, don’t worry. That post was free, and the next one will be too. However, this post is for the people who help me pay for grad school and adventures with paid subscriptions—and those who have appeared in my blog posts and videos over the years. Thank you!

Last time, we had a quick chat about traveling as an introvert with a group of friends. We talked about the pros and cons and whether it was a good fit for you.

If you’ve decided to take a group trip, you likely have a stronger desire than most to find the balance between solitude and socialization.

So, here are some tips to help you enjoy your group trip as much as your extroverted friends do.

1. Choose your travel partners wisely.

It goes without saying, but the people you travel with can make or break your trip. Don’t make the mistake of choosing people just because you’ve known them for a long time. Choose friends or travel partners whose time you genuinely enjoy and could enjoy for the full length of the trip.

If you’re sharing a room with someone, your roommate choice is even more important. For example, if you like a quiet evening in and an early bedtime, you likely won’t enjoy splitting a room with someone who watches cartoons until the early AMs or who invites strangers over for the night.

2. [Re]Consider the length of the trip

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Everyone has a social battery, but it works differently for extroverts versus introverts. During social gatherings, extroverts get a boost and feel recharged. But for introverts, the battery may start at 100% and gradually drain.

This doesn’t mean introverts don’t enjoy spending time with friends and family, but for them, recharging happens during their alone time. Consequently, many introverts prefer their solitude.

This is different from people who crave social interactions but are shy or lack the social skills to build the relationships they want. That is a separate issue, and not something I feel qualified to discuss.

Now that we have the semantics out of the way, let’s tackle the big question:

If you’re an introvert, should you opt out of group trips?

I am what psychologists call an extroverted introvert. Most people would describe me as talkative and assertive, but those who know me well also know social interactions drain me. I can only “people” for so long before I need to escape to recharge—sometimes for days.

It’s not that I dislike people or socializing. But I generally prefer my own company or small groups of 3 friends or fewer.

In spite of this, I’ve taken several group trips in Jamaica, the United States, and Spain—and I’ve enjoyed them. Traveling solo has its perks, but sometimes it’s nice to share experiences with someone else. Especially when you see and experience things that photos and videos simply don’t do justice to.

Traveling in a group can also be a safer way to explore for introverted women who fear that traveling solo could make them a target. You also won’t have to be the one to ask for directions or tell the waiter that they messed up your order.

You have several friends willing to step up.

Of course, that depends on how well you’ve chosen your friends or travel partners. Ideally, you choose people who recognize your introversion, respect it, and don’t mind speaking up for you. This is probably the most important contribution to a successful trip as an introvert, but there’s much more you can do to ensure you enjoy your trip as well as your friends do.

Next time, I’ll share tips on how to survive group trips as an introvert: ranging from choosing your room in a shared house to reclaiming solo time when everyone else wants to spend all their time together.

See you then! 👋🏽

This is the follow-up to the post: Should You Travel While Getting a Degree Online?. If you don’t have a paid subscription, don’t worry. That post was free, and the next one will be too. However, this post is for the people who help me pay for grad school and adventures with paid subscriptions—and those who have appeared in my blog posts and videos over the years. Thank you!

Congratulations!

You’ve decided to ditch the classroom and the office to pursue your dreams while traveling. Let me tell you now that it won’t be easy, but the good news is, you’re not alone. Many of the people you see tapping away at their laptops at the airport and cafes aren’t corporate executives.

They are grad students and everyday freelancers—like me.

Working while traveling is fun, but it’s hard. Attending school while traveling is harder. Doing all three of them together is not for the faint of heart. I would know, because this has been my journey.

I’m a self-funded grad student, which means I don’t get a stipend from my university for my doctoral research. So, in addition to studying, I have to work and pay my bills (plus tuition) like everyone else. Is it too much to ask to do it from the mountains, the beach, old Italian cities…on occasion?

When I did my first master’s degree, I traveled full-time in an RV, and that was an amazing experience. This time, I’m less mobile, but I chose to live overseas. My university is in Ireland, and I am in Madrid.

If you have similar—or even more ambitious—aspirations, you’re in the right place. Here’s how to get started.

Know the rules

Last year, I met a Brazilian who had just moved to Madrid. He initially worked remotely from Brazil for a U.S. company and assumed that moving to complete his master’s degree would be fine. A few weeks into classes, he casually mentioned he was now working from Spain. The company told him to return to Brazil or risk termination.

Similarly, when I attended Western Governors University, a Utah-based online university, I chose to remain in Mexico. After a month of studying from South of the border, I moved to California. Why? My school used a Zero-Trust security system that flagged my IP address as foreign and repeatedly kicked me out, so I had to keep re-verifying it was me. Using a VPN didn’t help because it flagged it as suspicious, too.

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As of this month, I now have a second master’s degree. You might be thinking: but wasn’t she getting a PhD? I am. But my school issues a master’s degree to PhD students who complete year one. This is fairly standard practice at many other universities. I think Duke, Boston, and Northwestern do something similar.

I completed both of my master’s degrees online—one at a university in the U.S., and the other within the European Union. During the first degree, I traveled full-time in my RV, making multiple trips between the U.S. and Mexico before finally returning to Atlanta from the West Coast. I have spent this second degree living in Madrid with lots of traveling baked in—but my school isn’t even in Spain.

I get lots of questions from family, friends, and readers about whether it’s worth traveling while in school. The short answer is that there isn’t a more fulfilling adventure you could hope to embark on. But the long answer is that it isn’t for everyone.

Online degrees are not ideal for people who tend to procrastinate and struggle with self-motivation. It’s also not a good fit for extroverted people who learn best in a classroom setting with their peers.

That said, it’s worth noting that grad school isn’t your usual undergrad classroom setup. Whether you study online or at a physical school, you’ll spend a lot of time alone. The main difference is that it’s still easier to connect with other grad students on a physical campus than online, and you might have a closer relationship with your advisor due to more frequent, ad-hoc meetings.

Here are the main challenges I encountered while earning a degree as a digital nomad:

• Location restrictions: Some schools require you to be in the country where they’re based. WGU repeatedly flagged my location while I was in Mexico, forcing me to return to the U.S. for several months to complete all courses that required exams.

• Multi-tasking: I shared years ago that working while traveling is still work. The same is true for traveling during grad school. You might skip many social outings to finish your thesis and force yourself to stay awake so you can finish required readings before landing in Barcelona for the beach.

• More distractions: The further removed you are from academic circles, the more you face social expectations from people who do not understand your unique situation. You may find yourself bombarded with social requests at times when you barely have 2 seconds to scratch your behind. People don’t seem to take your academic commitments as seriously when you aren’t showing up to a building for school.

• Cost concerns: My RV life was very affordable compared to my everyday expenses in Spain. For example, my rent alone is about 4 times what it was in the U.S. and Mexico with an RV. Add traveling to the mix, and it can get expensive. Take cuts where you can by pet- or house-sitting, accepting free stays with friends, and applying for travel grants to attend conferences.

Here are the main benefits I’ve enjoyed as a digital nomad, even while no longer traveling full-time:

• No life disruption: I was already traveling full-time when I started my master’s degree. So, I was grateful that going back to school didn’t mean an end to my travel lifestyle and freedom.

• Extra motivation: It’s easy to get stuck in a rut as a grad student. You’d be surprised how much a change of scenery or promise of beach time can motivate you to finish that chapter or paper super fast. I never completed as much work throughout my thesis as I did between my trip to Italy and the beach trip to Valencia this year.

• Mental health breaks: I struggle to take breaks, and traveling to new locations forces me to do it. How could I possibly pass up the beach, Italian cafe, or a hiking trip? Just be sure to take them within reason, or you’ll find that too many breaks leave you with unfinished work and fast-approaching deadlines.

• Solitude: People who don’t know me well assume I am an extrovert. But my social battery dies very quickly around too many people. I have enjoyed traveling with friends and my partner. But the occasional trip alone or with just one person is an excellent time to sit with your thoughts and finally hear yourself think—uninterrupted. You need moments like these as a grad student, especially at the PhD level.

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Next week, I’ll share tips for people considering either working or attending school while they roam. Both are incredibly similar, but school is harder, and doing both together is the hardest—even if you only work part-time. I’ll discuss ways I have managed to reduce my expenses while getting my degree, and how to avoid paying insanely high tuition. Believe it or not, I paid cash for both master’s degrees. I have never had student loans.

This and more, coming up next time. See you then! 👋🏽

This is the follow-up to: Here’s What It’s Like to Take My Cat From Spain to Italy. If you don’t have a paid subscription, don’t worry. That post was free, and the next one will be too. However, this post is for the people who help me pay for grad school and adventures with paid subscriptions—and those who have appeared in my blog posts and videos over the years. Thank you!

Traveling with dogs isn’t new. You see dogs in cars, at the park, and increasingly in airplanes. But when you decide to travel with a cat, you’ll find far fewer people who can relate to this experience.

Over the past six years of traveling with my feline friend, numerous people have reached out to me for advice on how to pack up their cats and take them across statelines or to new countries.

While Instagram will give you the thrill of seeing cats snowboarding, hiking, biking, and paddle boarding with their owners. Many of these people traveled with their cats out of necessity: such as rushing back to their hometown to take care of an ailing parent or moving to a new country.

Every situation and move case is different. And I could never give all the advice necessary to move or travel with a cat in one post. But this provides information on a critical starting point: what to pack.

The full checklist

I’ll start by giving you the full list of items needed with recommendations for specific options I have bought and used:

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Unfortunately, I don’t have any glamor shots of my cat eating canolis and strolling through the gardens of Florence in the spring. I took him with me out of necessity because no one could confirm they could watch him while I was away.

Still, it’s worth knowing that if this ever happens to you, the trip might be a lot easier than you initially imagined. But that depends on whether you’ve done your homework.

Pre-Travel Prep

I was prepared for something similar to the chaos of taking Shadow between the United States and Spain, but pet travel is much easier within the European Union. Here’s what I needed to complete the process as a resident of Spain:

• Pet Passport: Shadow has a Spanish passport (yes, I’m not kidding!) that identifies him as a Spanish kitty with rights to travel within Europe.

• Pet Ticket: I paid an additional €120.00 (roughly US$ 138) to Vueling for round-trip travel, which is much less than I’ve paid to travel with Shadow in the past.

Once I had these details sorted, the next step was finding a hotel that would accommodate pets. There were far more options available than I initially expected, but let me add that I checked for a hotel about four months before leaving. I’m sure you have far fewer choices if you wait until the last minute.

At the Airport in Madrid

On our travel day, I had to check in in person. This is similar to the process in the United States. They checked his passport, weighed him, tagged his bag, printed our tickets, and we were done. They also took the opportunity to weigh my additional bags to see if they met the ridiculously low weight limits. My partner traveled separately on different days both ways, and they didn’t weigh his bags at all because he never had to check in at the front desk.

After Arrival in Florence

Once we arrived in Italy, I followed the same steps I would on any other trip. I had no checked bags, so I headed straight for the commuter train to the city. There were no restrictions on pets or extra fees for traveling with him on the regular train into the city.

Things did get a little dicey at our train stop because the streets in Florence aren’t ideal for pulling suitcases. And much less so for pulling a suitcase with a cat sitting on top of it. But, in the end, we made it to the apartment, and he was able to relax and enjoy the rainy view through our first-story window.

What to Pack

Aside from the uneven streets in Florence, the most difficult part of traveling to Italy with my cat was packing for him. Cats require significantly more items than dogs, and it’s worth considering this. I lost almost half my carry-on suitcase space and weight limits to the items needed to care for Shadow.

Next week, I’ll provide a checklist (with explanations) of what you need when traveling by air or train with your cat into unfamiliar territory. See you next time! 👋🏽

This is the follow-up to the post: What to Look for in a Good Short-Term Stay. If you don’t have a paid subscription, don’t worry. That post was free, and the next one will be too. However, this post is for the people who help me pay for grad school and adventures with paid subscriptions—and those who have appeared in my blog posts and videos over the years. Thank you!

Let’s start with deciding what counts as a long-term stay.

Most digital nomads and other full-time travelers would say only 30 days or more counts as a long-term stay. However, anything longer than 10 days needs home-like amenities for me. If you cook often, work while on the road, or travel with pets or children, you might find yourself in a similar position.

Only you can decide what counts as a long-term stay. But regardless of where you draw the line, you’ll need to raise the bar significantly from that cheap hotel you book for a night on your way across the United States or for a layover in Europe.

Here’s what to look for.

1. Established reputation

You can take your chances with that cheap motel for an overnight stay. But if you plan to be there for 10 days or several months, your room will likely become a manifestation of all the 1-star reviews you chose to ignore. When booking a long-term stay, always prioritize:

• Stays with at least 40 or more reviews online

• Superhosts or Guest Favorites on Airbnb

• 8 or above on Booking.com

• 4.5 or above on Google Reviews

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Finding a hotel or Airbnb for a short stay is fairly easy. After all, even if you hate it, you won’t be there for long. In the blink of an eye, it will be time to move on to the next destination—or sadly, return home.

Still, you don’t want to spend money on something you hate, or be forced to spend a night in a situation you find unbearable. So, what should you look for in a good short-term rental?

The good news is that you can lower your standards compared to a long-term stay, and you might even have a few extra bucks to splurge on luxury.

1. Reasonable Price Based on Needs

The first thing you should consider when you start looking is how much you’re willing to pay. This may vary depending on why you’re choosing this destination and who’s going with you.

For example, if you’re just passing through a city for a night, you might just need a safe place to lay your head with no amenities. But if you’re staying for a long weekend with friends, you can split the bill and expand the budget.

There is no price that works well for both scenarios, or any other you might encounter. If you’re just passing through solo for the night, $100 or less might be your budget. When splurging with a big group of friends, renting a villa for $1,000-plus per night is not unthinkable.

The important part is starting with a budget and sticking to it.

2. Proximity to Planned Destinations

When you’re taking a short trip, the last thing you need is to spend the majority of your time commuting from place to place. Choose a location where you can get to everything you need quickly—preferably on foot.

If you don’t have specific destinations planned, then aim for downtown areas if you’re staying in a big city. If you’re not in a big city and don’t have a car, at least try not to venture too far from the airport, train station, or other transportation hubs.

For example, my partner and I recently booked a trip to London for my friend’s graduation. Unfortunately, students had already booked out most of the accommodations near the school. But since we only planned to go there once for the ceremony, we chose to be close to the city so that we could explore London for the remaining days.

3. Okay-to-Good Reviews

You likely won’t need to dig too deep into what people say, but it’s worth checking the aggregate number. Anything less than 7 on Booking.com or a 4.7 on Airbnb could be problematic. If you find them on Google Reviews, you should check hotels or other accommodations with a rating of at least 4 stars.

Sometimes, you might find a place you really like that has terrible reviews. At that point, it’s worth checking it to see what people say. Often, tonnes of people make the same silly mistake: like booking a place without AC and then complaining that it’s hot in the summer.

For example, the London booking has a 7.5 rating on Booking.com, which is okay but not great. The ratings are even lower on Google. Most of the bad reviews are from people who booked the place without AC and then complained about the heat. We’re going in the fall, so we’re far more concerned about the cold and checked that there’s a furnace.

Short-term stays are where I’ve taken some chances that paid off. I figured I wouldn’t suffer for long anyway.

But long-term stays are a whole different beast. For example, I learned a lot from my apartment in Florence in May. I absolutely hated the place. It was located close to everything I needed, but really uncomfortable and not at all designed for someone to spend a mostly rainy two weeks in Italy inside. Where did I go wrong?

Next time, I’ll share with paid subscribers what to look for in a good medium to long-term stay. See you then!

This is the follow-up to the post: I Flew on Vueling for the First Time. Here’s What I Think of this European Budget Airline. If you don’t have a paid subscription, don’t worry. That post was free, and the next one will be too. However, this post is for the people who help me pay for grad school and adventures with paid subscriptions—and those who have appeared in my blog posts and videos over the years. Thank you!

Last time, I shared my experience traveling on Vueling for the first time. This was the second European budget airline I’ve traveled with since moving to Spain. And I’m sure I’ll take a lot more flights with these airlines, despite the not-so-great service and the bare-bones amenities.

Even so, it’s important not to assume the worst just because an airline is a budget flyer. For example, Spirit was one of the few US airlines with a record for zero fatal passenger crashes. It also came second only to Alaska Airlines for on-time performance in 2025 and beat Delta in 2018.

In fact, I’ve accepted that some of my bad experiences on budget airlines were a direct result of poor planning and not setting reasonable expectations. So, here are some tips to help you have a better budget flying experience.

1. Know when to travel on a budget airline.

I respect budget airlines, but I would never book one for a long-haul trip or to far-flung, unfamiliar places. I’ve been stranded and lost reimbursement battles even with established or highly respected airlines like British Airways, American Airlines, and Emirates. I can’t imagine how much worse it is to have those same experiences with budget airlines.

Consequently, here’s when you should avoid budget airlines:

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Rising jet fuel costs and a struggling global economy riddled with wars and uncertainty have sent budget airlines plummeting. Spirit Airlines made the news in May when it shut down its operations, but it’s not alone. Magnicharters from Mexico has also just filed for bankruptcy.

The demise of budget airlines has sparked a wider debate about the niche these companies serve and whether we need them. Amidst all of this, I realized I had booked my own spring flight on an EU budget airline: Vueling. I had never traveled with them before, but I realized I had signed up for the budget experience as soon as I arrived at the airport.

Do we really need low-cost carriers?

This was my second time traveling on a European budget airline. Last year, when I flew to Ireland in August to kick off my PhD research, I flew with Ryanair. The experience on both airlines left much to be desired, but the crash of the budget birds has made me rethink my pessimism.

The fact is that many of us choose these airlines and need them when:

• Booking an urgent or last-minute flight that would be expensive otherwise

• Traveling on a budget, such as when you’re a student or a large family on a reduced income

• Need a quick flight to a close destination, so you don’t need the extra bells and whistles

We increasingly live in a world where big players dominate the market, and the small guys who serve the everyday people can’t keep up. If for no other reason, I encourage you to choose smaller airlines for this when you can, but do so cautiously. When these airlines have gone down this year, people have lost the hard-earned money they spent on flights.

What’s it like flying on Vueling?

I did not enjoy flying with Vueling, but I will do it again to support the rebellion against big corporations. So what’s it like to travel with Vueling, and what didn’t I like?

• Their flights in and out of Madrid and Florence seem to be routinely late by at least half an hour.

• The check-in gates open exactly 2 hours before the flight, which isn’t ideal if you have to get there early.

• The carry-on bag is not actually carry-on-sized, so you will likely end up paying more to have the bigger one you can put in the overhead bins.

• If you need to check in physically at the desk (e.g., when traveling with pets), they will weigh your extra carry-on bag.

• That carry-on bag can only be about 10 kg (about 22 lbs), and they will charge you for the overage, though they may give you some wiggle room.

• On the flight, they served no refreshments at all unless you ordered and paid for them.

Despite my complaints, there were a few things I liked about traveling with Vueling:

• The seats I had were roomy despite sharing my foot space with Shadow in his carrier.

• You get a window seat by default when you travel with a pet.

• Traveling with a pet on Vueling was less expensive than I previously paid on US airlines like Delta and even Spirit.

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While there is definitely a lot more these airlines can do to improve their service, I love that we have low-cost options to fly. In fact, we’re flying on another budget airline to the United Kingdom to celebrate my friend’s graduation this summer.

Let’s see how it goes!

This is the follow-up to the post: If You Don’t Love Driving, You Won’t Make It as a Solo RVer. If you don’t have a paid subscription, don’t worry. That post was free, and the next one will be too. However, this post is for the people who help me pay for grad school and adventures with paid subscriptions—and those who have appeared in my blog posts and videos over the years. Thank you!

When you choose the RV lifestyle, you can expect to spend long hours on the road traveling from lakes to deserts to mountains. If you’re like me, you much prefer the destination to the journey, but learning to make peace with that long drive is important—especially if you’re RVing solo or have a towable setup.

If the long driving already seems overwhelming to you, cheer up. I promise you that anyone can master this. I started my RV journey with a two-year-old license and had only done short commutes of 10 minutes to an hour. But as an RVer, I quickly jumped to spending 6-plus hours on the road.

The most important question you need an answer to is how.

1. Test your limits with a partner

On my first trip across the United States in my RV, I traveled with my parents. My dad and I split the driving into 6- to 9-hour shifts each per day. It did require pushing myself, but I was able to carry my end of the burden.

The main motivation was knowing that I could ask my dad to take over at any time if I really needed it. If it were just me, I wouldn't have put in that many hours on a first RV trip. And, in fact, my initial plan was to cross the country in 10 days—not 3.

This shared experience showed me what I was capable of when I tested my limits. But most importantly, it taught me what times felt most natural to me: both when to drive and how long to drive.

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I’ve talked about how difficult it can be to take long-haul flights to exotic locations. You spend hours looking forward to the landing while going a little stir crazy in the sky. But there’s another type of long-haul travel that people do even more often and really struggle with: driving.

A few weeks ago, a Frenchman shared a story with me about the time he tried to drive 14 hours and almost crashed because he couldn’t stay awake. He then picked up a random hitchhiker and made him drive because he was too tired to continue.

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When I started planning for a life of living tiny on wheels, long hours on the road were one of my biggest concerns. My license was barely 2 years old when I took off across the United States, and my only driving was 35 minutes to work or an hour for the occasional hiking trip.

When I left Atlanta, my parents insisted on coming with me. It meant I had to shorten my planned travel days from around 10 to three, but it also meant I could share driving shifts with my dad.

We drove 12 to 18 hours a day to cross the US in 3 days, and we split the driving in half. That meant that I was driving 6 to 9 hours every day. I had never driven that many hours in all my life, but knowing I could swap out with my dad if I really needed to kept me sane.

@alexischateau_I towed my RV 2,000+ miles across the country in 3 days in the middle of a pandemic: from Atlanta to Vegas to Cali deserts. #fjcruiser #RVing #travel

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Once I had fully immersed myself in the nomad community, I noticed that the commute time to the next camping spot was a common topic among RVers. People who traveled together in groups, for example, had to make compromises based on how far each person was willing to travel per day.

The safety rule of thumb is that those of us who tow our setup should aim for no more than 3 to 5 hours of travel per day. Towing is mentally exhausting, and there’s very little room for error. If you fall asleep at the wheel, not only could you cause an accident and hurt others, but you also risk losing your home.

Still, if you only do a max of 5 hours per day, you’ll have a tough time getting around. Especially since larger motorhomes and those who tow will be going a heck of a lot slower than your vans and ad-hoc car camping setup. Ultimately, the right approach is to know your limits and stick to them.

What about you? What’s the furthest you’ve driven, and what do you think is a safe cut-off point each day?

This is the follow-up to the post: Travel Confessions: Long Flights are Not for the Faint of Heart. If you don’t have a paid subscription, don’t worry. The travel confessions post was free, and there are more on the way! Half the posts in this newsletter are free. However, this post is for the people who help me pay for grad school and adventures with paid subscriptions—and those who have appeared in my blog posts and videos over the years. Thank you!

In late April, I promised a post on how to thrive on long-haul flights. These are not quick 1—4 hour flights to Miami or Los Angeles. I mean, straight flights (or train rides) lasting 7-plus hours or connected flights that have you traveling for 24 hours or more.

I’ve had my fair share of both!

Over the years, I’ve gotten better at sitting through these long travel times and have some tips for people who doubt whether they can do the same. Let’s get started.

1. Book your travel times wisely.

The time matters when choosing your ticket. The best time to arrive at your final destination depends on how you handle long-haul trips and jet lag:

• If you tend to arrive exhausted, it’s best to get there in the evening or at night.

• If you sleep well during these trips and arrive rested, it’s best to get there during the day.

For example, I prefer evening flights leaving Atlanta. I spend about 8 hours in the sky and then land in Madrid in the morning or at noon. I’m ready to get groceries and re-settle into my apartment by then, and I can go to bed at a reasonable hour.

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This is the follow-up to the post: Looking for a Quick Madrid Day-Trip? Here Are 4 Nearby Cities to Enjoy During Your Stay. If you don’t have a paid subscription, don’t worry. The last 2 posts were free, and there are more on the way! Half the posts in this newsletter are free. However, this post is for the people who help me pay for grad school and adventures with paid subscriptions—and those who have appeared in my blog posts and videos over the years. Thank you!

Today is the first time that I’ve had a moment to myself in almost a month. Truth be told, I miss my companions—first my mom in Madrid and my partner in Italy—but it’s been a good run. Now, it’s time to get back to real life. We’ll start by picking up where we left off.

My mom and I explored several nearby towns and villages outside Madrid. Despite returning home every night, we had far more adventures than we did during our visits to Malaga and Barcelona last year.

Still, our trips weren’t without a few mishaps. Use these travel tips to get the most out of your traveling and avoid some of the problems we had.

Toledo

• Take the train: We traveled by car for convenience, private bonding time, and to see a bit more of the countryside. But the train is faster and inexpensive if you’re looking to get there and back quickly. You can usually find seats even at the last minute on evening trains, but it’s best to book ahead.

• Don’t skip the cathedral: There are literally hundreds of churches in Toledo, so you’ll be spoiled for choice. But if you love Gothic architecture, you don’t want to miss the inside of the Catedral Primada de Toledo.

  

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Recently, I’ve shared that a special guest is coming to see me in Madrid. Most of you likely already guessed that this was my mom! Last year, while we enjoyed traveling to Málaga and Barcelona, she saw very little of Madrid during her stay.

This time, we spent more time in the city and took only day trips to nearby locations. Here are our top four recommendations if you’re also looking for quick day trips during your Madrid stay.

1. Toledo

Travel Time: ~35 minutes via Renfe Avant

We had the pleasure and privilege of having a semi-local show us around Toledo. His father was a Toledano before moving to Madrid as a child. But the family maintained close ties to the historic city, which was the former capital of Spain.

Here are three things you absolutely can’t miss while visiting Toledo:

• Toledo Cathedral (Catedral Primada Metropolitana de Santa María de la Asunción)

• Jewish Quarters of Toledo (no longer Jewish in demographics, but still well-preserved historical buildings)

• Camino Natural del Tajo (for an easy and beautiful hike by the Toledo River)

Segovia

Travel Time: ~25 minutes via Renfe Avlo/Alvia

We explored Segovia on our own and found it was smaller than Toledo and didn’t have as much to do. Still, it was worth seeing for the fairy-tale-like medieval castle, beautiful cathedral, and lovely parks.

Here are the three things you absolutely cannot miss:

• Alcázar de Segovia (the medieval castle)

• Catedral de Segovia (beautiful cathedral)

• Segovia Aqueduct (miles and miles of an ancient aqueduct)

Alcalá de Henares

Travel Time: ~ 1 hour and 20 minutes via Renfe Cercanías

We initially had no plans to visit this place, but the Madrileño who took us to Toledo insisted it was worth seeing in person. He was so determined that we chose to go, even though we knew it would be raining when we arrived. We weren’t there for half an hour before we got hail, too!

Still, this was one of our favorite stops, and I’m looking forward to returning on my own. Here are three stops you should make while there:

• University of Alcalá (the first urban university in the world)

• Cervantes Birthplace Museum

• Palace of the Laredo

Cercedilla

Travel Time: ~ 1 hour and 10 minutes via Renfe Cercanías

Our final stop was Cercedilla, a mountain town I had tried to see multiple times since last fall. Unfortunately, it was always either raining, storming, or snowing. I went hiking on the outskirts in February or March, but it was nice to visit the main town itself with my mom.

Here are two things you should add to your to-do list:

• Camino de Puricelli (for a quick hike)

• Paquito Fernández Ochoa Ski Museum (for art lovers and ski enthusiasts)

Next week, I’ll share tips and tricks for each of these locations—including how to get there cheaply, which one had the cheapest souvenirs, and the best places we ate and tried new foods. And of course, I’ll share photos of the amazing places we got to see.

See you then! 👋🏾

My first long-haul flight took me from Atlanta to the Maldives via two connections and a boat ride. By the time I arrived at my hotel, I had been traveling for 24 hours straight and had crossed several time zones.

Nothing in the world prepares you for the first time you travel that far by plane, especially if you have a connecting flight. It’s no wonder that so many people dislike or fear flying long distances.

What are the most common reasons people fear long flights?

• High expense: Long-haul flights are generally much more expensive than short flights. For example, flying to Jamaica from Atlanta will likely cost me between $200 and $400 for a regular ticket. Flying from Atlanta to Madrid will cost me between $750 and $1,600.

• Discomfort and boredom: Spending eight or more hours in the same spot is enough to deter many people from visiting the most beautiful places on Earth. Not only are they in a tiny seat for long hours, but it’s difficult to get comfortable, and boredom is likely.

• Health risks: A family member first discovered they had severe blood clots after a four-and-a-half-hour flight to Vegas. This was hardly a “long” flight, but it was long enough to cause problems. If you have pre-existing issues like back pain, those long hours in the seat could also make it worse.

• Logistical complications: Even without connections, long-haul flights can get complicated fast. It’s one thing to miss a flight going to a city a few hours away. But you could end up getting to your hotel a day later, for example, if you’re flying 10 or 18 hours away. What if they give the room to someone else?

• Jet lag: Flying across time zones can disrupt your sleep patterns. Your body wants to operate on its home time, while you need to adjust to your current time zone. For example, you could arrive in Spain at 12 noon, but it will be 6 AM in Atlanta. Unless you usually get up that early, you’ll likely want to sleep. It can take days (or even weeks!) to get over jet lag.

What can you do to make long flights easier?

Endurance and patience are two of the best traits for dealing with long-haul flights. But that’s hardly very useful advice on its own.

Over the years, many travelers have experimented with different ways to make long-distance flights easier. They’ve come up with tips ranging from showing up drunk to booking at specific times.

I can’t vouch for or recommend all the advice I’ve received over the years. But next week I’ll share them with paid subscribers, and you can decide what works best for you. I’ll also tell you the specific tactics that have worked for me.

See you then! 👋🏽

This is the follow-up to the post: Travel Confessions: Nights Can Be Noisy in an RV. If you don’t have a paid subscription, don’t worry. The last post was free, and the next one will be too! This post is for the people who help me pay for grad school and adventures with paid subscriptions—and those who have appeared in my blog posts and videos over the years. Thank you!

Before starting my four-year RV adventure in 2020, I battled with the absolute worst episode of insomnia in my life. I’ve had trouble sleeping for as long as I’ve known myself, but this time was worse than usual. I tried everything from red light therapy to breaking my sleep into “shifts.”

Nothing seemed to work.

I fully expected I would still have sleeping problems when I moved into the RV. But from the very first night, a strange thing happened. I slept like a baby. Despite thin walls, occasionally loud neighbors, and the excitement of a new adventure, I slept like I didn’t have a care in the world.

I can’t promise you that you’ll also sleep like the dead in your RV. But there are a few things you can do to ensure quiet nights and good rest.

How to Choose a Quiet Spot

When I first started looking at campgrounds, I noticed that many of them were near train tracks. They were close enough that you could absolutely hear them at camp, and many reviews mentioned them. However, not a single train kept me up at night.

Here’s how to choose a quiet spot:

1. Know your triggers. Despite being a light sleeper, trains don’t bother me. I will wake up at the first choo choo, realize it’s just a train, and fall right asleep. But music, TVs, doors shutting, people talking, babies crying, and dogs barking will keep me up all night. Know what your triggers are and consider them carefully when choosing a new spot to camp, whether it’s for a night or a season.

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I was confident I had thought of everything when I hit the road. Everything important anyway.

For the most part, I was correct. The things I thought would be difficult turned out to be the real troublemakers. And the preparations I made for them worked really well.

But one thing I hadn’t given nearly enough thought to was the noise level in the RV.

If you’re like I was, you’re probably wondering where on Earth the noise would come from. After all, aren’t you out in nature enjoying the peace and silence of real solitude?

The “bumps” in the night

The truth is that you are rarely alone. No matter how far out into the wilderness you roam.

Wild animals may howl and hoot throughout the night. And every so often, random people choose to park right next to you when they have miles of spots to choose from. Even neighbors far away can be impossibly loud—especially if they’re running a generator. If you’re the one relying on a generator, then you’ve got the noise even closer to home.

Internal systems in the RV also make noises at night. The furnace roars to life when it heats up your rig. It will cycle on and off multiple times throughout the night to maintain a comfortable temperature. Then there’s the water pump that sometimes sounds like a wild animal announcing its presence when you’re dry camping (RVing off-grid) and flush the toilet or wash your hands.

But perhaps even worse is the sound of traffic if you’re parked near roadways. You’ll also find that a lot of RV parks are near train tracks. You will fall asleep to silence in the dead of night and awake suddenly to chooo choooo at 3 AM. Some communities require trains to signal their approach as they enter to avoid catching drivers or pedestrians unawares.

The role of your RV materials

One reason everything sounds much louder in the RV is that the walls are much thinner than those in a regular home. If you gave up your triple-glazed windows and brick walls to move into an RV, you’ll be in for a rude awakening.

The good news is that you learn to adjust. I have struggled with insomnia for as long as I’ve known myself, and I am still a light sleeper. Yet I got the best sleep of my life in the RV, and I miss it terribly.

Nothing beats waking up naturally to the sun pouring in from picture windows and skylights. But also important is learning:

• How to choose a quiet spot

• How to improve soundproofing in your RV

• How to desensitize yourself to noise

I’ll discuss this and other tactics I used to get a good night’s rest with paid subscribers next!

PS:- This post is about a week late because I’ve been preparing for an extra special guest who arrives soon. I’ve doubled up on work over the past two weeks to ensure I don’t have to work much while they’re here. That includes not just “work-work” but also hacking away at my PhD dissertation. Needless to say, travel blogging took a back seat.

Still, I’ll catch up bit by bit. Just bear with me over the next month or so.

Stay safe wherever you are in the world!

This is a follow-up to the post: Book Your Flights Earlier to Save Money. If you don’t have a paid subscription, don’t worry. The last post was free, and the next one will be too! This post is for the people who help me pay for grad school and adventures with paid subscriptions—and those who have appeared in my blog posts and videos over the years. Thank you!

Some people enjoy planning a trip even more than taking it. But for most of us, the planning process is nerve-racking. Especially that part where we see our hard-earned cash disappearing from our accounts to cover the bill.

The good news is that traveling doesn’t always need to be expensive. Even when you travel to far-flung and exotic destinations, booking your ticket early makes a big difference.

General advice is helpful. But finding out when I start booking, and the specific tools I use, might be even more useful for you. So, let’s get started.

How far in advance do I usually start looking at flights?

I like to start checking flights as far ahead as possible. Most airlines will let you look up to 11 or 12 months ahead.

The sooner you put a watch on that ticket, the better. If you’re planning years in advance for a big trip, it’s not a bad idea to track how prices fluctuate across seasons. This will give you the information you need to get the best prices when you’re ready to book.

I like to start looking around eight months and will usually buy my ticket by month six. If I don’t have the luxury of planning this far ahead, I at least try to get the ticket 2 to 4 months in advance.

What tools can you use to track prices and buy your ticket for the least possible cost?

A quick Google search will show you dozens of tools for tracking ticket prices over time. Some of these are websites, while others are convenient apps you can download to your phone.

If you buy flights via your credit card’s travel planning site so that you can use points, it might have a tracker for you. Some might even recommend a good time to buy with price protection if the price drops afterward.

However, buying through a platform can cause problems if that flight gets canceled or delayed, or if you need reimbursement for being stuck overseas. I never got the money back from Capital One, American Airlines, or British Airways for leaving me stranded in Europe in 2023.

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