This post is a little departure from my normal posts-I wanted to record what I felt on my first night in Asia, as well as reflect on the difference between what I had expected and what it was actually like. It’s dark and I’m sitting in the passenger seat on the wrong side of the … Read more
While our first stop in Thailand was Phuket, my travel buddy and I were not enticed by the built-up and pricey peninsula. So 14 hours after arriving in Phuket we headed for nearby Krabi- and wow, am I so glad we left. The Ao Nang hostel we chose was among the best hostels of my life. From … Read more
In my short 23 years, I’ve spent a decent amount of time abroad. There was the summer I spent in Ecuador at 15, the five, choripán-filled months studying in Argentina, the three blissful summers in college I spent au pairing in France, the many trips down to Chile to see my then-boyfriend. But no stay abroad was as … Read more
“You should travel while you’re still young,” the well-meaning and wiser adults told me. “It’ll be a lot harder once you’ve started you career.” I heard (and still hear) those words countless times as a young person, and this blog stands as testament as to how much I took them to heart. The question I … Read more
When Charles Dickens wrote the line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” he must have been living abroad. In fact, there’s a strong chance he was working in Paris as an au pair. Over the past year I’ve learned that expat life certainly has its ups and downs, which … Read more
As an au pair, I work a relatively small amount of hours (30) but I work six days a week. So on Saturday, my only true day off, I try to squeeze as much goodness into it as possible. Like waking up to Indian food after a long night out at the pub… Sipping a … Read more
Last weekend my friend invited me to spend a ski-weekend at her chalet in Switzerland, as well as attend a black-tie party held by the Rothschilds. (Yes, hosted by the European banking dynasty family that is partially royal.)
And guess what?
I couldn’t go.
Despite my extremely lofty travel expectations, I haven’t traveled nearly as much in Europe as I would have hoped- I’ve ventured off to only two destinations (Germany and Turkey) in four months! But my lack of travel is probably a good thing considering I’m saving up for so many future trips. And plus, with almost five more months in France, I’m sure I’ll be able to squeeze in a few short-distance train vacations before the end of my stay here. My current goals are Brittany, the French Alps and Northern Ireland… so stay tuned!
When I began this crazy ride of traveling as much as physically and financially possible at 15, I was impressionable, excited and more than a little clueless. Over the last seven years I have had my share of small tragedies on the road: a pick-pocketing incident when I was stranded with no cash for three weeks, … Read more
Meeting my Chilean ex-boyfriend’s family was mildly terrifying. Not only was I more than 5,000 miles away from home in Santiago, Chile, I was also being interrogated by a room full of curious and wide-eyed Chileans. Needless to say, it was uncomfortable. So I wanted to write a guide on how to meet the parents … Read more