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Travel notes

Stories, advice, recommendations, and news.

Travel Assistance

9/2/2022

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Stressed about flying, about going through security at the airport, about dealing with the crowds, about managing things if you have a disability, etc.? We wanted to share a few resources. 
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TSA Cares is a helpline that provides travelers with disabilities, medical conditions and other special circumstances additional assistance during the security screening process. You can call (855) 787-2227 when you are 72 hours from your flight, or fill out this form in advance. Read more about it here.

Folx Health, a company that specializes in LGBTQ+ healthcare, has a guide to flying while trans. Read their guide here: Tips for Flying While Trans: The Transgender and Non-binary Travel Guide You Didn’t Know You Needed.

That Anxious Traveler, a travel blogger whose goal is to help fellow anxiety sufferers find ways to minimize anxiety while traveling, shares tips here on dealing with airport anxiety.
The articles and services above are just a few resources out of many. Have a specific concern? If you search online, you will likely find advice or services that can help. Alternatively, reach out to us! We're happy to chat about any travel concerns, and if we don't immediately have an answer, we'll research things till we find one.
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Flying this summer

6/16/2022

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It's shaping up to be a pretty chaotic summer for the airline industry. Want to make your travels go as smoothly as possible? Take this advice from our travel agent buddy Angela Richards, owner of ADR Vacations. 

Air travel is going to be nuts this Summer! There are pilot shortages, plane shortages, crew shortages, etc. hitting the airline industry hard just as travel enters its busy season. Here are a few tips to help navigate what is gearing up to be a very not fun time in travel.
✅ ALLOW EXTRA TIME AT THE AIRPORT. It's gonna be super busy this summer so give yourself plenty of time. Look, I get it. No one likes spending more time than they have to waiting in an airport but trust me. Making a mad dash to your gate only to arrive just as they've closed the doors to the jet bridge ain't no picnic either.
✅ DON'T BOOK THE LAST FLIGHT OF THE NIGHT. With all of the shortages, flights have been canceling like crazy. You don't want to put yourself in a situation where if your flight cancels you'd have to spend the night on a cold, concrete floor using your backpack as a pillow and your jacket as a blanket. It's not as comfy as it sounds.
✅ BOOK THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE DAY. If you can stand getting up well before the crack of dawn, I recommend flying out on the first flight of the morning, which is almost guaranteed to be on time.
✅ PREPARE FOR THE WORST. If you are checking your bags, be sure to have a carry-on that contains a change of clothes, a clean pair of underwear, pajamas, and any medications you might need just in case the airline decides to put you and your luggage on different flights.

While of course things can still go wrong, following Angela's advice will give you a much better chance for smooth travels. Another tip from us: make sure you have travel insurance. Travel insurance isn't just useful if you need to cancel due to illness or get care while in-destination. It also typically includes "trip delay" coverage, which gives you money for reimbursement for meals, hotels, and other things when your flight has been delayed by a certain number of hours. One last tip? Use a travel agent. Then if there are issues, you have someone to reach directly, someone on hand and ready to help however they can.

Want help booking your summer travels? Reach out to us (or to Angela 😁, #travelagentssupportingeachother) and we'll get you set up for a great trip in no time! 
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Wonderful Whitby

4/21/2022

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We wanted to share a little info on a lesser-known English destination today. Whitby, England, is an utterly charming seaside village in North Yorkshire, and it's a favorite spot of ours. ​
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Why visit Whitby? It has quaint streets lined with everything from cake shops, to retro dress shops, to stores selling the local black jet jewelry; it has magnificent views of the North Sea; and of course, it has Whitby Abbey. Climb the famed 199 steps to see the ruins of this majestic medieval monastery. 

Whitby is also where Bram Stoker was staying when he began working on 
Dracula. He set some of the most important scenes in his 1897 novel there, and on our January 2023 Vampires group tour, we'll see those sights for ourselves! Bonus: in the photo of the historic St. Mary's Church graveyard below, on the opposite cliff, you can see a large white hotel--that's where we'll be staying on our overnight visit to Whitby!
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When Should You Book Travel?

4/5/2022

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​When should you book travel? 

The short, not especially helpful, answer is "it depends!" There's no magic formula, and it depends a lot on personal preference. We've had people book trips a year and a half in advance, and we've had people book trips a week and a half in advance. But, that said, here are some things to consider:
  • If you're booking a European river cruise, where the boats aren't huge, book as soon as availability opens up, usually a year and a half in advance. Prices predictably rise with time, so the sooner the better.
  • Considering an all-inclusive beach vacation? The cost is going to vary dramatically based on two things: time of year (late summer and fall are cheapest, because it's super hot and also hurricane season), and flight pricing. Flight pricing is erratic, to say the least. My recommendation is always to book as soon as you know you want to go, but make sure to get travel insurance that includes a one-time price drop, so if prices do go down, you can take advantage of that.
  • Want to book something without paying in full up front? Most packages require paying in full when you are 45, 60, or 90 days out, depending on the destination and other details. So know that if you're inside that window, you might be paying the full amount when booking.
  • Considering one of our group tours? You can arrange monthly payments, so if you book sooner, there are more months till the final deadline, and therefore your monthly payments will be smaller. 
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What about flights? Flights can't be booked more than a year out. Should you book at, say, 11 months out? You certainly can, if prices are good. One thing to keep in mind: schedule changes after booking have become a common occurrence. That is something to be prepared for, regardless of when you book your travel. Keep in mind, though, that if the airline changes your flight significantly, you do not have to accept the flight they chose--you can look for other comparable flights, or cancel, if you choose, without penalty. So we find the best approach is to choose a flight you like when the price is good (which varies immensely, but generally is best at least a couple months in advance) but be at peace with the fact that the flight schedule may change, and you may have to manage that schedule change (or have your travel agent manage it--one of the benefits of working with one. 🙂 )

What about last-minute deals? A common misconception is that, due to the disruptiveness of the pandemic, airlines and hotels will be desperate to fill space at the last minute and will charge less. I wish this was true, but it tends not to be. That doesn't mean you can't find a perfectly good price when you're close to your travel date (ask me about the time I booked a trip to Mexico with two days notice!), but it's unfortunately not a strategy to get unusually good deals you couldn't get earlier. 

The main takeaway: There's no magic time frame to find the best pricing. Once you know what you want to do, if the price looks acceptable to you, go ahead and book it, and make sure you have good travel insurance. 

Do you have a trip in mind that you're considering? Want to talk about the best time to book that specific itinerary? Just email us and we'll get right back to you!
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A review from Liz: Crown Paradise Golden Resort, Puerto Vallarta

4/1/2022

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Back in November, Adam and I stayed at the Crown Paradise Golden, an adults-only all-inclusive resort (with a sister property next door that is geared towards families) in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It was a very budget property, very very affordable. Which I like--those views, that beauty, shouldn't only be accessible to people with money! But there were some downsides. The rooms were not fancy. The shower head hit me in between the shoulder blades (I'm tall, but I'm not THAT tall). Things were clearly kind of worn out.
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But with a view like this, it's basically impossible to have a bad time. We fell asleep each night to the sound of the waves hitting the beach. It was so, so lovely and relaxing. 
Now, let's dive into my review. I'm starting with my least favorite part.

The food: not good, especially not for a picky vegetarian. There were multiple restaurants where you could make reservations (still part of the all-inclusive, to be clear) but we looked at their menus and they had very little vegetarian food. We stuck with the buffet, which did not require reservations. It was not great food. Adam got a mini pain au chocolat at breakfast one day, and it was the height of hilarity: a teeny bit of chocolate stuck only on the outside, and then inside it had the texture of a regular bread roll, nothing croissanty about it.

The nice thing about the buffet, though, is that we were essentially eating outside. The breeze would come through from the beach, and we could look at the ocean, but there was a ceiling for some shade (and ceiling fans). It was beautiful.

I was a little nervous about eating at a buffet during a pandemic, but again, it was kind of outside, everyone was required to wear masks when away from their tables, and everyone was also required to wear a plastic glove when serving themselves.

Breakfast was the best of the meals. We sat there each morning for a solid hour, eating things (toast with jam, cereal, fruit, some things are hard to screw up), enjoying the view, and drinking cup after cup of tea. (Plain Lipton black, but after having literally no tea our first travel day, given what tea--and caffeine--addicts we are, nothing had ever tasted better.) We also enjoyed wondering about the other guests: I made up the whole plot of a novel about these three sisters, we wondered why a woman came to breakfast by herself but carrying an enormous bucket, we named a pigeon, I felt a kinship with a blue-haired woman who had no idea I was also blue-haired until recently.
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The buffet dining area
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The rooftop infinity pool (the swim-up bar is to the left)
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Tableside guacamole at Margarita Grill
There was a bar right on the beach, and a swim-up bar at the rooftop pool, and we ordered lots of cocktails. They were pretty weak, which was something we'd seen complaints about in reviews, but actually we appreciated it. We wanted to be able to drink plenty of them, but not get wasted.

We found that it was better to think of the resort as a partially inclusive instead of all inclusive. We dealt with the food there better when we knew we'd be going out for dinner or lunch. And indeed, two of the places we had meals at (Pipi's and Margarita Grill) were absolutely amazing.
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Masks were required inside the resort, but really we were outside nearly all the time. We opted to wear them in the spaces that were sort of unclear if they were inside or outside, but not everyone did. We didn't feel especially angry at these people, as it seemed reasonable either way. 

The resort also had activities (we walked past a pool Zumba class one day) and nightly shows, but we weren't interested and didn't partake. But those are also included in the price, FYI.

The town: Our resort was north of the city center. We took cabs down into the center (the zona romantica)--they were about $5 each way, and easy to find. It was so pretty in the zona romantica. We loved seeing all the shops and market stalls and art galleries. I ate the best guacamole of my life, and we drank the best margaritas of our lives. Next time we visit, we want to spend more time in Puerto Vallarta itself, not just on the resort, because we were so charmed by it.
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My "I just swam by a dolphin!" face
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A dolphin!
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A mother and baby dolphin!
The excursion: I went on a tour led by biologists to swim with wild dolphins. It was INCREDIBLE. There are a few pods of wild dolphins that live in Banderas Bay year-round, and we went out in a boat, and got in the water with them! I'd expected the dolphins to be like golden retrievers, delighted to meet us, but in reality they were totally indifferent to us, which honestly I respected. They were like "OK, cool, man, I'll swim past you, I've got stuff to do, I'm on my way now." They are also so, so, so fast. I'd swim as fast as I could toward them, and it felt like I was just swimming in place. Life jackets were offered, but the biologists recommended against them for decent swimmers, since they make it hard to maneuver. I opted not to wear one, and felt totally fine (plus, the salt water makes it easier to float--physics!).

Dolphins are huge, btw! One swam right under me, so close that a woman on the boat said she thought I was going to pop out of the water riding it.

It wasn't intended to be a whale watching tour, but we were approaching the time of year when humpback whales head back into the bay (they spent the summer off the coast of Oregon), and when our guide spotted some, we were all eager to go see them. They are EVEN BIGGER! We weren't allowed to get in the water with them, because they could accidentally hurt us. They're like 40 feet long. Amazing! We saw a group of five of them. The guide recognized one of them with a weird tail and said he comes down every year, an old friend.
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The sunsets were stunning
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Check out this big guy!
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The Miami Vice, our drink of choice (we are nothing if not sophisticated :-) )
The traveling details: This was our first time traveling after getting Global Entry, and omg did we love it. Tempted to get TSA Precheck? First of all, yes, it's AWESOME to breeze thru security (on the American side, to be clear--TSA precheck is a U.S. thing) without taking off shoes, without removing our laptops or our bags of liquids. But getting Global Entry made it even better. Going thru customs was unbelievably easy. No form to fill out, you just step up to a machine, lower your mask so it sees your face, it spits out a printout for you, you take it, give it to the airport employee, and proceed. Easy peasy.

Also easy, upon arrival in Puerto Vallarta, grab a taxi to your resort. Do NOT get sucked in by the friendly people offering to help you get a taxi. They want to sell you a timeshare! They will act helpful, lead you to a desk, offer you a welcome shot of tequila, chit chat, then try to get you to sign up for a presentation where as a thank you, you'll get two free massages. (We knew the timeshare people were aggressive and yet still ended up talking to this person before we escaped.)

The resort, once we arrived, also tried to get us to agree to go to a timeshare presentation and receive two free massages. No, thank you. Let us lay on the beach, please. Don't be afraid to cut off anyone trying to sell you a timeshare.

(When I told Adam there was going to be a presentation to learn about dolphins and whales at the start of my excursion, he asked if I'd get offered two free massages after listening to it, lol.)

BTW, at the time we were visiting, the U.S. required a negative covid test within three days of returning home (for vaxxed people--within one day for unvaxxed people. But I'm sure you're vaxxed, right?). Currently, as of writing this, everyone entering the U.S. is required to have a negative covid test within one day. But regulations change all the time, so always double check. We recommend Sherpa as a great resource for pandemic-related travel regulations.

Our resort offered tests onsite, and we signed up for one, got our results within three hours, and uploaded them to American Airlines' Verifly app, which theoretically makes departure easier, because it's linked to your account and they can see that you are all set, without you having to show your negative results at the airport. Other airlines have similar apps or features within their main apps (the Travel Ready Center, for example, is United's version).


Also, had we not stayed somewhere that offered onsite Covid testing, there were plenty of places around to get a test, including at the airport itself.
Overall takeaway: AMAZING. AMAZING. My God, it was gorgeous. The sound of the surf at night! The sand, the sun, the waves, the margaritas--it was everything I needed in the middle of a dreary midwest November. The resort is definitely cheap and budgety, but as long as you go in aware of that, not expecting a four- or five-star experience, it's great. We're not snobs, and we don't need every experience to be fancy. (BTW, if you want actual hard numbers, for a non-travel agent rate, for an oceanfront room like we had, it would have been about $275 a night for 2 people, which includes all the lackluster food and delicious-but-not-very-strong drinks you want, too. Note that pricing is just what it was in November 2021--pricing can change any time.)

OK, all this said, if you want to stay there (or, hey, somewhere with decent food, haha), hit me up! I would love to help you book a similar trip for yourself.
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The two things you need for a romantic vacation

2/11/2022

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When you think of a romantic vacation, you might envision drinking champagne at a candlelit restaurant, or lounging in hammocks on a secluded beach, or taking in the view from the balcony of a five-star hotel room. Sure, these things can be romantic, but there are truly only two things you need to create an unforgettable getaway for you and your love. ​It's really simple.
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​1. Minimal stress
2. A new and interesting location


The reasons to minimize stress probably don't need to be explained. Proper planning ahead of time (or, ahem, using a travel agent) will ensure you don't spend your vacation time irritable or distracted. 

But why, specifically, should the location be new? Visiting somewhere you haven't seen before will invite you to engage with the world, see it with fresh eyes. You and your partner, seeing something new, will be looking outward, together. Further, you'll be able to look at each other with those same fresh eyes.
In January, amongst other travels, we spent two days in northern England, somewhere new to both of us. ​The cliffside ruins of Whitby Abbey stunned us with their stark beauty and fascinating history. Traditional English "cream tea" at a quirky cafe charmed us both. Even a terrible (truly, so terrible! on so many levels!) restaurant quickly became a hilarious memory. Northern England is not thought of as a typical "couples" destination like, say, Paris, but our two days there were wonderful, exactly what we needed. 

It doesn't matter whether or not a place is Instagram-famous, with a romantic reputation. You just need to find somewhere new with someone you love, drawing closer as you explore the world together. 
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The Black Travel Alliance, The History of Black Travel, and the Whiteness of the Travel Industry

2/8/2022

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We just wanted to give a shout-out to the Black Travel Alliance for the incredibly important work they do. Founded in 2020, they created the Black Travel Scorecard to evaluate destination management organizations and travel brands on not just what they say, but what they do. They recently launched an important website, in partnership with Tourism RESET, on The History of Black Travel. This website functions as a resource for both educators and travel professionals. It's a fantastic project, and worth reading through. It includes profiles of people like Jessica Nabongo, who in 2019 completed her goal of visiting all 195 United Nations member countries and observing states, and Jill Elaine Brown, who in 1978 became the first African American woman hired as a pilot for a major airline. 

Also worth a read? This 2021 article by Joah Spearman, "Travel Is So Diverse. Why Is the Travel Industry So White?"  Spearman's article examines the myriad effects of white privilege in the travel industry (privilege which, we acknowledge, we absolutely benefit from), and how those effects then influence the experiences of travelers themselves. 

Read articles like Spearman's above, or this article by Channon Hodge on the experiences of Black travelers, and it will be abundantly clear (if it wasn't already) that the travel industry has got to do better. We'll be continuing with our pledge to donate 10% of our 2022 profits to Black Lives Matter, and to partner with Black-owned vendors and companies whenever possible. If you have other suggestions on ways we (us specifically, or the travel industry as a whole) can do better, please, reach out and let us know.
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Three Hyper-Specific Reasons to Visit Germany

2/3/2022

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The itinerary for Cars, Breweries, and Beer Halls, our June 2022 trip to Germany, should give you a good idea of the highlights of the trip. But a vacation is so much more than the highlights. Sometimes the best memories come from the small things, the specific things, the little delights. Here are three little, hyper-specific reasons you should travel to Berlin, Munich, and Stuttgart. 

​1. DITSCH Are you ready to have the best soft pretzel of your life? Hot, fresh, perfectly salted, and costing less than one euro, Ditsch's pretzels have been our favorites for years. Founded in Mainz in 1919, Ditsch has been making authentic Bavarian pretzels for over a century, and now has over 200 locations in Germany. 

​2. AMPELMANN This jaunty fellow with a nice hat and a confident stride was born in East Berlin in 1961, when new traffic light walk signs were designed. After the Berlin wall fell in 1989, the city sought to standardize its symbols. The beloved, distinctive Ampelmann was initially discarded in favor of the nondescript signal that had been used in West Berlin. After campaigns and protests from the people of former East Berlin, Ampelmann became the official walk signal for the unified city of Berlin. Both a mascot for East German nostalgia and a popular tourist icon, Ampelmann can now be found on everything from t-shirts to lounge chairs to beer steins. Keep your eye out for special versions where he carries an umbrella, backpack, or camera, or for his female counterpart, Ampelfrau, created in 2004.

3. LITERALLY UNDERGROUND BAKERIES Germany has excellent public transportation. High-speed trains crisscross the country, and the S-Bahn (surface rail) and U-Bahn (subway trains) in cities such as Munich, Berlin, and Stuttgart will take you everywhere you need to go. But besides their convenience, speed, and overall excellence, there is another reason to love those S-Bahn and U-Bahn lines. In many stations, you'll find tiny locations of delicious bakery chains right on the platform. We can't think of a better way to spend a few minutes waiting for your train than grabbing a sweet pastry and a cup of tea. After all, what journey can't be improved by the addition of a chocolate croissant? The real question is, why is this not a fixture on train platforms the world over?
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4 Delightful Day Trips from Munich

11/13/2021

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The Isar River, running through Munich
If you know us, you know we adore traveling by train in Europe. And while we love to spend enough time in the cities we visit that we get to know them well, not just rushing through, sometimes it's great to take a day trip by train and pop into another cool spot! One of the great things about Europe is that wherever you are, there are probably several fantastic additional cities you could visit for the day. 

So let's say you're visiting Munich, a wonderful city with a fascinating history, great food, world-class museums, and beautiful architecture. Where might you go for a delightful day trip, a quick jaunt by train? We've got four options to share!
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​1. Augsburg
 Augsburg is frequently overlooked as a day trip, and we think that's a mistake! This charming and walkable university town is only 45 minutes away from Munich. Its old town has a wonderful pedestrian-only shopping district filled with cute stores and restaurants. Plus the fantastic textiles museum is not to be missed--you can learn all about historic fashions, and see some stunning examples!
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​2. Tegernsee Lake
Snow-capped mountains, dark green forests, clear blue sky, sparkling water... they say nothing in Bavaria is as Bavarian as the Tegernsee Valley. This is a perfect spot for a hike (there are both gentle and challenging options), a picnic, or a visit to an outdoor beer garden where you can sip a cold brew and look out over the lake. And it's a straightforward hour-and-twenty-minute train ride from Munich.
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3. Salzburg, Austria An hour and a half away from Munich, Salzburg is an excellent day trip. It's a medium-sized city set in the Eastern Alps. For classical music enthusiasts, you can't go wrong with visits to Mozarts Geburtshaus: his childhood home has been turned into a lovely and thorough museum. It's also perfect for fans of The Sound of Music--after all, the real Von Trapps lived in Salzburg, and much of the 1965 movie was filmed here. 
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​4. Neuschwanstein Castle Though it's a little complicated to reach, as there are no direct trains, it's worth visiting anyway. People flock to this pretty palace for fairytale scenes, sweeping vistas, and beauty that takes your breath away. It was commissioned by King Ludwig to honor the opera composer Richard Wagner, and was part of a 19th-century trend known as castle romanticism. 
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The Most Magical Tea Houses in Continental Europe

11/4/2021

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The delicate scent of roasting tea leaves and fragrant herbs, the fluid arc of tea poured from pot to cup, the snap of a sweet treat as you take a bite... Discover the magical places where you can step out of time and experience something extraordinary.

We've created a guide to continental Europe's most magical tea houses, because tea--and magic!--are things we're passionate about. If you have signed up for our email list, you should have already received your copy. If you haven't, you can get your copy here! 

And if you just now signed up and got re-directed here, welcome! Take a look around and get to know us. Your guide should be waiting in your inbox for you now. (Check your promotions folder if you don't see it, gmail users.)
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