Friday Perhaps our most memorable meal in Oman, we both enjoyed the expansive Friday brunch at the five-star Chedi Hotel. All the western hotels have a buffet brunch on Friday, and since the Grand...
Blog posts from International Travel
Middle East 2016: exploring Muscat
In between our daytrips to Nizwa and Wadi Shab we explored Muscat itself. One of the most iconic sights in the city is the Grand Mosque Sultan Qaboos. This is a massive complex that can apparently...
Middle East 2016: Wadi Shab
We knew that Wadi Shab tends to become more crowded as the day progresses, so we decided to leave Muscat by 7am. After about 30 minutes of driving through the various suburbs of Muscat we enjoyed...
Middle East 2016: Nizwa
Much of the two hour drive to Nizwa was scenic, but marred occasionally by power lines. Though overcast by the coast, by the time we arrived in Nizwa it was bright and sunny. Unfortunately, the souk...
Middle East 2016: Qatar Airways
To get to Oman we flew through Doha, Qatar, on Qatar Airways. Qatar flies its newest jets from Philadelphia in the morning, so we'd flown up the night before on American. After a quick snack in the...
Middle East 2016: Introduction
We've long wanted to visit the UAE and Oman, and we've really wanted to try out the Etihad First Class apartments. When seats became available this winter we booked a relatively quick trip for the...
Vietnam 2016: tasting Hanoi
After the snafu with our hotel, I was ready to get out and about and try some local beers (that potentially weren't yellow). Thankfully, I had read up on a place that had a variety of brews...
Vietnam 2016: shopping in Hanoi
Hanoi is a bustling city, and things are for sale wherever you look. Friday night our path from dinner to the hotel took us right past the Night Market. The crowds were fairly sizable, but not as...
Vietnam 2016: sights with Hanoi Kids
The last three days of our trip were spent in bustling Hanoi, so we had time to see quite a few sights. While researching the trip I came across Hanoi Kids, a college club that pairs students...
Vietnam 2016: Hanoi hotels
For the second half of our Vietnam trip we were in Hanoi twice, first for a single night, then for two nights. We carefully chose places based on quietness and breakfast options; unfortunately for...
Vietnam 2016: Bai Tu Long Bay with Indochina Junk
Ha Long Bay is one of the most famous sights in Vietnam and there are hundreds of trip options available out of Hanoi - daytrips, overnights, large boats, small boats, routings, etc. Given our...
Vietnam 2016: living cheap in Hue
The Vedana Resort graciously allowed us to take their free shuttle into Hue, which was appreciated, but for some reason we stopped at a different hotel. It seemed like our driver wanted us to drop...
Vietnam 2016: overwater villa at the Vedana Lagoon Resort
Between Hoi An and Hue we spent two nights at the Vedana Lagoon Resort. Quiet and peaceful, it was a nice change from the hustle and bustle of the towns. Upon arrival our bags were whisked away and...
Vietnam 2016: scenic views between Hoi An and Phu Loc
We had a nice driver from Hue Private Cars, he drove quite slow and carefully, and was open to stopping for photos. Our first stop was My Khe Beach (aka China Beach), quite close to downtown Da Nang...
Vietnam 2016: exploring Hoi An
Hoi An's Old Town is a UNESCO heritage site, and really quite beautiful and pleasant to walk around. It is clearly a tourist area, but in this case it doesn't diminish the charm as much as I might...
Vietnam 2016: food in Hoi An
Thursday Walking around town our first day, Leandra was ready for a snack and steered us toward Madam Khanh - The Banh Mi Queen. Just up the street from a row of tailor shops we found the small cart...
Vietnam 2016: My Grandma’s Home Cooking
I walked over to the meetup spot by 7:45am (!) to gather at the office along with three British women who were also taking the Market Tour portion of the class. After introducing ourselves, we took...
Vietnam 2016: custom clothing in Hoi An
Eric and I knew we wanted to get a few items of clothing made while staying in Hoi An, but the sheer number of available tailors was overwhelming. Given our three full days in town, it made sense to...
Our Itinerary
2025 Trips
Tampa Bay, FL (Jan)
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Feb)
Villa la Angostura, Argentina (Feb)
Bariloche, Argentina (Feb)
Iguazu Falls, Argentina + Brazil (Feb)
Miami, FL (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Mar)
Boston, MA (Apr)
Kathmandu, Nepal (May)
Bhutan (May)
Slovenia (Sep)
Treviso, Italy (Sep)
Bologna, Italy (Sep)
Turin, Italy (Oct)
2024 Trips
San Diego, CA (Jan)
Sarasota, FL (Feb)
Madrid, Spain (Mar)
Valencia, Spain (Mar+Apr)
Palma, Mallorca (Apr)
Croatia (May)
Long Island, NY (July)
Faroe Islands (Aug)
London, UK (Sept)
Puglia, Italy (Sept)
Matera, Italy (Oct)
Rome, Italy (Oct)
Mosel Valley, Germany (Oct)
Frankfurt, Germany (Oct)
London + Manchester, UK (Dec)
2023 Trips
San Diego (Jan)
Orlando (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Apr)
Northern Italy (Apr)
NC Mountains (May)
Long Island (Jul)
Wisconsin (Aug)
Chicago (Aug)
Oak Island, NC (Sept)
Brooklyn, NY (Sept)
Bordeaux + Rugby World Cup (Sep)
Castilla y León (Sep)
Seychelles (Nov)
Willamette Valley (Dec)