I have a confession. Despite its iffy reputation, I love backpacking. And what do I mean by “backpacking”? Backpacking, by my loose and unofficial definition, is independent international travel on the cheap, typically done by young people from all over the world. Backpacking has a lot of negative connotations- namely drunk teenagers partying on beaches. But I … Read more
After living in France with a host family and then backpacking the world for a year, I was ready for a place of my own. After all, I hadn’t had my own space in two and a half years! So I’ll admit- I got a bit, um… carried away. I spent way too much money on my … Read more
Today we’re hearing from Canadian au pair Sara about the 6 best host countries for Canadian au pairs. As an American, I found this seriously interesting as we have such different visas and regulations than Canadians- I so wish we were eligible for the U.K.’s Youth Mobility Scheme, for example! . . . . . … Read more
Today we’re hearing from Megan, an American au pair in the Netherlands. (NOT Holland, as she corrected me- only two of the Netherlands’ 12 provinces are called Holland!) Anyway, I really enjoyed reading about Megan’s experience as I’ve never met anyone who has au paired in the Netherlands. But honestly it seems pretty fantastic: who … Read more
Oh, Jordan. As you may have seen on Instagram, Amanda, Jessica, Julika and I could not have had more fun on our #GirlsGoneJordan campaign. While a lot of bloggers complain that press trips are awkward because they’re traveling with strangers, for us it was more like a work-trip with friends. Photo credit – Sateless Suitcase Before jumping … Read more
While on my RTW trip I loved posting monthly updates as they’re so much fun to both write and look back on. So I figured why not recap my life out west too? Read about month 1, months 2&3 and months 4&5 here. All these photos are from Instagram, @ashleyabroad– find me there for travel inspiration and mountain … Read more
Today we’re hearing about the pros and cons of au pairing in the US from Anna, a Polish au pair. Anna currently is au pairing in small-town Pennsylvania and has mixed feelings about the US: there are aspects she loves and others she hates. I really enjoyed Anna’s honest take on living in the US as a foreign … Read more
Good morning, guys! So today we are hearing from Agnieszka, a (former) Polish au pair in the USA. Agnieszka has a bit of an unusual situation, as she and her host dad fell in love and got married! They still live in Atlanta, Georgia, where she is a step-mother, blogger and wife. I really enjoyed interviewing Agnieszka as … Read more
On most of my backpacking trips, I packed only two pairs of shoes: flip flops and running shoes. Which of course meant I had nothing to wear in dressier situations. In Asia, I was even turned down at several clubs for not having proper footwear. (Like at the Skybar in Saigon. Ugh.) So on my most recent trip, … Read more
You should definitely bring your host family a gift. But the question is, what gift should you give them? Bringing a gift shows your host family that you are grateful to be included in their lives. Whether you’re living with this family for two weeks or two years, a gift goes a long, long way. Here are my … Read more