Unique glimpses of the nomadic community, from interviews with seasoned travelers and digital nomads, to off the beaten path destination inspiration and tales about one of a kind experiences. From the mundane to the magnificent, we chronicle lives that are well lived.

Chronicles of Nomads

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Bocas Del Toro

A bit harder to get to than the average person would prefer, perhaps, but it’s a journey that is well worth it. 

Paradise on earth, according to some, and an amazing vacation destination according to less hyperbolic but still enthusiastic folks. Bocas Del Toro is where the lush jungle meets pristine beaches, and it truly is breathtaking. 

It also has world-class snorkelling, superior to a place like the Maldives, and that is not an exaggeration

Beautiful Buenos Aires & Other Favorites

We’re back with round two for Alyssa Richter, a fellow nomad and world traveller. After having given us useful tips and lessons learned from life on the road, we decided to check in to learn more about her favourite experiences as a traveller. Enjoy!

As someone who is constantly on the road, we are curious to know which place or places have had the greatest impact on your personal development and why?
Choosing to go to Buenos Aires, Argentina and then slowly travel around the entire country was one of the best decisions I made for my life. I moved to Buenos Aires just two months after graduating from university. The city had had this image in my mind as a romantic and electric cosmopolitan city where I would start off as a post-grad nomad. 

Being that it was the first and last stop of my trek through lower South America, it’s solidified as a place where I found peace and vigor to keep working hard. Between leaving and returning to the city, I grew up a lot, making peace with parts of myself and my past that had yet to be reconciled with. 

And while in the city, I worked hard to figure out how I wanted to make this fit into the bigger picture of my life. I met like-minded go-getters who inspired and comforted me in knowing that I’m not alone in this search for a more impactful life. Without the idea of a life in Buenos Aires, I never would have ventured off to that part of the world and wouldn’t be writing about my experiences today. 

People have asked me if I fell in love in the city because of how fondly I talk about it. You might say that in falling in love with the city, I fell back in love with my life.

Which city or cities are your favorite and why? 
Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro both have my heart! They both have incredible energies that pull someone in and make it hard to leave. I’m a big fan of music and love to have variety in finding things to do. In Buenos Aires, there’s something different happening every night. The city seems to thrive on a prominent music culture that keeps its’ people dancing well into dawn. The European-style architecture only adds to the romantic charm of the city while melding seamlessly with modern street art and electric style.

While Buenos Aires lives for the night, Rio de Janeiro thrives in the day. The iconic, sun-splashed beaches and jungled mountains that lie scattered throughout the city are some of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen. To me, it feels like there’s infectious, happy energy flowing through the city and its people. The laid back, blissful nature contrasts with rhythmic chaos in a way that it seems only Rio can harmoniously achieve. The ever-present music culture differs tremendously from Buenos Aires but doesn’t fail to keep you on your feet as you try and keep up with the rapid Samba steps. 

What are your best travelling memories so far? 
There are too many to count, so I’ll share one that really sticks out whenever I think back on my favourite adventures: 

When my mom came to visit me down on the Southern Hemisphere, we hiked around Torres del Paine, Chile. The park is famous for three flat-faced rocks that jut into the sky like towers. We woke up at 5 o’clock in the morning when the light of dawn was just starting to crack through the night. Instead of camping in the park, we would take a bus back to a hostel we stayed at in a nearby town, so we would have to hike up and down the mountain in time to catch the last bus out of the park. The path is pretty strenuous, with a good amount of rock scaling towards the end. We wanted enough time to enjoy the view at the top, so my mom and I set a quick pace that made our muscles burn for the rest of the week. But this made the end result so much more worth it. 

To see the Torres del Paine stretched up behind a green, glacier-made lake is a sight that will not soon leave my memories. The raw, natural beauty of the mountains almost hurt to stare at. For a moment, I was overcome by the endorphins and an existential sense of awe at how lucky I was to get to see that. Being that I shared the experience with one of my favourite hiking partners makes the memory even more special. 

After nearly running down the mountain to catch the last shuttle out of the park, my mom and I collapsed from exhaustion into our seats. While my mom slept, I stared out the window to watch the Torres del Paine envelop into the horizon. As the sunset, the sky melded into brilliant hues of fiery orange and soft pink, illuminating the landscape in an otherworldly beauty. The hazed mountains beckoned against the horizon before disappearing into the sunset.

What has been the most fascinating thing(s) with your lifestyle so far?
The people that I’ve met since starting out on this journey have been some of the best parts about choosing this lifestyle. Of course, travelling around the world and having the opportunity to live in beautiful and different places brings about its own fascinating features. 

However, the adventurous people I meet along the way keep me convinced that this is a career worth pursuing. In each place that I go to, I’ve met some truly interesting people whose lives could each fill up a book of their own. They inspire me to keep striving forward and to maintain a good work ethic while indulging in life’s awaited adventures. Aside from fellow travellers embarking on their own trails, the locals of each community remind me of humanity’s connection. 

Despite all of the customs, cultures, and languages, people can connect in ways that feel entirely familiar. When it feels like everyone is divided up and sorted into labelled orders, this is one of the most fascinating and refreshing truths I get to encounter while living my lifestyle.

For more from Alyssa, visit adventureandalyssa.com.

Manifesting the nomadic lifestyle

Jordan Carroll had a mix of reasons for pursuing a nomadic lifestyle. He always had an intuitive and longstanding desire to grow and learn through travel, and often spoke about moving abroad “one day”. The idea stuck around in his subconscious, slowly surfacing during times of the year where we reanalyzed his career goals and lifestyle ambitions. He eventually reached a point where his hunger for freedom, both professional and personal, became insatiable. This, when paired with his passion for personal growth, made the nomadic lifestyle very appealing. In exploring this and truly getting out of his comfort zone, all while exposing himself to new cultures and ways of life, would lead to unprecedented growth, he reasoned.

Once the decision was made, how did he manifest it?

Well, it wasn’t easy, and it required a sequence of events to enable Jordan to go from idea to realization. First, he had to quit his corporate sales job of four years, which required him to physically visit with clients and customers, and report to an office. Next, after a turbulent time that included remotely running a small marketing firm and breaking up with his long-term girlfriend, he made the conscious decision to pursue a nomadic lifestyle at all costs, and without making any excuses. He got rid of his apartment, despite having five months left on his lease, thanks to flip. lease. A sign from the universe, he figured. Jordan then got rid of most of his stuff and put the rest with his parents in California. He then got a remote commission-based sales job and embarked on a journey that he is still on. Having now lived in 9 different countries, Jordan has found a way to live the life he truly wanted, and all while maintaining a career (different jobs) and a healthy, fulfilling lifestyle.



* this interview was initially conducted in 2019 and has since been edited.

If you’ve ever made an effort to work on your personal growth and development, you know that this pursuit is endless. Here are five of our recommendations for personal development books. 

Building healthy habits takes time and effort, which is why so few people are able to maintain it. This book outlines a system where you get one percent better every day, and slowly but surely build something better. 

According to the author, anxiety can be conceptualized as a habit, or worse, an addiction. When you look at it in such a light, the way to work with it becomes quite different from what one might think. This is a unique take. 

This book teaches you how to be kinder to yourself, and that’s pretty damn important for your physical and mental well-being, as well as the well-being of the people around you. Enough said. 

The approach of Susie Moore will make sense to some, and upset others. In this book, she argues that stress is self-induced, and can just as easily be replaced with positive inductions, like peace and power. She’s got the strategic methods to prove it in the book.

Humans tend to limit themselves with their beliefs, unintentionally robbing themselves of joy and creating needless suffering. The four agreements of Toltec Wisdom combats this, and Ruiz goes over each agreement in detail in the book. 

Five Self-Growth Books Worth Reading

You need to work on your ability to manage, use, and understand your emotions, and those of others. How do we know that? Because we all do. With balanced emotional intelligence, you can navigate through any personal, social, and professional situation with ease. It lets you develop positive affirmations, motivation, empathy, and reasoning capabilities. These traits are vital for your overall well-being, and these three free apps can help with that. 

This app allows you to note and track yoru emotions, thoughts, moods, and overall mental well-being. In short, the application uses a short daily survey to keep track of how you are doing. As with most other data-centric options, it gets better and more accurate with time, and will help you analyze your mental health and correlate mood changes. 

If you often have negative emotions this app is for you. The concept is centered around the ideology that there are six pillars of self-esteem, and that you can improve yours by mindfully working on one pillar each day. 

 The app uses a technique called sentence completion to attract positive affirmations and balance emotional intelligence, and many people swear by it. 

If you are looking for ways to relieve stress and elevate your overall mood, download Egao. The app is designed to put a smile on your face and attract positivity. We could explain the concept further, but you will get it within five seconds of downloading it. Do it, it’s well worth checking out, and serves as a reminder of the power of the smile. 

Free Emotional Intelligence Apps

While we have been pushing to grow the digital nomad community since 2018, we’ve seen a real upswing in 2021. With many people around the world being forced to work remotely, digital nomadic living has exploded, and it’s not industry specific. From finance to tech, and anything in between, more people than ever are pursuing the lifestyle. 

As a result, we have also seen an uptick in super-cool and slightly unusual alternatives to makeshift home offices and the neighborhood coffee shops. As more and more people say goodbye to cubicles, crammed elevators, and long commutes, the options for remote work are seemingly endless. Today, we look at three of them. 

By getting a Blueground Pass you are giving yourself the opportunity to live in nine different American cities, five in Europe, and one in the Middle East, all in 12 months. But unless you plan on hitting all of them, you’re faced with the daunting task of ranking places like Athens, Boston, Paris, and Dubai against each other. Picking and choosing may keep you up at night, but the move-in ready, professionally designed, and fully furnished dwellings that you will have at your disposal through the Blueground Pass should help.  

We are officially celebrating the one-year anniversary of Digital Nomads Madeira Islands, which was launched off the coast of Portugal in February of 2020. It’s the brainchild of Madeira’s regional government, Startup Madeira, and long-time remore worker, Gonçalo Hall. 

It’s more than just a good Wi-fi connection, though, and closer to a full-blown digital nomad community. That includes things like seminars, guided hikes, yoga classes, and other events that fits into their work-from-anywhere approach to having work-life balance. 

While their flexible-term leases, fully furnished apartments, and unique co-living spaces are available to anyone, the company has become increasingly popular with remote workers. 

If you are looking to settle down, but not for long, this is a great and flexible alternative. You have incredible destinations to choose from, from Buenos Aires to Miami, and can move around fairly freely thanks to flex leases. Thanks to Anyplace, we now have one more option to explore the world without interrupting our work schedule.

Flexible Living Options for Life on the Road

If you are a digital nomad, or have aspirations of becoming one, you may want to answer if Croatia comes calling. They opened the new Digital Nomad Valley Zadar in Bokir just a few months ago, and it’s a significant addition to the remote work ecosystem. 

The specialized village, which lays just a few minutes away from Zadar’s historic center, exclusively caters to digital nomads and international entrepreneurs. Whether you’re looking for luxurious mobile homes and beachside campsites, or a reliable WiFi connection and well-designed co-working spaces, you will find it here.

In terms of options, flexibility is at the heart of their offerings. You can stay alone or with others, and sign up for as short of a stay as two weeks. So far, rent is also proving to be significantly less than the typical accommodations in European countries. But affordable living and a village optimized for digital nomads aren’t the only perks – participants can also attend networking and social events organized by project administrators.  

If this sounds interesting, you may want to check out Croatia’s digital nomad visa scheme. It comes with very favorable terms, including a year-long stay and no requirements to pay income tax, and it’s available to travelers outside of the EU as well. 

Digital Nomad Village

No skiing, no problem. There are a ton of wonderful winter destinations that cater to all types of travelers, and many of them feature top tier adventure activities and world class accommodations. At these resorts, there are a whole host of happenings that are certain to get everyone in your party excited about the experience.  

Here’s our list of three European winter destinations for non-skiers. 

Perhaps not a great choice for skiing, but that’s not the focus here. Seefeld is an old farming village turned alpine travel destination, and the picturesque little town offers opportunities for Nordic walking, tobogganing, paragliding, ice skating, and swimming. It also has a number of wellness activities. 

The best part? Seefeld is known for being a winter walker’s paradise, with over 88 miles of cleared and salted walking paths, as well as a plethora of traditional Austrian huts for refreshments. 

While you can ski here, there are so many things to do in Zermatt that you may not get around to it, and that’s okay. The mountain town, which lies below the iconic and pyramid-shaped Matterhorn, offers car-free streets around Bahnhofstrasse, boutique shops, high-quality hotels, and a number of renowned restaurants.  

During the day, non-ski options include tandem paragliding, hiking, climbing, snowshoeing, curling, mountain excursions, sledding, and ice skating. As the day turns to night, enjoy some serious shopping in the village, a lively après-ski scene, and some delicious mulled wine at Igloo Bar, which is made almost entirely out of ice. 

If you’re a part of a group with both non-skiing and skiing members, then Cervinia is a great choice. It’s just across the Swiss border of the recently mentioned Zermatt, but it’s significantly more affordable. Whether you’re hoping to save some money on ski passes and equipment rentals, or just need a great cup of coffee that won’t break the bank, this is the place for you. 

For non-skiers, there’s a fun snow park and a natural ice rink with a bar and sun terrace. But that’s not all. Cervinia is also close in distance to some incredible attractions, including the ancient village of Chamois and Europe’s highest ice caves. This makes our third and final entry on this list a great and fun budget option. 

3 European Winter Destinations (for non-skiers)

2021 was objectively rough. From covid-19 remaining a threat, to general global uncertainty and financial hardship, we can all pat ourselves on the back for making it through it. In speaking to the nomadic community, it’s evident that things have been difficult, for a vast variety of reasons. 

While a new year comes with new opportunities and a clean slate, we seem forced to bring some of the issues that we faced as a population with us into 2022. This can feel both frustrating and daunting, which is why we decided to also think about the good things that we would be taking with us, to better balance things out. 

This year we encourage you to reflect on the good things in your life, whether personal or professional, and bring those things with you into 2022. Perhaps you found a new relationship, dedicated more time to family, got new exciting challenges at work, adopted a pet, or developed a new hobby. Whatever those good things are, don’t leave them behind as we buckle up to tackle a fresh set of challenges now, in addition to a couple that are lingering from 2021. If we have to bring some of the issues that we faced in 2021 with us into the new year, it only makes sense to remind ourselves of the good things we carry with us as well. 

So, here’s to a new year, and the same you!

New Year, Same You

You’ve heard of Opumo, right? The UK-based platform is the universally accepted home of great design, and it exists to support emerging brands like ours. They have a world-class team of carefully selected curators that handpick every brand and product that they feature, and they put an emphasis on design that unites form, function, and style. 

Celebrated for their unique and unparalleled ability to sniff out the latest in fashion, homeware, art, and technology, it’s safe to say that we are delighted about our recent write up on their site.

You can read the piece in its entirety here. 

Oh, It’s an Opumo feature!

For as long as she can remember, Birgitta had dreamt about a life lived in ultimate freedom. To her, that meant minimizing her physical possessions, packing up two suitcases, and buying a one-way plane ticket. She had finally, after much contemplation, decided to follow her own intuition, without compromise or excuses. Birgitta decided to let her inner voice and energy guide her, and she embraced the unknown. 

A journey that began with a trip to Australia is still ongoing. On the never-ending road, she has made a name for herself in the coaching industry. With a background in the corporate and rigid world of sales communications and leadership training, Birgitta has built a successful business around the LifeSpider System, which is centered around dissolving common human struggles and increasing everyday passion for life.  

While Birgitta has been able to live the life of her wildest dreams, she’s careful to stress that a life on the road can be stressful, uncertain, and strenuous. 

-It’s tough to live out of your suitcase, transitioning from one place to the next, and without knowing people. You’re often living on a tight budget, depend on cheap flights and accommodations, and have to be open-minded about your situation and the ways in which you can make money to supplement your lifestyle. But once you embark on that journey, and fully dive in, you’ll quickly realize how little you need to be satisfied with life, and how much love and affection is in your immediate surroundings, even when dealing strangers. 

In the case of Birgitta, she was able to combine two things that many people dream of – a sustainable remote career that she is passionate about, and the exploration of life and land. As a result, she’s had magical metaphysical experiences on lush islands and found a “second home” that is far away from her upbringing in Stockholm, Sweden. 

Her journey has been a long and successful one, and maybe reading this marks the start of yours.

Taking The Plunge – Digital Nomad Edition

It's the shopping experience of the year, and the majority of us have, at one point or another, gotten caught up in the thrill of it all. Saving money is exciting, and the thought of getting a good deal can be intoxicating. But there’s two sides to every story, and that is why we won’t be participating in the global event this year. 

 While we are no strangers to discounts and great offers, we truly feel that Black Friday encourages overspending and impulse buying. We believe in intentional purchases and thoughtful consumption, and as fellow nomads, we hope that you do the same.

In the coming days, as you are bombarded with steep discounts for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we ask you to think twice before contributing to what we genuinely believe is an unethical and unsustainable shopping movement. Mind you, we say this as a direct beneficiary of Black Friday sales. But, there are many things that are more important than that…   

Speaking of more important things - if you are hell-bent on spending money in the coming days, consider checking out one of our favorite causes - Charity: Water. 

Black Friday Blog Post

Whether you’re a fan or a foe, you’re likely to find some of the principles for exploring the values of a community, as put out by the Burning Man collective, intriguing and interesting.

The Five Best Burning Man Principles

Whether you’re a fan or a foe, you’re likely to find some of the principles for exploring the values of a community, as put out by the Burning Man collective, intriguing and interesting. 

Larry Harvey, the man who co-founded this interactive extravaganza, put pen to paper back in 2004 in an attempt to create some principles for the event and the ever-growing movement. They were crafted not as a dictate of how people should be and act, but as a reflection of the community’s ethos and culture, as it had organically developed since its inception. 

Below, we’re sharing five of our favorites. 

Anyone may be a part of Burning Man. We welcome and respect the stranger. No prerequisites exist for participation in our community. 

Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support such interaction.

Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them.

Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply personal participation. We achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play. We make the world real through actions that open the heart.

Immediate experience is, in many ways, the most important touchstone of value in our culture. We seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and a recognition of our inner selves, the reality of those around us, participation in society, and contact with a natural world exceeding human powers. No idea can substitute for this experience.

Do you have a favorite principle from Burning Man, or maybe one of your own? We’d love to hear about it. 

Where the world-renowned Highway 1 ends, the lost coast unofficially begins. The area, which got its name after it experienced depopulation in the 1930s, is California’s only coastal wilderness, where no development or major roads come near the ocean. As such, it’s best (but not exclusively) explored on foot.

The Lost Coast of California

Where the world-renowned Highway 1 ends, the lost coast unofficially begins. The area, which got its name after it experienced depopulation in the 1930s, is California’s only coastal wilderness, where no development or major roads come near the ocean. As such, it’s best (but not exclusively) explored on foot. 

Stretching between Shelter Cove to the south and the Mattole River to the north, in both Mendocino and Humboldt counties, the lost coast is a wild land of forests and fog.  The area is filled with high alpine forests, Roosevelt elk grazing in bluff-top prairies, and majestic redwoods. With sweeping grasslands and coastal forest, the incredible ocean vistas humbly remind you of how insignificant us humans are. From the unforgettable views of King Range, its peak soaring 4,000 feet above the Pacific, to the water’s edge and its shell mounds, the area is quickly becoming a dream destination for backpackers and eco-tourists. 

With its tiny rural towns, high tide treasures, and breathtaking hiking trails, it’s an escape that is well worth the trekking. Just don’t forget to stop by the abandoned lighthouse at Punta Gorda.

Solo travel is having a moment, and we’re not the only ones who think it’s here to stay. You get to do your own thing, forge your own path, look after yourself, explore areas and people all on your own… The list can be made endless.

Ice Breakers for Solo Travelers

Solo travel is having a moment, and we’re not the only ones who think it’s here to stay. You get to do your own thing, forge your own path, look after yourself, explore areas and people all on your own… The list can be made endless. 

But, while you may really cherish your me-time and pride yourself on your independence, it doesn’t mean that you’re not going to want to socialize at different parts of your trip. Making new friends can be an absolutely life-changing part of solo travel, and striking up a conversation with a stranger doesn’t have to be a daunting task. 

Here are some perfectly simple but proven icebreaker tips for making new friends when travelling solo. 

Not everything can be off the beaten path, and popular destinations and attractions are popular for a reason, with very few yet important exceptions. Taking a walking tour or joining a group experience is a great way to meet new people. You’ll already have a shared interest, as evident by signing up for the same tour, and talking points will be all around you as you experience new sights and sounds together. 

While the solo traveler may have perfected the selfie by now, we all know that a helping hand goes a long way, and can give you a much different perspective. The quick interaction is a great way to strike up a conversation, and because you’re doing the stranger a favor, they’ll likely be friendly and talkative. If you hit it off, you can build on it from there. If you don’t, then no harm done. You helped take a photo, and finishing the task gives you a non-awkward but perfectly viable exit strategy. 

A ton of restaurants have communal dining, and finding those places isn’t difficult. Everyone knows that those tables are for sharing, which in turn lowers the barriers when it comes to striking up a conversation with a stranger. You may be seated next to a smaller group, or a fellow solo traveler, but either way you’re likely to socialize. 

Whether you love to try new food in foreign countries, or you’re just learning how to surf, participating in activities that you’re passionate about is a great way to find likeminded people. Along the same lines, a little research and some simple googling will usually give you a pretty good idea of where likeminded people will be. Connecting with fellow travelers, whether it’s at a popular hostel or at a beach that you found on a subreddit, will usually enrich your experience but also give you a better idea of what there is to see and do in said city. By simply engaging fellow travelers in travel-related conversations, you’re bound to get a ton of useful tips. 

Whether it’s the staff at the local hostel or hotel, your AirBnB host, or the barista of the nearby coffee shop, it shouldn’t be difficult to get some tips on where to go and what to do from them. If you hit it off with anyone during your initial interaction, you can build on it. If you don’t, you’re hopefully left with helpful tips and tricks for where you can find likeminded people next. 

Before you hit the road, make sure that you have the right gear. From backpacks that are optimized for international travel (hidden pockets, passport storage), to the popular transformer toiletry bag, we’ve got you covered. 

Eat Your way Through Europe

Since we’re not here to divide, we want to clarify that this by no means is a list of the certifiably ranked best places for eating your way through Europe. We’ve seen a lot of hot takes, and will not be going down that tricky road. Instead, take this for what it is, a list of European cities with great food.

Yeah, you’ve heard of Noma, considered by many to be the best restaurant in the world, but there is more to this Scandinavian capital than Chef Rene Redzepi’s ultra-modern menu. The popular restaurant has offspring all over the city, with former Noma chefs now in charge of eateries like 108, Sanchez, and Amass. 

Check out Michelin-rated Relae for an all-organic flavor experience that you won’t soon forget, or the two Michelin starred AOC. 

For a more laid back dining experience, you can’t go wrong with Reffen. Head out to this industrial part of Copenhagen, and enjoy food trucks and stalls with a wide variety of international dishes that are to die for. 

With so many reasons to visit Budapest, including the thermal baths, some people tend to forget about Hungarian cuisine. But with such a rich, varied, and delicious kitchen, it’s not a country in which you should go hung(a)ry.

Start with the goulash and learn what a perfect version of the popular dish should really taste like. Move on to the chicken paprikash, one of the most popular dishes in the entire city, and finish with palacsinta, which is Hungarian pancakes. The crepe-like cakes can be served either sweet or savory, and they’re delicious either way. Lastly, in between all of your meals, try to leave room for some world-renowned Kolbász sausage. With too many fantastic restaurants to mention by name, do your research before picking places to dine at. 

From the Mediterranean Sea to historical sites, Turkey has a lot to offer, including welcoming people, a rich culture, amazing museums, and unforgettable food. There’s a reason that it is one of the most visited countries in the world, and the spotlight is often rightfully on Turkish dishes. While you may have initially come for the cultural experience, please don’t leave without having feasted on special treats like meze, pide, baklava, and kebab. 

If you’re looking for great wines that pairs well with gorgeous views, look no further than Bordeaux. As a smart traveler, you split most of your time between the left bank and the right bank, only to realize that the six days you spent there wasn’t nearly enough. Whether you’re taking a winery biking tour or enjoying the centrally located wine museum, you can take comfort in the fact that you’re never more than a couple of minutes away from world-class bites and wineries. Don’t forget to use any extra time you have to explore the area around the quaint Saint-Émilion, a small commune in the Gironde department, and home to less than 2,000 people. 

It might not be a major cosmopolitan city like Paris or London, but San Sebastian is perhaps the greatest food destination in the world, with more Michelin stars per capita than any other city and a thriving pintxos scene that you won’t believe until you see it.

It makes the list not only because of the overabundance of haute cuisine, but because it is literally paradise, with its incredible view over the crescent bay and the beautiful La Concha Beach. There are three 3-star restaurants, among a handful of 1- and 2-starred places, plus a plethora of pintxos bars serving gourmet-style bites that are just as good as any fancy meal you’ve ever had.

Just an hour or so from San Sebastian is the Rioja wine region of Spain, where you’ll also find some really incredible food from Michelin star chefs and formidable home-style restaurants. One of the funnest foodie things we’ve ever done was a pinchos crawl down the tiny streets of Logrono, Spain. It’s a foodie’s dream!

Imagine foie gras, duck confit, and black truffles paired with bold and complex Bordeaux wines. You’ll be having gourmet lunches and dinners paired with world-class wine every day. It doesn’t get any better than this.

Five ways to stimulate personal growth

Let’s start this off by being as clear as we can – personal growth is an incredibly broad topic, and what counts as growth to you may very well not to someone else. Whether you think it’s about personal development, finding yourself, or something else, the key is that you’re in charge of the process, the progress, and the final product. 

Pursuing said growth often requires the exploration of your own identity, talents, aspirations, and potential. It pushes you in more ways than one, including physically, mentally, spiritually, and intellectually. 

Talking about personal growth can sometimes feel like you’re casting a wide net, but that’s the whole point. It’s your net, and it can look however you want it to. Your journey might involve up-skilling or traveling, or it may be centered around yoga and spiritual healing. The key point doesn’t change – put yourself in positions that triggers exploration and growth. 

Surround yourself with people that make you better, and allow them to rub off on you. If you value kindness, compassion, bravery, and inner drive, find likeminded people and build a community that you can count on. While this can take time, be patient, and practice what you preach. You often attract what you are, or aspire to be. 

Along the same lines, but admittedly a much tougher task - you should eliminate people, places, and activities that bring you down. Sometimes this includes loved ones or a childhood friend, and it’s rarely easy. But just like you’re expanding your circle with the right people, you have to be open to removing people that are no longer fitting in. 

You may have come across this on social media, and the irony is not lost on us. However, we’re not here to tell you to quit social media, which is a trend that is picking up steam. We’re just here to remind you of the fact that you need to pay attention to what consuming different content does to you. If it evokes positive feelings, keeping it in your life (in moderation) may help you with your personal growth. If you catch yourself consuming content that is stealing time from your other activities, or you experience more negative emotions as part of your social media consumption, you need to reevaluate how you spend your time and who you follow. Lastly, and we hope this goes without saying, never forget that 99% of what you see on social is clipped, cropped, and cultivated. 

Take time out of each day to get some fresh air. Meet up with a friend to walk through the local park, visit the beach for the sunset, or go an extra block when you walk the dog. Such mini escapes can make a world of difference, and usually energize you for an entire day. 

Be the change you wish to see, and seek out opportunities to act on it as often as possible. Whether it’s assisting a stranger at the coffee shop, helping a friend, or connecting with your mom, doing something to brighten someone’s day can make a significant positive difference for you, and the person you were kind to. This stuff spreads, and you can be the butter knife. By practicing kindness on a daily basis, your immediate surroundings and world will be filled with positive interactions, good people, and good times. 

Do you have a favorite way to stimulate personal growth? We’d love to hear from you!

Four ways to stimulate personal growth

Whether your next trip is a long weekend getaway to Budapest, or a week-long hiking adventure at Zion National Park, planning ahead can make a world of difference. This holds true when it comes to the potential impact that you have on the environment that you’ll be experiencing as well.

Eco-friendly travel – minimize impact and maximize the experience

Whether your next trip is a long weekend getaway to Budapest, or a week-long hiking adventure at Zion National Park, planning ahead can make a world of difference. This holds true when it comes to the potential impact that you have on the environment that you’ll be experiencing as well. 

As the world begins to open up again, and our desire to travel grows, it’s important to reflect on the travel habits from the past. The truth is, small actions can affect the bigger picture, and stressing that fact is perhaps more important than ever.

So, how do you make smart, eco-friendly choices when packing and planning for your trip?

While passing on straws is always a good idea, bringing your own reusable water bottle will have a much more drastic impact on the environment. From filling it up at airports and restaurants, to the thought of how many plastic bottles will be left unused as a result of your actions, makes using a reusable water bottle a no brainer. 

Along the same lines, consider bringing a portable cutlery set. This will come in particularly handy if you’re going on a road trip, having meals on the road or out of your car. There are a ton of affordable, good-looking sets a Google search away, with some costing as little as $5. Put your water bottle and your portable cutlery set in one of our leisure totes (as opposed to a plastic bag!), and you’ll be ready to minimize your impact while maximizing the experience. 

Most of us have been there – at the local pharmacy of our travel destination, buying big bottles of shampoos and body washes, and turning a plastic bag into a toiletry kit. By the time you’re getting ready to head back home, you’re left with half-used products that will not fit in your luggage, so you leave it all behind. Instead, consider using travel-sized, reusable bottles. It takes up less room, and you get to bring your favorite products from home with you on the road. For extra style and convenience points, throw all of your new travel-sized products in one of our transformer toiletry bags. 

We’ll round this out with a helpful PSA – make sure that your sunscreen is environmentally friendly (and covers UVA and UVB rays!) and that your insect repellent, should you need it, is plant-based as opposed to being filled with unhealthy and damaging chemicals. 

Looking for travel inspo? Look no further. 