Mastering the Art of Beach Photography

I think of beach photography as a specialty offshoot of landscape photography. The environment is quite different than other landscapes, consisting as it does of ocean, sky, sand and sometimes rocks, which creates a limited color palette confined to different shades of blue, some white or gray, and an assortment of earth tones in brown and beige. Due to this, it requires certain techniques if the photographer is going to be successful in capturing the beauty of seascapes in the best possible way. Getting the few elements correctly exposed is the tricky part of beach photography. I’d like to share some of the things I have learned about the process of making beautiful beach photos.

from Photography Life https://photographylife.com/mastering-the-art-of-beach-photography#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mastering-the-art-of-beach-photography

How to Use a Teleconverter

When using telephoto and macro lenses, it is often desirable to get tighter framing on a subject that is being photographed. One of the main reasons is to magnify the subject and improve its detail in order to show it best to the viewer, but another reason could be related to improved framing and composition – by focusing tightly on the subject, it is often possible to remove the visual clutter surrounding the subject, which ultimately simplifies and enhances composition. Although photographers can often simply move closer to their subjects to get tighter framing, sometimes it is physically impossible to do that due to the nature of the subject (such as when photographing wildlife), or when action is taking place at a particular distance (such as when photographing sports activities). In such situations, a teleconverter can come into the rescue. While teleconverters can be incredibly useful, they also have a few rather serious disadvantages that can lead to increased blur and loss of sharpness. Let’s take a look at what a teleconverter is and go over its advantages and disadvantages in more detail.

from Photography Life https://photographylife.com/what-is-a-teleconverter#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-is-a-teleconverter

7 Cheap Ways to Travel Across Europe

Updated: 6/26/18 | June 26th, 2018

Traveling around Europe can be fairly expensive. Airline tickets, high-speed trains, overnight trains, ferries – they can all eat into your limited and precious travel budget. I mean you came to spend money on delicious food and wine, not transportation!

However, there are a few recent trends that have helped travelers get around Europe cheaper: weaker currency exchange rates, the rise of the sharing economy, new bus options, and lots of new budget airlines.

The 7 Best Ways To Travel Europe Cheap

Travelling Europe by Megabus

Megabus is a cheap way to get around the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales) as well as to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam. Tickets can cost as little as 1 GBP if you book at least a month in advance on popular routes to get these fares. However, even if you don’t scoop up these amazingly cheap deals, you can still travel for a more reasonable price than on the national bus system, as fares rarely top 20 GBP. I recently took a 5 GBP bus from London to Bristol. (The train? 45 GBP!) That ticket was only bought the day before too! Additionally, Megabus also operates trains to some destinations around the UK, starting at 10 GBP. Megabus is definitely the cheapest way to get around the UK and now is also the cheapest way to get to Paris, Brussels, or Amsterdam.

Travelling Europe by Busabout

Busabout is a hop-on/hop-off bus service primarily used by backpackers, similar to the Oz or Kiwi Experience in Australia and New Zealand, respectively. You can get on and off whenever you want along one of their set routes. You can buy tickets that let you travel their whole network with a set number of stops. For example, a nine-day flex-pass, which gives you nine stops from your starting city. The only downside to Busabout is that if you want to visit a city not on their route, you have to make your own way there at an added cost. A lot of backpackers use this method of travel to get around as well as meet other travelers. The pass also comes with a guide and sometimes include group activities. A two-week pass is $299 USD. If you figure you can visit about 6 cities in two weeks, that’s $50 a trip. When you consider the soft benefits of a guide, included trips, and meeting people, Busabout becomes price comparable to trains and flights, though still more expensive than a regular public bus! Their unlimited passes for $1,499 for 6 months of travel is the best long-term transportation deal.

Travelling Europe by Flixbus

Over the last few years, a new company has come on the market that has totally changed the bus system in Europe! German based Flixbus has routes in 20 European countries and thousands of cities with prices starting as low 5 EUR. Their buses include WiFi, electrical outlets, up to three 3 free bags, and comfy seats. It’s essentially Megabus, but less sucky and for the whole of continental Europe. Flixbus quickly became my favorite non-train way to get across Europe cheaper after it came out. It’s the best and cheapest way to get around continental Europe!

Another option is to take Eurolines. Every country in Europe has its own national bus service but for international long distance bus routes, they sort of combine into the umbrella company, Eurolines. While they serve more destinations than Flixbus, I prefer the comfort and prices of Flxibus if I have a choice between the two. Eurolines prices usually start at around 20 Euros for a 5-6 hour journey.

Travelling Europe by Budget Airline

By far one of the cheapest ways to travel long distance in Europe is by budget airline. These airlines are hugely prolific on the continent and competition leads to incredibly cheap fares. You can often find fares as cheap as 1 Euro. When I need to go somewhere and I don’t want to take a long bus or train journey, I fly budget airlines. My favorite budget airlines are:

• Vueling
• Ryanair
• Easyjet
• Aigle Azur
• Wow Air
• Eurowings
• Flybe
• Norwegian Air
• Wizz Air

I use Skyscanner and Momondo to search for the best deals. They do all the legwork for ya!

It’s important to remember that these budget airlines make most of their money through fees, and the second you mess up, they whack you with a fee. They are very strict about baggage limits or forgetting to print out your boarding pass. Be sure to follow their rules to the letter. Sometimes these budget airlines cost more money because of all their fees so if you’re traveling with a lot of bags, it may be cheaper to fly with one of the larger airlines (which have also lowered their fares in the face of tough competition).

For more information, here is a complete guide to finding cheap flights around Europe.

Travelling Europe With A Eurail Pass

Getting a rail pass is a good option if you are going to be traveling across vast distances and don’t want to fly. The European rail system is one of the best and most extensive in the world. I love traveling by train. Sitting in a big seat, relaxing with a book, and watching the stunning landscape go by. It’s more comfortable than a bus and much less stressful than air travel.

If you’re going to travel by train, it’s hard to beat them on price and convenience for short city to city travel. For longer journeys (overnight journeys, between countries, or rides that require a high-speed line like Paris to Bordeaux or Berlin to Munich), trains tend to be very expensive. If you plan to travel around Europe in a grand tour, a rail pass is your best money saving travel option. Your cost per trip will be a lot lower than if you were to buy these tickets separately.

For more information, here is a complete breakdown of Eurail passes and when they should be used to save money.

Travelling Europe Using BlaBlaCar

The rise of the sharing economy has allowed people to hop a ride with locals going their way, and BlaBlaCar is the reigning king of this service. Hugely popular and widespread in Europe, I’ve used this service many times. This website lets you rideshare with people who have extra space in their car. You find a ride, they agree to take you, and off you go. You can find rides for as little as 5 Euros. It is the best, BEST paid way to get around Europe. You get to meet a local, have a friendly conversation, save tons of money over bus and train travel, and get off the highways and more the countryside.

Alternatively, there are websites where you can ask for rides so long as you pitch in for gas. Gumtree is the most popular among backpackers.

The Cheapest Way To Travel Europe: Hitchhiking

The best way to travel Europe cheap is to not pay for it. Hitching is quite common in Europe, and I’ve met a number of travelers who have done it. I myself traveled this way in Bulgaria. It’s important to use your head when hitchhiking.

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There are a lot of ways to get around Europe on a budget. But what’s the best way for your trip? MIX AND MATCH YOUR TRANSPORTATION. The key to traveling around Europe on the cheap is to know when to use each one of the listed transportation methods. For short trips, I like trains and BlaBlaCar. For medium length trips (half a day), I’ll take a bus, BlaBlaBla car, or train. For long distances, I fly, take a high-speed train, or overnight buses. If you have no preference on how you travel – you just want the cheapest – use a website like Rome2Rio. All you have to do is enter where you are going and they will find all the ways to get there and list the prices for each method.

When you are looking for cheap ways to travel Europe, use the transportation options above that suit your needs and you’ll always get the best deal!

Next step: keep planning your trip to Europe with these articles:

• Continent-Wide Europe Travel Guide
• The Cost of Western Europe Travel
• The Cost of Traveling Eastern Europe
• Is a Eurail Pass Worth the Cost?

Photo Credits: 2, 4

The post 7 Cheap Ways to Travel Across Europe appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

from Nomadic Matt's Travel Site https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/cheap-ways-to-travel-across-europe-2/

How to Buy the Best Travel Insurance in 2018

Updated: 6/25/2018 | June 25th, 2018

Travel insurance is one of the most important things you’ll need for your trip. You wouldn’t have a car without car insurance, a home without home insurance, and you can’t have a trip without travel insurance.

Why? Because travel insurance is what will provide you with medical coverage when you get sick or injured, reimburse you when your camera breaks, your flight is canceled, a family member dies and you have to come home, if lose a bag, or something is stolen. It’s all-purpose emergency coverage and is the single most important thing you should get for your trip (but hope to never have to use). It’s the one thing I strongly, strongly advise travelers to never leave home without because I’ve seen it help so many – and so many others regret being cheap and not getting it! For only a few dollars a day, buying travel insurance a no-brainer.

I used it for a doctor in Argentina, when my camera broke in Italy, my eardrum popped in Thailand, and my luggage was stolen in South Africa. Each time I was reimbursed my expenses and was made whole again as they like to say.

Travel insurance was there when my friend had to be helicoptered out of the Amazon after he fell off a boat, when friend’s father died and she had to fly home, and another got her bag stolen. Travel insurance makes sure you don’t lose money and are always protected. (My favorite travel insurance provider is World Nomads. They always have my back when something like the above happens. I’ve been using them since 2003.)

Since most health programs don’t cover you overseas and credit cards offer really limited protection, buying travel insurance is something you definitely need to protect against the unknown. After all, you don’t want to end up like my friend who didn’t have insurance when her computer was stolen and had to pay out of pocket for a new one.

Since travel insurance is one of the most complex, important and confusing aspects of trip planning, I want to break it down for you, help you understand what it is about, and show how to pick the best travel insurance plans in just a few steps:

What to look for in a great travel insurance plan

Insurance is a billion-dollar business, and everyone wants their hand in the cookie jar, thus you face a mind-numbing number of choices that can be confusing and overwhelming. And, often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

First, make sure your travel insurance offers a high coverage limit on your medical expenses. A good company will provide up to $100,000 in coverage care, though more expensive policies will cover you for higher amounts. The maximum coverage limit you can find is around $1,000,000 USD, though I’m not sure why you would ever need a limit that large. High coverage limits are important because if you get sick, injured, or need serious attention and have to seek professional care, you want to make sure your high hospital bills are covered. The worst thing you can do is go cheap and get a policy with a $20,000 coverage limit, break a leg, and reach that limit before they are done taking care of you. Don’t be cheap with your health. Get minimum coverage of $100,000.

Second, you want to make sure your travel insurance policy also covers emergency evacuation and care that is separate from your medical coverage. If you are hiking in the woods and you break your leg, your policy should cover your evacuation to the hospital. If a natural disaster occurs and you need to be evacuated to somewhere else, your plan should cover that as well. This protection should cover an expense of up to $300,000 USD.

Additionally, evacuation also should mean from the hospital to your home country. Standard emergency evacuation usually includes this provision, but it’s important you double-check a company will cover the cost of your flight back home if you need it.

Third, great travel insurance plan will always include the following provisions:

• Cover most countries in the world
• Some coverage for your electronics (and have the option for a higher coverage limit)
• Cover injury and sudden illnesses
• Twenty-four hour emergency services and help (you don’t want to call to be told to call back later)
• Cover lost, damaged or stolen possessions like jewelry, baggage, documents, cameras, etc.
• Cover cancellations such as hotel bookings, flight, and other transportation bookings if you have a sudden illness, death in the family, or some other emergency
• Cover emergencies, strife in the country visited, etc., that cause you to head home early
• Have financial protection if any company you are using goes bankrupt and you are stuck in another country

A quick note on electronics: Most companies only have a small limit, usually up to $500 USD, as part of their basic coverage. You can often buy supplemental insurance to get a higher amount of coverage. For instance, Clements Insurance offers special coverage for your electronics. Prices vary depending on the country you visit ($145-195 per plan). Moreover, many regular and home insurance companies such as State Farm offer insurance plans that can help you cover your electronics. Be sure to check if you find a travel with a lot of gear!

What’s not covered by your travel insurance

Know what is also not covered by your plan. Most policies do not cover:

• Accidents sustained while participating in extreme adventure activities such as hang gliding, paragliding, or bungee jumping unless you pay extra.
• Alcohol- or drug-related incidents,
• Carelessness in handling your possessions and baggage.
• You won’t get reimbursed if the problem happened because you were reckless (how “reckless” is defined is a matter up to each company).
• Pre-existing conditions or general check-ups. For example, if you have diabetes and need to buy more insulin, you won’t be covered. If you want to go see a doctor for a general check-up, you aren’t covered either.
• Cash
• Your theft coverage won’t cover you if you left something in plain sight or unattended.
• If civil unrest makes your destination unsafe but your government hasn’t called for an evacuation, you’re probably out of luck too.

Travel Insurance Loopholes: What To Look For

Even the best travel insurance have their limits. Often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

The medical portion of travel insurance is more about emergency care than being a replacement for your normal healthcare. A lot of people purchase travel insurance get disappointed when they find out they can’t go get an annual physical with it.

Remember you will get what you pay for. Maybe you see two companies offer similar plans but one is really cheap? Why? Usually it’s because the devil is in the details and they could have smaller payouts, take longer to process claims, deny more people, or have so many rules in the fine print that it turns out you aren’t going to get paid when you think you are!

Travel insurance is accident insurance. It is there to protect you in case of emergency and, if need be, get you home in a hurry. If you want a global health plan (because you now live in Beijing), you need a completely different type of plan.

To summarize:

If you want:	Include this in your travel insurance policy:
Payment for expenses if you get sick or injured on a trip	Travel medical and accident coverage
To be taken to the nearest hospital or flown home if necessary	Emergency evacuation and repatriation
Reimbursement if you get sick and have to cancel or end your trip early	Trip cancellation AND trip interruption
Payment for lost, stolen or damaged luggage or goods	Theft and lost coverage
Help finding a doctor abroad	24-hour assistance
Payment for rental car damage	Car collision insurance (CDW)

The Best Travel Insurance Companies

The world is FILLED with insurance companies. You’re going to come across thousands in your searches for a good provider so I’m going to list my favorites. Below are the companies I would be OK with my mother using. If you’ve found a company and it’s not listed here, it’s because I wouldn’t use them. I’ve researched hundreds of policies over the last ten years and have found the following companies to be good:

• Clements – Great travel insurance for high-end electronics coverage.
• IM Global – The closest thing to normal health insurance like you have back home that allows you to see doctors and make regular appointments when you. This is best for long-term expats living overseas.
• MedJet Assist – A good company all around for travel insurance that offers standard, cookie cutter plans.
• STA Travel – For cheap folks who just want a cheap plan with very limited coverage, STA Travels offers bare bones planes.

If you’re a senior and over 65, use Insure My Trip. Many insurance companies don’t cover seniors or, if they do, are bloody expensive! Insure My Trip offers the best coverage and prices for older travelers and I suggest you use them.

My favorite company is World Nomads. I’ve been using them since I started traveling in 2003. They are very reputable, and claims are quickly and fairly processed. This is a company built by an ex-nomad so he gets the traveler mindset. I enjoy World Nomads because I can purchase and renew my insurance policy online in a matter of minutes, they have a very friendly and responsive staff who answer questions and help solve problems via social media, they have great customer feedback, and most importantly, they provide a lot of coverage at a fair price. If there’s one company I would recommend, I would say go with them. They are also endorsed by Lonely Planet and National Geographic, which tells you how good they are!

Buy Your Travel Insurance As Soon As Possible

Even though you can wait until you leave, it’s best to get your travel insurance as soon as possible. Every day you wait, there’s a chance something could happen and you can’t get a travel insurance after the fact. If a hurricane ruins your trip, your travel insurance would only cover you if you bought it before the hurricane formed. Buy a plan the day after you go to the doctor but before he tells you you’re sick? Your plan won’t cover you since your original visit happened BEFORE the plan!

Don’t wait to get insurance. I’ve seen it happen too often. The second you know you are going somewhere and have the dates, buy travel insurance!

There’s a 99.99% chance you will never need to use the policy you bought, but accidents happen and life on the road is uncertain. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially when you are in a different country, thousands of miles from home.

Don’t want to end up like my friend in Peru, who decided against coverage, only to break her arm and have to spend lots of money to get it fixed in Lima.

Be smart and get travel insurance.

You can use the widget below to find an insurance plan for your trip:

 
STILL CONFUSED? READ NEXT —-> 10 common questions (and answers) about your travel insurance

P.S. –  If you’ve found this article helpful, please consider booking via the links here as it helps keep the website community supported and advertiser free. All the companies are ones I use myself in my own travels. If you have any questions, email me!

The post How to Buy the Best Travel Insurance in 2018 appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

from Nomadic Matt's Travel Site https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/travel-insurance/

Five Advanced Landscape Photography Tips

Often, landscape photography tips are meant for people who are just starting out and trying to get a hang on things. That’s great in many ways, but it does carry a problem – it says to advanced photographers that there is nothing new to discover. But landscape photography is incredibly complex, and there are still techniques out there for everyone. This article goes through some of the most important ones with regards to creativity.

from Photography Life https://photographylife.com/landscapes/five-advanced-landscape-photography-tips#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=five-advanced-landscape-photography-tips

MIOPS Capsule360 – A Versatile Motion Control Box

Our good friends at MIOPS have recently announced their latest project Capsule360, a versatile motion control box capable of performing sliding, panning and tilting moves while capturing photo or video. MIOPS engineers were able to use their extensive knowledge from their prior successful product launches, such as the MIOPS Smart Camera Trigger and bring together a single, “do-it-all” product capable of everything from timelapses and 360° photography to panoramas, star tracking for astrophotography and smart object tracking for motion video.

from Photography Life https://photographylife.com/news/miops-capsule360#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=miops-capsule360

When to Use a Lens Hood for the Best Results

One of the most common photography accessories is a lens hood – a piece of plastic or metal that attaches to the front of your camera lens and makes it look more professional. But lens hoods are about more than looks. Just to name one benefit, they can make a major difference in a picture’s image quality. This article covers everything you need to know about using lens hoods to capture the best possible photos.

from Photography Life https://photographylife.com/when-to-use-lens-hood#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=when-to-use-lens-hood

TravelCon: Updates and New Ticket Information!!!

Hey all! There are only three more months to TravelCon! (Time flies, huh?) This is going to be an amazing event, so I want to share some more updates about what’s happening:

First, a refresher: What is TravelCon?

Our goal at TravelCon is to create an environment that facilitates networking between experts inside and outside of the travel industry. We want our attendees to learn from everyone’s victories, failures, and strategies so they succeed more quickly than their competition. Unlike many other travel blogging conferences, our primary goal is to help people learn the skills needed to develop a profitable and sustainable career in the travel industry. We will help our attendees:

• Improve their craft in the four major areas of travel: video, photography, writing, and blogging.
• Learn what’s new, what’s hot, and what works in the industry.
• Keep current on the best practices in digital travel publishing.
• Learn about new products and services in the industry.
• Meet destination marketing organizations and travel brands.
• Network with and learn from experts outside the travel industry.
• Make connections with other travel lovers.
• Have a ton of fun!

So what’s the latest with the event?

Today, I want to update you on some of the things happening with the event:

First, we’ve released our full schedule.

We’re going to have some really amazing, in-depth workshops and talks on how to improve your blog. You can click here to see it. You’ll be able to see who is talking on what, what their talk is about, and when it is.

Second, tickets are on sale again!

Life gets in the way sometimes and a few people have had to cancel their spots. Their loss is your gain as we’re able to open up more spots.

If you’re interested attending in person, just click here to learn more and secure your spot!

Third, we are now offering a virtual ticket.

This is something I’ve been wanting to do since the beginning but it took a long time for the logistics to work out. If you can’t make the event, you’ll still be able to have a way to get all the talks!

We are going to record of all our panels, presentations, and keynotes from the conference (photo walks and writing workshops not included). Everyone of those talks will be recorded and put up on our platform. You’ll be able to watch them online from the comfort of your home on any device. Additionally, any Powerpoints or presentation materials that are given out will also be included in the section.

Though you’ll miss out on all the networking and fun parties (and even cooler people), you’ll get all the educational benefit of the talks so you can improve your business and boost your career in the travel industry. We have over 70 speakers and you’ll get over 50 hours of talks and material to watch. This is as good to attending the event you can get!

The virtual ticket is $199 and can be purchased by clicking here.

The talks will go online a few weeks after the event ends!

If you’ve been wishing to attend the event and hear these speakers but can’t, this is your way to do so.

Fourth, we’ve brought on even more amazing partners for our expo floor and media marketplace.

During the conference, you’ll be able to meet with companies and tourism boards from around the world as well as schedule specific business meetings with them on the last day. Here are some of the new sponsors we’ve added in the last month or so (you can see a full list of sponsors here):

Costa Brava – Welcome to the Costa Brava and Girona Pyrenees, a territory where the past and present become turned into a living landscape. The Costa Brava is the sum of amazing sensations from Blanes to Portbou.

Intrepid Travel – Intrepid Travel is the world’s largest adventure travel company, operating amazing small group experiences in over 120 countries.

Mediavine – Mediavine offers full service ad management including display ad optimization, video monetization, and influencer marketing. We help content creators build sustainable businesses.

New Orleans & Company – New Orleans & Company is a nationally accredited, 1,100-member destination marketing organization and is the best resources for everything NOLA related!

Norwegian Air – Norwegian offers cheap flights worldwide, operating over 400 routes to more than 130 destinations in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Thailand, the Caribbean and the US. Today, they have more than 100 aircraft and one of the world’s youngest and greenest fleets.

SmarterTravel – SmarterTravel, a TripAdvisor Company, is a leader in the online travel industry reaching over 200M unique visitors each month. In addition to operating a portfolio of expert travel sites like Jetsetter, Oyster, Airfarewatchdog and more, they also help hundreds of third party publishers like you make money through its network.

Travel Manitoba – Welcome to Manitoba, the heart of Canada. Here, you feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere, but at the centre of everything. Manitoba is where golden wheat fields meet infinite blue sky.

Additionally, sVisit Memphis, Hosteling International, Agoda, Czech Tourism, Visit California, and Go Rving will be at our event too! (I’m just waiting for their logos to get up on the website but they are confirmed too!)

All in all, our marketplace is going to be full of incredible companies that you can partner! (If you work of a brand and want to be at the event, please send me an email at matt@nomadicmatt.com)

****

So come and attend TravelCon, learn from the best in the indsutry, and meet other wonderful travel professionals.

(Or, if you can’t make it, get the virtual ticket — and make plans to attend next year!)

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments!

– Matt

The post TravelCon: Updates and New Ticket Information!!! appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

from Nomadic Matt's Travel Site https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/travelcon-updates-ticket/

Canon SL2 Review

One of the smallest and lightest Canon DSLRs is the Rebel SL2, announced in June of 2017 and retailing for $549, body only. The SL2 also goes by the names “EOS 200D” and “Kiss X9” outside the US market. Despite the camera’s small size, Canon packed a lot into the SL2, including a tilt-flip touchscreen, dual pixel autofocus, and the company’s newest 24 megapixel sensor. This detailed review covers everything you need to know about the SL2.

from Photography Life https://photographylife.com/reviews/canon-sl2#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=canon-sl2

On Visiting Every European Country, and Goals that Matter

I landed in Cyprus with a smile. More than 17 years after I first set foot on the European continent, I had visited every country in Europe. (47 countries by my count, which includes all UN-recognized nations plus Kosovo and the Vatican. I count Turkey but I don’t count the Caucasus.)

To be honest, I can’t remember when that became my goal. Maybe somewhere around 2013 or 2014? I realized I was visiting so many different European countries, and it might be cool to visit all of them.

I love Europe. No, that’s not strong enough. I adore this continent, and have since I first set foot on it as a sixteen-year-old in 2001.

Kate’s Europe Timeline

• 2001: France, Ireland, UK
• 2004: Italy, Vatican, Monaco, Hungary, Czech Republic, Switzerland
• 2006: Belgium
• 2011: Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Turkey
• 2012: Portugal, Spain, Iceland, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Faroe Islands (Denmark), Sweden
• 2013: Netherlands, San Marino, Malta, Macedonia, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Romania
• 2014: Slovenia, Finland, Norway
• 2015: Andorra, Greece, Albania, Serbia, Latvia
• 2017: Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Estonia, Russia
• 2018: Cyprus

Europe is my place — from the elegant streets of Paris and St. Petersburg to the rocky Adriatic beaches of Albania and Croatia, from the peaceful pine forests of Finland to the mountains of Austria.

And…part of me feels like I belong in Europe. Long-term.

I usually roll my eyes when someone says, “Wow, I BELONG in this place I discovered on vacation!” but I honestly, after all these trips, I feel like half of my heart is in Europe and the other half is in the US. I’m very American in mindset, but much more European in temperament.

In an ideal world, I would split my time between New York and Paris. Or maybe London, Berlin or Amsterdam. (Germany’s artist visa would make Berlin the easiest option.) If I’m going to be living there half the time, it has to be a big city where I have lots of friends.

This isn’t the time, though. America needs people on the ground fighting for justice.

Fact: I didn’t have style until I turned 30. This photo was taken when I was 29 years and 11 months old in Zadar, Croatia. Is that a black and white checked belt?!?!

This matters because it matters to me.

To be honest, visiting every country in Europe seems like a small, cute, easy goal compared to what my friends are doing. But only because of the circles in which I run. I have several friends who are working toward visiting every country in the world, who are at well over 100 countries with no sign of stopping.

And that’s when I smack myself in the face and remind myself that my experience is atypical, as is my circle of friends. I shouldn’t minimize this accomplishment; this is something I worked hard to achieve, even with the privilege I had to make it possible in the first place.

But there are a few things about this achievement that make me particularly happy.

I’m happy that I traveled deliberately. Sure, I could have visited every country in Europe within a few months — hell, I even know a couple that did it in 30 days, during which they would arrive in a country, do a quick loop around the city center, then leave — but I didn’t want to do that. It always makes me cringe when I see a blogger land in a capital, spend a day and a half, say, “Country done!” and move on to the next place.

My goal is usually to visit three destinations within each country (microstates excluded), to at least get a sense of what different regions have to offer. I don’t always succeed — sometimes due to limited time (Slovakia), sometimes due to bad weather (Latvia) or cancelled tours (Estonia), sometimes due to exhaustion (Luxembourg). But I try to make an effort when possible.

I’m glad that I financed these travels myself. No rich family members, no rich partners. When I took friends, family, and partners on my travels, I bankrolled most if not all of it, either with my own money or in exchange for my work. And for the last two and a half years, I did it while simultaneously paying for an apartment in Manhattan that I didn’t rent out once.

I’m proud that I planned my travels cannily. Over the past few years, I’ve used conferences and campaigns to subsidize the other trips. Speaking in Scotland and Germany? In between I went to Slovakia, Poland, and Luxembourg. Speaking in Romania? Afterward I went to Moldova and Ukraine. Working in Finland? Afterward I went to Belarus, Lithuania, Estonia, and Russia. Speaking in the Netherlands? Afterward I went to Cyprus.

On each of those trips, flights from New York were covered so I saved on long-haul airfare. And nobody ever cares when you want to stay longer than the conference or campaign.

This is a fantastic way to maximize your business travels — add on a few extra days and visit somewhere nearby. You’ll save a ton in airfare. But even if you’re not a business traveler, you can do the same thing if you need to travel for a wedding or family event. Just add on a few days.

I don’t want to go to every country in the world.

That might seem like the next logical step, but I couldn’t have less desire to travel to every country. Why? Because I know it will turn into a burden. Imagine being a year into this goal and feeling exhausted, and just wanting to go to Italy and eat pasta, but all your time and money needs to be spent on trips to Kiribati. And Suriname. And Central African Republic.

I don’t want to get to the point where I hate travel. Some of my friends have ended up in that position. And associating travel with burdens would do that to me.

Plus, I love my life in New York. I currently spend about 75% of my time in the city, and that feels like a good amount for me at this point in time. I love my routines, I love my friends, I love a special little baby who is looking more like a little boy each day. I’d actually be open to traveling even less than I am now, but as my fellow itchy-footed travel people know, it’s very easy to succumb to temptation.

So, what’s next?

Nothing at the moment.

Really?

Really.

You’re not going to do another continent?

Nah. I mean, it would be nice to visit my two remaining countries in Central America, Honduras and Panama (though technically I drove overnight through Honduras so you could count it, though I don’t). But beyond that, I don’t have any desire to do so.

Europe was special to me. I love Central America fiercely, but it still doesn’t hold a candle to Europe.

So are you done visiting Europe now?

Hell to the no. Europe is still my favorite continent and a place that I adore. Plus, the wisdom of a traveler is realizing that the more places you visit, the more you realize you haven’t scraped the surface.

In fact, I feel a great freedom now. The next time I have a conference or campaign in Europe, I don’t have an obligation to visit Belarus or Moldova or Serbia. I can explore Italy more extensively! Walk the Camino de Santiago! Visit my Balkan oversights, like Piran in Slovenia, Kravice Falls in Bosnia, and Vis in Croatia! Explore a ton of cities along the Rhine I’ve already visited — but at Christmas!

So…where do I want to go next?

Karersee, South Tyrol. Image by Eirien

My NEW Most Wanted Destinations in Europe

South Tyrol, Italy. I’m nuts for mountains and this is one of the most spectacular mountain destinations in Europe. South Tyrol is home to the spectacular Dolomites, and while it’s technically Italy, the landscape and food are more similar to Austria or Germany.

San Sebastian, Spain. One of the best culinary destinations in the world. I’ve been intrigued by Basque Country since reading The Sun Also Rises for the first time when I was seventeen. This would be the place to pintxo bar-hop like never before.

Northern Norway. Norway is one of the most visually spectacular countries in Europe, but I’ve only been to Bergen and the surrounding fjords. But the far north is where it gets really gorgeous, especially around the Lofoten Islands. And the Northern Lights viewing is great up there.

Lviv, Ukraine. Ukraine surprised me with its loveliness last year, and apparently I missed the most beautiful city of all: Lviv. From what I’ve seen it looks like Krakow and Ljubljana, two of my favorite European cities.

Corsica. This island south of the mainland in France has occupied my thoughts for a long time: its cliffs, its beaches, its food. I especially like that it isn’t overly discovered by international tourists. For now.

Cornwall, England. I consider myself an “accidental Anglophile” and have seen so much of Britain — but this southwest peninsula eludes me. It’s home to beaches that look like they’re part of the Mediterranean, and gorgeous rolling hills. Plus a cool pirate-y accent.

Finnish Lapland. Finland is a county I love dearly, but I’ve only been in the summer. I think I’m overdue for a winter visit in Lapland — all the snow, all the ice swimming, all the early pink sunsets. And maybe a dogsled ride or two.

Fact: By the time I turned 33, I found my style. Tom Ford sunglasses, Zara leather jacket, silver earrings from El Salvador, dress from Albania. Pictured in Minsk.

Sweet Satisfaction

I feel very content right now with my travels. And that’s a bit unusual. Happiness is one thing; contentment is something different altogether. I’m used to feeling restless and driven, already planning my next trip (and let’s be realistic, one or two more trips) before I’ve even finished the first.

For me, getting to my final country in Europe meant a lot to me. I’m going to be riding this pleasant buzzy feeling for a long time.

Stay tuned — I can’t wait to write a post about my absolute favorite places in Europe! Maybe the top 50 places overall, with special distinction for the top 10? I’ve been thinking about this!

What is one of your special travel achievements?

The post On Visiting Every European Country, and Goals that Matter appeared first on Adventurous Kate.

from Adventurous Kate https://www.adventurouskate.com/visiting-every-european-country-goals-matter/