My hectic summer reached a fever pitch in Month 39. Two whirlwind final weeks in Greece capped off Europe, which had followed an action packed few months of traipsing the USA — and as amazing as that whole period of travel chaos was, upon reflection it  pushed me right to the brink of burnout. I’d had…

Jaw-dropping. It’s a descriptor I’ve had multiple writing professors warn me against. And I understand why. It’s cliche, and it’s more or less meaningless considering how often it’s used to describe something that barely elicits a jowl droop. But what about those times your mouth actually does fall open in awe at the sight of what…

After four months of sidelining my passport, Month 38 put me back abroad again. My time stateside was somewhat stressful — I was forced to majorly transition how I monetize this site, I dealt with some surprise financial blows and I had some personal and family stuff going on in there too. I didn’t feel prepared…

I can’t quite recall when or where I first spotted a photo of the mystery-shrouded, clifftop monasteries of Meteora. But I do know that ever since the moment when that image first entered my brain, I became obsessed with seeing it not through a screen but with my own eyes. After a few days in Athens…

So this whole group travel thing — it genuinely took me by surprise. I didn’t expect how much I’d love getting to know my fellow Contikiers in Mykonos, how I’d love rediscovering Santorini with them, or how much fun my new friends and I would have raging and recovering in Ios. I couldn’t have anticipated how…

Ios is an island that comes to life after dark. I mean, the beachfront daylight hours are fairly epic themselves. But people don’t really come to Ios for the paddleboarding. It’s a nice distraction from the hangovers, sure. But for the most part, backpackers flock to Ios for one undeniable reason — to get their debauchery…