It’s been three and a half weeks since I returned to my home in Chester, England, after my month in Spain and Portugal.  And those three and a half weeks have been far from relaxing — Dave and I just finished moving into a new house with our friend Collette.  A word to the wise: [...]

“What I love about festivals in Spain is that they’re all ingrained in religion somehow, and their traditions have been passed down for generations,” our Busabout guide, Dax, told us.  ”Well, except for La Tomatina.  That’s just a tomato fight.  But the rest of them, they’re about religion.” Dax is right — and being in [...]

Becoming a professional travel blogger has been a dream come true for me in so many ways.  I’ve found a way to get paid for my favorite hobby, and do so while following my dream of traveling the world. Sometimes I can’t believe this is my life.  Six weeks ago, I was invited on a [...]

During Las Fallas, Valencia is a heaving mass of people in costume, bands playing, and firecrackers exploding every minute.  And that’s honestly not an exaggeration at all. Want to see how insane it was?  Check out the view from our balcony at Purple Nest Hostel: Seriously.  Imagine that, nonstop, all day and all night. After [...]

My biggest reason for visiting Spain?  Attending the Las Fallas festival in Valencia — the festival filled with a week of fireworks, explosions, and giant burning effigies! And it almost ended in disaster.  Read through to the end of this piece to see how I averted one of the most horrifying calamities that I can [...]

Madrid originally wasn’t on my Spain itinerary.  With all I wanted to see in Andalusia, and needing to get to Valencia in time for Las Fallas, I didn’t think I’d have the time. But after I announced this, there was a mild mutiny on my Facebook page.  ”DO NOT SKIP MADRID,” my friend Hilary implored. [...]

I almost missed the date.  March 28th was the anniversary of my shipwreck off the coast of Komodo Island in Indonesia.  I wouldn’t have remembered if my shipmates hadn’t emailed me.  It was good to hear that they’re doing well these days, especially little baby Elin, who was just 10 months old when our Perama [...]

In my life, I have experienced a few travel moments so spellbinding, so breathtaking, so fascinating, that they have left me short of breath. They’re not common.  After visiting 28 countries, I can think of only about five instances that have affected me so deeply.  And one of those was visiting the Alhambra in Granada. [...]

I had the feeling I would love Granada before I even arrived.  And I was right — after 24 hours, I was thrilled to death with this city in southern Spain.  And more importantly, I felt like I could live here.  Easily. (Not all cities I love have that quality.) So what is it that [...]

Well, that amazing spring weather we were having came to an end yesterday, and it’s back to the stereotypical gray skies of England.  So this week’s #Frifotos theme couldn’t be better timed — it’s “colorful”! Going through my photos and picking out the most colorful ones is certainly lifting my spirits — and reminding me that [...]