Are there any Sesame Street fans here? You'll be sure to have a chuckle when you hear that our 2016 travel plans have been brought to you by the letter "S"! No, we promise we didn't plan it this way, but it won't be long until we're off to Sweden, Slovenia, Switzerland, Scotland... and we think some time in Spain is in order as well! And maybe we'll mix up the alphabet a bit and add in a "B" just for Barcelona!

I know I'm not the only one who's been dreaming of some pretty incredible destinations these days.  Some of the top travel trends for 2016 see Hawaii, Australia, and Mexico on people's wish lists. Sign me up for all three! And while we're at it.... I have something for you to sign up for as well. Read down to the bottom for some awesome contest info. (And if you win, don't forget to send me a post card!)

Otterville is a tiny village in the southern Ontario district of Oxford County - a village whose small size conceals a huge amount of history.  

Otterville's mild climate, fine stock of timber, and easy access to transportation routes, combined with incredibly fertile farmland, made Oxford County very attractive to a diverse group of early settlers. ​Many of these pioneers would soon call Otterville their home. A mill, a blacksmith shop, and eventually a rail station would all come to thrive in this prosperous community but in the early years, Otterville was serving a different kind of rail network.

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Spain has always been, and will always be, one of the most popular countries as a tourist destination. But where most people travel to Barcelona, Malaga or Madrid, I prefer going to some smaller, more interesting places, like Salamanca. 

Salamanca is a small city, nearby Madrid. They also call it ‘La Ciudad Dorada’ which means “the golden city”, because of the bricks used to build the city. They consist of a certain grain of sand that gives the stones a beautiful color, especially when they’re hit by sunlight. Besides this, there are a lot of monuments in Salamanca. You can walk through the city all day long and run into historical buildings on every corner. Thanks to this, the whole old center of Salamanca has been on the UNESCO list since 1988. That just goes to show how Salamanca is regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in Spain.

I spent too many years of my life working 60-80 hour weeks doing a job that brought me zero fulfillment or happiness. I hated being stuck in the same old routine day after day. I hated working within the same four walls and not having any freedom at all to do anything I wanted. Hell, I had no free time at all to do anything fun – minus the few vacations weeks each year.

I lived for those weeks away that felt more like moments. It was the only time I ever really felt happy or even alive. The day I made the decision to leave it all behind and travel full time was truly a life-changing event. I’ve now been traveling the world for four years and I’ve set up “office” in 45 countries…and I couldn’t be happier! I’m finally living my life for me and I report to no one!

Note from Vanessa: Hi everyone! We're so proud to feature this guest blog post from our friends Illia and Nastia. We haven't been to this part of the world but we know that many of you are dreaming about it (as are we!) We're so happy we can share these Galapagos travel tips from some real travel pros so we can all get a grasp on what to expect in terms of Galapagos travel cost predictions. Happy planning and dreaming! 


There is a common misconception that Galapagos Islands are an extremely expensive place to go. To a certain degree it is true. However, you can considerably cut your costs on accommodation, food, and tours. Galapagos budget travel IS possible! Here are some tips which will help you to save big and go to Galapagos Islands on your next vacation.