airbnb – The Girl Who Goes

Last Updated on October 8, 2024

A Review of Teotihuacan by Hot Air Balloon: Mexico City

teotihuacan hot air balloons - feature photo

Our view of Teotihuacan hot air balloons

Four years after my first visit, I found myself back in Mexico City. And in a totally different situation from the first time. I was there for three weeks instead of five days; I was working while there instead of being on vacation; I was no longer a solo traveler because Matt was with me. Oh, and also a global pandemic had come along since the last time.

As time passes, it can be hard to know what to expect from any given place or experience — even if you’ve been there before. Considering the whole COVID situation, I had zero clue what was going to await me at the ancient city of Teotihuacan. Which means I turned to geo-tagged Instagram posts to scope out the situation for visitors.

And instead of finding photo after photo of sweaty tourists baking under the Central American sun (as I had done last time), I found photo after photo of… hot air balloons at Teotihuacan?

It turns out that visiting the ruins of Teotihuacan, outside Mexico City, is very often done by hot air balloon. And this interested me. After talking it over with Matt — confirming he wasn’t afraid of heights and was willing to spend the money on the experience — I set out to do some research and choose the very best hot air balloon experience for the best price.

Here’s what you need to know to plan your own sunrise voyage through the pre-Hispanic skies — Teotihuacan by hot air balloon. (And be sure to check out my Teotihuacan hot air balloon FAQ, which answers some of the logistical questions.) [Read more…]

Last Updated on August 31, 2023

3 Unique Airbnb Experiences To Try in Mexico City For Less Than $40

During our time in South America at the beginning of this year, we used Airbnb experiences for the first time. They’ve been around for awhile, but I had never really looked into the types of things they’d offered. But we really enjoyed both of the ones we did — a cooking class with a chef in Quito when other other plans for the day fell through, and a tour of Comuna 13 in Medellín.

Our first Monday in Mexico City was Memorial Day — a holiday for most in the American corporate world. But many of Mexico City’s top attractions like museums and parks are closed on Mondays. Wanting to make the most of our day off, I turned to Airbnb to find some unique experiences that we wouldn’t forget.

While I didn’t book them all for one day, their budget-friendly nature made me feel that I didn’t have to choose just one. So here are the three Airbnb experiences under $40 we tried in Mexico City. [Read more…]

Last Updated on August 31, 2023

Top 5 Things To Do in Medellín, Colombia

I’ve said this before. But one of my favorite things to do when traveling is to take a vacation from my vacation. This is especially true when I’m staying in a home base somewhere for a long period of time. Why not take advantage of whatever geographic situation I’m in? When we stayed in Helena, Montana, for a month, we took a vacation to Yellowstone and planned another one to Glacier. When I went to Thailand, I took a detour to Cambodia for a few days.

And since we’re in Quito for so long, I wanted to take the opportunity to visit another country while we’re down here. And I thought Matt’s birthday was the perfect excuse. So I plugged our dates into my favorite flight app, Skyscanner, to figure out where we could go for a long weekend, for fairly cheap. That’s where Medellín, Colombia, came in.

I may eventually do another post about whether or not Colombia is as dangerous as everyone says it is. (Spoiler alert: I lived.) But if you choose to visit this beautiful and vibrant city, here are a few things you must do. [Read more…]

Last Updated on September 1, 2023

The Quito Countdown Is On…

23 months since my last international trip. 20 months since the COVID-19 pandemic took over the Western world. And 18 months after we originally planned this… our Ecuador trip is only a little more than one month away!

To be clear, we’ve postponed this trip several times. Back in February, I was wondering whether we might finally make it work in 2021 — along with musings of other potential travel destinations (none of which panned out). Luckily, we had a much better 2021 than we did 2020. With trips to Milwaukee, the Pacific Northwest, Ann Arbor, and several visits to Washington DC, we were able to scratch the travel itch — at least domestically.

But after all this time, lots of waiting, three COVID vaccine doses each, and Ecuador passing the U.S. on the percentage of their population being fully vaccinated, we decided: it’s finally time. [Read more…]

Last Updated on September 1, 2023

Why We Decided to Move to Helena, Montana, for a Month

A snowy day in Yellowstone

Ouch, it’s been two months since my last post. That’s definitely the longest I’ve ever gone without writing something new here, and I want to be clear that The Girl Who Goes is NOT over… it’s just that the girl isn’t able to go very much these days.

But I haven’t given up on traveling forever, and with the first COVID vaccines being administered in the U.S. today, I’m feeling excited about my travel prospects for 2021!

Anyway, today’s my birthday so I decided I should write SOMETHING today, of all days. So I’ll share the story of my last travel adventure, during the month of October in Montana. [Read more…]

Last Updated on September 1, 2023

8 Things to Know Before Visiting Morocco

Courtyard view of our riad palace in Fez

Morocco! It was never a place I’d thought much about, but since living in Spain, it’s been at the top of my bucket list. Not only is it super close geographically — and therefore, relatively inexpensive — but its cultural history has long been intertwined with Spain’s. I finally got the chance to visit! I highly recommend it, so here are a few things you should know before visiting Morocco. [Read more…]

Last Updated on November 1, 2024

Trip Itinerary: Portland, Mt. Rainier NP, and Olympic NP

Our trip from Portland to Mt. Rainier to Olympic brought us tons of amazing views, like this one.

A few weeks ago, our beloved exchange student Gaia left the United States to return home to Italy. It was tough on all of us — particularly on my 16-year-old sister Carrie. The girls had become extremely close over the past 10+ months, and it wasn’t easy when Gaia’s time in the U.S. came to an end.

I wanted to help Carrie cheer up, so I decided to take her on a trip. Last year, the two of us visited Seattle and Vancouver together; despite our extensive travels, the Pacific Northwest was a region we’d left largely unexplored. This year’s destination: Portland, Mt. Rainier National Park, and Olympic National Park.

We spent 4 full days and 2 half-days of travel. I’ve broken down my itinerary below — keep reading if you’re interested in planning your own trip! [Read more…]

Last Updated on April 9, 2024

Trip Planning 101: How to Start Planning Your Trip

My favorite way to start trip planning is with good-old fashioned books.

One day, I was living my life like normal. And then it hit me: my trip to Thailand was suddenly just over a month away. And besides booking my flights, I hadn’t done any trip planning. Considering it was my first time traveling to Asia, I really needed to get things together. Fast.

The good news is that after so many trips, I have the whole trip planning thing down to a science. (Which is great! Because having things officially planned makes it seem so much more real, and super exciting.) So… when you find yourself with a trip sneaking up on you and no plans, here are a few of my favorite trip planning tips. [Read more…]

Last Updated on March 21, 2024

Hotel, Hostel, or Airbnb: Pros and Cons

Traveling can be exhausting! After the end of a long day, where will you finally get that much-needed shut-eye? Hotel, hostel, or Airbnb?

When I was growing up, lots of road trips meant we would usually stay in hotels. It also meant that we didn’t always know where we would end up at the end of the day. Since we didn’t have advance reservations, I remember my parents stopping at different hotels, trying to find one that still had a vacancy — while my sister and I hoped it would have a swimming pool. [Read more…]

Last Updated on March 18, 2024

3 Unique Things to Do in Toronto, Canada

Hey everyone! This past weekend I took my first trip north of the border — up to Toronto, Ontario. (I don’t really think I count the quick stop we made on a road trip as a kid, just to say we did it.)

I didn’t really know what to expect, but I landed at the airport with an open mind and zero plans. That’s one of the best things about traveling alone! But thanks to my AMAZING Airbnb hosts, Zairah and Martin, my weekend unfolded quite nicely.

Here are my top 3 recommendations for unique things to do in Toronto. [Read more…]