If you’ve been reading for a while, you’ll know that I simply adore ruins. It’s so fascinating to witness the evidence of the passage of time through something so carefully constructed being torn back down to its elements by the sheer force of nature. This juxtaposition of structure turned chaos is beautiful in its unique way, and I can’t get enough of it. If you share in my affinity for the elegance of decay, you’ll love these amazing ruins found all across Europe.
Traveling full time is an amazing way to see the world, experience the cultures of many places, and meet people from all walks of life. It has a downside that most people don’t talk about: travel burnout. While we were on the road for many months, we kept our pace of cramming many activities into each day, walking tens of thousands of steps, and then crashing, just to do it all over again. That lifestyle is not sustainable and needs to have a better balance. Here are some tips on how you can avoid travel burnout and balance your full-time travels with some downtime.
What place has a friend recommended that you found to be amazing?
We are taking a short break from our daily blog posts but will continue to have our more in-depth Thursday articles. Look forward to more exciting content soon and let us know if we can answer your questions about full-time travel!
In Montenegro, our hosts introduced us to an Irish couple that gave us some tips on the area and showed us some outstanding places. Tivat was one of those places. We met them for some lunch before exploring the rest of the town. It is fun to walk, and we especially enjoyed getting close to nature at the Big City Park. Right on the water, Tivat also has some lovely beaches and a harbor full of enormous yachts.
When have you deviated plans to visit a new place?
Rijeka was not part of our original plans, but as we travel long-term, our plans change. We landed a house sitting opportunity in Switzerland, so we had to go from Montenegro all the way back north to get there. So we stopped in Zadar to visit Plitvice Lakes and then moved up to Rijeka where we would eventually depart our beloved country Croatia.
What inspires you most to travel?
Herceg-Novi Montenegro is a quaint little town that is nearly empty outside of the peak summer months. We visited in December and had it all to ourselves. This is where we stayed in a stone home watching three cats for a couple of weeks. It is a beautiful area, and we love the dramatic mountains along the bay.
When you’re traveling indefinitely, it’s important to cut costs any way that you can. We’re really good at budgeting, and we found the best ways to pay almost nothing for lodging. And as for activities and the best ways to experience a new city, our go-to was definitely free walking tours.
Curious what they’re all about? We’ve got you covered! Read on to find out how to find them, what to expect, and why we love them so much!
Continue reading “Free Walking Tours – All You Need to Know”
Do you want to visit a medieval town?
Kotor is one of the most well-preserved medieval towns near the Adriatic sea and is an Unesco Heritage site. We visited in December and the weather was perfect. The drive there from Herceg-Novi is stunning with the beautiful waters and dramatic mountains. There also loads of street cats around looking for a bit of love and maybe even a treat. We loved everything about this town!
What tourist attraction have you avoided having to pay the entry fee?
Kotor was one of our favorite places during our visit to Montenegro. It is a charming little walled city with a Fortress and Castle just above it. We visited in December and had this place mostly to ourselves. The climb up to San Giovanni Castle was amazing with such mind-blowing views from the top. It also is a unique trek with zig-zagging pathways all the way up the hillside. The trip is well worth the 1,350 steps to the top. And somehow we also didn’t have to pay the entry fee.
Continue reading “A Glimpse of Kotor’s Castle of San Giovanni”
What unusual place have you stayed in?
We had an opportunity to watch some kitties in Montenegro in exchange for lodging, so we jumped on it. This stay was more of an adventure than our typical cat sit. The home is made of stone, has multiple buildings, and the couple who owns it just moved in recently. They hadn’t worked out all the bugs of their new home upon our arrival. Let’s just say we had a few obstacles to work through when we arrived, but that was part of the fun. We were excited to stay in such a unique place in such a fantastic location in Montenegro.
Continue reading “A Glimpse of Cat-Sitting in a Stone House in Montenegro”
What experience do you have with caring for a sick pet?
We watched three kitties for two weeks in Montenegro with TrustedHousesitters. This website allows you to find accommodation in exchange for watching pets. It is our favorite way to see a new place in the home of a local. While we were there, the unexpected happened when we noticed one kitty had labored breathing. It seemed to get worse, and we had no way of contacting the owners in China. So we had to take action and took Captain Ahab to the vet.
Continue reading “A Glimpse of House Sitting in Montenegro – Captain Ahab”
