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July 2024 Recap: La Palma and Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
In July, we said goodbye to the Island of Tenerife and flew to the Island of La Palma. We enjoyed our five weeks in Tenerife but were also looking forward to seeing what La Palma was like. After three weeks in La Palma, we headed to Patalavaca on the southern coast of the Island of Gran Canaria. July was a…
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June 2024 Recap: Tenerife, Canary Islands
Wind and Whim contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks! Hello! I hope you’re enjoying your summer. After three months in England, Steve and I were ready for some serious sunshine. We found it on the Island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. We…
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March 2024: Cambridge, Bury St. Edmunds, and London, U.K.
Cambridge Our three-day trip to Cambridge got off to a rainy start. But we still enjoyed the art at the Fitzwilliam Museum. The rain cleared long enough to walk the cemetery grounds of Little St. Mary’s Church. We checked out the inside too. A stroll through town led us to a few cool shops. The grounds of the Cambridge University…
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Everything You Need to Know About Pet Sitting While Traveling
Are you a long-term or full-time traveler looking for a way to lower your travel costs? Are you a pet lover? If so, pet sitting while traveling may be just what you’re looking for. Steve and I joined TrustedHousesitters in the spring of 2023 and began pet sitting in early 2024. We have found the TrustedHousesitters’ website easy to use…
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Slow Travel: Better for You, Better for the Environment
Hi there. Have you ever taken a vacation that plum wore you out? Maybe you took a multi-day tour that didn’t provide enough downtime. Perhaps you got tired of packing and unpacking as you moved from city to city. Or it could be that you saw so many sights in a short time that they have all gotten jumbled up…
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Wind and Whim Update: January and February 2024
Greetings from London, where Steve and I have spent the last seven weeks waiting for nice weather. I hope wherever you are, spring is already working its magic. We ended 2023 by spending Christmas with our daughters, Steph and Laura (aka the girls), and Steph’s roommate, Jeff, in Jacksonville, Florida. It was the first time we’ve been together at Christmas…
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Memorable Moments From a Year of Full-Time Travel (2023)
It’s always fun to look back over our travels for the past year. As Steve and I wrap up our sixth year of full-time travel, we continue to be awed by this amazing world. Our year was busy with visits to 32 cities and towns, so there was ample opportunity to collect memorable moments. We were in Florida twice, first…
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Wind and Whim’s Monthly Update: November 2023
Hi there! Can you believe 2023 is almost over? I hope you are enjoying this festive time of year and looking forward to memorable holiday celebrations. Steve and I are anticipating Christmas with our daughters in Jacksonville, Florida. November was a most unusual month for us. We spent the first three weeks in Kotor, Montenegro, and the last week in…
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Wind and Whim’s Monthly Update: October 2023
Hi there, and happy November. Steve and I spent most of October in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, and then moved on to Kotor, Montenegro, at the end of the month. We had a low-key month in Podgorica, but Kotor should be busier since there is more to do. Even though we weren’t as active in October as usual, that’s…
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Wind and Whim’s Monthly Update: September 2023
Hi! I hope you had a great September. Ours was quiet, which is sometimes a good thing. And now, here we are in October, and it’s time for another monthly update. Steve and I spent most of September in Tirana, Albania. Since we had just come from Skopje, North Macedonia, Albania’s neighbor to the east, we couldn’t help comparing these…
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Wind and Whim’s Monthly Update: August 2023
Hi there! Can you believe it’s September already? The summer has been flying by for us, but we’re having fun. I hope you are, too. Steve and I started August with two nights in Brasov, Romania, and spent the remainder in Skopje, North Macedonia. Check out this monthly update to see our August highlights and low points, what we did,…
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Wind and Whim’s Monthly Update: July 2023
Hi there! It’s time for another monthly update. I hope you are surviving the summer heat. Steve and I spent most of July in Bucharest, Romania, where it was hot but, thankfully, not too humid. Even so, we didn’t do as much as planned since we were lazy about getting out before the days got too hot. We enjoyed four…
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Wind & Whim’s Monthly Update: June 2023
Hi there. I hope your summer is off to a great start. Ours sure is. After laying low in May, we had a busy June. We spent most of it based in Pula, Croatia. While there, we took a six-night side trip to three other Croatian locations. After Pula, we spent a few days in Venice, then headed off the…
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Overtourism in the Places We Love
Do you dream of riding a gondola on Venice’s Grand Canal, visiting the Game of Thrones filming locations in Dubrovnik, or getting a little wild in Amsterdam? If so, you aren’t alone. These places ignite our wanderlust. They have something else in common; they, and many others, are overtouristed. So how do we reconcile our desire to experience the places…
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9 Reasons Why Traveling with Adult Children Rocks
Adult children. I believe that is an oxymoron. But what else can you call them? They are your children, your kids, your babies, all grown up and running their own lives. You may live with them, see them regularly, or not very often. Whatever your situation, I ask you: now that they’ve evolved into self-sufficient beings, should you travel with…
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Back to the U.S. (For One Month)
More than three years. Almost 38 months. 1,146 days. That’s how long it was between our last visit to the U.S. and our recent one in March of 2023. As the months and years rolled by, Steve and I were less and less interested in returning home. Aside from our daughters being there, we had little motivation to return. Then…
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The Surprising Truth About Full-Time Travel
Come on. Admit it. I bet you’ve dreamt about chucking it all and traveling full-time. And I bet those dreams were full of jaw-dropping experiences, sunshiny beaches, and endless smiles. Like most things in life, the reality doesn’t always match the fantasy. With almost five years of full-time travel under our belts, Steve and I are here to share the…
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Memorable Moments From a Year of Full-Time Travel (2022)
Happy New Year! Is it just me, or did 2022 go by faster than a Parisian pickpocket can grab your wallet? I hope last year has left you with wonderful memories and new friends. Steve and I have been fortunate on both fronts. Sometimes when we are having a low-key day or two (or seven), I feel guilty that we…
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Why I Wish Every American Could Travel the World
“A great way to learn about your country is to leave it.” — Henry Rollins Starting a post with a quote feels a little cheesy, but this quote by musician, writer, and actor Henry Rollins just fits too well. If you were born and raised in the United States as I was, you likely grew up thinking you lived in…
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December 2021 Recap: Christmas in Budapest
Goodbye 2021, hello 2022! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are ready to start the new year. Like me, I’m sure you are hoping that 2022 will bring an end to the pandemic and a return to normal. Despite an increase in Covid cases, our December was remarkable. That is because our daughters, Stephanie and Laura, visited…
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November 2021 Recap: Lying Low in Budapest
Hi there! I hope this finds you well as we enter the last month of 2021. If you are a regular reader, you know that Steve and I enjoyed a summer full of activity, including visiting many baths and taking several side trips from our current home base in Budapest. Then November arrived. Not only did November bring colder weather,…
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October 2021 Recap: More to Explore in Budapest
Can you believe it’s November already? This year is flying by. I can’t decide if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Steve and I stayed busy in October, but this month all our activities were close to home. The most exciting thing that happened this month is that we began making arrangements for our daughters, Stephanie and…
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September 2021 Recap: Castles, Caves, Baths and the Beatles
Pandemic Update One and a half years into this pandemic, and it’s still wreaking havoc with lives. Like everyone else, Steve and I can’t wait for our lives to return to normal. Still, we respect how dangerous Covid is and how it is overwhelming healthcare systems, so we will continue to be cautious as long as necessary. Early in the…
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August 2021 Recap: Budapest Baths and Hungarian Town Attractions
Can you believe August is over? I don’t know about you, but for me, time is flying. Steve and I have done more this month than in any of the previous sixteen months we’ve been in Hungary. We spent many hours luxuriating in the Budapest baths. We also revisited the zoo and explored three nearby towns. These are the highlights.…
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July 2021 Recap: Living Life Again
It’s been a long haul for all of us, and it isn’t over yet, but at least life has begun to return to normal. After almost eight months of lockdowns and slowdowns, we are living life again. I hope you are also returning to your pre-pandemic life. Here is what we’ve been doing this month. We Keep Getting More Legal…
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Medical Care on the Road
One of the biggest concerns people contemplating long-term travel have is handling medical care on the road. I am not going to sugarcoat it: it can be a challenge. And if the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that no matter how well-laid your plans are, something will come along to mess them up. After more than three years…
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June 2021 Recap: Things Are Looking Up in Hungary
Hello, I hope all is well with you. Steve and I are still in Budapest and plan to be here for another year. It’s been another low-key month, but things are definitely looking up here. Hopefully, they are where you are too. Our big news is that we finally got our Covid vaccines! Pandemic Update Here in Hungary, things appear…
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May 2021 Recap: Still Sidelined in Budapest
Well, here we are, fourteen months into the pandemic. I hope you and your loved ones are staying healthy and sane. It can be a challenge at times, but things are looking up. Steve and I are still in Budapest, waiting to be vaccinated and be able to travel again. Here is a look at what May 2021 was like…
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Too Many Languages
Many years ago, I was picking out pastries in a bakery in Paris with my older daughter Stephanie. When the clerk pointed to a pastry, I confidently replied, “por favor.” My daughter quietly said, “Mom, that’s Spanish.” Looking back, I wondered if this error was a harbinger of things to come. Too Many Countries, Too Many Languages Steve and I…
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Oops! Did We Do That? Our Biggest Travel Mistakes
As Steve and I prepared to travel full-time, we knew that we would make mistakes. Fortunately, we have been able to keep them to a minimum, partly due to luck, partly due to the graciousness of others, and partly because we spent more than half a year under lockdown. Here are the biggest travel mistakes and near-misses we had during…