Ever since moving to the UAE, we've wanted to see the baby turtles near Ras al Jinz. Instead of going to the actual reserve (we'd hear mixed reviews on crowds and turtle treatment), we stayed in an Airbnb in Ras al Hadd just to the north. We knew it was quite the haven for turtle breeding, but there were WAY more baby turtles than we expected. It's definitely worth a visit, especially if you can keep away from large groups of people <3 What We Did Tiwi Bimmah Sinkhole : Fun (

We visited Budapest for a friend's birthday, which later turned into a surprise celebration of her and her boyfriend's engagement <3 Hungary was safe, clean, full of life and culture (architecture, art, music, ruin bars)...we hardly scratched the surface. It certainly lives up to the hype! Hungarian Parliament Building Pre-trip Notes We read that taxis regularly scam tourists, so we used the Bolt ride share app with no issues. We only had a tough time hailing a ride when we

We went to Salalah for Nick's birthday, and it totally exceeded our expectations. We were particularly surprised that most of the people visiting were from the GCC! It's a refreshing contrast to the rest of the Arabian Peninsula. Wadi Darbat Waterfall What We Did Accommodations: Anantara Al Baleed Resort - We were upgraded to a villa, and it was AMAZING. We didn't do much at the resort aside from breakfasts and dinners (the food was incredible), but the villa's private pool

2023 has been a year of catching up on visiting "places in the region." So, we went to Sir Bani Yas Island for Ashley's birthday. It was the middle of the summer, so rates were cheap and not many other souls braved the heat. The island exists naturally, as a salt dome has created it over time. Sheikh Zayed made it an animal reserve in 1977, which started with a program for repopulating the Arabian oryx. Since then, several new animals have been introduced, offering a really u

We visited Jordan and Lebanon with some of our awesome UAE friends. Rock climbing in Wadi Rum was our objective, but our shared love for travel and connection made this trip extra special for us as we visited several other locations. We had always wanted to visit Jordan (specifically Petra because of Indiana Jones), but we jumped at the opportunity to add in Lebanon when our Lebanese friend offered to show us around the country. From the dramatic, arid monoliths of Jordan to

Some friends posed the question, "Who wants to join us in Dublin for St. Paddy's?" That's how it started. From there we tacked on a few extra days to see some sights we missed on our trip to Ireland in 2018. Giant's Causeway What We Did Dublin St. Paddy's Day Pub Crawl: One of our friends put together an amazing custom pub crawl with fun challenges at each stop! The parade got in the way of some of our plans, but we improvised just fine; the floats we could see were really un

We stopped over in the City of Light for one day and two nights on our way back to Abu Dhabi. It was so Ashley could stop saying to me “yOu nEVeR ToOK mE tO PaRIs” the last time we visited France. Avenue de Camoens Pre-trip Notes Public transportation: With Google Maps and a little patience, Paris was pretty easy to navigate. It was a little confusing at first, but we got the hang of it. Uber: We should have pre-ordered one for our departure flight because we couldn’t hail on

“No bad views.” Norway is a country absolutely plagued with natural beauty. Fjords, mountains, glaciers, lakes, valleys - It has it all... This is one country to which we will definitely return for more hiking, outdoor rock climbing, and troll hunting! Trolltunga Pre-trip Notes Transportation Trains Oslo airport -> Oslo Central Station: Got tickets for this at the airport - cheap and very easy! Oslo Central Station -> Stavanger S.: Booked this one in advance, as we heard it’s

Egypt is hands-down a physical manifestation of structured chaos. Between the incessant honking, pedestrians confidently darting into the street, and pervasive tourist scamming, it was an assault on the senses. We can see why many westerners don't include Egypt on their favorite country list… However, over two weeks we slowly began to respect and embrace the madness, and recognized the ancient beauty that draws so many visitors. Thousands of years of a civilization’s evolutio

In need of another weekend away, we ventured south this time. Across the Tropic of Cancer into the Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter), deep within the Arabian Desert, where sand dunes are commonly 200 - 300 ft tall. Our destination was the Qasr al Sarab desert resort (by Anantara). Even though we only visited for 36 hours, we filled our time with desert activities and day-drinking at the pool. It was a surreal experience, hanging out poolside in the middle of massive dunes. ​ To h

2020 has been unforgiving, but we managed to get out of Abu Dhabi for a weekend for Nick’s birthday. We hit the slopes at Ski Dubai and visited Jebel Jais in Ras al Khaimah where we hiked, camped, and zip-lined. We even got to do a little off-roading in the new Jeep! As you'd expect, the August weather was hot and humid, but it turned out to be just what we needed. Lower Segment Hike What We Did Dubai Ski Dubai , Mall of the Emirates: Our first skiing experience… Indoors, in

What it feels like to chew 5 Gum. Foyn Harbor Regardless of your plans to visit, we highly recommend reading about the early Antarctic explorers. Each explorer experienced both wonderful and terrible adventures, and the sheer sacrifice they overcame is astounding. One of the better documented examples is the book South by Ernest Shackleton. It began on the eve of World War 1, Shackleton pulled together some of the greatest polar explorers, a huge team of dogs, and a massive

The main objective of our journey to Argentina was to reach the end of the world, and continue onto Antarctica. For now, that tale is for another time. Here we will share what we did while we were in the Argentinian neighborhood, where we took some time to explore a few cities and the culture. Admittedly, we arrived a bit distracted and excited to see distant lands covered in ice, but found the Argentine food, culture, and wide-array of unique landscapes quickly holding our f

A two-week whirlwind tour of five countries with old friends, new friends, and family. Starting in Italy, our Airbnb host, Riccardo, picked us up from the airport around 6 PM and took us to one of his quaint two-bedroom apartments overlooking Fiumicino. During our ride, we were informed that in Italy, “if there’s room, you can park anywhere” (foreshadowing). We showered and had a quick beer before heading out for a calzone and drinks. We then walked to the coast and down the

Neither of us, at this point, had driven on the left side of the road. I said, “Take as much time as you need. We are in no rush, so ride around the parking lot first if that makes you more comfortable.” What did Nick do? He went straight for the highway. I sat questioning my life choices and Nick's sanity while we drove 100 kmh on small, winding roads with no shoulder on the back roads of Ireland. At one point, after I had told him he was getting a bit too close to the edge

Kyoto is a fascinating place governed by a balance between nature and humans. Walking down the Philosopher's Path, you forget you're in one of Japan's most populated cities. The path is located along a small canal full of moseying ducks and fish, sleepily draping trees, and a veneer of deep-green moss enveloping much of the untrodden surfaces. Occasionally, you pass a few shrines with ancient wood carvings and elegant architecture that is deeply rooted in the history of Japan