The Girl Who Goes

independent, intentional travel

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How to Spend One Day at Arches National Park, Utah

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THE Delicate Arch, seen during our one day at Arches National Park recently

Out of the 29 National Parks I’ve been to, there’s one that I’ve returned to time and time again: Arches National Park. Located in eastern Utah, not far from I-70 and near the small town of Moab, Arches wasn’t even a park I knew about until my family visited for the first time in 2012 during our annual road trip. Our memories of its fiery red rocks and blue skies came second only to our memories of a particularly ill-advised hike.

Let me just say… hiking to Delicate Arch at 3pm in the middle of July with inadequate shoes and insufficient water isn’t something I would recommend. Also, it’s 1.5 miles each way, not round trip like we’d thought. All I remember is both of my sisters crying the entire time — Becky because she had a migraine; 10-year-old Carrie because with each corner we turned, we weren’t yet at the famous arch. [Read more…]

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7 Reasons Why You Should Visit Sevilla, Spain

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From my first visit to Sevilla, Spain

A few months ago, my mom and I spent a long weekend down south in Sevilla, Spain. I can’t even describe how magical that time felt. Even though I was only a few hours away from Madrid, I felt like I’d been transported to an entirely different world.

During a visit to Spain, many travelers think about visiting the beaches of Barcelona or enjoying Madrid capital. But if you’re looking for a more thorough Spanish experience, I can’t recommend Sevilla enough. From Madrid, it’s easy to access – an hour flight or a two-and-a-half hour train ride – and though it’s Spain’s 4th-largest city, it has a distinctive personality that feels uniquely Spanish.

Have I convinced you to visit yet? If not, here are 7 reasons why you should take a journey down south to the capital of Andalucía! [Read more…]

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Top 5 Things to Do in Sevilla, Spain

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Just one of the many things you must do in Sevilla, Spain

During my second year living in Spain, my mom came to visit! Since she’d already seen the highlights of Madrid when she came to visit me the summer before, we decided to take a long weekend trip down to Sevilla in the south of Spain. Even though it was the end of February, we were nice and warm in sunny Andalucía!

It had been nearly four years since my first visit to Sevilla, when I went during my first-ever solo trip,  so I was really excited to go back. After living in Spain, I felt like I had a lot more context for Spanish culture and history — plus more experiences with other cities throughout the country. That helped me to develop my understanding of Sevilla better than I could before. [Read more…]

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How to Transfer From Midway to O’Hare Airport in Chicago

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The CTA train will help you transfer from Midway to O’Hare, or the other way around

Wow… six posts later, I’ve finally finished writing about the holiday trip I took with Matt! Hard to believe that we set off for our travels almost 3 months ago already. Anyway, it’s time for some new topics!

Last week, my mom and I visited Sevilla in the south of Spain. I was able to find her a relatively cheap flight to Madrid to spend a week with me here. And if you didn’t know it already, I booked a last-minute flight home to Kansas City to watch the Super Bowl with my family (just for a weekend). Which was also super cheap. But how did I do it? [Read more…]

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How to Spend 24 Hours in Florence, Italy

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We would have loved more time, but here’s how we spent 24 hours in Florence, Italy.

When Matt and I decided to visit Rome for New Year’s during our holiday trip, our main motivation was meeting up with a couple of friends — Emily and James. But it was a little too expensive to fly back to Madrid from Rome, so I started checking out other airports in Italy. About four hours north of Rome is Bologna, which ended up having the best ticket prices. And halfway between Rome and Bologna is Florence.

After hearing about Florence as one of Italy’s must-visit cities for years, it was the perfect opportunity to check it out myself. [Read more…]

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A Review of ÖBB Nightjet: Overnight Train from Munich to Rome

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ÖBB Nightjet Train

Our holiday trip through Germany, Austria, and Italy included my third-ever overnight train experience. A couple of days after Christmas, Matt and I rolled up to the Munich Hauptbahnhof to catch our overnight train to Rome. Our ticket was hard to read, because it was all in German, but I was 90% sure I’d managed to book us seats that would convert into beds.

I was also at least 90% sure it was going to be my best overnight train experience so far. Operated by ÖBB, which is the Austrian Federal Railway service, I couldn’t imagine things would be anything short of perfect.  [Read more…]

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How to Spend Christmas in Salzburg, Austria

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A great view from spending Christmas in Salzburg

While we traveled around Germany, Austria, and Italy for almost 2 weeks around the holidays, we spent Christmas in Salzburg. And I learned that being away from your “home” on Christmas definitely comes with some unique challenges. If you’re traveling somewhere that celebrates Christmas, most of the things that might be considered typical tourist destinations will probably be closed.

First things first… [Read more…]

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Top 5 Things to Do in Munich, Germany

Despite many prior trips to Germany, the ever-elusive Munich was one major city I’d never visited. But when you think of Germany, many people imagine Oktoberfest, beer steins bigger than your head, and lederhosen. All of these are images of traditional Bavaria, a region in Germany’s southeast, of which Munich is the capital.

So when it came time to plan a holiday trip for me and Matt, and I found out that we could fly from Madrid to Munich for $22 each, it was a no-brainer. Germany’s always going to have a special place in my heart, and Matt had always wanted to visit. It was perfect! [Read more…]

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Day Trip: Munich to Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany

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Neuschwanstein from Marienbrücke

Back in 2011 — during my very first trip abroad — my boyfriend at the time and I took a road trip. We went from Stuttgart, Germany, where he lived, to Neuschwanstein Castle in the Bavarian Alps. I remember being amazed at the palace, teetering above the foot of the mountains. It seemed like we had to hike for quite a while to reach it, but it paid off.

More than 8 years later, it was the first stop of my recent trip with Matt through Germany, Austria, and Italy. We were visiting Munich, which is only a couple of hours away from Neuschwanstein, so we decided to make a day trip out of it. We also opted not to join a tour group; instead, we did it on our own, renting a car in Munich for the day.

Here’s how to plan your own trip from Munich to Neuschwanstein.

[Read more…]

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Holiday Trip Review: Germany, Austria, and Italy

A couple of weeks ago, I returned back to Madrid after the most ambitious Eurotrip I’d planned in years. I think the only other one that comes close was when I went to Dublin, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam with friends over 10 days while studying abroad. This time, while Matt was visiting for the holidays, we spent nearly two weeks traveling through Germany, Austria, and Italy. [Read more…]

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