Bucket List 2018 – New year, new plans

26/12/20171 Comment

Another day in December, it’s grey outside and I have just realized that I haven’t posted in more than a year. This year, though, has been a busy one for me with lots of changes, both good and bad. 2018 which is just a few days away looks promising, I’m already excited for what lies ahead. That’s why I decided to work on my bucket list 2018: The things I want to start or finish or simply experience once.

1. Finish my dissertation

The hardest and probably most important item on my bucket list 2018 is to finally finish my dissertation thesis. I have been writing that huge amount of pages for almost 5 years now and it feels like my personal Mount Everest: I know I can do it, but I need constant focus, training and stamina. As of right now, I feel confident that I might be finished by October’18. Life is unpredictable though, I have learnt that in 2017.

2. Practice Yoga at least twice a week

Sometimes I wonder what holds me back: I have my yoga mat on the floor and I’m on Adriene’s awesome newsletter in order to find what feels good. Still, I often can’t drag myself away from that new TV show or my computer with work stuff on it. As I know how good it would be for me to practice yoga more often, it’s on the second position of my list.

3. Travel (more)

2017 has been a quiet year – travelwise. Besides going to the Czech Republic in January, I have only been away twice, both times for conferences and both times within Germany. Will I be able to plan something bigger for 2018? Probably not. At least I get to start the year with a short trip to Dresden, a city that I liked a lot the last time. I also hope to go abroad for a bit after I hand in my dissertation for some much-needed rest. However, I have no idea where to go so far – any suggestions are very much appreciated!

4. Get out more

I admit that I can be a couch potato – if you ask me what I’ll do on a regular weekend, my answer probably is: Watch Netflix and/or read. I’d hope to go out more in 2018. Not that I plan to go to clubs or dancing a lot, just simply leave the apartment and treat myself with a little fresh air and a short stroll.

5. Read/ Write more for pleasure

That would certainly include blogging more regularly or after a hiatus in 2017 to blog at all in 2018. It’s hard to make time and find input on what to write when I’m not planning a vacation or traveling. I know, though, that writing relaxes me as does reading for pleasure. Maybe I should pick a book for every month, something that is not at all related to my field of study or join a book club?

6. Be kinder to myself

It feels like I have been doing ok in 2017: I switched jobs which was a huge step, led to some anxiety but overall I’m less stressed every evening when I come home. I also taught a tutorium for four months this spring/summer and didn’t freak out every time before class but learnt to be more easy-going. I also (almost) stopped to pressure myself into getting stuff done faster than I can. 2018 will include some major life-changes, I’m quite sure of that and I hope to be able to manage that without any pressure. However, I need to start listening to my body – sleep more, eat healthier, be more active and, as always, drink less coffee…

What are your resolutions for 2018 – what’s on your bucket list 2018? I’m excited to hear from you!

Christmas Market Bad Hindelang

08/12/201607/12/2016Leave a comment

I have previously written about Christmas markets, namely the ones in Munich that I liked best. Last weekend I took a day trip to one in a town farther away but equally great: Each year for about two weeks the cozy town Bad Hindelang in the beautiful Bavarian mountains welcomes its guests for the Christmas Market Bad Hindelang.

Christmas market Bad Hindelang

Where?

Bad Hindelang is a rather small town in the Bavarian mountains. Its Christmas market spans over the whole center of the town with most streets closed off for traffic. You’ll have to pay an entrance fee (app. 5€) to get in, but they offer a lot of special activities as well which makes the Christmas market to a true experience.

When?

It is held during the first two weeks of December (over 1. and 2. Advent weekend). If you prefer a quieter athmosphere, it might be better to go during the week as weekends and especially evenings can get extremely crowded. I’d advise you to either go around lunch time and have lunch there (the food is amazing) or on a week night to see all the lights there.

How to get there?

Bad Hindelang doesn’t have its own train station, so the closest one would be Sonthofen. It can be reached easily from Munich and any other bigger city in Southern Bavaria. From the train station, simply take one of the shuttle buses that run every 30 minutes and drop you off right in front of the Christmas market Bad Hindelang. If you decide to drive there, please note that apparently parking is limited. Parking is also located a bit outside of Bad Hindelang with free shuttle buses going to the Christmas market every 10 minutes or so.

What to try?

Definitely come with an empty stomach because all the food and drinks that they offer make it really hard to choose. I’d always go for Kässpatzen which is a typical Swabian/ Bavarian dish made with spaetzle and lots of rather sharp cheese. It’s my favorite dish anywhere when prepared fresh (which they do). If you like meat better, you should try any kind of Bratwurst there. They had a spicy and long one with Kraut that looked delicious. Also, crepes or waffles are always a good choice for dessert.

As for drinks, the standard choice would be Glühwein (alcoholic spiced wine) or Kinderpunsch (non-alcoholic spiced tea), but there are lots of other more fancy things like Hot Caipirinha or Hot Aperol Sprizz to name a few. Just be safe and don’t drink and drive.

Some impressions

A stage setting on which they perform plays or where you can sit on Christkindl’s chair

As you can see, we went on a wonderful sunny afternoon. The mountains were visible just great.

Many arts & crafts are sold in these little booths.

They made and sold Angel’s Locks: Basically deep fried potatoes that were shaped into locks. It looked delicious and the line in front of the booth was so long.

Beautiful paintings on the house walls

Feel free to also check out their website for additional information!

A Traveler’s Reading List 48/2016

04/12/20162 Comments

Christmas is right around the corner and I’m feeling very busy shopping for gifts and still finding time to explore Christmas markets in Bavaria. I haven’t been reading anything yesterday and my Traveler’s Reading List 48/2016 today will also be quite short. I myself have published a post on my recent Liebster award nomination – if you want to read a lot about me, check it out and leave me a comment!

#blogpostsaturday

I loved Ellen’s post on the importance of disconnecting. With the holidays coming up (and in general) I just couldn’t agree more: We spend way too much time in front of electronics (hello from my Macbook) and sometimes we just need to let go and go out. I myself have recently turned off all my notifications on my phone and I must say that I have become much more productive and chill. No more buzzing and beeping, I still check my phone regularly, but if there should be any emergency I believe that people will simply call me.

Lena shares with us how she plans her trips. I always find that interesting to hear from a different perspective, there are just so many ways to plan a trip and so many good tips and tricks out there! I recently posted that I rely a lot on free travel apps, simply because I try to minimize luggage space and always have my iPhone at hand.

Also, I can totally relate to Silvia’s post “13 Reasons You’ll Wish I Never Came Home for the Holidays“! I remember when I came home for the holidays while I was teaching abroad in Ohio and how awkward it all felt. Mostly because I was very aware that I had experienced many things and made different friends which was just hard to share!

Millie’s post is a collection of the 8 museums that you must visit. Clearly the museum nerd in me soaked that post up! Awesome collection, I must admit, and unfortunately I have only been to one.

Having been to Seattle recently I loved all the cute coffee shops they have besides Starbucks. See this post if you want to read about three unique coffee shops in the Seattle area. Sadly, I visited none of them, but that will just be one more reason to return then.

Stephanie shares her first solo hike up Montserrat mountain. If you look at her pictures, you know that the view certainly was a reward!

A very cool post comes from Shannon who planned a cheap trip to Birmingham and shared it with her readers. It’s funny because very often I do that as well – plan a trip that I don’t take.

Hannah’s post is on battling jet lag and contains so many great tips! I had collected some of my tips here when I arrived in Seattle in July!

As some of you know, I’ll be going to Lindau and Prague next. Both in winter and I’m expecting very cold temperatures. Just in time today I read Christine’s advice on how to prepare for winter travel! She mostly focuses on driving by car, but the whole “pack light but wisely” is something that I need to remind myself of all. the. time.

Christmas markets in Paris look awesome! I have been writing about Munich’s markets and will add some Bavarian markets soon enough, but this post by Kristine just makes me want to hop on a plane to Paris and spend some time there!

My blog feed

I’m still not sure what to get most people for Christmas, so I think I’ve now read almost every gift guide of 2016: 35 Gifts For the Wanderlust-Obsessed Person In Your Life

Instagram amazes me every day. I love following all the wonderful people there and especially seeing all the heavenly places that they visit: The Top 20 Worldwide Instagram Spots Of 2016 For some reason LAX is on there and I keep asking myself: WHY?!

Traveling Abroad: Do’s and Dont’s: It’s College Humor but in some way so heart-breakingly accurate.

It always makes me so happy to see photos from Malaysia. That really was a great trip. I may not have been to all of these places, but there is always something left to do: 16 Incredible Malaysian Destinations That Aren’t Kuala Lumpur

Enjoy the read! I’ll be exploring Lindau at Lake Constance next week and hopefully be back with fresh memories, great pictures and in time for a new edition of A Traveler’s Reading List. Stay wanderlustig!

Nomination for a Liebster Award

01/12/201602/12/20164 Comments

Oh, how exciting, I am nominated for a Liebster Award!

First of all, thanks Neha and Abhishek!

I’m very honored to receive this nomination. For some weeks now, I have seen fellow blogs being nominated and it makes me so happy that I can join the club now. Let me introduce Neha and Abhishek from Revolving Compass: They are, as they say on their blog, a techie couple enthusiastic for traveling which is a passion that they share. First as a couple and now together with their toddler they have been exploring wonderful places in India for over 3 years! Please keep these wonderful posts coming, I wish you all the best for your future adventures!

Now, You’ll probably ask: What is the Liebster Award?

When I started my blogging adventure more seriously and joined all these awesome groups on Facebook, I kept seeing blogs being nominated for a Liebster Award and nominees talking about it. Even though I didn’t really know what it was, I actually applied and mentioned my blog on the very first day. Now I know as it is stated on the Facebook Page:

The Liebster Award is a way of promoting and recognizing fellow bloggers, (on the internet) for their efforts and accomplishments in becoming a blogger.

Doesn’t that sound just great?! Bloggers being supportive of other bloggers is just a wonderful and generous thing. As Neha and Abhishek mentioned in their entry, the name of the award – Liebster – comes from my homecountry – Germany – and it means: The dearest and kindest. And that it just is, the dearest and kindest way to connect fellow new bloggers in the industry, to give them exposure and the recognition they earn for sharing their stories with the world.
When you are nominated for the Liebster Award, you are supposed to do the following:

Thank those who nominated you and link the blog in your post
Write an intro about the Liebster Award and spread the awareness
Answer the questions about your blog
Nominate another 5 to10 other people for the Liebster Award and inform them via social media
Set up a few interesting questions for the nominees

So, here come my answers to Neha’s and Abhishek’s questions

Thanks for the great set of questions, guys! I’ll do my best answering them! It has been such a great week for me reflecting on all your questions.

What inspired you to start traveling?

Actually, I was 15 when I took my first flight and traveled to another continent, so I’d say I started traveling extremely late. All my other friends had been traveling way before that age. At the same time, I suppose that it impressed me even more than others who had been traveling a lot before. I remember sitting in the plane back to Germany (from New York City) at that time, crying because I was overflowing with emotions: Happiness because I just had so many great days and sadness because I had to leave and go back to school. That moment I promised myself to keep on exploring different countries and cultures.

Which travel destination is the closest to your heart and why?

Definitely the USA: see the story above. Also, I spent a year living in Ohio and have so many fond memories of that time. I have also visited a couple of places there already (such as New York, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle and Portland) and was always so lucky to meet great new people or catch up with old friends. When I’m there, it only takes a couple of hours and I feel at home.

What fuels the motivation behind your travel blog?

At first, I wanted to share my adventures with friends and families and the blog served as a convenient method to let them know that I was still alive whenever I was abroad on a solo trip. Then I realized that I have so many stories to share and tell with others and I decided to make this blog more public to inspire others that they can do it as well. Traveling or traveling alone is fun, not scary! I’m very passionate about the places I have been and I love to inspire and share my ideas or share my advice.
I also enjoy writing in English, even though German would be an easier choice. I’m Munich-based and I have had visitors from different countries now, which was when I realized that I should also share some tipps and tricks about Munich. It’s a wonderful city!

Where do you envision your blog a couple of years down the line?

Hopefully still going strong and maybe even stronger than now,
I want it to be filled with many new adventures, destinations and tricks for everyone out there. Plus, I’d love to be able to make people go out and travel more. I also want to keep up adding more photos because apparently the move from the free wordpress site deleted them all.

How do you combat home sickness after days of travel?

This is actually a subject that I have been thinking about a lot lately. I usually try to stay busy and go out. Take a walk, explore, calm myself down. Keeping in touch with friends and family can help as well. But all in all, I’d say that the most important part is to remember that homesickness or loneliness is a normal part of being “on the road” and that you can allow yourself to be lazy or sad or anything you want to be. It’s important to be at peace with yourself and what you feel when you are traveling.

What is the most important thing you have learnt during your travel journey?

For me, the most important thing that I learnt was and still is that you can’t plan everything. I’m a pretty organised person when I am at home and when I write my dissertation, so of course I try to be as prepared as possible when traveling. I’ve learnt over the last couple of years that I have to let go and be more spontaneous.

What was your toughest travel experience so far?

I haven’t had many bad experiences, luckily, compared to many other travelers. The toughest experience thus was probably being robbed in my dorm by the girls I shared the place with. It sucked pretty bad and almost ruined a perfectly pleasant stay in San Francisco. Plus, I felt so stupid and bad loosing all the cash.

Do you have a bucket list that you are ticking off slowly?

I do have a very long bucket list. It keeps growing and growing, especially now that I am home-stuck for a little while. Many destinations on my bucket list are far away, such as Canada, Japan and New Zealand. Other than that, I have many different cities that I want to visit for the first time or for a second time, such as Prague (going there in January now!), London, Paris, Rome or New York City.

What was the most heart touching experience you had during your travel ?

I’m always touched when I meet nice people on my trips. Since I am usually traveling on my own, these short or long encounters always make me feel happy. On my last trip I took the train from Portland, OR, to San Francisco, CA. When I entered, all window seats were unfortunately taken, but the woman next to me switched seats with me for a couple of hours so that I was able to enjoy the view. She told me that I was a guest and should enjoy my trip and that I would do the same in Germany for her. It was incredibly sweet of her!

Given a chance to travel day in and day out, would you grab it?

Probably not – to give the short answer. I love traveling, but a huge and wonderful part for me is coming home which requires having a homebase somewhere. For me, traveling is giving myself a timeout, being more spontaneous and having an adventure on my own. I’m investing a lot of time and energy into my studies which I am also very passionate about and could never give up completely!

What would be your one liner for someone who wants to start travel blogging?

It’s my favorite saying and the tag line of my blog: “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” (Confucius). In a longer version: Go out and do it, but do it with all your heart and be yourself.

Here are my nominees for the Liebster Award 2016:

1) Wading Wade
2) Abstract Heaven
3) TravelTorgeir
4) The Wandereuse
5) Little Duckie’s Adventures
6) Up&At’Em Travel
7) Island Girl In-Transit
8) Loudy’s Dream
9) Honey in the Desert
10) DreamTrip of a Lifetime

Congratulations! I can’t wait all of your answers to my questions!

And my questions to the nominees:

What is your favorite place in your hometown or home country?
How do you finance your travels?
Which places are on your bucket list?
What was the best experience that you had while traveling?
Which travel tip would you share with a new traveler?
What inspires you to travel and blog?
How did you come up with your blog name?
How has your travel style changed as compared to when you just started traveling?
What is the one thing that always makes you cringe when you are traveling abroad?
What do you struggle with as a travel blogger?

A Traveler’s Reading List 47/2016

27/11/201627/11/20163 Comments

Good evening everyone! How has your week been going? I’ve been busy catching up with old Gilmore Girls episodes before I can finally watch the new season. I have managed to escape a few spoilers for while, but I don’t know how long I want to do that! Except for that I spent my weekend at home like a hermit typing in many words of my PhD thesis. It feels good to be productive and to have a weekend for myself every once in a while. But let’s start: Here comes my Traveler’s Reading List 47/2016!

#blogpostsaturday

As always, I have been incredibly late with catching up with all the amazing blogposts that are shared every Saturday.

A pleasant surprise awaited me on Friday though: I was nominated for a Liebster Award by Neha and Abhishek from Revolving Compass and I’ll thus be working on my blogpost for next Thursday. If you want to know what it is and if you are curious of the questions that I have to answer, please check back next week! This week’s post was on 10 Christmas gifts for travelers, all of them chosen wisely by me!

I’ve been reminded of my ignorance and laziness when I read Vicki’s post with so many great social media & SEO tips for newbie bloggers. Let’s see how many tips I will be able to integrate in my daily blogging!

Christina shared how she monetized her travel blog. I’m not really good at that yet and don’t expect to make much money any time soon, but I’d love to one day earn enough to finance my blog and a bit of my travel expenses.

Laura shares her strategies on how to save money each month to spend on traveling. Sounds great, but I still have to work on my shopping habits!

I loooove travel fails and have encountered so many myself. Of course I had to read Jennifer’s entry from this week! I also shared a story of mine in her comments.

Anne shares her packing list for world tour which includes some great tips and tricks!

I’m always so happy to read on places in Romania. Sibiu does really look like a fairytale city, so you should check out Mihaela’s post! If you like traditions, then Cory’s post on 7 Romanian customs which will make you superstitious will be a great read for you!

Let’s all say a big congratulation to Naomi on her one year blogiversary on her travel blog Probe around the Globe! Her Q&A is super interesting and shows how much work she spends on her travel blog!

My blog feed

My blog feed has been swamped with news on the new season of Gilmore Girls, so there weren’t many posts that I could read, unfortunately!

12 Brilliant Packing Hacks If You Don’t Wanna Check In Luggage

I Tried 5 Sleeping Hacks For Long-Haul Flights And It Was Damn Uncomfortable

21 Cosy Winter Comfort Foods Everyone Must Eat In Scotland

Why This Couple is Traveling Africa, and You Should Too!

How To Quit Your Corporate Job To Travel Without Burning Bridges

A Charming Charleston Destination Guide

Digital Nomads: The Uplifting Beauty Of Living And Working Anywhere You Want

How to live a life of travel even with a full time job

What have you had on your Traveler’s Reading List? What did you do last week?

10 Christmas Gifts for travelers

24/11/201622/11/20162 Comments

Christmas is right around the corner, just a month away! Have you started with your Christmas shopping yet? Each year I promise myself to start in October, plus to make a list of ideas for myself so that I can share my wishes with others. This year I’ll share my list of 10 Christmas gifts for travelers which mostly consists of things that I wish for myself or have wished for in the past. Maybe it’ll help you for yourself or a loved one who loves to travel as well!

1. An external hard drive (155 USD)

I got that one from Western Digital to save all my photos and memories during and after my trips. There is nothing more frustrating than losing all your pictures because something happened to your laptop.

2. A power bank for their phone (15 USD)

It is really tiny and easy to carry in your back pack when you are out and exploring new places which makes it one of the smaller Christmas gifts for travelers. Very often there is only little time to plug in your phone and charge it, so a power bank can do that on the go and save you from running out of power.

3. A travel guide (15-20 USD)

I always recommend the travel guides by Lonely Planet, simply because I myself have trusted them for the last 10 years and collected an impressive library already. Their suggestions are always thoughtful and mostly accurate, plus they cover all kinds of budgets. If you know in advance of a future destination, a travel guide as a Christmas gift for a traveler can never be wrong.

4. A bag for their DSLR (35 USD)

I own this one from Kalahari since 2013 and am not disappointed. I take it with me on all bigger trips and use it as my day pack with or without my DSLR in it. It has proven itself to be very durable!

5. Any other camera accessoires, i.e. a new lens (175 USD)

If you intend to spend quite a bit more, I promise you that accessoires for a DSLR always are great Christmas gifts for travelers. I myself had a new lens for my Nikon on my wishlist last year, because the one that I had, wasn’t great for taking on trips.

6. A travel bag organizer (20 USD)

It is a great help when you need to stay organized, not only during a trip, but also in everyday life. It fits most of the cables that you need for your laptop, cell phone or camera. When I’m not traveling, I simply use it for storage. It makes it easier to find everything.

7. Weekend travel guide (15 USD)

The NY Times 36 Hours in USA & Canada is guide with suggestions for shorter trips such as weekends! Very well made and with great ideas! The book or rather the series make great Christmas gifts for travelers!

8. A weekender (30 USD)

This bag is cabin approved, i.e. you won’t have to check it. It’s perfect for shorter trip such as a weekend city trip. I chose the bag from Karabar because it comes with a 3 year warranty! Plus, it really looks cute, don’t you think?

9. Packing Cubes (70 USD)

I know, I know, these packing cubes from Eagle Creek look incredibly expensive, but I have tried them myself this year and I’d say that they were one of the best purchases that I made! They fit everything for a three week’s trip and they help so much to stay organized during the trip. They simply do their job very very well and they are very durable!

10. Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 (70 USD)

If you liked playing with your parents’ polaroid when you were younger, you will love the Fujifilm Instax Mini as well and so will the person that you gift it to. Easy to handle and a lightweight, so the Fujifilm can be taken on a trip for these instant photos!

All these things may seem random, but they are just not as obvious as you’d think. Still, it is mostly stuff that in my opinion everyone could use. So tell me now: What is on your list for this Christmas? Feel free to share it with me!

A Traveler’s Reading List 46/2016

20/11/201620/11/20164 Comments

How did your week and weekend go? I’ve been really busy so that I’m just getting around to catch up with my reading list. #blogpostsaturday becomes more and more a Sunday thing for me, but I sincerely hope that that’s ok with everyone. I published one post on Thursday, as always, and I’ve been busy on Instagram sharing pictures from Pittsburgh in 2014. It’s as much blog time as I can spare each week, I guess. But let’s continue with what I started last week: A traveler’s reading list 46/2016!

#blogpostsaturday

Although I’m not sure whether I want to make my blog a business or not, I was glad to find Madi’s post. I’d love to at least earn as much as I spend on my blog, so I’ll have to get to work on some points that she is talking about!
I l loved Emily’s very honest post on why she and her fiancé stopped traveling half-way through their adventure year. I believe that it is so important to listen into oneself and evaluate what one wants from life.
Shannon reviewed google trips, which I will have to see for myself, but it sounds quite good!
Becca has been nominated for the Liebster Award (congrats!) and thus answered 10 questions about herself and her blog!
A very funny and a bit sarcastic post came from Katie with “How to Save Money For Travel – The Tricks Nobody Will Tell You”.
To read about a visit to Landsberg am Lech made me incredibly happy, because I keep telling people to go there. It’s such a cute little city!
Meg writes about first week travel blues which I totally think is a thing, it is basically what I meant with homesickness in my post a few weeks ago.
Ever heard of Boerum Hill?! I hadn’t which is why Victoria’s post cam just at the right time.
Here is a list of some travel hacks if you don’t know them already. Even though I technically do, I sometimes forget to follow them…
Another post on visiting a city in Germany: Kristine went to Trier, and it looks like she and her boyfriend had a really good time!
Ever since my trip to Thailand, I looove Thaifood (if it is not too spicy). See this post for five fav dishes to try! And this post will make you want to go to Bangkok! Which makes me want to agree with Bidisha who in her post names seven reasons to revisit places.

My blog feed

Adventurous Kate (who I have been following for quite some time and admire A LOT) writes about The Conversation. I’m sure everyone has been there, probably with different topics.

5 budget European destinations

How To Survive Being An Exchange Student In 5 Simple Steps

6 of the best art stops in Oxford, UK

Ultimate Female Packing List for Ireland in Summer (with camping tips)

How to unplug from and minimize your possessions

13 Things Every Person Can Look Forward To For Winter In NYC

On the Shores of a Pink Lake in Australia

That’s that for this weekend! Leave me a comment if you liked my list or think that I need to read something special for next weeks list!

My most helpful free travel apps

17/11/201616/11/20164 Comments

I have to be honest with you: Traveling, and especially traveling solo, requires a lot of planning for me, before-hand and during the trip. I myself like to stay on top of all bookings and reservations, but I also hate to carry my Macbook with me all the time. This is why for my last trip I started to look into apps for my iPhone and/or iPad. Today I’ll share with you my most helpful free travel apps, i.e. the apps that helped me to stay organized in the past.

1. Airline apps

Airline Apps are simply convenient for me since they allow me to look up my flight info, access information on any airports and let me check in on time or choose my seat. So far I have used Air France, Fly Delta, KLM and Lufthansa on various occasions. All of them have worked just fine and proven to be very helpful when I was already stressed out and had to hurry between connecting flights. Can you guess how often I have to check which gate I need to find when I am tired?!

2. AirBnB

AirBnB is an awesome App that is just so easy to use! It lets you check for accommodation, look at pictures of the listings and you can book directly and stay in contact with your future host. If you want to book via AirBnB or already have a booking then this is really one of the must-have travel apps! I sometimes use it to just look for dreamy accommodation that I would like to stay at some day.

3. Hostelworld

A must-have for all budget travelers in my honest opinion. I have booked most of my hostel accommodations via hostelworld so far and while I prefer to actually book via a computer, I love the app to have all infos such as room type, check-in dates and the address at one place. It will also alert you after your stay to leave a comment and rate the hostel so that other people can check ratings before they book.

4. guides by Lonely Planet

As a huge fan of and believer in the Lonely Planet Guides, this is an app that I found out recently about: It features different city guides that you can download to have them available offline. When I started using the app, the list of cities was quite small, but it keeps growing. They even ask you to send in your recommendations on which city guides to add next! There are many more features like saving sights to a list or calculating a budget that this app offers!

5. Google Maps

Occasionally, my sense of direction is totally off and I tend to get stressed out when I feel lost in a new city. As fun as it can be to get lost at a new place on purpose: Being lost with all your luggage on your way to the hostel or while looking for a place to be, just sucks. This is where I rely on Google Maps. If it needs to be, I just follow its directions, track myself or use it to find public transportation.

I’m aware that there are many more apps out there, that others recommend in their posts. Most of them I have tried at home but actually never used them on a trip. Some I simply find confusing or it turns out that you should upgrade to some paid content. These five apps are basically my essentials, especially on trips on my own.

Now share with me: Do you have any apps that I should absolutely try? Which are your essentials or do you always bring your laptop? I’d love to hear from you!

A Traveler’s Reading List 45/2016

13/11/201620/11/20168 Comments

I love reading, I always have. In the last few months, my blog link list has grown steadily and for the last weeks, I also started following the #blogpostsaturday on Facebook. Many awesome travel blogger share their posts each Saturday and people read and comment on each others posts. I love the commitment to eachother and the knowledge that spread between eachother. Which is why I decided to create a (hopefully) weekly traveler’s reading list in which I can share the blog posts that I have read each Saturday.

We can probably all agree that this week has been intense with media and especially social media overflowing with articles on the US election – whether it was people mourning or gloating. I myself was too surprised or shocked this week to keep up reading my blog feed. It took me quite some time to catch up and I’m still not done with #blogpostsaturday.

Here is what I read this week:

#blogpostsaturday

Nika published a post on her visit to the concentration camp in Dachau and whether it was worth the visit in comparison to Auschwitz, also in regards of how emotional prepared one has to be to do so. I was a bit careful at first when I saw Laura’s post on how to stay in Europe for $2.80 per day, because it sounded too good to be true. The secret is house-/ pet-sitting and I’ll need to look into that now! I really loved this post on Amsterdam in the fall, especially her pictures are wonderful and make me want to head there immediately! Taylor’s gift guide with ideas for backpackers is inspirational, I have planned a post in ideas myself, but it is good to see, that each one of us has different ideas! I loved Alice’s reflections on the concept of home, it’s something I have thought about a lot myself lately. Daphne from girlswanderlust collected 10 possible jobs that one could do while traveling the world! Brigitte reflects in her post on Remembrance Day in Germany. I’m a bit torn on that subject, but I also always question the concept of heros in general. Cristina shared a sample one week itinerary for Italy, it would be too short for me, but for someone coming to Italy for the first time and with only a week-long vacation it might be great! If you are looking for a winter getaway, you should check this post on winter in Romania. I always rather dreamed about Christmas in the sun, but I get that people like the fluffy white snow! Stacey shared her adventures in London for one day and Sarah the perfect 16 hours in Bristol! Maybe I really need to do more of those shorter trips! Katie’s guide of things to do in Talinn was a good read, I always like these guides, they give you an overview of things to do! And I wholeheartedly agree with Carly that Rothenburg ob der Tauber deserves more than one day – I’d say that almost every city deserves that! I found this post on what to bring in your hand luggage on a long flight quite helpful! Have you heard about the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) that opened a while ago in DC? Marissa shares her first visit there!

My blog feed

A poem on being a long-term traveler

49 ways to travel (and live) better

4 Things I Learned Backpacking Solo

For When You Feel All Too Small In This Big World

This Is For The People Who Crave Travel

How To Plan And Have A Kickass Time On Your First Solo Trip

Why Traveling Solo Isn’t Always Glam

Enjoy the read if you find the time and have a wonderful week!

Review: My USA packing list

10/11/201620/11/20166 Comments

Some of you might remember that I spent this year’s July in the US, on a backpacking adventure along the West Coast. This trip has been my first trip without a large heavy suitcase or backpack. I have to admit that I tend to overpack, mostly because I am always worried that I might forget something or that there will be some kind of emergency. I have shared my USA packing list shortly before my trip, so today I want to review this list – with a bit of distance on what was good to pack and what I could have left at home.

Three months after my last trip, I review my first USA packing list. Let’s hear what worked and what didn’t. | www.travelthewholewideworld.com

Things that I forgot on my USA packing list

The most obvious thing that I forgot or more or less ignored during packing was my travel adapter/ charger. For some reason I couldn’t find mine at home and was totally sure that I would find one in Seattle very easily. Turned out that it cost me almost half a day to find a decent one because all the adapters that I could find at first, were for travelers from the US going to Europe, not the other way round. I now carry a tiny USB plug in my camera bag (even though I’m back in Germany) – just to make sure I will at least be able to charge my phone next time.

Another thing on this list would be a hoodie, or comfortable clothes in general. Germans don’t wear yoga pants or hoodies very often. If they do, it is mostly for working out or sleeping, so for some reason I didn’t bring any comfortable clothing along. Also, I underestimated the weather or rather wind and rain, so that I actually loved my warm hoodie and my yoga pants that I had to buy on my trip.

Things that I could have left at home

I still love my Lonely Planet books, but to be completely honest, I didn’t use them too much on this trip. I have read a lot about people having the ebooks on their Phones and I’m sure this is a better alternative than having to carry two travel guides in your backpack. Those books get heavy after some time! I plan to change that in the future – on Lonely Planet’s last sale I purchased a lot of ebooks that should last me for a while!

Against better knowledge and against every packing list’s advice, I also packed my small travel-sized hairdryer. It even almost made it on my must-pack list because I always get sick when I don’t dry my hair! Turns out that I didn’t use it very much. In Seattle that was thanks to the missing adapter and sharing a room with people who often slept in. In Portland, the hostel actually provided hair dryers (at least there was one in each bathroom) and San Francisco was warm enough to walk around with damp hair.

I also never wore that one dress that I brought or the leggings for that matter. Maybe I’m not a dress person, I rarely wear them at home and I feel uncomfortable when I am in one and have to walk a lot. And I did walk a lot on that trip. My advice would therefore be: Only bring clothes that you would also wear at home!

Most helpful things on my USA packing list

I really loved my Eagle Creek Pack-It cubes that I bought a few months before my trip. I didn’t think that I would be able to keep up being that organized, but it turned out just fine and I actually used them during the whole time. Although they were not cheap, I can now say that it was money well spent.

I was positively surprised by the travel towels that I brought. They really looked like they wouldn’t work for me, but after a few days I was very convinced. They pack small, dry fast and were easy to wash when needed. I also sometimes used them to separate my bed from the rest of the room.

Everything else on my packing list was useful as it was! I brought just enough clothes to last for a week, so that I had to do laundry every seven days. I’d recommend that to everyone, because it means that you’ll have enough to wear without having to worry but it also fit into a small carry-on suitcase. I’d probably research more on the weather, I didn’t bring a rain coat (for example) which would have been nice to have, but could be replaced by an umbrella!