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23 articles

Let There Be Elephants

2014.05.17

From November 2011 through January 2012 only, Elephant art pieces were scattered throughout the city to raise awareness about the endangered elephants. Each statue elephant was uniquely painted. I...

Vang Vieng, Laos

2013.02.18

Rent a private bungalows for only US$2.50 per night, do some awesome hiking around the mountains behind the town, explore caves and local villages, and (of course) partake in the famous craziness on...

New Year’s Eve in Thailand

2013.01.01

It was New Years Eve and we were in Pattaya, Thailand. We flagged down a guy on a motorcycle to drive us to town for US$2. As we were approaching the busy scene, I noticed there were a ton of stars...

Elephant Falls, Vietnam

2012.11.05

Lieng Rewoa Waterfall is located about 30 km south of Đà Lạt, Vietnam, and nicknamed Elephant Falls. The hike is a short one - up and down over rocks, but not a strenuous one. The area where it is...

The Crazy House, Vietnam

2012.11.05

In the small city of Đà Lạt,Vietnam, there is a crazy house (literally). The house is nicknamed “The Crazy House” because it really is strange... You'll feel like you're in some weird dream or in a...

Ta Prohm Temple, Cambodia | HOLE STORIES

Siem Reap, Cambodia

2012.08.23

Siem Reap is a pretty cool city to hang out in... hostels are cheap and right in the city center, temples are close for exploring in the daytime, and the nightlife is really fun. Learn where to stay...

Wat Xieng Thong, Laos

2012.08.23

Luang Prabang, Laos has many beautiful temples. Check out Wat Xieng Thong ["Wat" in Laotian means "Temple"]. Wat Xieng Thong is in a nice area in Luang Prabang with great architecture - so the walk...

Buddha Park, Laos

2012.03.15

If you’re looking for something to do while in the capital of Laos, then I would suggest checking out Buddha Park. It’s a little bit outside of Vientiane, so be prepared for about an hour drive… but...

Back in Europe, and it feels so good! ⠀ Picture is from when I lived in Mallorca ♡ ⠀ London pictures coming soon!
TRAVEL TIP » TRAVEL BOOTS / SHOES ⠀ Get good travel boots/shoes that are great for walking, exploring, and going out at night! ⠀ Traveling entails a great deal of walking, all day, and for a good part of the night. I, quite literally, live in these boots! The only time you won’t see me wearing them is if I’m snowboarding or in the ocean. These boots are made for walking, and exploring! They are leather, which just softens and gets even more comfortable over time. ⠀ I have walked all over the world in these boots, so OF COURSE, the sole eventually wears out. No worries - I get them re-soled about once per year (depending on how much traveling I did that year)... That usually costs about $20 - totally worth it! ⠀ You can’t re-sole sneakers! And, honestly, these boots are more comfortable than sneakers (which I NEVER wear). Sneakers to me look so gross… Imagine you’re in a fancy place overseas, in a dress, looking cute, and then you’re wearing sneakers, haha.. Yuck. I wear my boots with dresses when I’m traveling and I think it still works and looks cute. ⠀ I mean, Lara Croft wears badass boots, raiding temples, and she’s hot all the time. Works for me!
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
TRAVEL TIP » CRUISES (CHEAPER THAN FLYING) ⠀ This is the best kept secret! ⠀ Take a Trans-Atlantic cruise from USA to Europe: 2 weeks, all inclusive, island hop along the way, and it’s cheaper than flying! ⠀ Hurricanes hit the Caribbean around June and continue until about September. Therefore, cruise ships in the Caribbean need to be moved so that they are not destroyed if a hurricane hits. Because of this, twice per year, cruise ships need to be “relocated” and are moved across the Atlantic Ocean - and just because a cruise is being moved and not traveling on a typical route, doesn’t mean they can’t pack it full with people! It costs millions of dollars to move a ship with or without people (cruise ships are like floating cities)… so of course they’re going to try to fill it to, at least, break even. ⠀ Around the month of April, cruise ships are moved eastbound (usually to Europe) – away from the Caribbean and potentially treacherous weather. Around the month of November, cruise ships are moved westbound – back to the Caribbean to continue their Caribbean tours. These crossings across the Atlantic Ocean are called “TRANS-ATLANTIC CRUISES” and are really cheap! ⠀ A two week cruise usually costs over US$2000 (and often even over US$3000) per person!  However, a Trans-Atlantic cruise of the same two-week-vacation is only around US$400-US$750! ⠀ When I did the relocation cruise, it cost me $419. To get to Europe, this was a cheaper option than flying AND, for two weeks, I was eating steak and lobster, lounging by the pool, exploring Caribbean Islands and Canary Islands (off the coast of Africa), enjoying room service, and  basically being pampered 24 hours per day. I know that cruises fall on the opposite end of the spectrum as backpacking, and that each side of the spectrum might make fun of the other… But, boy, let me tell you, after backpacking for months at a time, I LOVE cruises!! ⠀ I'll throw the link in my bio'... Scroll to the bottom and click the button to search for Trans-Atlantic cruises... I made it one click & super easy =) ⠀ Or go to HoleStories.com & search "CRUISE" ⠀ #TRAVELTIPS✈
Sunset/Beach strolls in El Salvador. I walked as far as I could then spotted this small bar - the only way in was from the beach steps. I drank some cold beer and watched the sky and sand change colors. And I guess if you're here when it's high tide, you're forced to stay a little longer and drink until low tide - oh darn... Life here is pretty chill.
TRAVEL TIP » CLOTHING (MULTIPLE USES) ⠀ Wear clothes in multiple ways! ⠀ The best way to pack for a long trip, is to try to find clothes that you can get creative with. A shirt that is comfortable enough for a hike, and cute enough to go out on the town is a good start… but what about a shirt, that can be worn as a scarf, skirt, hat, or purse?? A few pieces like this, and your combinations for an outfit are endless - not just to look cute, but out of necessity while traveling… depending on the day and what’s in store ahead. When traveling for an extended period of time, and only having a carry-on, this has been absolutely essential for me! ⠀ Leave the rompers at home, ladies! It takes up the same amount of space as 2 articles of clothing, but limits your options to just one outfit/use (boring… and a stupid use of precious space)! The only “one piece” (top and bottom together) that I sometimes carry with me is a super light, little black dress that can be worn on the beach, or out on the town with cute earrings. ⠀ Pictures » one shirt worn a few ways… ⠀ ★ Hat ★ Shirt ★ Skirt ★ Scarf (not pictured) ★ Bag » Turn inside out. Take a hair-rubber-band and tie around the bottom. Flip back to normal and use arm holes as the bag’s straps. ⠀ How do YOU get creative with your clothing when traveling? I’m really curious and always trying to make up new looks with single pieces =) ⠀ Check out more #TRAVELTIPS✈
"Pluviophile" (n) a lover of rain; someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days. ⠀ Are YOU a pluviophile? ⠀ Picture taken through the sunroof of car -- rainy road trips =)
Here are some shots of my tiny house! ⠀ The original owner built it and had it at Whistler, BC. It then made its way to Bellingham, WA. ⠀ I had been living in Europe for a while and just got back to NY. I was already day dreaming of my next adventure and where I should go next when I remembered that I really like Seattle. So I started looking for apartments - "Well, shit, apartments in Seattle are REALLY expensive! & I'm beyond sick of dumping money into rent! What about a tiny house?!" These were my exact thoughts as I pulled up Criaglist for the Seattle area. ⠀ My very first search showed an adorable little tiny house (this one)! ⠀ I then opened a new tab in my browser, again going to Craigslist but, this time, posting an ad instead of searching. I posted an ad saying I had a tiny house (all lies) and that I was looking for property to put it on (for free). ⠀ Within 20 minutes, I had a ton of responses, including a response from the tiny house owner saying it was still for sale. ⠀ 6 days later, my car was completely packed and I was driving 'cross country (yet again). ⠀ Since it was built as a mini mountain cabin (heated bed and all), I thought it'd be nice to keep it in the mountains and snowboard every day. So that's exactly what I did. I bought it and put it on property near Highway 2 - I snowboarded 4-5 times per week @stevenspass with hardly any commute. ⠀ Later, I moved it closer to downtown Seattle and now I rent it on AirBnB - which works out great when I travel! ⠀ I actually started another Insta-account solely for the tiny house because many of you have been interested in seeing how stuff works - toilet, shower, etc.. pretty much everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink! haha ⠀ @tinyhouse.seattle if you'd like to check that out and follow along and learn more =) ⠀ The last picture is of the article that was in Tiny House Magazine (November 2014, page 21) ⠀ SPOILER » @TinyHouseMagazine and @TinyHouseBlog want to do an update about it! So be sure to follow to see that post! ⠀ QUESTION » The house was originally named "The Drift House" (hence the DH on the front). Do you think I should keep the original name when referring to it? Or should I change it up?
Travel with fewer plans, and more freedom. ⠀ Sure, I guess this could be one of my #TRAVELTIPS✈ ⠀ I always just buy a one-way-ticket and then "wing it" and figure out how I'm getting home later. For those of you with a tighter schedule (and what I used to do when I was teaching full-time) is buy a one-way-ticket IN to somewhere, and another one-way-ticket OUT of someplace else - this way, at least your dates are set and you can be back to work on time, but you'll have the most amazing adventure in between! ⠀ Honestly, don't think about all the "what if"s that COULD happen and go "wrong"... Just wing it, talk to locals, make new friends, and completely immerse yourself into the culture - you will not be disappointed! ⠀ FACT » I have always done this and have NEVER, unintentionally, missed a flight! One time, it was close, and I was about 10 hours away, so I had to buy a quick 1 hour flight to hop over to the city I was flying out of. So ok... out of more than a decade of traveling with the best spur-of-the-moment adventures, I spent $50 ONCE that I didn't want to... I'm fine with that! ⠀ What do you guys think? How do YOU travel? Round-trip-ticket and plans in between? Or do you wing it? I'm honestly curious!