work little, spend less, travel more
I don’t know when I first heard about Iceland’s most popular hiking trail, but it had been on my travel wish list for some time. It’s just under 51 miles long, and the FI (Ferðafélag Íslands, or the Iceland Touring Foundation) maintains five huts conveniently located within 7-9 miles of each other along the way. There […]
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It’s time for the latest installment of: We’ve Got a Week Off Where Should We Go? We debated between hiking in Colorado, volcanoes in Hawaii, and whatever-city-in-Europe-has-the-most-business-class-seats-available. Hello, Prague! Well, hello Amsterdam, then hello Prague.
Read MoreIt’s been a whirlwind year, and a bit of a bumpy one for the old Warckens. Last summer my stepdad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and in the fall Greg and I moved into my Mom’s basement to help them until he died in February. While we were there I took a travel assignment at […]
Read MoreLast July I went off birth control. After 17 years of actively preventing ovulation and with only one ovary, Greg managed to knock me up in two weeks flat. Even though all the signs were there- big boobs, peeing all the time, nausea, uncontrollable hormones, constipation, a constantly stuffy nose, and two positive home tests- […]
Read MoreHahaha just kidding. Iceland is not a budget destination, so just put that out of your head now. It’s ironic, you can fly on WOW air from the States for $99 each way, but you’ll pay $150/night for a private room at the City Hostel. Groceries and restaurants are half again, if not double, what you’d […]
Read MoreLook, everyone knows G and I like free stuff. Everyone knows we like credit cards. And everyone knows we love combining the two. Like, did you know Bank of America and Merrill Lynch credit and debit cardholders can visit over 150 museums for free the first weekend of every month? American Express offers lots of […]
Read MoreCredit card sign up bonuses are a great way to travel on the cheap, but of course applying for new credit cards all willy-nilly can be a great way to get yourself in some hot financial water, too. If you think you’d like to apply for a new credit card, or especially several new credit […]
Read MoreI just get so tired. Lord knows I love a good nap, but I just can’t seem to wake up here. Gregory, who rarely naps at home, has been joining me for three, four, six hour naps here in Finland. Our first night in Lapland we laid down at 6:00p, got up at 9:00p, stayed […]
Read MoreKristina and Mike told us about a great area in the far, snowy (but not the farthest, snowiest) north of Finland called Saariselka and the hotel where they used to work outside of Finland’s second largest national park- Urho Kekkonen National Park, or Urho Kekkonen kansallispuisto if you will. A snowy paradise with cabins and […]
Read MoreWhen I first messaged my friend Kristina (the only Finn I’ve ever met) for recommendations on traveling to Finland to meet Santa Claus, I was pleased as punch to hear she not only knew all about Santa, but that she was actually working at Snowman World in Santa Claus Village. I nearly passed out from […]
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