thetravelingsopha's

Posts

Krakow, Poland: How to Spend a 2 Day City Break From London

  • February 27, 2025
  • /
  • Uncategorized

I am super excited to be writing my first city break trip from London, which I took to Krakow, Poland. It was a quick 2 days, but I don’t think you need much more than that to get a good feel for this historical city. For those who don’t know, I am a US expat living in London while I work as a pediatric nurse for at least 2 years. I am working to visit as many European cities as...

Queenstown, New Zealand: The Adventure Capital of the World?

  • February 17, 2025
  • /
  • Uncategorized

In November, my friend Elizabeth and I ventured to New Zealand, or Aotearoa as the local language calls it. I think she would agree with me when I say it was everything we were hoping for and more. We started our month-long trip in Queenstown, well-known as the adventure capital of the world. And lucky for us, we had a couple more days there while we were traveling the South Island in a camper van. Here’s what we got up...

5 Amazing Day Trips in NorCal from SF

  • August 19, 2024
  • /
  • Uncategorized

San Francisco has a lot of offer, but there are so many special places you can go in NorCal that are only a short drive from the city. It might be a controversial thing to say SF is in Northern California, but I consider it to be. Taking a day trip from SF is a popular thing for locals to do. Here are a few ideas for your next visit or days off. Pacifica Did you know you can visit...

LA to Cambria: Roadtripping up the Famous Highway 1

  • July 2, 2024
  • /
  • Uncategorized

If you didn’t know, historic Highway 1 has been closed at Big Sur for quite some time. There was a bad landslide, and the road has yet to be fixed. That being said, you can’t go all the way up Highway 1 anymore (hopefully this won’t be a forever thing). So here are my recommendations for stops along the route from LA to Cambria. Long Beach, CA to Santa Barbara, CA I spent a couple of days in LA before...

How to Optimize 3 Incredible Days in Anchorage

  • May 24, 2024
  • /
  • Uncategorized

As a nurse, I’ve been trying to take more quick trips on my days off versus taking multiple weeks off to go places. This has been working out really well, and most recently, I took a trip to Anchorage, Alaska, where my friend Betsey lives! If you want to learn about Alaskan Airlines and all things Alaska, she is your gal! Check out her instagram, HerAlaskaTravels. I’m so grateful I met Betsey (through Instagram!) We have already had a few...

A Quick Trip to Austin: A Mini Guide

  • May 12, 2024
  • /
  • Uncategorized

Austin, Texas is a great place to spend a few days. It isn’t a huge city, so 2-3 days is a good amount of time to spend exploring! Perfect for a long weekend trip or, if you’re a nurse, a quick trip during a chunk of days off without having to take time off. Austin is knowns for its “weirdness”, bats, and live music. As summer approaches, more and more live music events are going on each weekend! Be sure...

7 Great Things To Do In And Around Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City is a gem of a place, that many people don’t think to go to. There is so much to do in and around the city – here are a few of my recommendations after a few trips of my own. *Note: There may be affiliate links in this post* Places to Stay in Salt Lake City Apartment I stayed at this 1 bedroom apartment less than a mile from Temple Square, and I loved it. It has...

Exploring the Best Hidden Gems of Juab County, Utah

  • April 24, 2024
  • /
  • Uncategorized

If you want something out of the ordinary to do while visiting the Salt Lake City area, come along with me to Juab County! We started off hopping into our van and driving out of the city to a rural area called Juab county. And to put it lightly, I was more than pleasantly surprised by how the day went! Eureka, Utah About 2 hours Southwest of SLC, Eureka is a small mining town. Although it doesn’t have the same...

10 Interesting Spots to Discover in Eastern Iowa

  • March 28, 2024
  • /
  • Uncategorized

Alright, I am finally writing a post on Iowa, since it is where I was raised and grew up. I’m keeping it specifically to Eastern Iowa because honestly, Iowa is a big state and it’s hard to cover ground there. I’m hoping to do more in other parts of Iowa the next time I am there, so if you are interested or have any recommendations for me, please leave them in the comments! I know Iowa may not be on...

How to Spend a Day in Istanbul: A 24 Hour Mini Guide

  • March 24, 2024
  • /
  • Uncategorized

Note: There may be affiliate links in this post Istanbul is one of the most incredible cities I’ve been to so far. Partly because it is one of the only places in the world in 2 continents: half in Europe, and half in Asia. Türkiye has so much history and culture, it’s definitely a country to add to your travel list! I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Istanbul twice now, both for much too short of times. I stopped there...