​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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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!

​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!

​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.

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. 

​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. 

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.)

We talk a lot about group tours (which are awesome!) but don't forget we can also arrange custom travel for your own personal vacations. And there are some REALLY COOL things we can do. Here's a random sample!
​You could...

• Enjoy a private dinner on the ancient city walls surrounding Dubrovnik, Croatia 
• Zipline through the jungle in Tulum, Mexico
• Cruise around Antarctica and see penguins and seals in the wild
• Get a private, insider's tour of Tokyo's best nightlife hot spots
• Helicopter around the volcanoes of Hawaii

We're going abroad in November, for the first time since the pandemic, for a beach vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. When we booked the trip, we realized both our passports needed to be renewed. Before the pandemic, it took approximately 6 weeks to get a new or renewed U.S. passport. As of right now, the State Department is estimating wait times of 18 weeks--yep, three times longer than it was in 2019. This is due to both pandemic-related slowdowns and an unprecedented demand; people are eager to travel abroad! 

She discusses everything from the layout of the streets, the bars and restaurants, murals and art, food (wine, cheese, fruit, bread, olive oil! yum! but also so much fermented fish sauce...), commerce, relationships, and more. She shares translations of graffiti in gladiators' barracks (people have been bragging about their sexual prowess for thousands of years, it seems), advertising slogans, and campaigns for political office.

Above all, the book drives home that the people of Pompeii were real, living, breathing human beings like ourselves; yet at the same time making clear that we can't assume things about their lives based on how we live our own. She cuts through the sometimes easy answers historians in the past have found, showing that they often say more about the historians themselves than the citizens of Pompeii, and clearly explains what we know and how we know it.

There are a lot of reasons to visit Italy, of course. But why, specifically, should you go in January? Read on and find out!
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1. Lack of crowds January is the off-season for Italian tourism. This means sights that are typically so choked with people that it can be tough to even get close to them--like Rome's famous Trevi Fountain, for example--will now be approachable places where you can linger, admiring them, taking photos, relaxing. This also means public transport, like Rome's Metro, will be significantly emptier and easier to navigate.

Eulanda & Omo Osagiede are married Londoners whose site  features articles not just about travel, but also food, lifestyle, and important social issues (check out this recent post about being an ally to Black people). 
We like this article because it features three cities we love that are often overlooked when people consider travel in the Netherlands, and focuses on a season that's not known for travel, either. One of our favorite recommendations: 
"You can go crazy for fries at Frietwinkel and try their organic, award-winning fries with a plethora of toppings, like pumpkin ketchup. "

TravelEatSlay is more than a travel blog. They sell adorable tees, tanks, and swimsuits, plus, as of June 2020, they created an extensive Black Travel Directory, a list of over 200 Black travel professionals, organized by location and type of company.
We like their 24-hour guide to Amsterdam because it's straightforward, filled with fun activities without being overstuffed, and really conveys a sense of fun. A sample bit of advice: 
"Arriving at Amsterdam Centraal station, hop on one of the 24/7 free ferries crossing river IJ to North Amsterdam. Once on the other side, we stepped into an industrial area that has been transformed into a edgy, vibrant neighborhood."

Monique at An Unstoppable Journey is actually an American expat living in the Netherlands, so she has a fantastic collection of articles all about life in the Low Countries. She's also in the process of running 50 races in 50 countries before she turns 50 (!!!) so she has lots to share about running, too. 
Haarlem is a delightful little city just outside of Amsterdam, and Monique digs into all that makes it wonderful. She highlights Teyler's Museum, a science museum dear to our own hearts, which is "famous for its extensive collection of prints and drawings from many of the old masters... as well as for its eclectic collection of fossils, minerals, scientific instruments, medals and coins."