The Heart of a Traveler
A travel blog filled with interesting stories, friendly advice, and a whole lot of passion for seeing the world.
The First Day at Lamai Fitness It was my first day at Lamai Fitness, and I’m hiking. And as I climb up this mountain I wonder: what exactly did I get myself into? I’ve never seen such a steep upward incline, and two members of my group are talking easily as they make their way […]
There is something about the fall that always feels like coming home. After spending the past six years and three years in Florida, respectively, Meghan and I relish our time in the district during autumn. Fall in D.C. is something entrancing. Having spent the majority of our lives in a D.C. suburb, we’re no strangers […]
I’ve taken some amazing trips. And, each trip was unique. But, I plan all of my trips in very similar ways, even though the final product can look drastically different. Of the 18 days that I was in New Zealand, 16 of them were on a small group tour. But, when I backpacked Europe for […]
It will happen, when you’re traveling, something bad, or annoying, or horrifying will happen. Travel is a beautiful thing that will transform you into a wonderful, adaptable, loving, and interesting person with awesome stories. But, there are a few negatives that come with the territory. You need to learn to be adaptable, and prepare yourself […]
In 2014, I wrote a post about how I Saved $5,000 to backpack Europe. The $5,000 actually lasted about six weeks, and also covered about a thousand dollars worth of first-time traveler supplies. It’s been about two and a half years since that trip, and I’ve still managed to take several amazing trips during my […]
My New Zealand packing list had a little bit of everything on it. I would be in New Zealand for about 19 days, and I would spend around 3 full days traveling to get there and get back home. So this packing list is for a three-week trip to New Zealand during the month of July […]
It was the half-way point during my 16 day Amplified tour of New Zealand with Haka Tours. We had spent a little over a week exploring New Zealand’s North Island, and now it was time to move onto New Zealand’s South Island. The air got a little colder, the sites got more beautiful, and all […]
I wanted to go to New Zealand. I grew up in a place with four seasons, surrounded by mountains and crisp air. In college I watched snow fall, and even though the cold chilled me, it also was kind of beautiful. But now, I live in Florida. And the summers are unbearably hot. So, I […]
Iceland: the land of fire and ice. Just the nickname of the country is enough to inspire ideas of adventure and daring, and bring to mind gorgeous, endless landscapes. And Iceland more than lived up to the connotations of its name. I visited Iceland on the tail end of a one month solo European journey. […]
“Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life – and travel – leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks – on your body or on your heart – are beautiful. Often though, they hurt.”-Anthony […]
There are some unsafe things I’ve done while traveling. Here are just a few of them. Warning, there is some bad language in the post in order to recreate an event that happened while I was traveling in Amsterdam. I felt that the words give a severity to the situation that cannot be portrayed in any […]
When I first planned my trip to Serbia I asked my friends if five days would be enough. I figured that three days for Belgrade, and a couple day trips thrown in would be sufficient. But, my friends had other plans. “Five days? Five days Kelly? You need more time.” I countered with ten days, […]