This post is part of a series called Reunion Island 2024 (’cause a hard rain’s a-gonna fall) Within the admittedly somewhat skewed grading curve we’re operating on, today went well. We’re in Saint-Denis in the north, hopefully ready to ride out the storm. Neither of us slept particularly well last night – there was a…
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This post is part of a series called Reunion Island 2024 Today was a bit of a washout. We woke up to beautiful sunny skies and enjoyed our last (we thought) morning on Reunion. Ominously, around 6am I got a WhatsApp message from our Airbnb host letting us know about a cyclone approaching the island….
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This post is part of a series called Reunion Island 2024 Our second to last day on Reunion, and our last scheduled activity – rock climbing at Piton Maïdo. This was another booking with Olivier from Adventures Reunion, but this time it was a private booking – just the two of us. We left the…
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This post is part of a series called Reunion Island 2024 Technically not a bridge but rather a meadow, but it turns out the answer is yes. Today we went paragliding! Paragliding happens all over Reunion, but the real hotspot is Saint Leu, with a landing zone right next to the Kelonia turtle sanctuary. Before…
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This post is part of a series called Reunion Island 2024 (Actually, our alarm was set for 1:30am, but as an elder millennial I couldn’t resist the Simpsons reference.) Today we hiked the “Trois Salazes” with Adventures Reunion. This is going to be one of those nights where I stay up late waiting for photos…
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This post is part of a series called Reunion Island 2024 When you travel to a volcano with a geologist, there are days that are going to be about rocks. Like, lots of rocks. (before we get into the day – all the comments for this trip were gummed up in WordPress, I wasn’t trying…
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This post is part of a series called Reunion Island 2024 Today we wanted to get up into the mountains, to get a better sense (and view) of the island. The ever-trusty (though not always trustworthy) AllTrails had pointed us to a hike across three volcanos, with about 2500 feet of elevation gain over an…
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This post is part of a series called Reunion Island 2024 Today was a “getting our bearings” day – a chance to explore and get a sense of the island. A vibe check as the kids say. We started our day off with coffee and fruit overlooking the ocean. So that was ok. After a…
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This post is part of a series called Reunion Island 2024 Even though Minnesota isn’t giving us much in the way of winter this year, it still seemed like good practice to get away from the cold and gray for a little bit. So, after a couple long travel days, we’re on Reunion Island, a…
View MoreThis is the time of year when a lot of us think about putting together photo books of our trips. Every December, I collect all of our travel blog posts from the past year, along with some photos, and print a single copy. It’s a fun thing to have on the bookshelf to flip through…
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Hiring a driver for a day, or a few days, can be a time- and money-saving way to get around while traveling. But lots of folks don’t do it, because it’s one area of travel that hasn’t (yet) been fully app-ified. Why Hire a Driver? Obviously services like Uber, Bolt and DiDi make it easy…
View MoreI love shopping for bags. In part, that’s because no bag is totally perfect, so you’re always on the lookout for something just a little bit better. My go-to travel setup is a 40L Lowe Alpine bag that I’ve had for 25 years, and a 22L ultralight daypack from Gregory. I think this is basically…
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This post is part of a series called Mexico City 2023 Tacos, race cars and friends. Sounds like a pretty good long weekend right? This was a pretty quick trip to Mexico City, so rather than doing a day-by-day trip report, I’m just going to hit some of the high points. And a few of…
View MoreI’ve written about getting cash while traveling in past newsletters, but I had an experience in Amsterdam which got me thinking about one specific aspect of the equation – dynamic currency conversion. Sometimes when you use a credit card or an ATM abroad, you’ll get the option of conducting the transaction in USD or the…
View MoreDo you love the idea of traveling through beautiful countryside on foot, but kind of hate the idea of eating freeze-dried pasta from a pouch and sleeping on dirt? Well then you sound like an ideal candidate for hut-to-hut hiking, one of my favorite ways to explore around the world. The name kind of gives…
View MoreIt’s 2023. It’d be really nice if wifi just worked. Alas, when we travel, that’s often not the case. We’ve all dealt with the frustration of a wifi network that just doesn’t seem to do anything, or works just enough to give you hope, but not quite enough to be useful. The reality is, often…
View MoreStreet food is one of my very favorite things about travel. In many countries, it’s the most surefire path to authentic, fresh, delicious food at a reasonable price. But I know many travelers who avoid it – whether out of personal fear of getting sick, or because they’re traveling with groups which are seeking to…
View MoreYou might not have noticed, what with the global pandemic and whatnot, but I think we’ve passed through a golden age of paying for stuff while traveling, and have slipped into a more balkanized, complex world. Let’s try to unpack what’s happening. It used to be that you’d land in a city, grab some cash…
View MoreMaking some smart choices about the apps you load before you travel internationally can improve your experience and save you time and money. Even though mobile websites can generally accomplish all the same tasks, an app can offer two main benefits: lower data use and offline access*. These are some of my must-haves when traveling….
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