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How To See The World, One Optometrist At A Time.

31/7/2023

 

Some people explore via food tours or shoe shopping. It seems my destiny is to discover the world one optometrist at a time. 

Note that some links in this post may be affiliate links, which means we are paid a small commission should you make a purchase.

Vanessa takes a selfie in an apartment with sloped walls while wearing a purple shirt.
Crisis averted! Inside my tiny Parisian apartment, eye glasses intact!
What do Paris (France), Portland (Maine), and Yarmouth (Nova Scotia) have in common? Not much, to be honest. But I’ve come to see them through a new lens – if you’ll pardon the pun – thanks to local optometrists.
​

Some people see the world through – here’s that pun again – a specific lens. They explore destinations via a particular filter or set of experiences, discovering cities via food tours or shoe stores. I hadn’t thought that approach applied to me until I realized I was getting to know the globe via eye health facilities, one city at a time.

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After Twenty Years, I'm (Mostly) Saying Goodbye To Hostels

6/10/2022

 

After more than twenty years of value-focused travel, I'm finally saying a fond farewell to hostels - for the most part. Here's why.

​This post contains affiliate ads and links, which means we may get paid a small commission if you make a purchase.

Vanessa sits up in bed in the lower bunk of a white set of bunkbeds in a hostel.
Even before I had my final hostel stay, I knew it would be my last.

​The previous couple of hostels I stayed at brought roller coasters of emotion. One, set in a gorgeous historic location, was clean and friendly but offered bare-bones dorms with whisper-thin mattresses, a single stingy pillow, and squeaky wooden bunk beds. My bunk was positioned in the centre of the room, without a single wall at my disposal for leaning or privacy. The muggy, warm room and back-aching bed made sleep impossible and I cringed every time I moved, fearful my squeaky bed was keeping everyone awake. It was a rough night – and a rough morning as I tried to be as quiet as a mouse, packing up my computer to escape to a nearby cafe for a bleary and bright conference call. While I was waiting for my call to connect, I found clarity in my exhaustion. For the first time ever, I sacrificed my two remaining nights of prepaid bunk accommodations in favour of relocating to a private bed and breakfast room.

​I spent an extra $300 I wasn’t expecting but when I finally got to my snug room and sunk into the plush, squeak-free mattress, I nearly wept with relief  – and guilt. Who was I, giving up an otherwise great-on-paper hostel just because my bedding wasn’t as sumptuous as I would like?

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The Coziest Bookstores Around The World

2/12/2019

 

Updated in 2023! These snug bookstores are well worth travelling to! Discover more than 30 of the world's cutest, coziest bookstores.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, we may be paid a small commission.

Interior of the Midtown Scholar in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with large bookshelves and a sunken cafe areaPicture
Outside Shakespeare and Company in Paris.
Is there anything that rivals a bookstore when it comes to that perfect combination of smooth paper, fragrant coffee, and superb people watching? I think not! Bookstores are such a snug, warm, homey way to settle into a new destination and learn what the locals are reading, drinking, and talking about. They're the perfect spot for when you want a quiet moment, yet also ideal when you want noise, hustle, and bustle. There's no other word for it: Bookstores are cozy.

Some of my best cozy travel memories are set in bookstores, like the rainy day I visited the now-closed Mainly Murder in Cork, Ireland, to get some recommendations for an on-the-road mystery. Or my frequent visits to the Maneno Bookshop in Lilongwe, Malawi, where I gorged on every available Jeffery Deaver thriller to help pass the time during quiet nights on the road. I'm not alone in my love of these cushy, intimate, cheerful spots either. Several of my travel blogging friends feel the exact same way about bookstores and they have kindly shared some of their personal recommendations for the best bookstores around the world.

So go turn on the kettle and get ready to settle in with a hot drink. Here are more than 30 cozy bookstores from around the world to inspire your next travel adventure.

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Exploring Véloroute des Bleuets - Quebec's "Blueberry Bike Route"

12/6/2019

 

The Véloroute des Bleuets is my favourite of all cycling Quebec adventures - even in the off season!

My trip to Lac Saint Jean was part of a hosted media visit. All research, writing, and opinions are my own.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through said link we are paid a small commission.

Cycling Quebec véloroute des bleuets Vanessa crossing a bridge
With sunny blue skies and a bracing wind, I bravely mounted my bike to go searching for blueberries in the Quebec countryside. But if you're looking at my jacket and scarf in the photo above and thinking it looks far too cold for blueberry season, you'd be partially right. You see, I wasn't in search of blueberries to eat! I was searching for Quebec's famous blueberry bike route, known as the "véloroute des bleuets".

Made up of over 20 different short to medium length rides through the blueberry-producing countryside, the véloroute des bleuets circles around Lac St Jean, not far from the northern Quebec city of Saguenay. The route includes towns such as Alma (my personal favourite), Saint-Felicien, Roberval, and Sainte-Monique, as well as Pointe-Taillon National Park, and includes terrain suitable for all riders.

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Exploring the North Shore: Oahu's Sweet and Sandy Side

22/1/2018

 

We're retracing some of our favourite travel memories along Oahu's North Shore.

Surfing North Shore Oahu Hawaii Picture
The North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii's most populated island, is one of the world's most famous surfing spots. But I am one of the world's most famous wimps - how is it possible that I fell head over heels in love with such a daredevil destination? 

Sometimes opposites really DO attract. I've been telling people by word of mouth just how much I love the North Shore for years now. It was one of the very first trips Ryan and I ever made together and we often get asked for recommendations. How can it be that we've never written it all down? So here it is - a story of love at first sight, sandy feet, gourmet treats, and a little bit of everything for everyone.

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Cycling with Saint Peter: Biking the Appian Way in Rome

13/9/2017

 

All roads really DO lead to - and from-  Rome. If you're interested in biking the Appian Way in Rome, this post is for you.

​​This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, we may be paid a small commission.

Biking the Appian Way Rome Picture
Ryan's ready for biking the Appian Way in Rome.
Bike Rental Appian Way Rome Picture
Our starting point.
Julius Ceasar, Saint Peter, Spartacus, and now the team from Turnipseed Travel.... there's been more than a few legends who've walked, rode, and peddled their way down the Appian Way. This ancient highway, nearly 400 miles of engineering marvel, connected Rome with southern Italy and the sea, forming a critical trade and communications link with Greece and Egypt. Considered the world's first super highway,  everyone who was anyone traveled along the Appian Way, along with over two thousand years of worth of anonymous citizens too. We were happy to start our first day in Italy by following in their footsteps and biking the Appian Way in Rome.

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Romantic Reading: Inside Prague's Shakespeare and Sons Bookstore

1/6/2017

 

Shakespeare once wrote "Boldness be my friend!" That's great advice for exploring Prague!

Shakespeare and Son Prague Picture
Isn't this the loveliest place to spend a rainy evening?
Cozy bookstores never fail to tug at my heart. I absolutely love discovering these charming, locally owned literary nests all around the world and I know you do too. I'm always happy to wander around no matter what style or language of book is offered, but I'm especially excited when I discover an English bookstore when I'm in another country. I usually can't resist picking up a new novel for the road and I enjoy bumping into other expats and hearing about upcoming events (and occasionally crashing them, especially when there's free wine involved!)

I heard about Prague's Shakespeare and Sons bookstore long before my visit. It's arguably the city's most famous bookstore and it comes highly recommended by all guidebooks. Still, my heart skipped a few beats when I saw it for the first time as I explored the cobblestone streets at dusk. Here it was! 

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Prickly Heat and a Pity Party: Three Tips for Reversing Travel Burnout

16/7/2016

 

In Malawi I had my first battle with travel burnout. It wouldn't be my last.

Young Vanessa sits on a daybed, reading a book
In a better place, a month post-prickly heat.
Lying under a bed net in Malawi's sweltering heat with a cold, wet towel on my bare stomach, my face was a mess of tears. The silent air conditioner served only ornamental purposes. In the darkness its knobs became eyes, watching my every move, my futile efforts to cool down, taking pleasure as I winced whenever one of the tiny, pink, pus filled blisters that covered my body - compliments of a whopping case of prickly heat - spontaneously burst.  

​It was over 10 years ago, but I'll never forget my worst day of travel burnout - a horrible combination of homesickness, culture shock, and sheer exhaustion. And pus. Lots of pus.

​People often sneer when they hear the words 'travel burnout' and offer disparaging comments such as "Must be soooooo hard to be traveling all the time" or "Poor you, with your first world problems". But the truth is that anyone can experience burnout from any activity or circumstance.

​No person is fully immune from feeling lonely, overwhelmed, frustrated, or isolated. And unlike burnout from work, family stress, or a stalled creative project, travel burnout comes with geographic, cultural, and linguistic isolation which even the most optimistic traveler would find difficult to cope with. You are separated from your support system, you lack control over your environment, and you may even face a serious conflict in your values and ethics. 

I suspect that fast paced trips are even more susceptible to burnout than a slower style of travel. City hopping can be exhilarating but also overwhelming. The excitement of a new hotel each night doesn't always mask the loss of community; the sense of place that comes when you stay in the same neighbourhood for a few days. With more extremely fast paced travel planed, I'm trying to learn from the past and prepare for a balanced, healthy, happy trip. Here's are my top three tips for keeping sane on the road.

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We're Going to Europe for Five Weeks! Here's Five Cool Things About The Trip.

21/6/2016

 

Every trip is unique but this one is truly like nothing else we've ever done.

Picture
Outside Stockholm's central station, from our October 2014 trip.
If you've been following along on our social media channels, you'll know we have been stirring the travel pot and have a big trip to Europe in the works. And I mean BIG! This is officially the longest amount of time that we've been on the road together. Five weeks is nothing to sneeze at!

Long time readers might remember that we talked about doing this trip back in the fall of 2015 but for a number of reasons we just had to postpone things. They might also remember that the letter "S" figures prominently - Sweden, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland! We swear, this is just a coincidence (...... or is it......?)

As we make our way through an alphabet's worth of countries, we can't wait to have you all along for the ride. Here are five neat things you need to know about our five week trip.

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