Traveling with Women

I learned a lot on my recent trip to Croatia. It’s not always about the destination but the company. Two of my girlfriends from the States flew during high-season in Europe to do an island-hopping trip to Croatia.

Croatia Women's Trip

I’ve never traveled with many women, let alone a full trip with only women, so I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. Andy and I have been traveling for years together and have a system figured out. When you travel with new people and spend a significant amount of time with them making decisions, it’s hard to know if new personalities or traits come out. Fortunately, the women that joined me have spent significant time together in the pressures of outdoor adventures and decisions making. We knew when to give each other space and when we could push a little further than normal.

I’ll be reflecting more about the trip and why traveling with women is different than with your significant other. Stay tuned.

Wedding Season/ Family Time

Half of July was spent welcoming a new nephew into my family, along with two friends from college getting married a week apart. I was happy to be able to attend all the events (minus the childbirth). I spent time with my twin sister as she adjusted to having a second child in the house with a carefree toddler running around. It was good to have some down time and travel somewhere familiar.

Family Travel

My cousin’s husband is from Germany, and every year she tries to make a trip to visit them. Britta snuck away for a few days to stay with me in London, where I showed her the sights and caught up on creative thoughts (she’s a writer).

Getting a closer look at Buckingham Palace

Andy and I joined Britta for a long weekend to a small town south of Berlin. I taught Andy and Britta to stand-up paddle board on the nearby lake and in no time, we were doing yoga on the boards. Andy and I borrowed bikes and pedaled the paths around a couple of lakes one afternoon before a family birthday party. We’d get to see how the Germans picnic. Spoiler alert: They drink lots of beer and eat meals with brats and meat.

German grilling

New stories shared in July:

I want to enjoy my travels and not stress out about my blog, writing, or work, so I haven’t been sharing as many stories as I have in the prior months. That is ok because I don’t want to remember this time in my life as overworking and not enjoying my sabbatical.

Countries I Traveled in July:

  • Japan
  • England
  • Pennsylvania, United States
  • Germany
  • Croatia

My Favorite July UK Attraction:

House of Commons – My cousin was visiting a week when tourists weren’t permitted inside of Parliament. We didn’t give up and when tot he ticket office to see if there were more ways to explore. Apparently, tourists can enter the House of Commons to be a fly-on-the-wall. It wasn’t busy, but we were present for a tuition discussion and childcare costs, which is something most people can relate to.

My Favorite July Trip:

Even though I really enjoyed my trip to Germany, Croatia surprised me the most. From my travel company to the country where the Game of Thrones has put on the map (I’m not that type of tourist). The people were nice and friendly and I’d go back in a heartbeat.

July’s Top 3 Instagram Posts

Biking in Germany

A couple hours south of Berlin there is a collection of lakes that are being connected by canals. These lakes (or see in German) were once open-pit mines. 15 to 20 years ago these mines were flooded to turn the region into a recreation area with wind farms to create energy. I really like how resourceful the Germans are by taking from earth but then trying to restore it again. A little remote and undeveloped right now, but I could see the area starting to be a good vacation spot, especially in the summer months. Bike paths go around the lakes and we borrowed bikes yesterday and found this big field of sunflowers.

Westin Singapore

When I swim alone, I prefer to be by myself. When you have the pool to yourself and try to take a picture at the edge of it but the timer isn’t long enough….better than the famous and over-populated one at Marina Bay Sands.

Uluwatu Temple

Wearing a borrowed sarong at Uluwatu Temple. A sarong is Bali traditional dress is respectful when visiting temples. It was a fast stop before heading to the airport.

What’s next for August?

With Scotland so close, it’d be a regret not to hop on a train and head north, which is exactly what I’ll do to kick off the month.

I want to spend some more time during the week in London. August is our last month here, and I want to be sure I get as much of the iconic and Harry Potter things done before we moved back to the States. I’ve finally been proactive and booked things in advance. It feels good.

9 and 3/4 large

NORWAY! Let’s go 180-degrees and join an all-guys trip to Norway. I’m excited for cooler temperatures, hiking, and backpacking. I’m hoping to finally get use of my tent this summer.

I’m finishing the month by heading to Switzerland for more hiking and maybe camping.