Palamós is one of our favorite Costa Brava towns and after several visits we decided to put together a travel guide to help other travelers discover all the wonderful things to do in Palamós Spain. This Mediterranean coastal town is one of the best preserved fishing villages in the Costa Brava and is a perfect place to relax and learn about the local Catalan culture. The town offers scenic hiking paths, several beaches, water sports, historical attractions, and an excellent fishing museum. It is also well known for its fresh seafood, cooking workshops, and famous Palamós gambas. If you enjoy seafood, this is the town to visit! There are plenty of things do in Palamós and you can easily spend a couple of days here. The town also makes for a great day trip from Barcelona or Girona as it is well located within Catalonia. Whether you have 1 hour or 1… Read the rest
Iceland on a Budget: How to Save Money in Iceland
Iceland is a popular but expensive travel destination. To help with your trip planning, we’ve put together a guide to how to travel to Iceland on a budget. Our advice is based on the 6 weeks we have spent traveling throughout this beautiful country. In this post we’re going to share our top Iceland budget tips to help you save money on your Iceland trip. We’ll start with giving you an idea of what things costs in Iceland and how to set up a budget for your trip, and then we’ll share 21 different budget tips to help you travel in Iceland on a budget. We share ways to save money in Iceland on flights, accommodation, rental cars, dining out, camping, alcohol, groceries, fuel, and sightseeing. Whether you are traveling on a $1,000 budget or a $10,000 budget, you want to get the most out of your money and your trip… Read the rest
How to Visit the Dark Hedges, Northern Ireland (2026 Guide)
One of the most popular attractions in Northern Ireland is the Dark Hedges, a beautiful row of trees that has been made famous by appearances in TV shows and films such as Game of Thrones. The Dark Hedges make for a popular stop for visitors to Northern Ireland and can be visited as part of a Causeway Coastal Route road trip or as a day trip from Belfast or Dublin. In this guide, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know to visit the Dark Hedges including how to get there, where to park, tips for photographing the Dark Hedges, how to avoid the crowds, and where you can stay nearby. We’ll also tell you whether the Dark Hedges is worth the trip, and how it fits into a wider Causeway Coast day. How to Visit the Dark Hedges, Northern Ireland (2026 Guide) Below we’ll share everything you… Read the rest
Aberdeen Travel Guide: 30+ Things to do in Aberdeen Scotland
We’ve put together a travel guide about all the top things to do in Aberdeen Scotland. Aberdeen, nicknamed the Granite City, is Scotland’s third largest city. Although less known than Edinburgh or Glasgow, Aberdeen is a great city to visit if you are interested in seeing another side of Scotland. We recently spent several days exploring Aberdeen and found that the city has a lot to offer visitors. Aberdeen has powerful architecture, beautiful gardens, charming historical districts, interesting museums (most of which are free!), good restaurants, internationally known golf courses, fun festivals, and even a beach! The wider area of Aberdeenshire is home to whisky distilleries, dozens of castles, the Cairngorms National Park, and some of Scotland’s best golf courses. First, we’ll share all you need to know to plan your visit to Aberdeen including how to get there, how to get around, and where to stay. Then we’ll share… Read the rest
12 Things to do in the Cairngorms National Park in Winter
Winter can be a wonderful time of year to visit the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland as there are scenic winter landscapes, fewer people, and the opportunity to enjoy winter sports. If you are thinking about visiting the Cairngorms National Park in winter, we’ve put together a list of things to do in the Cairngorms during the winter that includes skiing, winter hiking, whisky tasting, exploring historical sites, wildlife watching, and visiting popular family attractions. We’ll also provide tips and advice for helping you make the most of your visit based on our own visits to the Cairngorms National Park in winter. Travel Information for Visiting the Cairngorms during Winter We’ll share how to get to the Cairngorms National Park, how to get around the Cairngorms, where to stay, winter visiting tips, and where to find further resources on planning your trip. Getting to the Cairngorms National Park? The Cairngorms… Read the rest
3 Days in Dublin: Our Recommended Dublin Itinerary
We’ve been visiting Dublin since 2003, returning a number of times over the years since, and this 3-day Dublin itinerary is the one we’d give a friend on their first visit to the city. It pairs a compact, walkable Day 1 around Dublin’s historic core with a Day 2 that mixes Trinity College and the Book of Kells with the Little Museum of Dublin and St. Stephen’s Green, and a Day 3 weighted toward Dublin’s literary and emigration heritage. Below we cover where to stay, how to get around, and whether the Dublin Pass is worth it for a 3-day visit, before walking through each day stop by stop. Use this Dublin itinerary as a starting point and adapt it to your own pace and interests. Each day is built around a logical cluster of attractions, with our lunch suggestions, transport notes, and a Google Maps layer showing all the… Read the rest
Where JK Rowling Wrote Harry Potter in Edinburgh
J.K. Rowling wrote most of the Harry Potter books in Edinburgh Scotland, and you can still visit some of these places today. Rowling moved to Edinburgh in 1993 and once said in an interview: “…Edinburgh is very much home for me and is the place where Harry evolved over seven books and many, many hours of writing in its cafés.” Although she wrote Harry Potter in Edinburgh in a variety of cafes and private places, there are a few places that she worked that you can visit on your trip to Edinburgh! Quick Reference: Where JK Rowling Wrote Harry Potter Here is a quick summary of the four places where we know J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter that you can still visit in Edinburgh today: Wu Zhen of China (formerly Nicolson’s Cafe) – 6a Nicolson Street. Where Rowling wrote much of the first book. Now a Chinese restaurant with a… Read the rest
15 Tips to Avoid Crowds on the Isle of Skye
The Isle of Skye in Scotland is a scenic island known for its rugged and dramatic landscapes. It has become one of Scotland’s most popular tourist destinations, with visitor numbers now approaching one million per year on an island with a permanent population of around 13,000. The popularity is well-deserved, but it does mean that planning ahead makes a real difference to your experience. We’ve visited the Isle of Skye many times across every season, and we’ve watched the island change over the years. There have been improvements too, including better parking facilities at popular spots like the Old Man of Storr and a new 140-space car park and toilets at the Fairy Pools. But the core challenge remains: a lot of people want to visit the same places at the same time. Whether you are able to travel off season or need to visit during the busy summer months,… Read the rest
2 Week Route 66 Itinerary for the 100th Anniversary in 2026
Route 66 is the ultimate American road trip, and 2026 marks a special milestone: the 100th anniversary of the Mother Road. We’ve put together a comprehensive 2 week Route 66 itinerary to help drivers navigate this historic route during its centennial year and beyond. This detailed day-by-day Route 66 itinerary covers all the basic details (mileage, general route) and sightseeing highlights along the 2,400 mile route. We cover quirky Route 66 roadside attractions, historical buildings, vintage roadside diners, museums, natural wonders, and so much more. We also provide suggestions for where to eat and where to stay each day along the drive with a strong focus on Route 66 era businesses. Use this Route 66 itinerary to plan your travels from Chicago to Santa Monica and get the most out of your Route 66 road trip! The Route 66 Centennial: Driving the Mother Road in 2026 Route 66 was officially… Read the rest
How to Get From London to Edinburgh: Every Way We’ve Tried (2026)
Quick verdict: If you’re choosing between the ten options below, take the train. The LNER service from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverley runs roughly hourly, takes around 4 hours and 11 minutes, and Advance fares start from £41.40 if you book three weeks ahead. Lumo runs the same route slightly slower for less. We’ve taken every other option too (well, most of them), and they all have a place, but for the city-centre-to-city-centre time, the cost, and the avoiding-airport-faff factor, the train wins. Check current train fares on Trainline. If you’d rather not lose a day to travel, the Caledonian Sleeper overnight train is our second pick. Read on for the full breakdown of every option. London and Edinburgh are two of the UK’s most popular cities, and many visitors to the UK want to travel between them. To help you decide how, we’ve put together this comprehensive guide…. Read the rest
14 Reasons to Drive the North Coast 500
The North Coast 500 (NC500) is one of Scotland’s most spectacular driving routes, covering 500 miles of the gorgeous northern Scottish Highlands. The NC500 begins and end in Inverness, hugging the northern coastline for a large part of the route. There are so many good reasons to drive the North Coast 500 as you have the chance to enjoy such a variety of attractions, activities, and landscapes. These include touring beautiful castles, teeing off at world-class golf courses, photographing picturesque waterfalls, eating fresh local seafood, canoeing on glassy lochs, exploring Iron Age historical sites, lying on sandy beaches, touching 3 billion year old rocks, and enjoying wonderful local Scottish hospitality. These are just a few of the reasons that should have you planning your North Coast 500 road trip! We’ve now driven the North Coast 500 more than half a dozen times and we keep finding new reasons to return…. Read the rest
12 Reasons Travel Can Be Stressful & Tips for Reducing Travel Stress
Many people travel as a way to relieve stress, but for some people travel can also induce travel stress. Travel stress is a feeling of mental strain and pressure related to traveling. Although travel has a number of positive aspects and benefits, travel stress can lead to people having a negative vacation experience. A reader on my blog recently wanted to know “Why is travel stressful?”. So I spent some time researching and thinking about this question. In this post we present a number of common reasons that you might be finding travel to be stressful. These include feeling overwhelmed with travel planning, air travel experiences, concerns about the safety of a destination, difficulty handling unexpected events, financial strain, and having unrealistic expectations. Then we discuss a number of ways that you might prevent or reduce travel stress for each travel stressor. Our tips for reducing travel stress are based… Read the rest
Travel Photography: 6 Ways to Take Great Couple Photos while Traveling
Today we are going to share ways to take great couple photos while traveling. When you travel as a couple, you are going to want to get some good photos of the two of you together. The problem is that getting great couples photos of the two of you together can be a challenge, as usually one of you has to operate the camera or smartphone. So most people end up with a lot of individual photos from a trip, but not so many great couple photos from their travels. In this post, we’re going to share with you some tips to help you take great couple photos when traveling. All of these tips also work for getting any kind of single person, group, or family travel photos. First, we’re going to go through all of the ways that we have taken photos of ourselves together on our trips to… Read the rest
Finland Packing List for Winter: A Guide to What to Pack
We have visited Finland many times in winter, with our trips taking us from the streets of Helsinki to the snowy wilderness of Lapland. We’ve experienced weather from relatively mild winter days through to fridid artic nights where the temperatures have plummetted down to as -37°C (-35°F). Packing well made the difference between enjoying every moment and being miserable in the cold. This Finland packing list for winter covers everything you need to bring based on our personal experience across multiple trips. We cover winter coats, warm layers, thermal baselayers, footwear, skincare, electronics, photography gear, and what you will need for activities like skiing, dog sledding, and photographing the Northern Lights. This packing list also works well for other cold weather destinations including the Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Sweden, and Norway), Canada, Greenland, Iceland, and other winter destinations. We have also created a handy printable packing list you can use to… Read the rest
A Complete Guide to the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta 2026
The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is the largest annual hot air ballooning event in Europe, and it is also one of the top outdoor festivals in the UK. Held each August over several days, the Bristol Balloon Fiesta events include the mass ascension of over 100 hot air balloons, nightglows, balloon competitions, and fireworks. In addition to the balloons, the free festival also offers on-site family-friendly amusement rides, games, and musical entertainment. We have attended the Bristol Balloon Fiesta a few times and have really enjoyed going to this colourful festival. We’ve also had the chance to fly in a hot air balloon during a mass ascent, and we used to live not far from Bristol so we know the area well. If you are interested in attending yourself, we’ll cover all the logistics, share all you need to know to plan your own time at the fiesta, and share… Read the rest