By Colin McFadden

Two Bits

This post is part of a series called Spain 2022 We’ve just arrived at a hotel in Madrid, after spending a few days in Seville for a conference. Though it’s been mostly a work trip, we had a bit of time to explore Seville and figured it was worth capturing before it disappears from our…

View More
By Colin McFadden

Guidebooks

Guidebooks can feel a little anachronistic in our age of social media, TripAdvisor, and customized search engines. However, I’m fully in the camp of thinking that a guidebook is one of the best investments you can make ahead of a trip. Allow me to try my best to convince you. Guidebook as a planning tool…

View More
By Colin McFadden

Where should I stay?

Where should I stay? Well, it’s complicated. The options for housing when traveling have multiplied over the last ten years, from short term rentals to boutique hotel chains to group housing. There are great options at every budget level and for every type of stay. I’ve found it helpful to work out a mental map…

View More
By Colin McFadden

Kenya 2022

Before diving into a recap of our recent trip to Nairobi, let’s get a couple truisms out of the way. First, when an American tells you that they’ve heard somewhere is dangerous, it’s a lot like a FIAT owner telling you to watch out for those unreliable British cars. Perspective matters. Second, when you live…

View More
By Colin McFadden

Loyalty to #Brands

I Pledge Allegiance To the #Brand In past travel tips, I’ve talked about credit card points programs and frequent flyer accounts. However, there’s a whole world of loyalty programs out there, just waiting to turn your frequent patronage into minimally useful rewards and data for algorithms. Which of them are worth the effort? There are…

View More
By Colin McFadden

Getting Around Cities

The smartphone and the rise of “micromobility” have dramatically changed the landscape for getting around cities while traveling. When traveling internationally, the options compound further, with local and regional champions and city-specific modalities. Having a good grasp of the mobility options can make travel faster, cheaper, and more authentic, so it’s worth doing your homework….

View More
By Colin McFadden

Credit Card Miles

“Earn miles when you spend! 2X miles when you get your hair cut by someone with a monosyllabic first name!” Pitches for “miles earning” credit cards are everywhere. Some of them come with all kinds of travel perks, some of them have very high fees, and some of them are essentially junk. Sometimes you earn…

View More
By Colin McFadden

Miles Miles Miles

If you’ve spent time in any online travel communities, you’ve probably been exposed to the “mile obsessives” who frequent forums like FlyerTalk. I’ve certainly heard the siren call of the mile game, where things like “mileage runs” (flights with no purpose aside from accruing miles) sound like rational life decisions. It’s a topic worth exploring a…

View More
By Colin McFadden

SIM cards when Traveling

With the rise of smartphones in the latter naughts, it became common wisdom among savvy travelers that the best way to stay connected while traveling abroad was to have an unlocked phone and buy a local SIM card on arrival. Nearly everywhere else in the world pays far less for cellphone service, so getting a…

View More
By Colin McFadden

Why Should I Visit Vilnius?

You should visit Vilnius because it’s a charming, quaint, and very European city without all of the slick, over-touristed Disneyfication that comes with many European destinations. Vilnius is the heart of small and dynamic Lithuania, a country that’s still working to figure out its identity after a tumultuous 20th century. A visit to Vilnius lets…

View More
By Colin McFadden

Italians do it best

This post is part of a series called Lithuania 2022 Our last day in Vilnius! I’ll do a followup “Why Should I Visit Vilnius” article at some point, summarizing the reasons to come here. Safe to say, we’ve had a great time and I’d highly recommend Vilnius as a European vacation destination. We started our…

View More