I’m sure my Kansas City based readers are feeling a confusing void now that it has come to an end. The excitement and build up of hosting some of the matches was a hot topic for a loooong time within the KC community.

While I was sad to miss the experience of attending a World Cup match at Arrowhead and seeing KC buzzin’ with fans from all over, I am still quite pleased with my World Cup experience.

Which was being a bandwagon fan from whichever country we happened to be traveling in; specifically aligning with our time in Croatia and France. We got to sit amongst the locals (and fellow tourists on holiday) and cheer on their team.

I wrote about my experience watching a World Cup match in Dubrovnik in June, and my procrastinating ass is finally getting around to sharing it. Enjoy!

Subscribe now

Recently in Croatia…

It’s 11 PM on a Saturday night in Dubrovnik, and Croatia is gearing up to play Ghana in the World Cup. It’s an incredibly important game, as the winner will proceed to the knockout stages.

My hair is in a slicked back bun because it’s too hot for anything else and lord knows I have zero intentions of washing it just to coat it in a fresh layer of sweat. We’re at an Irish pub, because for some reason there’s no other obvious place to watch the World Cup games in Dubrovnik’s Old Town — something that has really confused me, but that’s a conversation for another time.

There are three modest sized TV’s in the whole bar and in true European fashion, one air conditioning unit oscillating on overdrive. The bar is very much an open door/window concept, allowing the humid night air to seep into the room, overpowering the AC’s efforts to cool us down.

Greg and I are tucked in the corner near a ledge where I can place my stein of beer down — something my arm greatly appreciates. I’ve found myself gravitating to corners since being abroad, always feeling the need to be “out of the way”.

Before the game starts, I pass the time by observing a group of four Croatian women who snagged one of the coveted high-top tables and stools. They’re sat right in front of the “big” TV and you can tell they feel proud.

They can’t be older than 24-years-old, the lack of cellulite on their thighs and the fruity drinks that the bartender pours them helping me to assume their young, spritely age. Throughout the entirety of the evening I swear they each smoked an entire pack of cigarettes.

Oh yes, there are cigs inside.

I decided to refer to them as the “Croatian Pink Ladies” in my head for the rest of the evening. Just a bunch of confident baddies who appeared to fear nothing, including lung cancer.

The game begins and you can quickly tell who is a local and who is a tourist by how locked into the screen they become. Stragglers quickly file into the bar and any free space that once existed is gone.

I’m not going to annotate the game for you, because this is not nor will it ever be, a sports blog. But I will say that it was the perfect kind of game you want to watch as a non-biased spectator.

Both teams scored, which created a nervous tension and kept the game interesting. Croatia ended up scoring a second goal and winning the game, which was so fun to witness.

The bar absolutely erupted and the joy was infectious. One of my pink ladies even spilled her fruity cocktail all over their table out of excitement.

I’m so thankful the evening resulted in happy celebrations rather than pissed off fans, grumbling obscenities in Croatian. I probably wouldn’t have written this Substack had they lost, if I’m completely honest. Loses the charm.

The game finished a little after 1 AM, Greg and I knew it was time for us to call it a night once a drunk guy put his lit cigarette into the back of Greg’s shirt, burning a lovely little hole. A souvenir, if you will.

We made our uphill walk back to our place, breathing in the fresh, cigarette free air. We took turns taking cold showers (something I never saw myself doing) and said a silent prayer for whoever created air conditioning before turning in for the night.

Subscribe now

Now it’s no secret that Croatia didn’t win it all, but as a loyal sports fan myself (even if it is American football, go Chiefs), I thoroughly enjoyed getting to witness these fans go through the roller coaster of emotions that the World Cup instills.

I’m leaving this World Cup with a little more of an understanding for the sport, as well as an appreciation. I did unfortunately piss off my Italian brother-in-law by calling the games “occasionally boring”, but it’s a process.

I’m forever grateful that the timing was the way it was and that we got to experience the World Cup out in the world.

Until next time!

xoxo, Reagan

It turns out living out of your suitcase and moving around every 4-12 days has its perks, you see a lot of cool shit! 12 new countries worth of cool shit, to be exact.

When Greg and I decided to say tchau to our Lisbon apartment and commit to living nomadically, my brother encouraged us to keep a running list of everywhere that we go, keeping track of which places are our favorites.

Now maintaining this “ranking” of sorts has been harder than I anticipated, for a couple of reasons:

The first being that we’ve not gone anywhere that sucks. I truly don’t think I’ve disliked a single place, which makes it hard to give away those bottom rankings. Ultimately, a good problem to have.

Second, the travel I’m reflecting on took place from mid-November through the end of April, so winter and early spring. I have no doubt in my mind that these temperamental seasons had an effect on our experience, for better or for worse. For example, had we gone to Poland in summer when the sun wasn’t setting at 3:30pm, perhaps it’d stand a fighting chance.

The last thing I’ll note is that although we’ve been to 15+ cities in Portugal, I’ve not included any of our time in Portugal to this ranking. I mean how do you compare 11 months in Lisbon to 7 nights in Brussels?

On that same note, I also did not include any of our day trips in this ranking. I’ve only ranked cities that we stayed in for multiple nights, allowing us to get an actual feel for the place.

Without further ado, I’d like to share my personal ranking of everywhere we traveled in this four and a half month period, from least favorite to most.

Subscribe now

22. Bristol, England
    Remember when I had two weeks to solo travel while Greg went back to the States for work and I chose to farm sit in the middle of England for strangers? Well, the closest airport to that small town was Bristol, so alas, I spent a few nights here.
    
    Bristol is a university town and is known for being a bit quirky, which made it an easy exploration. After months of traveling Central Europe, the ability to communicate with locals without hesitation was a welcome adjustment. There were thrift stores (known as “charity shops”) galore and the food scene was yummy, but that’s about all I’ve got.

    

21. Warsaw, Poland
    I’ve said this about Warsaw before, but considering the fact that nearly 90% of this city was destroyed during WW2, you really can’t fault Warsaw for not giving you that “cozy” European feeling.
    
    Warsaw had a handful of great museums and we had some of the best pierogi’s during our Poland stint here. It’s also where we fell in love with the Zabka hot dog (picture a QuikTrip roller item, but better), but I don’t think I’ll be returning.
    

20. Cologne, Germany
    If you’re coming here to witness the iconic Cologne Cathedral and to drink kolsch beer, then you’re set. Based on the few walking tours we took, we quickly learned that this city also prides itself on being a bit “weird”.
    
    The pub culture is fun and the potato pancakes were delicious, but I was ready to say farewell to Cologne when the time came. For anyone going themselves, a day or two is all you need.
    

19. Krakow, Poland
    I feel like Krakow has a lot of potential — walkable city, cool old town, affordable prices. If I ever have the opportunity, I’d love to go back during spring or summer. That said, this is where we were based when we went to Auschwitz Birkenau, which as you can imagine, makes your trip feel totally different.
    
    Poland as a whole has been through a lot and I think the locals are doing their best to sort through generational trauma. Ultimately, I’m very glad we had the ability to spend nearly two weeks in Poland, but it did feel quite heavy at times.
    

18. Prague, Czechia
    Ugh, I wanted to love Prague so bad. I have friends who did their college study abroad here and they just ooze happiness anytime it’s brought up. The question remains — were they just 20-years-old and living their best lives in Europe, or is Prague truly that girl? To be fair, I think we just totally fucked up by coming here over New Years Eve.
    
    The city was so busy for the holiday and we had some of the coldest weather of the winter season during our time in Prague. The cards were against us, and I’d love to give Prague another (warmer) chance.
    

17. Lucerne, Switzerland
    My long awaited first visit to Switzerland did not disappoint. We chose to base ourselves in Lucerne since it is a manageable distance from Zurich, Interlaken, Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen. So while Lucerne itself didn’t absolutely blow me away, you can’t deny that Switzerland has such a positive reputation for a reason.
    
    I do think I have a bit of a vendetta against Switzerland because it truly is so freaking expensive. I can’t help but question why we pay astronomical Swiss prices when you can get stunning mountain views at an affordable rate in Austria? Just my personal opinion.
    

16. Dresden, Germany
    I’ll be honest in saying I had never even heard of Dresden, Germany until my husband mentioned stopping here to witness their iconic Christmas Market (one of the oldest in Europe). We did indeed miss their Christmas market by three days. It hard stops on Christmas Eve and doesn’t pick back up, now you know.
    
    We stayed for 2 nights and it was the perfect amount of time, Christmas Market or not. The city is very walkable and the architecture was out of this world gorgeous. Perhaps going into this city “blind” resulted in an ultra positive surprise, but regardless I absolutely recommend.

15. Brussels, Belgium
    Beer, chocolate, french fries, what’s not to like? We felt very welcome in Brussels, the locals were kind and warm, which is something that really leaves a big impression on me when traveling.
    
    We are actually scheduled to go back in September with my parents and I’m excited to pub hop in warm weather. My dad is a beer connoisseur and this is where we’ll be “warming up” for Oktoberfest.
    

14. Berlin, Germany
    We stayed in Berlin for nearly two weeks, one of our longest stays of the entire four month travel period. The main reason being that this is where we spent the Christmas holiday, but we also knew how massive the city was and that there was so much to see and do during are long stay.
    
    We were fortunate enough to know a fellow KU grad who lives in Berlin, and I don’t think our experience would have been the same had we not had her recommendations and knowledge (thx Sarah!!).
    
    Berlin felt like a European New York City. There are a zillion little neighborhoods and utilizing their public transportation is essential in getting around. The best things we did or ate were random, hole in the wall spots that only a local would know.
    
    I’m getting annoying and repetitive, but this is definitely a city that thrives in warmer weather — just buy a cheap, delicious beer at a nearby späti, find a park (not hard to do) and you’re set.
    

13. Milan, Italy
    We were lucky enough to travel to Milan during the Winter Olympics, where we watched a round of Mens Hockey (Czechia vs Sweden!!). Even though the city was a zoo of people, it still felt glamorous and chic and historic.
    
    Also, serve me Italian food and you’re in.

    

12. London, England
    I am dying to go back here with my best friends (and a little more money) and just eat and drink and shop my way through the different neighborhoods. London is massive and similarly to Berlin, I’m sure it only gets better when you have local recs and guidance.
    
    We got to go to a Mt. Joy concert (we are proud groupies at this point) and attend Harry Potter & the Cursed Child in its original two-part format. We also did a house/pet sitting gig, where I got my doggo fix and spent the week with Milo, while his gorgeous parents got married in Spain! This random, personal touch also makes for a fun reflection on my time in London.
    

11. Otztal Bahnhof, Austria
    A tiny, mountain town in the middle of the Austrian Alps. Pure bliss. We had the most lovely Airbnb host who lived in the apartment above ours and she made us feel so welcome and taken care of.
    
    Greg got to go skiing in Solden and together we went snowshoeing, which was exhausting, but it felt like we were in a literal snow globe. Cannot recommend a winter escape in Austria enough.
    

10. Munich, Germany
    We spent a week in Munich in January, where my hubs got to ring in his 30th year. Even with it being the dead of winter and me coming down with a cold that took me out for a couple of days, I still have fond feelings toward this city.
    
    I am so stinking excited to return at the end of September to experience Oktoberfest with family. So many empty and cold beer gardens were calling my name during our last visit!
    

9. Wroclaw, Poland
   This is definitely the dark horse of our travels. I mean look at where the other two cities in Poland ended up in the ranking after all.
   
   There was something about Wroclaw that I just absolutely adored. It’s small and walkable, the buildings in the old town exude so much character, their Christmas Markets were bangin’, and the hundreds of gnomes sprinkled throughout the city just made you happy.
   
   Not to mention, this city has a very up and coming food scene, making it a worthwhile stop for any foodies out there.

8. Como, Italy
   While I’m ultimately not surprised that the Lake Como region had such a lasting impression on me, I’ll admit that there was a small part of me that feared it was going to be a whole “Instagram vs reality” situation.
   
   Alas, it was not. It truly is as beautiful as everyone says and it is a place I hope to return to when I have a little more fun money to sprinkle around (the shopping was goooood).
   

7. Normandy, France
   While we technically based ourselves in Caen, we spent our entire stay driving to a new spot within the Normandy region each day, so I’m going to lump it all together for that sake.
   
   Mont Saint Michel, the Cliffs of Etretat, the D-Day Beaches and memorials — this region has so much to explore. While it’s a very sobering experience, you cannot deny the pure beauty of the landscape and the coziness of the surrounding towns. An absolute must for any history lovers, it’ll make you fall in love with a totally different version of France.

6. Paris, France
   I feel like you either love it or you hate it, and I’m here to say that I loved it. I found Paris to be absolutely magical. Gorgeous restaurants and cafes on every corner, making it easy to find a spot to people watch or refuel.
   
   Then add in all of the things to do, tourist attractions or not, the list feels endless. We didn’t encounter any “rude” Parisians, and seeing the Eiffel Tower in person made me feel like a little girl living out a big dream. Oui Oui to Paris!
   

5. Nice, France
   It’s safe to say France made a lasting impression on me. The South of France is a “hot” right now, and I am thrilled to say it lived up to the hype. Even in February, we were met with warm sun and the bluest coastline.
   
   Nice made for a convenient base to explore other cities along the coast, one of which was Menton. Every year during Carnaval, Menton has a “Citrus Festival” — yes, lemons and oranges on giant sculptures and floats. One of the most unique and memorable experiences we had.
   

4. Copenhagen, Denmark
   Ten days of me trying to fit in with the cool, whimsical Danish people of Copenhagen - a true task. Aside from the pricey conversion from the Danish krone to USD, I completely understand why Copenhagen is globally recognized as the happiest place to live in the world.
   
   I literally feel like we just spent our time moseying around, eating as many cardamom buns as possible, and reading my book in parks, but that’s all you need. Sprinkle in a few museums and a visit to their amusement park in the middle of the city and you’re bound to fall in love with this city.

3. Vienna, Austria
   If you’ve been following along with my substack or social media, then this should come as no surprise. I have nothing but loving things to say about Vienna, or Austria as a whole for that matter.
   
   For my lovers of architecture, art and culture, and history, you must put Vienna on your list. It was truly one of the most well-kept places we went. It felt like a dream land.
   

2. Budapest, Hungary
   The very first place we went to kick off our nomadic travels was Budapest. It was the end of November, Christmas Market season was just kicking off, and the winter temps were creeping in.
   
   We left Budapest on a high and wondered if we just had rose-colored glasses because we were so excited to finally leave Portugal (no offense) and explore other European cities.
   
   But as our travels went on, Greg and I both found ourselves leaving Budapest at the top spot. It’s the kind of city you can see yourself living in. That is until…
   

1. Amsterdam, Netherlands
   Ohhhhhh Amsterdam, you deserve all of the hype that you get and more. The dreamy canals, the people, restaurants and bars pouring onto the sidewalk, the history, etc. etc. etc.
   
   There is just a solid and happy energy in this city and I could’ve stayed for weeks. We visited in April, so we took a couple of day trips to witness the tulip fields and attend a local cheese market. Both experiences were so pleasant and makes me want to explore more of the Netherlands in the future.

   

Planning your own travels to these destinations & want my first hand recs? I’d love to help!

Let's Talk Travel - Inquire Here

I would love to know if you have had any similar (or totally different) experiences in any of these destinations. Are you a Paris lover or a Paris hater? No wrong answer in my opinion, that’s what makes traveling so special. Your experiences are yours.

Until next time!

xoxo, Reagan

You know those Reels or TikTok’s that show a couple with their oversized luggage, weaving their way through a foreign county’s train station, typically looking stressed as f*ck? The caption is something like “if you can survive navigating public transportation in a foreign country with your spouse, your marriage can survive anything”.

I do really resonate with this, especially since my husband and I grew up in Kansas, where there’s no public transportation to navigate, so we really went from zero to one hundred. But I would like to add another layer to this theory.

Subscribe now

I don’t believe surviving public transportation abroad is what is sealing our fate. I think this whole damn experience is.

For example, we just spent two weeks exploring Slovenia (obsessed with this country btw), and for one week we were based near Triglav National Park, where we could explore the Julian Alps.

If you don’t know me personally, let me just share that I grew up in a beach vacation family and my husband grew up in a hike/ski vacation family, and it shows. While I absolutely appreciate scenic mountains and the ability to move my body, I also really appreciate baking in the sun next to crystal clear waters.

We do both, because compromise, but this week was for hiking. If you aren’t familiar with Slovenia, there is a famous lake called Lake Bled. It has turquoise waters that look photoshopped and a small island smack dab in the middle, home to a church that tourists can take a boat to if they so choose.

If you aren’t taking in the views of the lake from a rowboat, then you’re likely climbing your way to some of the iconic viewpoints that surround the lake. And again, if you don’t know my husband personally, if there’s anything that man loves it’s a good view.

We were based right outside of Lake Bled for the week, but convienetly, there was a hike that would take us up the “back way” up to the viewpoints, right from our front door.

We huff and puff our way up this trail, tackling a good amount of elevation pretty quickly. Once we’re about 20-minutes from the originally planned viewpoint, we approach a fork in the trail.

Our map is telling us to go right - stay flat and we’ll arrive at our destination. However, the trail signpost is sharing that if you keep climbing up, a totally different viewpoint awaits.

To me, the logical (and only) option is to stay on route. We don’t know what’s up there and that’s not the hike we chose. Let’s stick with the plan and carry on.

But for my husband, he see’s a group of people going up the new trail and to him, this means that they must be onto something, that this new route must be the better viewpoint.

We talk about it in a half-assed, panting kind of way, and decide to proceed with our originally planned hike and viewpoint. We take the right turn and trudge along for a solid 10-minutes, when I can just tell that this man is in his head and thinking.

You can see the regret in his eyes, the fear of missing out on the view of Lake Bled that he has built up until this moment. So we stop, pull up the hike we just passed by, and looked at photos shared by other recent hikers.

You can’t deny that it was a gorgeous view, one may say it was very similar to the viewpoint we were moments away from (me, I would say that), but this one had more elevation and a higher vantage point. What is it about boys and climbing shit?

Anyways, I asked my sweet husband if he would regret not going to that alternate viewpoint. The last thing I wanted was for us to get to the end of our original hike and hear, “man, I wonder what the view at the other trail looks like” or something regretful of that sort.

So what did we do? We turned around, and hiked back to the fork in the trail. Remember when I said I was a beach girly?

We put those Lisbon calves to use and made our way up to the spontaneous addition to our hike. After a very manageable addition, we made it to viewpoint 2.0. There wer only two other hikers there when we arrived, which definitely sweetens the deal.

We then made our way back to our original trail, making this the third time we have walked this path, ending at OG viewpoint. So not only did we get to see one amazing view of Lake Bled, we got to see two.

Was it a big deal? No, I survived. Although I would have much preferred my husband to advocate for the change of route the first time the option was presented to us rather than having to go back and forth like some fitness crazed losers, but nonetheless. We got a good ole lesson in husband and wife communication and compromise, which is always a win.

You know what they say, happy husband happy life.

So yes, navigating the metro in Milan during the Olympics without freaking out at one another for sure gives me faith that he and I are in it for the long haul. But so does going on a hike and having to back track and add on additional mileage that you weren’t originally planning on doing, just so you can see the same view from two vantage points.

I love you, Greg!!

Planning an upcoming trip to Slovenia (or anywhere for that matter), allow me help!

Let's Talk Travel - Inquire Here

Until next time,

xoxo Reagan

After an unplanned two month hiatus, I’m dusting off my Substack URL and getting back in the saddle. To all my loyal fans (blood relatives and long term friends), I apologize for leaving you hanging, but I appreciate you sticking around.

As I anticipated, it turns out full-time travel and living without an ounce of routine or consistency doesn’t really pair well with the creative side of my brain. While I hoped going to a new European city every 4-12 days would inspire me to spill my guts to the world, it honestly made me feel frazzled and overwhelmed.

Don’t get me wrong, it has been the most incredible 6-months of European travels and I wouldn’t change a thing. But living out of a suitcase full time while working full time is not for the weak.

The hours of the day felt shorter and shorter, and the feminine urge to “do it all” became consuming — explore the new city you’re in, plan epic trips for your clients, plan epic trips for yourself, maintain a consistent social media presence so you can gain new clients and (hopefully one day) make more money, maintain a relationship with your loved ones in different time zones, date your husband and don’t let him become your roommate, oh and for the love of god, stay skinny!!!

So yes, I had to vote someone off of my mental island and I ended up letting old Subby here take the backseat. During the last two months I’ve tried to live in the moment and give myself grace, trying to learn how to juggle it all while still being fun.

Spoiler alert, I cannot and will not ever being able to juggle it all and that is a-okay with me. I’m at peace with the fact that I may just have to do more post-travel reflections rather than in-the-moment travel reflections.

I’m also really working on reminding myself that the fun part about being self-employed is that I get to make my own schedule and due dates. If I want to give myself an hour out of my work day to write a Substack, no one is stopping me.

It’s crazy that even though I am the only one with eyes on my inbox, I still feel guilty for choosing a task that isn’t directly client facing. I would love to know if any other solo workers reading this struggle with unnecessary self guilt?

Anyways, all that to say, I’m sitting in Slovenia and the view from our little patio is gobsmackingly beautiful. I’m on the verge of crying and laughing, because how is this real life and how did I trick the universe into letting me pack my bags and move across the globe with the person I love most?

And while I currently have a to-do list that is quite chunky, I decided to give myself the permission to write my Substack. To take what I was thinking and feeling and put it on “paper” — my fellow journalers know you always feel better once you do.

So my goal for this Reagan Roams Substack for the rest of 2026 is to write when it feels right, not just when I think I have this perfectly curated window of time that every single person would approve of.

I can’t promise you I’ll be back next week, but I do vow to let this be the longest dry spell I allow for the rest of the year.

Giddy up, I’m so back baby!

xoxo, Reagan

Boy oh boy am I overdue for this here post. To the writers out there who are proactive, disciplined and write through the “I don’t feel like writing” phase, I commend the hell out of you. I’m still learning and that is okay.

Anywho, at the end of February and beginning of March, I embarked on my first solo travel experience in the EU and UK. Greg went back to the States for work, while I bopped around Nice, France for a few days, then farm sat for strangers in Frome, England.

You know, as one does when they get to solo travel abroad.

The morning after Greg left for the States, I wrote a post about how I was feeling about it all — the art and terror of learning to be alone. If you read it, or if you’ve simply been following along, then you know that it had been a minute since I’ve been truly alone.

I want to emphasize that I wasn’t feeling nervous about my safety during my solo travels, but rather my self-confidence. I don’t care what anyone says, it takes guts and some damn inner peace to eat at a restaurant by yourself without doom scrolling on your phone the entire time.

I was nervous that I would recluse to my hotel room, rather than challenging myself to experience something new, just because I was alone. I’ve gotten so comfortable and used to having Greg by my side that I was worried I’d forgotten how to do it on my own.

And as I reflect, I’ll be honest in saying that there was a healthy balance of both.

There were days where I walked 15,000 steps and ate alone in public, sporting my headphones 95% of the time, giving the “I’m alone and it’s okay because I’m enjoying a fab audiobook” vibe.

During week one (before heading to the farm), I ate sushi for three dinners straight because I was without my husband who is allergic to shellfish, my tried and true alone time treat.

That said, there were also evenings where I treated myself to laying in my hotel bed and watching trash reality TV, another alone time splurge. I gave myself the freedom and the space to take it easy and recluse when needed, but also acknowledged that I will never be by myself in Bristol, England ever again.

Subscribe now

When it comes to the solo travel logistics, I’m proud of myself for navigating trains and transportation without crashing out. You’d think that moving around every week or so would make this easier on me, but no, adult anxiety wins.

Nonetheless, I prevailed and lugged my two bags onto the platform while praying that there would be space for them to be stored on board (and preferably not above my head, these babies are packed).

Before he left, Greg shared some words of wisdom that stuck with me. I was word vomiting my nervousness about my upcoming travels, one of which being getting on and off trains in a hurry with all of my shit.

He reminded me to just take my time. The person boarding behind me can wait an extra 3 - 5 seconds if it means I need to lift one bag at a time (I didn’t by the way, I she-Hulked the shit out of those bags). And chances are, if people can see that I’m struggling, they’ll offer to help, because while there are a lot of stinky people in this world, we’ve also encountered a lot of lovely ones.

So ultimately, I did the damn thing and I did it all by myself! It may seem like a small feat to some, but I’m trying to give myself more credit these days, so go me.

Also, if you’ve never been on a packed train platform, squeezing your way through the tiny corridor with heavy bags, then you just don’t get it.

My mantra for my two weeks of solo travel —

No one is thinking about you as much as you think they are. No one cares about you and your extra luggage. If anything, you’ll give them a little chuckle and they’ll carry on with whatever lame thing their day holds, while you proceed with your very cool day. And anyways, f*ck em.

Now I’d be remiss if I didn’t share a little more insight into my eight days of farm sitting. After all, I revolved my entire two weeks around this gig. In case you missed it and you’d like to see me in action, I shared some silly posts and vlogs on my socials.

For context, I found this opportunity through Trusted Housesitters, which essentially swaps a free place to stay in exchange for animal and home care. Everyone is background checked and the site is legit, in case you’re a cynic.

A majority of the listings are found in the US and UK, which lead to my choice of heading to England. My original motive was to find a home with a dog and get my fix that way, but then I stumbled upon the farm.

Located in Somerset, a husband and wife were looking for someone to tend to their two dogs, four cats (1 indoor, 3 outdoor), twenty chickens, nine ducks, and flock of sheep.

They had several reviews from previous sitters, praising the warmth and hospitality of the hosts, as well as how enjoyable and manageable the tasks on the farm were. I talked myself into applying within like 45 minutes, and they immediately accepted.

There were a few texts here and there before my arrival, one of which asking about my shoe size as they were getting me boots to wear around the muddy farm (truly thankful for this).

When the day had finally come, I took a train from Bristol (where I flew into and spent a few days exploring) to Frome, which was the closest town to their farm. The owners had kindly offered to pick me up from the train station, as I made it clear that this chick would not be found driving on the opposite side of the car and road.

My interaction with this total stranger started strong as I walked right past her upon getting off the train. To be fair, my only reference of what she looked like was a tiny profile picture of her on a horse. Aka I had no clue what she looked like.

It was one of those moments where we made eye contact but neither of us acted on it, so I just kept walking. But as soon as I walked by, I was like “oh crap I think that was her”. She must have felt the same, because she quickly approached me and we laughed it off.

We loaded my bags into her car and went straight for the grocery store. Since I would be 15-minutes from town and without a car, I had to get a weeks worth of groceries to get by. I tried to think this through ahead of time, my little notes app in hand to make sure I didn’t go rogue.

But let me tell you, I think this experience might have been harder than the farm work itself. Just imagine going grocery shopping, with a total stranger, in a brand new country, in an unfamiliar grocery store, with the suspicion that she is going to pay for everything.

Not to mention the cultural difference of me being a sugary, processed American and feeling like she was a bit shocked by my comfort with deli meat and pasta sauce that isn’t just a can of crushed tomatoes.

It got worse when I quickly learned that she is gluten-free and eats like a health nut. It did make grabbing the chocolate covered biscuits and sour candy a little awkward, but mama’s got a sweet tooth and I knew I would hate myself if I deprived myself of my fix for an entire week.

My suspicion was correct and she did end up buying all of my groceries, which was an incredibly kind gesture. I tried to fight her on it, but she made it clear that she wasn’t going to have me take care of her animals without taking care of me (picture that coming from an older lady with an English accent, pure class).

We made it to the farm and I met her husband, who was juggling a few work calls since it was a Friday. They weren’t leaving for their trip until the following morning, so while this overlap made me feel silly and awkward, it was so necessary so that I could see all of the tasks and chores being done firsthand.

We took the dogs on a walk, gave the chickens and ducks their afternoon snacks, had our afternoon tea (so British) and some alone time while the husband and I worked and the wife read her newspaper.

For dinner, they picked up fish and chips from their local shop and we sat around the table (with their son who lived nearby on the property, as well) and shared a meal. And while these probably aren’t the details you’re looking for from the experience, I just can’t not talk about it.

I was in England, eating dinner in the home of three people who I had known for maybe five hours, and I didn’t even know their last name. Like talk about having faith in humanity and just going for it.

I slept like a baby that first night, to be honest it was the most social interaction I had experienced in a while. I forgot how exhausting is can be to be “on”.

We did the morning chores together, and then they were on their way and I was left alone to live in their little farm house and tend to the animals.

To wrap up this lengthy story time, here are my takeaways from my week of farm living —

• There is true peace that comes with being in the middle of no where, surrounded by grassy plains. It took going all the way to the English countryside for me to appreciate my Kansas roots.

• I am obsessed with ducks and I would love love love to have a few some day.

• Early bed times are so essential to this lifestyle. I don’t know if it’s nearing 30 or what, but I was waking up and feeling hungover (having not drank) just from the short hours of sleep I was getting.

• I am so thankful to have an older sister, Heather, who has a farm of her own with her family in Kansas because I was texting her allllll week long. Also mad respect to them because they’re doing it all with full-time jobs and children (so they must not sleep…?!?)

• The circle of life is brutal and a part of this experience that I really wish I didn’t have to witness. That’s all I care to touch on on that, but it just reiterates that there are definitely ups and downs when it comes to caring for animals.

• I’d totally, 100% do it again

May this be your sign to take the solo trip, house sit for strangers to test out a different lifestyle that may appeal to you, and spend the extra money to buy farm fresh eggs because ooooooh baby were they yummy.

Thanks for being here!

Until next week,

Reagan xoxo

Does the perfect city exist? And if it does, what are the odds that it’s Vienna? Once you read this lil’ destination guide and see my (very high) ratings for each category, you’ll quickly understand why I’m asking.

I spent eight days in Vienna this January, and even with the cold, wintery weather, I have the warmest recollection of our time exploring this city (was that too cheesy?).

Point blank, I adored Vienna. It was clean, architecturally beautiful, entertaining, accessible and yummy. I also must add that as a young woman, I felt perfectly safe to stroll around independently, which isn’t always the case in a new, bustling, city environment.

Unless you’re new here (hi and welcome, happy to have you), then you know the drill. All of my destination guides are built from the same seven categories, hoping that I evaluate each city in a consistent and non-bias (realizing this bit is hard) way.

So without further ado, let’s dive into my honest thoughts and tips for your upcoming visit to Vienna, Austria.

Local Food Rating — 4/5

Wiener schnitzel. Wiener schnitzel. Wiener schnitzel.

Okay, Vienna is obviously so much more than just wiener schnitzel, but hell yeah the wiener schnitzel is good. A thin pork cutlet in a breaded sweater, what’s not to like? I will say the American in me came out as I was craving a sauce to dip it in, but it’s still delicious.

As we did in the many of our Central European stops (like Budapest, Berlin & Krakow), we also had our fair share of hardy foods like potato dumplings and sausages.

Let’s just say, I could use an influx of vegetables.

The local dish that I was most eager to try was Kaiserschmarrn. As likely seen on social media, this dessert has gone viral and for good reason. It’s a fluffy, shredded pancake, dusted in powered sugar and typically served with a jam of some sort and a vanilla custard.

The “viral” spot to get this treat is at Cafe Demel, however many cafes and restaurants around the city offer it, in case you don’t feel like waiting in line for a pastry (me always).

Outside of these delicious local dishes, you’ll also find plenty of diverse cuisines throughout the city, not restricting you to only, you guessed it, wiener schnitzel.

Here are a few restaurant, cafe & bar recommendations —

• Figlmüller — the most recommended spot to get a wiener schnitzel. It’s the size of your face, so I suggest splitting one portion and ordering an additional entree or some sides (potato salad is a must), to diversify your meal. Be sure to make a reservation or else you will be waiting for a table!

• Brasserie Palmenhaus Wien — serving food all day, the location is the star of this spot as it’s housed in a greenhouse near Hofburg Palace.

• Cafe Sperl — a much needed alternative to experience the traditional Viennese cafe culture. Cafe Central is always packed and has a massive life out the door. We went to Cafe Sperl instead and had a lovely experience!

• Gigerl — traditional Viennese cuisine & wine tavern in a great location

• Blaue Bar — the perfect spot for a pre or post opera beverage as it’s located across from the Vienna Opera House. Be sure to make a reservation!

• Schachtelwirt — more of a “fast casual” vibe, while still offering super high quality food. This was my favorite wiener schnitzel of our trip!

• Laolao, Grandma’s Homemade Dumplings — for when you’re needing a chance of pace

• The Bank Brasserie & Bar — for a little bit of a fancier experience with a gorgeous atmosphere

• Cayo Coco — located in The Hoxton Hotel, a gorgeous rooftop bar with views of the city

People & Kindness — 5/5

Our interactions with the Viennese started strong with our Airbnb host. The Airbnb belonged to a woman in her 30’s, however she was out of town, so her mother was the one who handled our check in.

She was incredibly sweet and even though she knew limited English, she made us feel so welcome and shared tips and tricks for the neighborhood we were staying in. Some would say this was her job, to host us kindly, but she carried a warmth that seemed to be maintained throughout the remainder of our stay with every local we interacted with.

Subscribe now

Architecture — 5/5

About 20% of Vienna’s buildings were damaged during WWII, which is still a lot of rebuilding for a city, but ultimately a good statistic when you compare it to cities like Warsaw.

This said, many of the imperial buildings that we gawk over today were fortunate enough to remain mostly in tact during and after the war. So while rebuilding and renovations were absolutely necessary, it’s also quite incredible to look at Vienna’s architecture and wrap your head around not only how long ago it was built, but all that it’s endured.

St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Schonbrunn Palace, the Austrian Parliament Building, Karlskirche, the list can go on and on. Highly recommend walking (or taking the tram) through “the Ring” (proper name is Ringstrasse) and soaking in the architecture.

Walkability & Public Transportation — 5/5

Speaking of trams, Vienna apparently has one of the largest tram networks in Europe. All of their public transportation totally exceeded my expectations. They were frequent and timely, clean, affordable, and user friendly.

Similar to other cities we’ve visited, Vienna operates on an “honor system” when it comes to tickets and passes. No turnstiles or ticket scans to access the U-bahn or trams, but that said, I highly recommend being a good tourist and paying for your transit pass before using.

If caught without a ticket, you’ll pay a nice lil’ fine. Download the WienMobil app to buy your transit passes on the go.

I’ll also mention that once you’re in the main hub of the city, you’ll be able to walk your socks off. Many of the main attractions and recommended restaurants are all cozied up next to each other, making it very convenient.

Tourist Attractions — 5/5

Vienna definitely shines in the areas of art and culture, however I do believe that this city offers something for everyone. We spent plenty of our time museum hopping, eating, learning about their history, staring at buildings and window shopping (living out of suitcases, this is the only option sadly).

Here are

• Belvedere Museum (Upper Belvedere is a must, skip Lower Belvedere in my opinion)

• St. Stephen’s Cathedral

• Museum of Natural History

• Schönbrunn Palace (recommend taking a guided tour)

• Vienna State Opera (guided tours or attend a performance, but buy nicer seats than we did. We only spent 16 euros per ticket, but couldn’t see shit.)

• Rathausplatz

• Kunsthistorisches Museum

• Naschmarkt

• Austrian National Library

• Hofburg Palace

• Prater Amusement Park (apparently open 24/7?!)

• Mozart Death House

• Museum of Change

Affordability — 3/5

To be totally honest, I feel like this 3/5 rating was partially to humble my experience in Vienna. I mean they’ve damn near got a perfect score out of me.

As I reflect, I don’t remember anything being shockingly expensive. Just as any city, you can find affordable and delicious spots to dine, or you can spend a bit more for a nicer or more touristy experience (such as Figlmuller).

Many of the tourist attractions listed above are a fair price, if not free, however I do think some experiences, such as a tour of Schonbrunn Palace, were a bit pricy.

But again, it is likely that nothing would be too alarming for someone who is spending their vacation in Vienna, but as two full-time travelers who are trying to live a relatively normal life and budget, we had to pick and choose between a few attractions due to cost.

Cleanliness — 5/5

This. City. Is. Pristine. If I’ve learned anything during my time in Austria it’s that these people follow the rules. It’s almost in a way that’s comical, if I’m being totally honest. Like if you’re waiting to cross the street, there may not be a single car in sight, but you will not find a single jaywalker. They wait for that adorable “walk” signs (see below) to be green, regardless of their surroundings.

I mention the rule following because I think this plays a huge part in the city’s cleanliness. It just seems like there is a mutual respect for one another and their shared space. What a crazy concept, to treat your city with love and to throw your garbage in the bin.

As much as we want to dance to the beat of our own drum, many of us humans are sheep. We follow and imitate the behaviors around us, so let’s learn something from Vienna and use this to our advantage by setting examples that we want our peers and the next generation to replicate * pumps fist into the air *.

Greg’s Kegs (written by guest writer & husband, Greg Keller)

Welcome back to Greg’s Kegs!

Today we’ll be diving into Austrian beer culture. Going into our stops in Vienna and Otztal, I didn’t know what to expect, but figured that they would have a solid selection to offer based on Austria’s proximity and influence from Germany. After multiple taste tests I can report that I was extremely impressed.

As you can see in my selection, the market is dominated by classic Austrian Lagers and Märzens. I seemed to favor the Märzens which are closely related to the historic Vienna Lager. They are a smooth, malty, amber lager that is perfect to enjoy after a day of skiing through the Alps.

The most recognized Austrian beer brand is Stiegl, which was founded way back in 1492 and is Austria’s largest privately owned brewery. And good news, there is a chance that you can find some Stiegl beer in your own liquor store! The U.S. is their biggest overseas market, accounting for over 40% of their export volume. I know them best for their radler which you might recognize:

Stiegl was started and is still based in Salzburg today. If you’re ever in Salzburg, be sure to check out their beer garden - Stiegl-Keller (pretty cool name). It is located on the West side of the Salzach River just below the Hohensalzburg Fortress, with great views of the city below.

Bonus Foodie Fact: If you are a fan of Grünauer, the German restaurant located in the Crossroads in Kansas City, the same family also owns and operates a restaurant in Vienna called Gasthaus Grünauer. This family owned restaurant has been in business for over 60 years. If you ever find yourself in Vienna’s 7th District be sure to stop in and tell them that you are from KC!

Prost!

In Summary…

Austria as a whole has quickly made its way to the top of my rankings, making it a country that I will happily continue to explore. As the weather is trying its best to transition to spring, I’m getting glimpses of sunnier, warmer days abroad. I think this improvement in weather only emphasizes that if I loved a city during winter, then that city must be pretty damn great. Because imagine it when it’s 70 and sunny.

A big kiss to Vienna. Let me know if it’s on your list and you’d like any help planning your trip!

Let's Talk Travel - Inquire Here

Auf Wiedersehen!

xoxo, Reagan

So I don’t have all the wisdom and reflective points of traveling alone quite yet, those will hopefully come at the end of this two week period, but I wanted to document how I’m feeling at the beginning of it all.

For context, Greg and I moved from Kansas City to Portugal in January of 2025. We went from having independence, consistent routines, a booming community of friends and family and our dog, Ollie, to having only each other.

The transition from ultimate comfort, multiple outlets and constant familiarity, to completely starting from scratch was the closest I’ve ever come to an identity crisis. We had to relearn who we were as individuals, but also as a unit.

We were now working remotely, feet away from one another in the same one-bedroom apartment. We were going to the grocery store together, getting our morning coffee together, exploring our new city together. Which honestly, what a dream to get to do all of this with your chosen person.

But in all of this new and discomfort, I found myself latching onto him. He was my comfort, he was my constant, he was who grounded me. He is who grounds me.

And I don’t think this is bad or negative, after all we made the decision to isolate ourselves in a foreign country together, wanting to go through all the ups and downs as a pair, not as individuals.

But I have to be honest and share that pre-move, I pictured myself being so independent and fearless, ultimate cool girl who said f*ck it and moved abroad. Flaunting the fact that I’m part of that tiny percentage of people who actually did it.

But damn, the anxious voice in my head told me otherwise — What if there’s a language barrier? What if locals don’t think I belong in this cafe? What if no one acknowledges me? What if everyone stares at me? What if I pronounce the word wrong and look dumb?

It became easier to ignore anything that I wanted to do or envisioned myself doing on my own, because the fear of god knows what often won.

Let me be clear, I prefer to do things with my husband. And we have done and seen so much in the last year, but I can’t deny that I felt let down by who I ended up being once we officially moved and was put in this situation.

But over the 11-months that we lived in Lisbon, I learned to put on my big girl pants and fight through the nerves or anxiety. I went on blind coffee dates and attended little hosted social events in an effort to make girlfriends, something I never had to do in Kansas City.

I worked to reestablish my independence and remind myself who I can be in this totally new world that I just threw myself into. I’ve accepted that the reality ended up looking different than the dream, and that’s okay. I’ve learned that I shouldn’t let that diminish my many, many “wins” since moving abroad.

So fast forward to now, Greg and I’s craving to experience more of Europe got the best of us and we made the decision to travel in a more nomadic fashion. For the past three months, we’ve been bopping around every 5-12 days and have experienced 13 new European cities. A freakin’ dream!

Since Greg still works for a U.S. company, duty calls and they need to see that handsome face in office. I thought about traveling back with him to see friends, family, Ollie (ugh), but I also thought…what if I don’t.

When else am I going to get to “solo travel”? This past year has already been full of challenges and scary moments, why not do one more thing that makes me get the nervous shits?

So, today I begin my two week journey abroad, alone. My upcoming itinerary is tame, so lower your expectations. I knew if I was going to do this I wanted to put myself in situations that felt good to me.

Naturally, that means farm/house sitting for a couple I’ve never met in the English Countryside. After a few more days in Nice, I’ll be flying to England to collect chicken eggs and feed the sheep for 8 days. Exactly what comes to mind when you think “European solo adventure”, I’m sure.

Subscribe now

But how could I pass up the opportunity to be Cameron Diaz in “The Holiday”, minus the falling in love with Jude Law bit, of course. Time to romanticize my damn life.

Wish me luck, I’ll see you on the other side. Perhaps I’ll have wisdom on embracing being alone and uncomfortable, or perhaps I’ll be singing “Where is My Husband” with tears in my eyes.

Until then,

oxox Reagan

Oh the Olympics, the beloved time of year where my entire personality changes and suddenly I am invested in eight different winter sports that I haven’t thought about in four years.

Am I a fraud? Maybe, but I feel it’s socially acceptable to be a “seasonal” fan.

Regardless, this is what makes the Olympics so special. The whole world comes together (loyal bobsled fan or not) to cheer on athletes who have dedicated their lives to perfecting their craft. It’s about the overwhelming feeling of joy you get when you see someone representing your country, and doing it damn well.

It’s refreshing to feel proud of the United States for once, as I can honestly say that pride is not a feeling I have felt towards my home country over the past year. I think I needed the reminder, even though it seems non-existent at the moment, that there’s goodness out there. But that’s all I’ll say on that.

Subscribe now

When Greg and I realized that we would be living in Portugal during the 2026 Winter Olympics, we immediately knew we had to make it to work. Twist my arm, I’ll go to Italy. We each entered the raffle to be chosen to purchase tickets back in August of 2024, six months before we had even moved abroad.

We received the green light to purchase tickets in February of 2025, where we were tasked with the daunting decision of what to see and where to go. If you weren’t aware, the Winter Olympics are quite spread out, hence the “where to go” factor.

While the events are all condensed to Northern Italy, we’re still looking at quite the hike to get from Milan to the Dolomites. So we knew we would need to give ourselves some buffer time to get from one event to the next as there was inevitable travel we needed to coordinate.

Now the “what to see” portion was narrowed down significantly based on two factors — location, as previously shared, and cost. These puppies are not cheap, lemme tell ya.

When we were let into the ticket portal a year ago, events like Figure Skating were listed at €700 per person. Like girl…

Ultimately, we decided to attend Women’s Big Air Ski in Livigno and Men’s Ice Hockey in Milan. Since I’m sure you’re itching to know, I’ll share that we ended up spending €350 per event, so a total of €700 for the two of us to see two events.

The Big Air event in Livigno was on a Saturday night (so clutch since we are both working during the week), and as you see on the map above, Livigno is not giving “come and stay” vibes.

As any mountain/ski town, Livigno of course offered lodging, but it wasn’t cheap. It’s exclusive and elite and was simply not in our nomadic budget. So with the help of my wizard husband who loves analyzing Google Maps (he’s the guy that will watch the animation of the airplane’s flight path vs a movie on a long flight, if you know you know), we looked at our options for nearby stays.

As you also see on the map above, Lake Como is “nearby”. So again, twist my arm, I’ll stay on Lake Como. While this decision was 100% worth it (we stayed in Como for a few nights, then moved to Colico to make for easier access to the alps), it was not for the weak.

To get to Livigno, we took an hour long train from Colico to Tirano. In Tirano, the Olympics had a bunch of free buses organized to get attendees to the different mountain events. The bus ride from Tirano to Livigno ended up being just under 2 hours, and let me tell ya, I regret not bringing my Dramamine.

Once all was said and done, we left Colico at 12:45 PM and arrived in Livigno at 4 PM. And let’s not forget that we had to do it all over again to get back to Colico after the event (we got home after 1 AM).

So yeah, worth it and no regrets, but probably not what I’d recommend to any clients or fellow attendees. It made for a long, adventurous day. We did it for the plot, shall we say.

On Sunday, the day after the Big Air event, we relocated from Colico to Milan. This train ride was only an hour and a half, making it a super easy and reasonable move. Once in Milan, we utilized the metro for the bulk of our travels and although it was notably packed, it worked smoothly.

We did try to get an Uber from the train station to our bnb upon arriving, and although Uber was one of the Olympic sponsors and they had their shit branded everywhere, it was impossible to get a car, so we just took a taxi and all was well.

After 2 nights in Milan, we attended our hockey match on Tuesday.

Since many (if not all) of the venues for these sports are built specifically for the Olympics, they’re located sporadically around the city. We took the metro from the city center to the stop closest to the hockey arena, and just like in Livigno, the Olympics had free buses waiting to drive us the remaining distance to the venue.

Since we purchased our hockey tickets a year in advance, we obviously had no idea which countries we would be watching. The game we went to was a qualifying match to get into the “final four”, and we ended up seeing Czechia vs Denmark, and Czechia took the W.

Greg pointed out that I have officially attended an Olympic hockey match before attending an NHL match (oops), but I blame Kansas City for not having an NHL team. All this to say, hockey is chaotic and entertaining and if Greg wants to becoming official hockey fans, I’m in.

Ultimately, attending the Olympics was a bucket list item that was well worth it. While it took some thought (and some cash) to sort out, I was overall impressed with Italy’s production and execution.

Both Livigno and Milan had pop ups by different sponsors and it felt like you were in cities that were hosting the freakin’ Olympics. In return, this hustle and bustle we experienced makes me think about the bigger picture and what these host cities go through.

While I got to just show up, jam myself onto their metro and drink a Corona, I can’t help but acknowledge that the time and money and resources that go into pulling off these games seems…drastic.

I’m by no means saying we shouldn’t have the Olympics, as I previously mentioned I felt a surreal feeling of love and togetherness in this environment, it’s just a big picture assessment and curiousity is all.

Before this lil’ post comes to an end, I’ll leave you with a few miscellaneous thoughts about my Olympic experience —

1. I have never felt so un-athletic in my life. I can’t even get off a chair lift, and these women were doing the most incredible tricks + landing backwards.

2. The beer sponsor for all of the Olympics was Corona, which really bothered me way more than it should’ve. I’m in the alps, not on the beach, please give me literally anything else (but smart marketing on their part).

3. I had no idea how many volunteers there are that go into the success of the entire event, and let me just say, they were all so happy to be there. They seemed to be from all over the world, so if you want to get in on the action during the upcoming Olympic games, perhaps look into their volunteer opportunities!

4. I’m gonna say it, the official Olympic merch was wack. I did end up buying a hoodie at the hockey arena, which I liked or else I wouldn’t have purchased it, but I just felt like there was a huge missed opportunity to have some sick designs with the Olympic rings, Italy, literally anything.

5. It took everything in me to not constantly mention “my Italian brother-in-law, Sergio”, like the fact that my sister married an Italian man gives me any credibility or clout in this massive country.

6. Lululemon’s team Canada gear was so sick, I stand by their opening ceremonies outfit I don’t care what anyone says! Which by the way, the Lulu, Ralph Lauren & Nike stores in Milan were selling U.S. and Canadian merch, which was cool to peruse.

7. If you used a credit card to pay for anything, you had use a Visa since they are a massive sponsor. Ultimately not a big deal as many people have a Visa card, but it just seemed like a huge flex and I kept thinking of MasterCard peeps. Idk.

8. Italy is beautiful, the people were lovely, I get the hype.

In conclusion, I am so thankful for this experience, for the sense of unity that the world desperately needs, and for the Italian pasta I got to eat along the way. Highly recommend taking a peek at your calendar for 2030, because the Winter Olympics in the French Alps is going to be pretty f*cking sweet.

And just like that, we’re in France for the week. Greg is flying back to the States in a few days for work and I’m staying on this side of the Atlantic to experience solo travel for the first time — more to come on this next time.

Until next week, au revior!

xoxo, Reagan

As we are approaching the 3-month mark of nomadically traveling Europe, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on our winter travels thus far, ranking them from my least to my most favorite cities.

For context, we’ve traveled to eleven different cities in six different European countries. I’m focusing only on cities that we have stayed the night in, eliminating day trips from the equation simply because 6 hours in a city can never compare to 6 nights, ya know?

After each city, Greg and I have been rating each city individually to reflect on our experiences in each spot. As you may have seen in a few of my Destination Guide’s, the rankings are based on a variety of categories such as — local cuisine, tourist attractions, walkability/access to public transportation, etc.

The goal is to view each city in a consistent manner, but there are inevitably going to be some loopholes that weigh heavily on our overall experience. One big one being the weather.

While many of the destinations we’ve traveled to thrive in the winter season (hello Christmas markets), there’s no denying that our experience would be completely different if it was 75 degrees and sunny.

So as you scroll through my rankings, keep in mind that these are winter travels. No Aperol Spritz was sipped in the sunshine, not yet anyways. Instead, I’ve been wearing the hell out of my long johns and you’ll find me rocking the only scarf I broaght on this adventure.

My final disclaimer before you dive in is that I want to be clear that I have yet to dislike any of the places we have gone. While yes, they aren’t all battling for first place, each city has their own “thing” to offer and I’m truly just so jazzed that I get to say that I’ve been.

Subscribe now

#11 - Warsaw, Poland

As I just mentioned, someone has to be in my last spot, and unfortunately it is Warsaw, Poland. What makes me feel even worse about putting Warsaw in last place, is had it not been completely destroyed during WWII, I might have a totally different feeling about this city. I know, dick move on my part.

With over 80% (if not more) of the city being destroyed during the war, you’ll find a majority of the “new city” full of skyscrapers and modern buildings, making it feel very “FiDi”. The Old Town that mostly remained intact is quaint and had a cozy feel, but other than eating and drinking, I felt there wasn’t too much to offer in regards to your typical “tourist attractions”.

If you’re a history buff, visiting Poland is a must. Warsaw shined in the area of museums, my favorite being the Warsaw Uprising Museum. You can’t deny that Warsaw has been through it, so god forbid they aren’t catering to us tourists. They’re focused on rebuilding and simply moving forward, as they should be.

#10 - Krakow, Poland

Krakow is definitely a city that I would have loved to experience during a warmer season. While they did have a lovely Christmas Market and I will argue that pierogis and goulash taste better when it’s cold outside, the city felt very walkable and I’m sure it’s quite lovely when everything is in full bloom.

Krakow was where we based to take a day trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau, an experience that I am so grateful to have had, but still feels unfathomable and impossible to wrap my head around.

We also went to the Wieliczka Salt Mine during our time in Krakow which was incredibly impressive (when I wasn’t psyching myself out about being 443 feet below the earth’s surface).

#9 - Prague, Czechia

We only have ourselves to blame for Prague coming in at #9, and that is simply because we came here over the New Year holiday. A cold, busy and overrated time of year.

Hotel and bnb rates were steep due to the holiday, so we only stayed for three-nights, not giving us the chance to whimsically explore this city the way it deserved. We partook in a walking tour (with an incredible guide), drank several pilsners, and rang in 2026 while standing near the Charles Bridge.

I fully believe that Prague just got the short end of the stick this time around, sorry buddy.

#8 - Lucerne, Switzerland

I feel like I’m going to get some shit for this, but yes, Switzerland is coming in at #8. When deciding where to base ourselves for our week long stay, we were between Lucerne and Zurich. We chose Lucerne as it was cheaper and closer to the mountain towns we wanted to day trip to (Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen & Grindelwald).

I still think it logistically made the most sense, however I think we would’ve had a better experience had we been based in Zurich, as it has more of a buzz and generally more to offer.

It’s no secret that Switzerland is known for being on the expensive side of European travel, and yeah. It was. Not only were restaurant prices steep, but so were the experiences and activities. For example, for the two of us to do a roundtrip expereince to Mount Pilatus or Mount Rigi (famous mountains near Lucerne), we were looking at $300 total, per mountain (highly recommend considering the Swiss Half Fare Card if you’re traveling to Switzerland long enough).

I really hope that we are able to go back to Switzerland during a warmer season so that we can go on some breathtaking hikes and just sit outside for free while having that “holy shit”, Switzerland moment.

I still think Lucerne is a fantastic city to stop by or stay in as you are bopping around Switzerland. Ultimately, it just wasn’t vibing with our budget and our remote work to play schedule this time around.

#7 - Dresden, Germany

Dresden was a sneaky little surprise for me! This city was added to our itinerary for two reasons, the main one being the fact that it geographically made sense (we were leaving Berlin and heading for Prague, so it was on the way). The second being the time of year — Christmas.

Dresden is known for having the oldest Christmas market in Europe, so we were excited to add another market to our list. We arrived on the 26th of December, however this market in particular closed after the 24th — proof that we are flying by the seat of our pants, people.

Regardless of the fact that we missed their main Christmas Market, I still thoroughly enjoyed my time in Dresden. The architecture was stunn-ing and the city was the perfect, digestible size. A weekend stay is all you need to soak it all in, be sure to check out their Opera House schedule in advance, I regret not being able to experience a performance in their famous venue!

#6 - Berlin, Germany

We spent nearly two weeks in Berlin over the Christmas holiday and thoroughly enjoyed it. We were lucky enough to have guidance from a fellow KU grad who calls Berlin home, and I’ll be honest in saying that I think we may have been a little overwhelmed with choices had we not had a locals expertise.

We chose to travel to Berlin because we wanted to learn and experience the history (and because we knew they had great Christmas markets for the holiday season). After going to the many museums and participating in a few different guided tours, I was continuously saying “why didn’t I pay attention in my high school history class?!”.

But of course, Berlin, like all of Germany, has so much more to offer than just their past. So if you love the big city exploration, diverse cuisine options, and a laid back feel, Berlin is for you. I felt like I was in a European New York City and that I was 0% cool enough to be there.

#5 - Munich, Germany

I almost held off on including Munich in my overall ranking for two reasons. One being that I was sick for 3 of the 7 days we were here. The second being that we are coming back in September to experience Oktoberfest, which I know will be a complete 180 experience from our week long stay in the middle of January.

But, even with the shitty weather and me being temporarily down bad, this city was still everything I hoped it would be. Sitting in the iconic Hofbräuhaus with a liter of dunkel and a Bavarian pretzel bigger than your head, hopping on and off the U-bahn with ease, getting to go to a Bayern Munich football match, the vibes were just good (and it wasn’t even sunny).

#4 - Oetz Valley, Austria

We knew we wanted to do a mountain stay, and logistically the Austrian Alps made the most sense. We trolled Airbnb and found a cozy, mountain stay in Otztal Bahnhof, a town that’s a 45-minute train ride from Innsbruck and has a population of less than 2,000 people.

We had free access to their public bus, which took us into the Oetz Valley, allowing us to explore other mountain towns such as Solden (where James Bond: Spectre was filmed).

We hiked, went snowshoeing, and Greg even went skiing for a day. We also stumbled upon highland cows, which was a big moment for me as I am now not only a pigeon girl, but a cow girl.

Maybe it was the constant mountain views or the insanely fresh and crisp air, but I don’t know how anyone could spend two weeks in the Austrian Alps and not rank it high on their list.

#3 - Wroclaw, Poland

I’m sure this may come as a surprise, considering that the other two cities in Poland we visited are placed in my bottom two spots. And I can honestly say that this surprised me, as well!

Wroclaw is a dark horse and is severely slept on by us tourists. Now I totally understand that if you have 14 days of PTO to spend in Europe, Poland isn’t likely to be top of mind, but if you ever get the itch, Wroclaw is a gem.

The city itself is quite small, making this another destination that can easily be enjoyed and explored in a few nights. From the colorful buildings in their Old Town to the hundreds of little gnomes that are sprinkled throughout the city, Wroclaw was charming, stress free, and simply made me happy!

Wroclaw is also turning into quite the foodie destination, with 20+ restaurants acknowledged by the Michelin guide. So if you are looking for a city break that doesn’t break the bank (ayooo), you should absolutely consider Wroclaw.

#2 - Vienna, Austria

When I think about my time in Vienna, the word “etherial” comes to mind. This city just straight up has its shit together. Everything is so well kept and so clean, it’s almost as though Austrian citizens have a mutual respect for their shared spaces and for one another…? What a concept.

Public transportation was great, the food was delicious (and has more to offer than just wiener schnitzel), the people were kind, they have a cozy cafe culture, and there was plenty to see and do. Also, as a young woman I felt incredibly safe.

I’d definitely say that this city has something for everyone, but if you find yourself drawn towards impressive architecture, art and culture, add Vienna to your list.

#1 - Budapest, Hungary

I just freaking loved Budapest. Ironically, this was the first city we traveled to when we started this whole thing 3 months ago. Part of me wondered if my strong love for Budapest was just because it was our first destination.

I was preparing myself to get a few additional cities under my belt and realize that maybe I had rose-colored glasses because I was just so excited to start this journey, but no. It really is just that great.

Beautiful architecture that you can experience from land or sea (aka a river cruise), amazing public transportation, a vast history with lots to learn and experience, affordable and delicious food options, a big city but not intimidating in size, it just truly hit all of the marks.

I know I probably sound repetitive at this point as I rave about each city, but I mean….Central Europe is Central Europe.

And there you have it ladies and gentleman, my little recap of where we have traveled over the past three months. Now the question is — do I keep adding to this list as we go? OR should I keep my rankings separate based on seasonality?

I think I worry about hurting Wroclaw’s feelings, I mean how is it supposed to compete with Amsterdam during Tulip season?

If you’re traveling to any of these cities yourself, I’d love to help get you all squared away. You know where to find me!

Let's Talk Travel - Inquire Here

Until next week, arrivederci! (oh yeah, I’m writing this while in Colico, Italy hehe)

Xoxo, Reagan

You shouldn’t have a hard time believing this, as I am clearly sending out my newsletter a day late, but I’ve been having a hard time feeling motivated to write my weekly Substack.

I think there are a handful of factors at play here, for one, I’ve been quite busy with work (eeek, that’s fun to say considering a year ago I had like two clients, shoutout Delaney & Mark!!).

When I’m not planning trips for my clients, I feel like I should be spending my time either planning my own travels, or doing something that will actually benefit my business in the long run. Not writing “dear diary” to no one.

There’s also the fact that moving around so frequently is simply exhausting. I saw this one coming and was nervous that us being constantly “on the go” would result in me feeling unmotivated to reach a weekly deadline.

The final reason, which really might sound a little “woe is me”, is I’ve sort of lost sight of who I am writing this for. Spoiler, I stared this whole thing for me. Yes, it’s an added bonus for my mom and dad, who are loyal readers and subscribers, but I started this whole thing 30+ posts ago because I love writing and I needed an outlet.

I knew what we were experiencing (moving abroad to a continent I had never even been to) was worth sharing and documenting. I knew I’d love this little time capsule, as one day my brain will start forgetting what I had for breakfast two days ago, let alone the details of that chaotic travel day from Munich to Innsbruck.

Like I said, my sweet friends and family have supported and followed along, and I’m thankful for that, especially because it’s a way to feel connected, even when we are on the other side of the globe and that 7+ hour time difference hits.

But when it’s Monday night and I’m laying in bed going “shit I didn’t start my Substack”, I catch myself thinking, what’s the point? Who am I writing this for?

The reality of the fact is that a year from now, I’ll be back in Kansas City, living a normal, mundane life. Reagan will no longer be Roaming, and at that point, I’ll have nothing juicy or readable to share.

There’s this looming end date for this chapter, the chapter that has brought me more change than I could’ve ever imagined. Even if I looked forward to writing this thing every week, there will be a time when I have nothing left to write about or share, which kind of feels like a sad, premature failure in a way.

Lawd, I’m so hard on myself sometimes.

So there are two ways to think about this —

1. I should quit while I’m ahead, accept my fate and my inability to commit to this little project, write if and when I feel inspired, but otherwise be done.

2. I should use this (sad) countdown that is hanging over my little head as motivation to keep oversharing, remember why I started this in the first place and stop procrastinating.

Well folks, sorry for the drama, but the verdict is in and I’m leaning towards door #2. To be fair, I think I needed to “write it out” to get to this conclusion, plus I felt it was phony of me to show up this week being like, “hey guys! another day in paradise!” when I was having this little internal dilemma.

You wanted to follow along, so welcome to it. It’s not all pretty views & dinner recommendations.

In conclusion, while I know this ultimately has to do with the fear of this groovy, interesting part of my life eventually coming to an end, I also think I’m dealing with the scaries of not having instant gratification and immediate success from something I am investing my time and energy in.

It’s intimidating and vulnerable as hell to show up for yourself, week after week, when no one is necessarily telling you to do so (or paying you, am I right?).

I have to accept the fact that after two years of oversharing and putting myself out there, there’s a fat chance that I still have less than 100 subscribers, a majority of which are related to me.

That I won’t be discovered by Condé Nast and asked to be a writer for their sexy travel magazine.

Or worse — that I might have to go back to corporate America (fuck).

So here’s to putting yourself out there, knowing that you might do it all for what feels like nothing. Scratch that, I’m doing it for her.

Until next week (maybe Tuesday, maybe Wednesday, who knows)

xoxo, Reagan

I’d like to start this Destination Guide off by sharing what I’m feeling thankful for, which is the fact that I was able to spend nearly two weeks in Berlin, Germany. When telling family members where we would be spending Christmas, we got a few reactions of “Berlin…? Okay, yeah, cool”.

This reaction is why I’m thankful. Because the reality of the matter is that if you had two weeks to spend in Europe, you likely wouldn’t spend them in Berlin. Not because it’s not a rad city, but because there are simply more rad options.

What a freaking treat that we get to experience places that, sadly, don’t get to make it onto everyones bucket list because time and life and PTO just don’t allow it.

So, now that my moment of gratitude is through, let’s get into it. If you’ve been keeping up with my previous destination guides, then you know the flow. Below you’ll find eight categories that I am using to rank my experience in each city, in the attempt to share consistent and honest reviews of our travels.

Subscribe now

Lastly, for the fans of “Greg’s Kegs”, the newest column that made its debut in my Poland Destination Guide, rest assured that he will be doing a full German beer review when we dive into Munich. Hang tight.

Local Food Rating — 2/5

Now this may seem like a harsh rating, so let me explain. On our train ride into Berlin, we shared our “car” with a local couple who kindly shared recommendations with us. When we asked about food, they were quick to explain that Berlin doesn’t really have a “local cuisine”. I mean, other than currywurst (which we did get, several times).

For the sake of consistency, I’m keeping this category as local food, which leads to the lower rating. If I were to just rate the food we ate during our 12 days in Berlin, the score would be much higher.

Berlin is super multicultural, meaning they have a wide variety of cuisine present. We had some of the yummiest hand pulled noodles at Wen Cheng, and I experienced my very first döner kebab, so let me be clear that Berlin didn’t lack in the food department.

I also found bits of home with Slim Chickens and Cheez-Its (this was like hitting the mother load, I bought three bags). Don’t judge, if you haven’t had American classics in months, you’d be just as excited.

Here are a few restaurant recommendations for you to save for your next trip —

• Markthalle Neun (market/food hall with so many food & local goods)

• Beuster (where we had a lovely Christmas eve dinner)

• Boii Boii

• Focacciando

• Café am Neuen See (tucked in Tiergarten park, gorgeous interior & massive patio)

• Neumanns Bäckerei

• Wen Cheng (still dreaming about these hand pulled noodles)

• Goldie’s Smashburger

• Nutts Thai Kitchen

People & Kindness — 4/5

We actually had really lovely experiences with people throughout the city. Whether they were tour guides, servers, grocery store clerks, etc., no interaction left us feeling deflated or “too American”.

Not every interaction was sunshine and rainbows, but we never felt dismissed by anyone we spoke or interacted with. I’ll be honest in saying that I wasn’t sure what to expect here; this city has been through a lot and at the end of the day, their history is still quite recent and fresh.

Their kindness towards Greg and I was very much appreciated, so a 4/5 it is!

Subscribe now

Architecture — 3/5

Just like my previous two destination guides (Budapest & Krakow/Warsaw/Wroclaw), we’re talking about a city that was heavily and physically affected by World War II. Some believe that somewhere between one third to one half of the city’s buildings were damaged during the war.

So with that, ya really can’t come for their architecture too hard, considering the circumstances. The buildings that were left in tact, or that were re-built after the war, were truly stunning. When you were in a photogenic part of town (because if I’m honest, Berlin isn’t the most photogenic place I’ve been), it’s like the buildings were begging to be photographed.

The last piece of architecture you can’t forget when visiting Berlin — the Berlin Wall. I’m considering this more of a “tourist attraction”, but I figured it was worth mentioning here as it’s a giant slab of concrete that split a city in two.

Walkability & Public Transportation — 4/5

If you weren’t aware, Berlin is a massive city. It gave me New York City vibes (she says as a non-New Yorker) in the sense that you could walk for ages and still feel like you were in the depths of the city, weaving from block to block.

The public transportation is incredibly well connected in Berlin. You’ve got the U-Bahn (metro), S-Bahn (suburban train), Trams (streetcar, for my KC people), and busses.

We utilized the U-Bahn and trams daily and couldn’t have gotten around or seen half of what we wanted to see if we only relied on foot traffic. If you’re visiting Berlin, I highly recommend looking into a multi-day pass. Be sure to download the BVG Fahrinfo App to easily map out your travels and buy tickets on the go.

While the passes were incredibly convenient and easy to use, my one qualm is that prices were a bit expensive, in my humble opinion. I know this may trickle into the “affordability” category, but I’m going to argue that they go hand in hand.

Last thing I’ll say is while we didn’t have a single city worker check our tickets during our 12 days here, there is a hefty fine for getting caught on public transit without a ticket. So be a wise, good little tourist, and buy a ticket.

Tourist Attractions — 4.5/5

Calling all history lovers!! Berlin is a city that made me go “holy shit, why didn’t I pay attention in high school history”. I mean seriously, between WWII and the Cold War/Berlin Wall…. which by the way, wasn’t that long ago. And simply put, it’s fascinating to learn about and visualize firsthand.

There’s no shortage of museums and memorials/landmarks to experience in Berlin, and like I said, if you’re a history buff, this city is for you. The only reason it wasn’t a 5/5 is due to the fact that all tourist attractions (at least that we experienced) heavily revolved around history and art.

If history and art aren’t your love language, then I think Berlin may fall short in regards to “attractions” (unless you like beer gardens and parks, then just avoid winter and you’re set).

Here are some experiences and sights that I recommend for your next trip to Berlin —

• Berliner Unterwelten tours (they have several different tour options, they take you underground to see bunkers, tunnels, learn about different escape attempts during the Cold War, etc. Totally fascinating and a must do in my opinion!)

• highly recommend a walking tour of any sort, there’s so much history here & hearing from a local while you go to the historic sights is worth every penny. We did this walking tour with Alexis via GuruWalk and had a great experience!

• Topography of Terror museum (free to enter)

• visit Checkpoint Charlie

• C/O Berlin museum

• Brandenburg Gate

• Museum Island (buy a day pass to access all 5 museums)

• Berlin Wall — East Side Gallery

• Tiergarten Park (& Berlin zoo if that’s your thing)

• Berlin Treptower Park (so many parks we didn’t get to enjoy, a downside to visiting during winter)

• Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (free museum underneath)

Affordability — 3/5

Like many of our experiences thus far, Berlin had its moments of affordability and its moments of “what the helly”. That said, if I were to compare it to NYC or any other big city in the States, I would say that Berlin is ultimately a much more affordable option.

If you want to pinch pennies, you can get a get a €2 beer from a späti (corner store) and live your life in one of the many parks Berlin has to offer (gotta love an open container law, baby). Like any city, you can “do it cheap”, just as easily as you can splurge.

But in terms of our accommodation, cost of dinners out, and cost of tourist attractions, Berlin was a solid 3/5 for affordability.

Cleanliness — 1/5

I don’t know why I feel bad for giving Berlin such a low score in this category, like it feels personal, but the city just simply wasn’t clean.

Perhaps the fact that it was December, all cold and gloomy, and this just enhanced the feel of…grime…? But no, I would not consider Berlin to be a super clean, well kept city.

I’m sorry, don’t be mad at me. I still had a great time!

Christmas Markets — 4/5

I thoroughly enjoyed my Christmas Market experience in Berlin! I’m beginning to sound repetitive, but with the city being so large, it felt like we were just unexpectedly stumbling upon market after market.

Of the several markets that we experienced, I’d say my favorites were Schloßplatz (located right next to Museum Island) and Gendarmenmarkt (had a €2 entrance fee, but was well worth it).

Not only did I love the food and German beer offered at these markets, but they had plenty of places to stand or sit while you enjoyed your refreshments. Gendarmenmarkt also had plenty of entertainment, including live music and street performers.

In Summary…

I absolutely recommend Berlin, Germany as a city worth traveling to. Like Budapest, we felt like the city was very “livable”. Once you’ve gotten the hang of the U-Bahn and you’re eating at the random, hole in the wall spots, you can see yourself falling into a routine and feeling a little cooler than you did last week.

If time allows, I’d totally return during the non-winter months. However, I’m of course grateful for the cheery Christmas Markets, otherwise I think my seasonal depression would be hitting me hard.

Planning on going to Berlin, or Germany in general? Let me help get you sorted!

Let's Talk Travel - Inquire Here

If you’re still here, you either love me a lot or you’re really interested in Berlin. Either way, thank you for sticking around! Next Destination Guide on the docket — Vienna, Austria.

Until next week, tschüss!

xoxo, Reagan

I think we picked the only city in Central Europe that has firework restrictions to spend New Years Eve in. Potentially dramatic, but also kind of serious. Allow me to elaborate.

When mapping out our travels throughout Central Europe, our goal was to use only ground transportation. We knew we were starting in Budapest at the end of November, and from there, we chose our route based on bus and train logistics.

We were of course a bit strategic, choosing Prague for New Years Eve, we thought this would be a fun, happenin’ city to be in. Not to mention, it then put us on the path to be in Vienna, where we are now (and spoiler, we are loving it).

So a couple of months ago, I confirmed Prague was a good choice for the holiday by conducting a thorough Google search: “Prague NYE”. I saw the photo of fireworks and the AI written blurb about celebrating in the city center, and I was sold.

Disclaimer: I swear I’m great at my job as a travel advisor and would never plan any of my client’s trips based on a single Google search. We’re just kinda flying by the seat of our pants with this whole nomadic thing.

Fast forward to New Years Eve, we started our day with a walking tour (freezing our asses off) and our local guide proceeds to casually mention that there were restrictions put in place last year, meaning there would not be a firework show put on by the city at midnight.

Now I’m not some weird pyro who’s obsessed with fireworks. To be honest I feel like they’re a waste of money and can feel dangerous when handled by idiot boys (which is often the case).

But we aren’t club goers, I mean its frigid outside and I’m almost 30 for goodness sake, so yeah, I wanted some jaw dropping fireworks to kick off the new year and then to scurry home at 12:10.

Subscribe now

After defrosting over a bowl of goulash and a couple of pilsners, we decided to test our luck and to go out in the wild to ring in the new year. We stayed away from the city center and Charles Bridge, as they were packed at noon so we could only imagine what they were like at 11:45 PM.

We posted up along the river, the Charles Bridge in the distance to our right. We weren’t the only ones with this idea, as we were quickly surrounded by fellow tourists.

When the time came, the ten second countdown was conducted in a language I didn’t recognize by four teenage girls standing behind us, each clutching a tall boy or bottle of something that was probably way too sweet.

And although it wasn’t even close to the insane productions that were done in Dubai or Budapest at midnight, there were indeed fireworks that went off all around us. And by all around, I mean literally on the corner of the street that we were standing feet away from.

It’s almost as though the fact that the city decided to restrict fireworks and not put on a proper show inspired dumb idiots to buy their own, risk the fine, and shoot them off dangerously close to the many, many bystanders.

A true joy.

So with that, would I recommend Prague for New Years Eve? As if I didn’t just sell the hell out of it, I’m going to go with no. But I got my midnight fireworks, I kissed my husband, and I went to sleep with all of my fingers and toes, so I’d say it qualifies as a good night.

Regardless of how my final evening of 2025 was spent, I can’t help but feel a buzz of energy around the new year. I have really high hopes for 2026, for what I want to experience, accomplish, and who I want to be.

2025 was without a doubt one of the most confusing years I’ve ever had. I’ve never felt so impressed, proud and disappointed in myself all at the same time.

I recently saw a TikTok that said something like “When will I realize that I’m currently doing the thing that younger me dreamed of doing”, and by golly did that hit.

If 20 year old Reagan knew that she would be living in Europe, traveling with a man she is absolutely obsessed with, doing a job that allows her to be creative and happy, I mean holy shit!!

I am so focused on what I’m not doing and what other people are doing (or at least what I think they are) that I can’t even stop and smell the damn roses. The comparison game will kill ya, and I am so over it.

So what does this have to do with the new year?

You’d think that the end of a year would inspire us to reflect on all that we accomplished over the past 365 days, as well as make goals for the year to come. But instead, I feel like we just see it as an opportunity to self-criticize and point out all the things we “aren’t doing well”.

The clock strikes midnight and suddenly — I need to be skinnier, I need make more money, I need to suddenly learn how to paint and knit and needlepoint all at the same time, and I need to make myself feel like shit every time I choose Netflix over the book that has been keeping my nightstand warm for the past four months. Okay…seven.

As I said I previously, I’ve been buzzing about this new year. By no means am I saying that new year resolutions are a scam and that you shouldn’t partake. I felt excited to reflect on my very confusing year and set new intentions for the year to come. But I was sure to be nice to myself when doing so.

So all I ask is that you remember that your younger self would be proud. Maybe you know in your gut that you aren’t exactly where you’re meant to be right now, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t on your way.

Take the excitement and momentum that comes with this “fresh start” and set realistic, achievable goals that don’t diminish who you’ve become over the past twelve months.

We’re all just doing the best we can, and while we should all strive to be better in 2026, it doesn’t mean we aren’t already pretty damn great.

Until next week, tschüss!

xoxo, Reagan

Guten Tag from Berlin!

A week ago, we took a train from Wroclaw, Poland to Berlin, Germany. It was a direct trip that only lasted 4 hours, but I do have a small story to share.

As a reminder, Greg and I are traveling with 70L duffle bags, a carry on suitcase, and a personal backpack each. We were able to walk from our Wroclaw bnb to the train station, big ole duffles strapped to our backs and rolling our carry ons alongside.

Our train ended up being delayed by about 45 minutes, which ultimately is not a big deal, but there’s a detail I have yet to share — I’m hungover. Ending the night with that final glass of mulled wine at the Christmas Market was a big mistake.

Naturally, there are no updates being shared on the platform, the screen that should show the train that is en route and its time of arrival is totally blank. Greg keeps running down to the main common area to check the timetable and makes sure that our delayed train is not only still coming, but arriving on the platform where we have all of our shit parked.

There was a point when an announcement was made, in Polish, and a chunk of our fellow bystanders made an “eeek” face, then scurried off of the platform. Of course, we immediately began doubting ourselves and Greg ran off to check the screen again.

Thirty seconds after his departure, of course “Berlin” pops onto the screen in big, bold letters, sharing that our train would arrive in a few minutes.

My adult anxiety flares up and I call Greg in a panic telling him to get his ass back here. He makes it back before the train arrives, and we create a quick plan of attack regarding which side of the carriage to enter on so that we don’t have to swim upstream (which we have mistakenly done in the past).

To our surprise, we discover that this train is set up differently than all of the other trains we have taken thus far. They are 6 person cabins, like the ones on the Hogwarts Express, but much smaller.

Subscribe now

Not only is the size of the cabin quite cramped, but so is the size of the overhead shelves for all six of us to store our luggage.

Now again, remember when I told you that Greg and I have 4 pieces of luggage and 2 backpacks each? Yeah, not very conducive to this kind of train experience, lemme tell ya.

If you didn’t already know, us Americans are known for overpacking and bringing way too much on holiday. So I already knew the thoughts, giggles and eye rolls going through our European cabin-mates heads.

In our defense, I think we packed a very fair amount considering we won’t be back in the U.S. until May — you try packing for 6 months of constant winter travel and let me know how it goes.

We manage to get our carry on suitcases on a shelf and our backpacks on top of those, but we are left with our two, large duffle bags. Luckily, our seats are across from each other, so we just spread our legs and plop one duffle in between us vertically and the other on top of it, horizontally.

Super comfortable and reasonable for a hungover, 4-hour train ride. No nap in sight for this girl.

The last description I’ll give you is that Greg and I were closest to the cabin door, which our cabin-mates needed to go in and out of to use the toilet, get a drink, do anything with their free will, etc.

So anytime they wanted to get up and leave, we had to awkwardly sling around our 2 duffles and get the f*ck out of the way. Again, very natural and comfortable.

As someone who is hyper aware of what other people think of her (unfortunately) this was my personal nightmare. I’ll give our fellow riders credit though, they ended up being very kind, asking where we were going and giving us the opportunity to express that we are doing a lot of travel, hence the stuff.

Eventually, we were able to make room for one of our duffels on the shelf, only being left with one in between our legs.

So anyways, moral of the story? Don’t try to “split the G” at the local pub the night before a travel day. And pay for first class train tickets.

With story time out of the way, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the adventure that has been this past year. I cannot express how bamboozled I feel that we moved to Portugal nearly one year ago.

On one hand, it has felt like the longest year of my life. On the other, it feels so unfair knowing this season of our life is nearly half over. Like we are just now figuring it out, I swear.

If you’re a Spotify person like myself, then I’m sure you’ve been either admiring your 2025 Wrapped, or you’ve been hiding it from your friends. Which have I been doing? Well, I’m definitely not embarrassed that my most listened to album of the year is Hamilton….that’s for sure.

All this to say, I want to do a little “Travel Wrapped”. Take a look at where we went and who we saw that made this year so special. Let’s start with our Portugal exploration.

We officially made the move from Kansas City to Lisbon on January 23, 2025. While we awaited our residency appointment, we were more or less….strongly encouraged to not leave the country. We took advantage of this and explored the North, South and both Portuguese Islands.

Without further ado, our 2025 Portugal Wrapped, in order of when we visited —

1. Lisbon (obviously)

2. Nazare (home of big wave surfing)

3. Cascais (lovely beach town just outside of Lisbon)

4. Porto (again, obvious. went here a few times & loved it)

5. Coimbra (home to one of the oldest universities in Europe, founded in 1290)

6. Viseu (it made sense to stop here on our road trip, it was cute but that’s all I’ve got)

7. Douro Valley (stunning wine region)

8. Pinhao (tiny town tucked in the Douro Valley)

9. Geres (home of the Peneda-Geres National Park)

10. Braga (gorgeous architecture and yummy food)

11. Viana do Castelo (where we had the best Bolas de Berlim - I’d compare it to a custard doughnut)

12. Aveiro (some of my favorite beaches we saw in Portugal)

13. Sintra (home of the Pena Palace & Quinta de Regaleira)

14. Ericeira (one of my favorite beach towns we went to)

15. Madeira Island (one of Portugal’s islands, off the coast of Africa. A must visit!)

16. Pico Island, Azores (within the second batch of Portugal’s islands, the Azores, where there are 9 islands)

17. Sao Miguel Island, Azores

18. Faro (where we had our AIMA appointment)

19. Lagos (aka the Algarve region)

20. Sagres (the southwestern tip of the Algarve region)

21. Sao Luis (tiny countryside town where we ended our southern road trip before heading back to Lisboa)

As for the rest of Europe, we’ve got lots on our bucket list for 2026! Other than our one sneaky “escape” to go to the Tour de France with Greg’s aunt and uncle, we only started traveling with our snazzy new resident cards last month.

So without further ado, our 2025 Europe Wrapped, in order of when we visited —

1. Barcelona, Spain

2. Le Grand-Bornand, France (stayed in a chalet an hour outside of Annecy, in the French Alps for the Tour)

3. Chamonix, France

4. Annecy, France

5. Lyon, France

6. Madrid, Spain

7. Budapest, Hungary

8. Krakow, Poland

9. Warsaw, Poland

10. Wroclaw, Poland

11. Berlin, Germany (currently here)

12. Dresden, Germany (traveling to Dec 26th - 30th)

13. Prague, Czechia (where we will ring in 2026!)

So in year 2025 I went from having been to zero European countries to having gone to six. I’ll take it!

Now lastly, we cannot forget about where home truly is — the US of A. Although our travel back to the States was limited, we were lucky enough to make two trips back, where we got to squeeze babies and witness our best friends get married.

So without further ado, our 2025 U.S. Wrapped, in order of when we visited —

1. Indianapolis, Indiana (strong start — cheers to the Laughlin’s!)

2. Miami, Florida (where my other half and her hubby live & yes, I am calling my sister my other half)

3. Darien, Connecticut (cheers to the Ghadimian’s!)

4. New York, New York (one day to spend with the newlyweds before flying back to Lisbon)

5. Kansas City, Missouri (where I call home + cheers to the Strange’s!)

6. Wichita, Kansas (where my parents, grandparents & sweet pup, Ollie, call home)

Quite the random assortment of U.S. travel, if I do say so myself. Next time I’ll be back in the states will be in May to say “cheers to the Tanner’s”!!

So here’s to the crazy year that we’ll remember forever. Thank you 2025 for allowing me to spread my wings, try new things and grow into a woman that I am very proud to be today.

As for 2026, I’m already tired just thinking about it, but we’ve got some good stuff in store.

See you there! Tschüss!

xoxo, Reagan

I’d like to kick off this week’s post by sharing something our tour guide in Warsaw said. He said that Poland is more of a long term relationship, rather than a hot, first date. By this he meant that Poland isn’t the destination that makes you fall in love and doodle in your diary after just one visit.

This country has layers and baggage that you have to acknowledge and work through. According to our local guide, it’s the kind of place that takes a few visits (or dates) before you fall in love.

After spending two weeks traveling to three different cities in Poland, I’m excited to share what I’ve been scribbling in my diary about my recent dates with Krakow, Warsaw, and Wroclaw, Poland.

Subscribe now

Just like I did with my Budapest Destination Guide, I’m going to break these three cities down into categories (architecture, tourist attractions, etc.). There are a few categories where I lump all cities into one score, but there are also a few categories that deserve separate scores as each city had a little something different to offer.

I also have a new, bonus category waiting for you at the end. It’s written by a special guest of mine, but I must note that that addition of this new category was actually recommended by loyal subscriber and great friend, Matthew Rosenlof, of Omaha/New York City.

Hi Rosie, thanks for reading!

Before we dive into the nitty gritty, I want to take a quick moment to share my quick overview of each city —

Krakow:

Our intro to Poland, where we spent 4 nights. The Old Town was large & busy, offering plenty to eat and drink (however I do recommend making dinner reservations, we struck out a few times). We spent our time exploring by foot, going to museums, and taking trips out of the city to go to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, as well as the very sobering tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Warsaw:

From Krakow, we took a 3-hour train ride to Warsaw, where we spent 5 nights. If you enjoy architecture and museums, this place is for you. We absorbed as much of the city’s history as we could, trying to wrap my head around the fact that 90% of the city had to be rebuilt after WW2.

Wroclaw:

Arguably my favorite stop in Poland, the bus from Warsaw to Wroclaw was a whopping 5 hours long (shall I mention that we missed our original bus? oops). Our 4 nights in Wroclaw were spent walking around their charming Old Town, which was decked out with the best Christmas Market we have seen yet. We ate and drank our way through this city, so foodies, I recommend.

Now onto the general ratings for all three cities:

Local Food Rating — 3/5

When it comes to the Polish food that we ate in each city, I’d say we were all around pleased. Traveling during the winter months made their cuisine that much more enjoyable, as it gives off a very “comfort food” feel.

Some of our favorite local dishes were potato pancakes, kielbasa sausage, sour rye soup (in a bread bowl, of course), stuffed cabbage rolls, and pierogis.

I grew up on frozen pierogis, you know the ones in the blue box that weren’t encased in any plastic wrap? My sister and I would boil up a box at 11 PM on a Friday night while binge watching Nick at Night, slathering them in copious amounts of butter before diving in.

So how was my first homemade, Polish pierogi? Truly delicious! A soft dough filled with cheese and potatoes, topped with sour cream, what’s not to like.

Here are a few restaurant/cafe recommendations for each city, some that offer traditional Polish food and some that don’t —

Krakow:

• Kogel Mogel

• HEVRE Bar & Restaurant

• Finca Coffee & Pastry

• Gościnna Chata Restaurant

• Black Duck

• Smasher Burgers

Warsaw:

• GOŚCINIEC Polskie Pierogi

• Food Town (food hall with every type of food)

• Aioli

• Charolette Menora

• Bar Gold Kim (hole in the wall asian cuisine that was so good)

Wroclaw:

I would go as far as to call Wroclaw a “foodie destination” — they have such a wide range of eats and recently had 22 restaurants recognized by the Michelin Guide. We truly didn’t have a bad meal here.

• Atelier Cafe

• BABA

• IDA kuchnia i wino

• Campo Modern Grill

• Oyche Doner

• Młoda Polska Bistro & Pianino

People & Kindness — not rating

When visiting the Wieliczka Salt Mines in Krakow, our tour guide said something about her fellow Poles that stuck with me. She mentioned the “Polish Smile” which she referred to as a frown, insinuating that Poles are simply….sad.

Of course she cannot speak on behalf of an entire country, but after my visit, I see where she’s coming from. Maybe it was also the fact that it’s cold and dreary, and the sun was setting at 3:30 PM, but the energy of the locals was very….”get to the point”.

When our guide was telling us about this “Polish Smile”, she shared a study she once read, explaining how trauma can be passed down across generations. And by golly if this is true, you can’t blame the Poles for being a bit sad.

Poland’s history, like much of Central Europe, is tragic. It’s full of genocide and communism, and even if they were able to survive the wars and horror, it doesn’t mean they got to live their lives the way they truly wanted.

So was Poland home to the most kind, friendly, welcoming people? No, not necessarily. But can you blame them? Hell no.

Architecture — 4/5

Each city had their own feel and architectural charm, but the city that we have to talk about is Warsaw. If you didn’t know, around 90% of Warsaw was destroyed after the Uprising took place in 1944, during World War 2.

The city was left in ruins, forcing them to rebuild essentially all of it (the only parts of Warsaw that weren’t bombed were the parts that were occupied by Nazi Germany). So the photo you see on the left is what a good portion of Warsaw looks like today — new, flashy skyscrapers.

Whether the buildings were old or new, all three cities had architecture with stunning details and character.

Walkability & Public Transportation — 4/5

We did a lot of walking in all three of the cities, getting around majority of the time by foot. In fact, aside from using the train in Krakow once, we didn’t use public transportation to get around at all.

Now that’s not to say that their public transportation wasn’t good, because I definitely think it is, but we were either in walking distance to where we wanted to go, or we hopped in a Bolt (ride share) because they were wicked cheap and it was simply more convenient than learning the metro.

For anyone traveling to Poland who is interested in utilizing their public transportation, download the app Jakdojade. This app will allow you to navigate your travel, consider all transportation options, as well as buy tickets.

Tourist Attractions — 3/5

Although I am rating the stereotypical “tourist attractions” for each city, here’s what I’ll say. We came to Poland for the history, and that’s what we got. There’s so much more to Poland, but as for these three cities, we were pretty much enjoying architecture, Christmas markets, and anything that dove into Poland’s history.

Here are a few notable tourist attractions in each city:

Krakow -

• Stare Miasto + Cloth Hall (Old Town)

• Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory (buy your tickets in advance, before you visit!)

• Galicia Jewish Museum (we walked in and bought in person, but you can buy online)

• Wawel Royal Castle

• Wieliczka Salt Mines (20 minute train ride from Krakow, train tickets were like $4 round trip)

• Visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau (this is the tour we used: round trip transfer from your hotel in Krakow, entry & guided tour for both Auschwitz & Birkenau, plus the option buy a “bag lunch” to eat quickly in-between the two. Highly recommend!)

Warsaw -

• Warsaw Uprising Museum (buy tickets online)

• POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews (buy tickets online)

• Polish Vodka Museum (if you saw my Instagram reel, you know that this tasting about killed me. TBH I don’t know if I recommend the tour, but they have some bars on site and the building is beautiful)

• Church of the Holy Cross

• Polish History Museum (buy tickets online)

Wroclaw -

• Go gnome hunting (there are rumored to be over 600 gnomes sprinkled throughout the city, looking for them really did make strolling around quite entertaining)

• Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalene (climb 250 steps to the top for a stunning view of the city)

• Centennial Hall (where they filmed some of the Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes)

• Wroclaw University (pay to visit 3 of their beautiful halls, as well as a top floor observation deck - buy tickets at arrival)

• Wroclaw Cathedral / walk around the island

Affordability — 5/5

All three cities we traveled to in Poland felt very affordable. As I mentioned in my Budapest guide, what I consider to be “affordable” is obviously subjective, but as a full-time, self-employed traveler, I can assure you that we are always looking for a deal.

Even if we treated ourselves to a “fancier” dinner, the bill was never over $60 USD. Of all of the museums and tourist attractions I just listed, entry ranged from $0 to $16 for two tickets.

Cleanliness — 3/5

If you think pigeons are dirty, then you’d think Krakow was filthy because those lil’ birds were everywhere. They’re so common in this city that you could find little plush pigeons at nearly every stall in the Cloth Hall, which I am now a proud owner of. If you didn’t already know, I’m team pigeon.

Otherwise, all three cities felt fairly clean for being larger, busy cities. Poland as a whole also takes recycling very seriously, which I think in turn results in people caring for the public spaces a bit more.

Christmas Markets — individual ratings

Krakow - 3/5

Lots of stalls & space to stroll. Food was yummy. Gifts & trinkets seemed mass produced and much less charming and intentional.

Warsaw - 2/5

Holy crowded. Personally, this was not my jam. The stalls were all so tiny and hut like, meaning you couldn’t see past the many heads and humans to even scout out a food item you may want to enjoy. Bonus points for having rides and activities to enjoy, but I fear it was too condensed for me.

Wroclaw - 4/5

Truly a joy, both day & night (posted more photos on the gram). The overall set up felt huge, there was a roller coaster and a fun house for goodness sake. The combo of the gorgeous architecture surrounding the market + the amount of places to comfortably stand while you ate or drank your food, I just loved it! For context on price, we got our first (and only) Souvenir Christmas Mug at this market, which was 40 zloty ($10 USD) with mulled wine.

Greg’s Kegs (the bonus category written by husband Greg!)

Welcome to Greg’s Kegs!

When Reagan and I were on a walking tour last week in Warsaw, the guide went around the group and asked all of us why we travel. We were standing towards the back of the group, so when it was finally our turn, most of the good answers had already been taken.

Not wanting to repeat or take someone else’s answer I blurted out “to taste different beers!”. This garnered some laughs from the crowd and made Reagan roll her eyes. I know she hates when I make us stand out as the “typical American tourist”.

That answer, and a suggestion from the previously mentioned fan, lead to Reagan giving me the opportunity to be a feature writer on her Destination Guides. I mean, what itinerary is complete without some beer recommendations?

Here are some of my favorite beers that we tried while we were in Poland:

1) Žatecký Světlý Ležák

• Style: Pilsner

• ABV: 5%

• Brewery: Okocim Brewery

Žatecký is a Czech-style pilsner that is brewed in Brzesko, Poland. It is brewed with Żateckie hops, which were first used in the first half of the eleventh century and are still only grown and sourced from the same region today. This pilsner has a mild bitter taste with notes of bread and honey.

2) Tatra Jasne Pełne

• Style: Pale Lager

• ABV: 6%

• Brewery: Żywiec Brewery

Tatra is a classic Euro Pale Lager that is brewed in Żywiec, Poland. It is named after the famous Tatra National Park in Southern Poland. If you can imagine the perfect sip of beer to take after a long hike in mountains this would be it. It is easy drinking like any lager with notes of berries, citrus, and honey that give it a very subtle taste of sweetness.

3) Żywiec Premium

• Style: Premium Lager

• ABV: 5%

• Brewery: Żywiec Brewery

Żywiec as you could have guessed is also brewed in Żywiec, Poland. It is brewed with traditional recipes using fine malts, hops, and cold mountain water. This results in a super easy to drink and refreshing beer, which would make it a classic addition to any cooler in the Arrowhead parking lot. It also has a cool design on the can that features two Polish folk dancers known as the “Dancing Couple” which is a nice bonus.

Hopefully Reagan decides to let this make the final cut! If so, you will be hearing from me again after Germany, which is currently at the top of my list for beers to try.

Dzięki (cheers), Greg

It’s Reagan again — well, is Greg hired as a feature writer or not? Please let me know in the comments below if Greg’s Kegs is in our out for future Destination Guides.

Leave a comment

In Summary…

Being totally transparent, our interest in visiting Auschwitz was the main reason we even began mapping out travels to this massive country. While that visit alone was worth adding Poland to the itinerary, it also confirmed that there is so much more to this country than the horror and heartache that most of us know it for.

My time in Krakow, Warsaw and Wroclaw was time well spent, and I know we didn’t even scratch the surface. I mean, have you heard of Zakopane, Poland? It’s on the list.

Itching to plan your own trip to Poland? Let me help!

Let's Talk Travel - Inquire Here

If you’re still here, you must really love supporting me or you must really be interested in Poland. Either way, thank you.

I’m off to begin exploring a new city + country — Berlin, Germany!

Until next week, tschüss!

xoxo, Reagan

In true digital nomad fashion, I am writing this weeks newsletter from Warsaw, Poland! Truly a country I never thought I’d have the opportunity to travel to, let alone spend nearly two weeks exploring.

Since returning to Europe in mid-November, after our 2-week trip back home to see family, we have traveled to three countries over the span of three weeks: Portugal, Hungary and Poland.

Although the title of “digital nomad” kind of makes me cringe and roll my eyes, I can’t help but resonate with the term. I mean, we are working digitally and traveling nomadically, after all.

If I were to picture a digital nomad before becoming one myself, I would likely think of someone living out of a van, perhaps they spend every day at a trendy coffee shop, and they for sure know how to surf. They aren’t stressed about money (even though they should be) and they ultimately do what they want, when they want.

As much as I would like to say that this is Greg and I, it’s obviously not. For starters, we are both way too tall to live out of a van.

Now you may argue that the fact that we are traveling freely fits into the category of “doing what we want, when we want”, and to that I say touche, but I thought I’d share a little more insight into what this new nomadic lifestyle actually looks like for us and how we’re making it work.

Before I dive into our day to day, let me provide a bit more insight into what Greg and I do and how we got to this point.

Subscribe now

Greg is a full-time corporate boy, working a good ole 9-5 that graciously allowed him to work remotely for a few years (2 years to be exact, hence why this adventure has an end date).

I on the other hand, well, I’ve changed careers three times now. What can I say, I’m a millennial dreamer!

In all seriousness, I got my bachelor’s and master’s degree in education, with the full intention to be a special education teacher for the rest of my working days. Sadly, the education system is messed up and doesn’t take care of their teachers, so I was a shell of a human after four years in the classroom.

I made the very hard to choice to leave education, which led me to my first role in the corporate world. I worked as a ~Member Experience Manager~ for a company called Industrious, and really loved it, however this role was full-time in office, no remote exceptions.

So once Greg and I fully boarded the crazy train and hired lawyers to assist with our move to Portugal, I knew that my time at Industrious would have to come to an end whether I liked it or not. After 2.5 years, I said farewell to corporate and moved to a foreign country with my husband.

I’ll be totally transparent in saying that the plan was not for me to dive into being a full-time travel advisor. I started working in travel as a side gig before we moved abroad, something to channel positive energy into while I was fighting for my life in the depths of remote job applications.

Long story short, the job market is a beast and after what felt like endless applications for remote roles, paired with endless rejection emails, we made the decision for me to channel all of my energy in Reagan Roams and take it as a gift.

The gift being that there is just simply no way I would have quit my stable, salary role to dive head first into a passion project back in the States. It’s the sad truth and the reality for many, so again, it’s a gift.

So although it’s intimidating and I have daily imposter syndrome, I’m lucky enough to get to lean into building my travel business while doing what we love most — traveling.

Now back to the current times — what it has really been like traveling and working full-time gigs.

Let’s start with the pros / what’s working well:

• Greg’s colleagues and my clients are all in the U.S., so we are typically working “second shift” hours (our work day starts at 3 PM). This means we have our full morning & early afternoon to explore, sleep in, travel from one city to the next, etc. This flexibility is magical.

• We get to hang out every day!! Granted, most couples don’t need to uproot their entire lives to achieve this work from home lifestyle, but as people who both come from jobs that spent 5-days a week in office, I don’t think we’ll ever have this experience again. I’ll admit it was a massive adjustment at the beginning, but now we’re having a good ole time.

• Technology is so powerful. Obviously, hence why remote work is even a thing to begin with, but I can’t help but be impressed at how smooth the transition has been for each of us. Meetings are met, emails are sent, we aren’t missing a beat.

Now for the cons & struggles:

• We are putting a lot of faith and trust in random Airbnb owners, hoping that they’ll have reliable wifi and smooth working conditions. Greg is a three-screen guy (he has collapsable monitors that have been so clutch) & is often on and off calls, so he’s not one to set up shop at a European cafe.

• The frequent moving around, packing and unpacking, it’s disorienting and really tests your self-discipline. Yes, we try to stick to a consistent work schedule, but just because we log on at the same time each day doesn’t mean we have a routine, and not having a routine or consistency is tough.

• We went from being a DINK (Dual Income No Kids) to a K-DINK (Kinda Dual Income No Kids). Although I am so proud of myself and what I’ve built this year, it’s no secret that building a successful and profitable business does not happen overnight, so our finances are looking different these days.

All pros and cons aside, we get to travel and experience the world. We’re making memories that we will force our future children to listen to, ensuring that they know how cool their mom and dad are…..were…..?

This season of life may come with its own set of challenges and it may result in me feeling like I’m “behind” in life, but baby I’ll take the chaotic bus rides and shitty wifi any day if this is how I get to close out my 20’s.

Don’t mind me, just using this platform to remind myself that I should never take this whirlwind of an experience for granted. It may not be 5-star hotels and Michelin restaurants, but it’s a good thing I like eating cereal for dinner.

Until next week, I’ll be back with my full Poland break down.

Do widzenia! (Polish is the craziest damn language)

xoxo,

Reagan

When Greg and I first shared that we would be tackling the winter season in a more nomadic fashion, bidding Portugal farewell, we were often met with the question, “where’s the first place you want to go?”.

Friends and family had the (understandable) assumption that we had a running list of the cities we were most eager to visit, but to be honest, we didn’t. Instead, I channeled my husband and his engineering brain and we thought about our travel path logically.

We want to see as much of Europe as we can. We also want to maximize ground travel (buses & trains) and avoid airports and baggage fees as much as possible. So with the decision to lean into the winter weather and take advantage of the Christmas Markets — Central Europe was the ideal starting point.

As you may have read last week, we took a 4-hour flight from Lisbon to Budapest, and from here we are planning to utilize trains and good ole FlixBus, at least for the next two months. While Budapest was primarily picked due to its location and what it had to offer at the end of November, I am so freaking glad this is where we started our travels.

Budapest managed to consistently hit the mark and blow us away — great food, charming and stunning architecture, easy exploration, etc.

There is no denying that their history is rough. They’ve been through more than I even realized (definitely recommend the House of Terror Museum), and it honestly wasn’t that long ago that they were still in the thick of it. I recommend that you do your part before coming here — read articles, listen to podcasts, watch a documentary, etc.

My brother, Dakota, had the fun idea that we keep a running list of everywhere we travel, ultimately ranking each destination in order from most favorite to least.

I have a feeling I’ll just end up being overly generous and making excuses as to why they should all be tied for first place in some manner, not being able to pick one city over the other, but alas, I will try my best.

To ensure we are assessing each city in the same light, we’ve come up with seven (eight for the holidays) categories that we will score after each visit.

We’ll score each category on a scale of one to five (five being the best). Here’s what we’re thinking:

• Local Food

• People / Kindness

• Architecture

• Walkability / Public Transportation

• Tourist Attractions

• Affordability

• Cleanliness

• And for the limited winter season, Christmas Markets

Before I finally dive into my Budapest Destination Guide, I want to share a friendly reminder that these are all Greg’s thoughts and opinions, so if you disagree with anything that is shared or recommended, come for his throat, not mine.

Okay KIDDING!! But actually, this little guide is based on my stunning 7-days spent in the city. These are my opinions based on my travels, so please be sure to take it as it is. Mine mine mine.

Without further ado, Budapest, I f*cking love you.

Local Food Rating – 4/5

The Hungarian dishes we tried were truly delicious. There was not one dining experience we had where I didn’t want multiple items on the menu. I will say, I’m curious if I’d have the same opinion if we were in Budapest in the peak of summer rather than in the winter season, being that many of the local dishes we ate were warm and heavy – goulash, chicken paprikash with dumplings, langos, and strudel (savory and sweet) are a few of the regional dishes that we loved.

As for restaurant & cafe recommendations —

• Menza Etterem (reservation recommended)

• Strudel House

• Central Grand Cafe & Bar

• Retek Bisztro

• Mama Goulash (almost always a line!! we showed up 10 mins after opening & got a table, so I recommend for lunch vs dinner)

• TATI Farm to Table

• Laget Pekseg (was so impressed with Budapest’s pastry game)

• Twentysix (brunch or dinner)

• Indian Palate (tbh we didn’t eat here, but G & I love Indian food so I’m always on the hunt)

• Frici Papa

• Paprika Vendeglo

• Cookie Beacon Brunch (you’ll see this spot all over social media, so anticipate a line. I’m adding it because we walked by the window and saw the cookies and gasped!! they looked heavenly)

• Szimpla Kert (famous ruin bar)

People & Kindness – 4/5

As a girl from Kansas, it’s going to be hard to get a 5/5 from me in this category. Let’s just say, since moving abroad I’ve learned that “midwest nice” is a real thing.

So while I know a majority of Europeans wouldn’t be caught dead smiling at strangers they pass on the street, I can acknowledge my definition of “kind” may be a little different than yours.

All that said, the people we interacted with in Budapest were indeed kind. I never felt a cold shoulder or as though I was being viewed as an annoying tourist, but no one was outwardly warm or saying more than they needed to. Again, totally acceptable and enjoyable interactions.

Architecture – 5/5

Stunning, just stunning. Budapest is the perfect balance of busy city mixed with European charm. Every building you walk by feels historic and has an immense amount of character.

We later learned that there are many UNESCO World Heritage Sites that exist within Budapest (EX. the Danube riverfront, Buda Castle, Andrassy Avenue, etc.). With this distinction comes strict rules and guidelines when it comes to new builds or renovations in the city.

For example, you’ll notice that there are no skyscrapers within Budapest. This is because buildings aren’t allowed to change the current skyline, in order to preserve the current sites and famous views (again, referencing the Danube river).

So as a visitor, I was obsessed with the consistent 19th-century architecture. The fact that you can walk down any street and you won’t be hit in the face with an ultra modern townhouse that makes no sense in that neighborhood is so ideal.

All this to say, because there are such strict regulations when it comes to the buildings and their renovations, many old apartment buildings are in serious need of some TLC, but due to cost and the upkeep that is necessary, the owners may not be able to execute.

I’m definitely curious to better understand how locals feel about these regulations — are they proud to maintain the architecture that makes their city remain so unique and special, or do they wish for the opportunity to build and renovate as they please?

Walkability & Public Transportation –5/5

Budapest is a huge city, so although it is walkable in the sense that it has large sidewalks and there’s a fun or yummy stop on every corner, it would take a hot second to rely on only foot travel.

Which leads me to the city’s very impressive public transportation system. Over the course of seven days we used their metro, tram, bus and train to get around. As someone who didn’t grow up using public transportation, I was blown away at how user-friendly each of their transit systems were.

The best part is you only have to purchase a single pass to use all of their public transportation systems. Download the Budapest Go app and purchase the pass that best fits your trip (single day, 2-day, 3-day, or 2-week pass). The moment you complete your purchase your ticket is validated, so be sure to buy it right before using. If you’re over the age of 65, public transportation is free to use (however I still think there is a pass of some sort that is necessary to show you are free to ride).

Once your pass is purchased, you are free to hop on and off as you please! There are workers who will occasionally get onto the trams or will be standing at the exits of the metro to check tickets, so be sure to be a good patron and purchase your pass (this happened to us 5ish times).

If you get caught on public transportation without a pass, you’ll have to pay a fine, so just do the right thing and buy a pass.

The Budapest Go app also works as a navigation tool, giving you every option of how to successfully get to your destination, so I definitely recommend downloading before your trip.

Tourist Attractions – 3/5

There is no shortage of sites and tourist attractions in this city. It blows my mind that the average tourist only visits Budapest for 2-3 nights because there is so much to see and experience.

So why give this category a 3 out of 5, you may wonder? Mainly because of the high entry fees that many of these top attractions require. Not everything requires an entry fee on my list below, but of those that did, we were often talking $30+ per person to get in. Now I’ll say that many of these were paired with a guide or tour of some sort, but it still felt a bit pricey in my opinion.

I will always recommend participating in a “free” (tip based) walking tour within your first few days of being in a new city. It’s an amazing way to get the lay of the land and a dose of history from a local.

Some of my recommended tourist attractions —

• Hungarian Parliament Building

• Buda Castle & Fisherman’s Bastion (you can spend the whole afternoon on the Buda side of the river)

• Visit the Thermal Baths (Szechenyi, Rudas & Gellert are popular, however Gellert is closed for renovations until 2027)

• House of Terror Museum (buy tickets at time of arrival)

• Danube River Night Cruise

• Hungarian State Opera House (they offer 3 English tours per day, be sure to book in advance)

• St. Stephen’s Basilica

• Hungarian National Museum (closed on Monday’s)

• Dohany Street Synagogue

• Hospital in the Rock Museum (on the Buda side)

• Heroes Square & City Park (same area as Szechenyi Thermal Baths)

• Central Market Hall

• Liberty Square

Affordability – 3/5

Now I want to start this lil’ section off by again addressing that my version of “affordable” is going to be much different than Beyonce’s — all hail the queen.

We are probably pinching a few more pennies than the average tourist who is on vacation for a week, so I could see some of my peers giving Budapest a 4/5 in this category.

Overall, we found this city to be super livable and affordable. If we were renting an apartment, going to the grocery and cooking for a majority of our meals, and spent our free time by sitting in parks, then hell yes to Budapest and its affordability.

But, we were being tourists, spending $40 each to sit in a thermal bath and eating $20 sausages from Christmas Markets. So yeah, I’m going to give it a 3 out of 5.

Cleanliness – 4/5

For such a large city, I was super impressed by how clean the public settings and streets felt. All public transportation was clean and simply enjoyable to be on. It just all around felt like there was a mutual respect for the city from its patrons.

As someone who loves rules, this is the kind of city where it felt like everyone just “followed the rules” which I appreciate and love.

Christmas Markets – 3/5

The fun stuff!!! If you are on the hunt for a cool ass city that also has some Christmas flare, Budapest is the place. There were three Christmas Markets that we stumbled upon (and keep in mind we were here at the end of November, so not even peak Christmas season) — Vörösmarty Square, St. Stephen’s Basilica (right in front of it), and within the Buda Castle/Fisherman’s Bastion.

What I loved about all of these markets are that the trinkets, souvenirs, whatever you want to call them were all locally made. Nothing was mass produced and you weren’t seeing the same cheesy shit from booth to booth. You know if you purchased something, your money was going to someone who deserved it.

There was plenty of local food & mulled wine, so you could eat and drink and shop to your hearts content.

Budapest was my first Christmas Market experience, so maybe they’re getting a hard score simply because I have nothing else to compare it to. If so, apologies to Hungarian Santa.

In Summary…

I would go back to Budapest in a heartbeat. The big city feel and energy, but with a serious coziness and a much appreciated lack of intimidation. Add it to your bucket list, people.

Heading to Budapest yourself and need help piecing it all together? Let’s chat about making a custom itinerary just for you!

Let's Talk Travel - Inquire Here

In case you were curious what the next destination guide will be, let me just tell ya that I’m writing this from Krakow, Poland.

Until next week, viszlát!

xoxo, Reagan

Hello little twist in my intro text! What a treat to say that I started this past week in Lisbon and ended it in Budapest.

Our final week in Lisbon was, if I’m honest, very average. We were coming off of two weeks back in the States, where I feel like I failed at being my own boss. By this I mean, I let the excitement of being arms reach from my family and friends get the best of my work schedule, and my task list started to loom over my shoulder.

Zero percent do I regret the many lunch dates I had lined up or the slow mornings spent chatting with my parents while petting Ollie. But ya girl is gonna have to do better with her time management next time around. Learning to be self-employed one trip at a time.

All this to say, getting back to Lisbon was our time to be in a familiar space, fight jet lag, and get caught up on work tasks. We said bye to a few friends, took a farewell stroll by the river, and prioritized some of our favorite food spots, but to be honest, Lisbon was kind of viewed as the calm before the storm.

And by storm, do you think I’m referring to our first few days in Budapest or my first experience flying the budget airline, Ryanair?

Okay, that’s a bit dramatic, the flight really wasn’t that bad, but I definitely understand why it has the reputation that it does.

If your algorithm does not consist of awkward airport encounters where you see a helpless traveler trying to jam their clearly oversized bag into Ryanair’s (super tiny) metallic bag sizer, then let me provide some insight.

Subscribe now

What’s fab about flying within Europe is that flights are actually affordable, compared to the U.S. where you have to pick and choose between visiting loved ones because you literally can’t afford it, teehee! Many of the affordable European flights are provided by “budget airlines” — Ryanair, easyJet, Wizz Air, Eurowings, etc.

While many of the extra fees that are associated with these budget airlines aren’t actually that “out of the norm”, I mean even Southwest is beginning to charge for checked bags, I think it’s the combination of the fees + the strict rules + the lack of customer service that make these flights feel so…. budget friendly.

We knew we’d need to check both our carry-on suitcases and our duffle bags, due to the accepted dimensions that Ryanair allows for carry-ons. If you’ve not seen, Europeans have the smallest freakin’ carry-on suitcases I have ever seen in my life. The carry-ons that are allowed on U.S. airlines could eat the European carry-ons.

Really regretting not taking a photo of one for reference. I’ll try and keep this in mind for future posts.

We paid for our checked bags during online check in, so once we got to the airport we knew we’d just need to tag and drop them (as long as the weight was in order). Checked bags need to be under 20 kg/44 lbs, which I am happy to report we were under.

I’m not sure if people were simply unaware of this weight restriction or if they were just really going in naive to how heavy their bags were, because I swear every other suitcase in the area was open and exposed, paired with a panicked owner who was shoving random shit into their backpack and coat pockets, all aiming to avoid an overweight baggage fee.

I was sure to get them a sympathetic “awww” look as I walked by. Once we tagged our bags and scanned them in ourselves — correct, there were no workers at the baggage drop — we headed to our gate.

But here is where my Ryanair experience made me cringe. We’re all lined up at the gate, ready to board, when a Ryanair employee begins prowling the line, looking for suitcases that are on the tubby side.

He handpicked travelers out of the line and made them do the walk of shame up to the front of the line, where they had to see if their suitcase fit in their (tiny) metal sizer. Majority of people accepted their fate, but it wouldn’t be a true airport experience if we didn’t see at least one inappropriate outburst.

We indeed witnessed a man open his carry-on suitcase (which was clearly too fat) and proceed to put on seven additional long sleeve shirts and sweaters. Seven.

The worst part? His bag still didn’t fit, so the guy had was now sweltering and out some cash. What a way to start a holiday!

As for the rest of the Ryanair flight, it was of course totally fine. The flight attendants were kind, they have an app where you can order all of your food & beverage needs (all an additional cost, of course), and it got us where we wanted to be — Budapest.

We’ve only been here for three nights at this point, so I am going to make you wait until next week’s post to hear my full synopsis on Budapest, but let me just give ya a little tease. I freaking love it here.

It gives you that big city feel, but the European charm and stunning architecture still shines through. They have a thriving public transportation system and the food has been delightful.

Plus, I’ll say it, I have enjoyed walking on a normally sized, flat sidewalks.

The history is obviously heavy, and I’ll be honest in saying my knowledge of World War II up until now has been more “big picture”. Learning about Hungary specifically and how they endured and overcame such a tragic and simply nasty time has been eye opening.

In regards to us leaning unto “Euro winter”, I can confirm that winter has arrived in Budapest. The past three days have been sitting in the 30’s, with a windchill of 25 degrees or so. Quite the jump from Lisbon’s 60 and sunny, but at least this weather is paired with Christmas trees and mulled wine.

The perk of being here for a week is that we get to chip away at tourist attractions at a more enjoyable and slower pace. What’s on the docket for tomorrow? Széchenyi Thermal Baths!

For your upcoming Roaming…

For anyone who is planning to utilize a budget airline for European travel, here is a pricing breakdown of our Ryanair flight from Lisbon to Budapest. I do feel like the cost of this flight is on the higher end when it comes to other European flights, but it was a 4 hour long, nonstop flight, so at the end of the day still pretty solid for two people.

• “Basic Economy” Tickets - 140 euros per person

• Upgrading to the “Plus” category, which allowed us to choose our seats & check one bag per person - 35 euros per person

• Reserving our seats - 2.25 euros per person

• Additional two checked bags - 53 euros total

• Final payment fee - 11 euros total

  Grand total to fly from Lisbon to Budapest with 4 checked bags & 2 backpacks — 417.48 euros

What’s my biggest takeaway? If you think your bag is too big or too heavy, it probably is. Just pay to check your bag so you don’t have to be the guy putting on seven shirts in front of a hundred strangers.

What I’m planning this week…

A honeymoon to Thailand! Any time someone inquires about Southeast Asia, especially if they are honeymooners, my heart flutters. If you didn’t already know, Greg and I traveled to Vietnam, Thailand & Indonesia (+ 24 hours in Singapore) for our honeymoon and it was the freakin’ best.

I want everyone to experience this side of the world and I feel so happy and excited when I get to help coordinate these plans.

This couple is jetting off to Thailand next month and will be experiencing Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket & Koh Yao Noi. Their time will be occupied with visits to temples, street food tours, elephant sanctuaries, and cooking classes.

If you need some vacation envy (as if you didn’t already have it to begin with), check out where they’ll be staying on the island of Koh Yao Noi — Paradise Koh Yao.

Reach out via the link below if you’re in the market for a trip to Thailand, I’m your girl.

Let's Talk Travel - Inquire Here

See you next Tuesday for my full Budapest breakdown!

Until then, búcsú!

xoxo, Reagan

Although I am typing this week’s post from Portugal, where I am suffering from jet lag and my skull feels like it is occupied by 95% air, the heavy eyes are well worth it because I got to spend the past 2 weeks in the place and with the people that I call home — Kansas.

This was my first time going home since we made the move to Lisbon 11 months ago, and while I knew I was excited to see my people and most importantly, my dog, I had a wave of anxiety.

Would it feel like home? Is it possible that I’ve already outgrown the place that I plan to return to for good one day? These questions haunted me, making me feel guilty for even considering the potential that I wouldn’t feel the same love towards Kansas City that I once had.

Well, as I sit across the Atlantic Ocean with the reunion visit under my belt, I can assure you that those questions and concerns were fully debunked. I mean, just ask any of my family members that saw my crying as I hugged them goodbye before heading to the airport.

Kansas still felt like home and I felt really sad to leave it.

I almost wonder if my “nervousness” around returning was actually a “wish”, in some ways. Knowing my time in KC was limited to two weeks and would end with me returning to Portugal, I think I selfishly hoped that I would feel ready to leave. I also think I really want to be a cool, Euro girl who doesn’t mind being away from everything that makes her feel comfortable.

But alas, I am not.

Just like I described sitting on my sister’s couch in Miami last month, arriving in Kansas City felt like a warm hug. The fall weather was literally pristine, the Chiefs played at three (don’t wanna talk about the outcome though) and I was reunited with the closet of clothes I left behind.

As I shared last week, we just returned to Portugal with half the amount of bags than we originally moved with, as we are planning to travel more freely and don’t want to lug around a bunch of shit. This part of being home was less warm and cozy and more overwhelming and chaotic, but it had to be done. That’s all I’ll say on the packing portion of our return. It’s boring and no one cares.

Subscribe now

Now I’m going to jump ahead to the part of our hometown return that was weighing on me the heaviest — seeing our dog, Ollie. If you didn’t know, Greg and I have a 6 year old Goldendoodle who is literally the best boy. The decision to move abroad for a few years without him was one of the hardest decisions, but we knew it was best for him and for us.

My parents have graciously taken Ollie in as one of their own, bringing their dog count from 2 to 3, but for anyone who has seen their tiny ass dogs, you know that their two dogs combined are the size of Ollie’s head (and probably Greg’s, as seen below).

Since moving, we’ve been spoiled with Ollie FaceTimes, photos and videos, and it is clear he is thriving at Grammy and Papa’s house. Honestly, thriving to the point where I was freaked out that he wouldn’t remember us or care to see us when we randomly reappeared nearly one year later.

We strategically staged the reunion so that he wouldn’t see us pull into the driveway (he remembers Greg’s white truck and we didn’t want him to clue in before we had a chance to see his reaction).

So we walked around the house, where my parents and Ollie were out back waiting for us. We immediately received one “intruder” bark, but were quickly met with a happy trot over our way to check us out.

I’d say it took him a good 4-5 seconds of greeting us before it clicked with who we were — it’s mom and dad!

He did some spins and some zoomies back and forth between us and my parents, where he eventually ended, back turned to us, sitting pretty in front of my mom. Of course, I start panicking and saying “oh my god he doesn't remember me, he doesn’t care”, but it turns out my mother had treats in her pocket and he was ready for his pay out.

Dog treats > reunion with dog mom

I let my drama fade and reminded myself that this is a natural consequence of going totally absent on him since January. He has established a new normal over the last 11 months, just as we have, and that new normal for him involves my retired father who treats him like a king (such as a cheese topper sprinkled in his breakfast each morning & joint visits out to the garden to check on the veggies).

Prior to our visit, we were worried that seeing him before our permanent return would mess him up, plus make it harder for us to leave again. While I’ll admit that saying goodbye to him, yet again, mad me feel queasy, I am so glad we were able to snuggle him for a few days.

It’s no secret that he’s in loving hands and will adapt back to his “new normal” after our surprise visit. Thank you again, to my parents & in-laws for giving him all the love in our absence. And Ollie, I’m counting down the days!

After our time in KC, during our 6 hour layover in Philadelphia to be exact, I asked Greg what his top three moments of being home were. As soon as I asked him that, I retracted my question, because I knew I couldn’t limit my own response to just three.

In true Reagan fashion, I’d like to share some of my favorite moments from being home in the form of a list:

• Watching my brother, Derek, marry my newest and final Strange sister, Ginny. Their wedding day was truly the most stunning November day and I am so stinking happy we were able to be there to celebrate them!

• Grabbing beers at Strange Days and then dining at Harry’s Country Club in the River Market with our best pals, just like old times. Then attempting to squeeze into a photo booth with six people, a “good idea” that one would only make after a few margs.

• Getting to celebrate my mom’s 60th birthday a few days early with cheap, hotel door decor and mini cupcakes.

• Sharing a hotel room with Greg (obvi), Halston and Sergio, as if we are not old enough to have personal space or afford separate rooms.

• Completing item #9 on my 30 before 30 bucket list — interviewing both of my grandmother’s about their life, love, happiness, etc. They were both troopers about this and I can’t wait to share a separate Substack with what I learned.

• Meeting my best friend’s baby — what a crazy & beautiful experience getting to watch your girls become momma’s. So proud of you, Marianne & Michael! Auntie Reagie loves you, Brooks!

• Having all 5 of my siblings + sib in-laws, in one place!! We’re currently spread out amongst five different cities, so being together all at once is sadly a rarity.

• Eating the following foods: buffalo wings from the Peanut, taquitos from QuikTrip, a burrito (and bowl) from Chipotle, barbecue from Jack Stack, cheese curds from Harry’s, gorgeous steaks cooked by my parents & a breakfast burrito from Mildred’s, to name a few (yes I am bloated).

• Teaching Sergio what tetherball is, and playing it for the first time since elementary school (and laughing til I cried).

• The fact that my one year old niece, Sophie, reached for me multiple times!! The last time I saw her she was a fresh nugget, not even 2 months old. So being re-introduced and winning her over in the short time we had together, I’m gonna wear that with pride (but don’t talk to me about how by the next time I see her she’ll be running around and talking and I’ll have to win her over again, I can’t handle it).

• Getting to hug my husband’s aunts, uncles and cousins (whom we didn’t expect to see while in town). Our time together was short and sweet, yet they still took the time out of their busy week to come drill us with questions and well wishes.

• Having the opportunity to miss Greg — we have been spoiled with the opportunity to be together pretty much ~24/7~ here in Portugal, so jumping into a busy two weeks in KC, where we spent more time apart than we have in the last year, gave me the chance to miss him, which is something that I think every couple should feel.

How lucky am I that this list doesn’t even begin to cover it all. If you were able to squeeze me into your busy schedule these past two weeks, thank you. My heart is full and I am so glad that I got to be wrapped in my little safety blanket for a while.

Now here we are, back in Lisbon for five days before we return to the hell hole that is called the Lisbon airport. On Saturday we will fly to Budapest, where we’ll get to spend the week of Thanksgiving.

Until next week, tchau!

xoxo, Reagan

Last week I shared a bit about how we packed up our whole life and said “tchau” to our first home in Lisbon. The apartment that had the ability to feel like a warm (humid) hug and a kick in the shin, all at the same time.

Many of you know that we packed up every single thing we moved to Lisbon with, just a short 11 months ago, and brought it allllll back to Kansas City. Me, Greg, and seven suitcases. A saga that I would like to never relive.

But why bring it all back? Where are you going? What the heck is happening?

When we first moved to Lisbon, we were hopeful that we would have all of our residency documents sorted after 6 months or so, allowing us to travel across Europe freely and begin to take advantage of those cheap flights.

This was of course naive as everything was delayed, so 2025 ended up being the year of Portugal (and what a treat it was). Once we realized that we weren’t going to be experiencing other countries like we had hoped, we began to think of 2026 and what we wanted it to look like.

I also want to preface that we are being called back to Kansas City at the beginning of 2027. While Greg’s position has the ability to be done remotely, he wasn’t hired in a fully-remote capacity. This opportunity was presented as a 2-year excursion, so ending up in the States is without a doubt on our Bingo card.

Subscribe now

So with this inevitable time crunch, we decided it didn’t make sense to renew and pay for an apartment that we honestly hoped to not spend very much time at. We (Greg) ran some numbers and we created two hypothetical scenarios. One that involved a home base in Lisbon, with traveling one or two weekends per month, and another that involved no home base, with moving around every few weeks.

As I’ve already shared, scenario #2 won. And while this makes me feel nervy and a bit stressed, it also feels incredibly exciting. The world is our oyster!

So in a few weeks, we are embarking on a bee-boppin’, nomadic adventure. We’re utilizing short term rentals and relying heavily on bus and train travel to adventure from place to place.

With this increase in movement comes a more efficient and lighter way of packing, hence why we brought everything back. We are ditching five of the suitcases and returning with a backpack, carry-on suitcase, and 70L duffle bag each.

So yeah, when you see me posting photos in the same outfit over and over, shed a tear for me, but also, don’t judge. Ya girl is trading style for sightseeing.

At this point in time, we are planned and booked on where we will be traveling from now until mid February. Deciding where to go first was actually easier than anticipated, mainly because it is about to be the most wonderful time of the year — Christmas!

If you didn’t already know, central Europe is known for having some of the most magical Christmas markets. So we are packing our winter coats and leaning into the seasons, heading to Budapest, Krakow & Berlin during the month of December.

I have loved what this newsletter has been, but I can’t wait to see what it becomes. I hope to share more about my firsthand experiences, while hopefully inspiring and helping you to add new destinations to your own bucket list.

We’ll be back in Lisbon for a week to get adjusted before kicking off, but come Thanksgiving we’ll be trading Portuguese for Hungarian (god speed).

For your upcoming Roaming…

As I just shared, I am beginning to really learn the art of packing and traveling with a lot of shit. I have by no means mastered this, but I’ve definitely acquired some nonnegotiable packing tools.

• Handheld Luggage Scale - a must have, especially when traveling somewhere that weights your checked bags and carry on

• Packing Cubes - I personally love these more for organization/knowing where everything is (I label them with scotch tape and a sharpie so I know what type of clothes are inside), but it’s an added bonus that it makes packing everything easier

• Shoe Bags - your dirty shoes are gross, get those things away from your cute, clean clothes

Subscribe now

What I’m planning this week…

Costa Rica Honeymoon!

These two adventure seekers were interested in a destination that allowed for the much needed post-wedding relaxation, but also allowed for them to do what they do best: explore.

Flying in and out of Liberia, these two will be renting a car and staying in three different parts of Costa Rica:

1. Papagayo Peninsula — staying at the El Mangroove, Autograph Collection

2. Monteverde — staying at Hotel Belmar

3. La Fortuna — staying at Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa

When they aren’t relaxing in a hot spring or enjoy spa services, they will also be found scuba diving, deep sea fishing, and zip-lining! My kind of balance.

Let's Talk Travel - Inquire Here

While I’m eager to travel back across the Atlantic, I can’t deny that this week is bringing me warm fuzzies. This weekend my whole family will be in Kansas City, celebrating my brother and soon to be sister-in-law’s wedding.

I get to squeeze my baby niece and celebrate my mom turning the big 6-0, and for that I’m grateful.

Until next week, bye!

xoxo Reagan

On Friday, October 31st (halloween and my grandmother’s birthday), the lease of our Lisbon apartment officially came to an end. You may be thinking — hmm, Lisbon has weird lease terms considering you moved in January and your lease ended in October.

But forget not, we had to have proof of a 12-month lease before we could even apply for our visa. So we started paying rent for the apartment that we had never seen before in November of 2024, letting her sit there nice ‘n lonely for nearly three months before we got to bask in her glory.

Regarding her glory, today’s post is all about our cobblestone nook that we called home for the majority of the year. The good, the bad and the moldy, let us reflect.

If you’ve been following along, you’ve heard my horrific move-in story. Nothing like us realizing that our building was tucked away on a private, residential street as our Uber dropped us off blocks away from our front door with all seven of our suitcases.

Our apartment was located on the ground floor (or R/C as they call it), and this ended up being a god send. For those of you that personally witnessed the hill that our building was perched on, you know that battling flights of stairs after the uphill climb would’ve been less than ideal.

Although the apartment itself was under 600 square feet, Greg and I were no strangers to sharing space. The two other apartments we had previously lived in in Kansas City, while they had more square footage, they were very much ~open floor plans~.

In fact, this apartment was our first time living somewhere with a bedroom door. What a concept!

Our fears of Greg being too tall for the doors or shower head subsided upon our arrival, and we began adjusting to our new space. Main adjustments included:

• No air conditioning or central heating (which yes, you very much need in the winter months)

• Coinciding with my previous point, learning to sleep with the windows open without feeling like I was going to be kidnapped (we were on the ground floor, give me a break)

• Living without a freezer — fridge & pantry kids only

• Learning to use our washing machine & conventional microwave oven, which were both in Portuguese & celsius (why couldn’t the U.S. just use the same metric system)

• Air drying all of our clothes

• Having two floors of Airbnb’s above our apartment, a constant flow of young and energetic partiers who stumbled home between 4 and 6 AM (friendly reminder, if you use Airbnb, don’t be a dick!!!)

• Turning on the lights & doing a scan of the floor in every room before entering…….yes, cockroaches.

So yes, this apartment came with culture shocks and learning curves, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Well, I say that now that I am removed from the August heat and am writing from a building that has lots of air flow.

We learned what it actually felt like to live somewhere with walkability. We woke up each morning to the chime of church bells that made an appearance every hour. We were 30 seconds from a viewpoint that had views of the river and April 25th Bridge.

Considering we chose this apartment, sight unseen, we got pretty dang lucky. The space served us for what we needed, and then some. By that, I mean the many guests that we squeezed on an air mattress in our living room that barely fit.

Farewell to our Rua do Sol, thank you for soaking up our laughter, tears, every high and every low. You were good to us, well, aside from the mold.

For your upcoming Roaming…

This is not a “professional” or official travel tip, but rather food for thought. When moving to Lisbon from KC, and now lugging all of our stuff back, we have obviously had to check an abundance of suitcases when flying.

The fees that are associated with checking extra bags is brutal and offensive (we’re talking an additional $300-$400), and we have recently learned that many airline employees agree.

Each time we have had to check a total of 5 bags (in Kansas City & in Lisbon), anticipating a fee for our 3 extra bags. And each time the employee who is checking our bags at the counter has offered to waive the fees, and this is based on two different airline experiences.

So my advice is to skip the kiosk where you tag your bags yourself and go up and talk to a real human. Of course, there’s a total chance that you still have to pay in full for your additional bags, but there’s also the chance that you get a lil’ hook up and save a few hundred bucks. Do with this what you will.

What I’m planning this week…

Mini-moon! Mini-moon! Mini-moon!

One of my post-grad roomies is getting married this month and will be going on a full, “traditional”, honeymoon in 2026. But they aren’t letting the opportunity to bask in newlywed bliss escape them.

I freakin’ love the concept of a mini-moon and I think that everyone should get to ride the wave of post-wedding excitement and bliss. This couple was seeking a drivable option from home, and since they are based in FL this gave them some fun hotels to consider.

They will be spending the weekend at The Don CeSar in St. Pete, which looks like a pink castle on the beach.

Let's Talk Travel - Inquire Here

Thank you for reading and scrolling and supporting. I’m excited to share more updates about what’s next for Greg and I now that we are officially nomads.

Until next week, tchau! Or should I just say a boring “bye” since I’m writing this from Kansas?

xoxo, Reagan