In this blog post, I share my Alaska itinerary for 14 days, which I planned and organized myself. Hopefully some of you will find this useful when planning your own trip. I went to Alaska in August, which might be helpful to know, since some of the activities you want to do (e.g. see Northern Lights) will depend on the season. If you want to know more details about my trip, check out my post about my Alaska Travel Diary!
Is there anything specific you do every time you travel? Get a souvenir? Write postcards? Talk to a local? Many people have their own list of things they try to do every time they travel. Whenever I travel I try to check off some if not all things on the list below to make sure I get the most out of my trip. For me, they are the best way to be a traveler without losing sight of the fantastic time I have while traveling.
Even though I am huge Christmas fan and Christmas is definitely my favorite holiday, I actually also quite like New Year’s Eve. I know this holiday tends to spark a lot of controversies with people expecting the best party of their lives and sometimes a lot of pressure from family and friends to be all social and happy. What I do like about it though, is that this holiday is not about getting presents, it is all about new beginnings and chances. I also quite like that many cultures and religions do celebrate the new year in one way or another, so it feels like something a lot of people have in common.
You guys know that I am all about books. But sometimes I am all about movies too. It's probably no surprise that the Harry Potter movies are some of my favorites, but there are others I am a huge fan of, too. That is why I have some movie locations on my list, that my inner fan girl thinks are worth visiting.
Now that travelling is quite difficult, I can’t stop thinking about my previous trips and how badly I want to go to places. As a kid, I was no fan of road trips. At all. Maybe because growing up in the middle of Europe meant to my parents that you might as well drive everywhere since everything so close. Literally everywhere. We drove to Spain several times - through the ENTIRE country of France. It took us two days until we reached our campground. Being stuck in a car in southern France in the summer (and with your annoying little brother) isn't fun at all. But hey, I know the best parking spots along the way now.
Can you tell, that I cannot wait to travel after COVID? There is one undeniable advantage of living in Europe - traveling to many different countries is incredibly easy! Hop on a two hour flight and you are in an entirely different country. Or get in your car and start driving. Things aren’t just comparably close, they are also comparably open. Thanks to the European Union you can drive from Portugal to Germany without showing your passport once. Growing up in Germany, we spent our summer vacations exclusively in Europe. However, there are still many places that I would love to visit - or visit again! Below is my travel bucket list - Europe Edition.
It is probably no secret that the US has a soft spot in my heart. After wanting to move abroad for quite some time, I finally took the leap and packed my bags and moved from Germany to San Francisco and it was one of the best decisions I have made so far. Even though I have only been to Canada for a short visit, the country won over my heart instantly. And while I always support a good old trip to the US, here are a couple of reasons why you should definitely pay Canada a visit as well.
Unfortunately, not much traveling is happening these days and I don’t have any exciting vacation plans lined up. As the lockdown restrictions have lifted slightly, I will try to visit my family in Germany and maybe plan a little road trip through the motherland. That’s where I got the idea to write down my Great Germany Bucket List because after all, that’s where I grew up. So if you are ever around Europe, be sure to stop by!
Dreaming about an epic road trip along the sunny coast of California like me? I was actually supposed to visit the Golden State with work this month, which was cancelled due to COVID. But look no further! I've got a list of amazing stops for your road trip down (or up) the Californian coast that you can't miss (once you’re allowed to travel). A road trip on the Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) is an unforgettable vacation and the best way to see many things the state has to offer. Waterfalls, beaches, theme parks - name it and find it along the way.
Many people consider Berlin to be one of the most fascinating cities there are. Many young Germans think it is an exciting place you should have at least lived once in your life, with all its culture and many neighbourhoods. Many foreigners come to Berlin because it’s artsy, it’s cheap and you don’t need to speak any German in order to get along. I however, have struggled with this city and I think it will never be one of my favourite places to live. The city and I have a difficult relationship.
Berlin has the reputation of being cheap. After all, the city’s slogan is ‘poor but sexy’. Given the city’s history, this is probably not surprising. Berlin was a divided city in the middle of East Germany - meaning part of Berlin belonged to West Germany, but you had to drive through East Germany to get there. Being surrounded by a big wall on all sides didn’t particularly make the city very attractive - thus it was cheap and attracted artists and all sorts of alternative folks. While this has definitely changed (today, Berlin is one of Europe’s hot spots), it is still comparably cheap and there are tons of things you can do for free.
Sunshine, pizza, wine, history, and la bella vita. Italy is a dream destination for many travelers. Instagram is full of Rome's great architecture, influencers posing in Positano, and tourists strolling through Venice. A city that doesn’t seem to rank high on many bucket lists is Naples - for a couple of reasons.
While growing up in Germany where access to the sea is quite limited (but yes - we do have a coast line indeed), growing up I spend a lot of time at different lakes instead. However, my favourite lake so far is Lake Tahoe! During my time in San Francisco I actually got to visit the area more than once (which is another plus for the city - Tahoe is just reeeeally close!). In this post I want to share why I love Lake Tahoe so much. Feel free to share your favourite lake in the comments!
On Kate Rebel, I am planning to write a lot about my adventures, but the first post in this category has to be about one of my favorite cities on earth: San Francisco. After living in this city as an expat for a while I might be a bit biased, but still - it's a great place and I would totally recommend visiting! Like...really!
Kate Rebel is an expat, travel and adventure blog sharing stories from abroad, my everyday life and the books my nose is currently stuck into. Feel free to reach out to me - I am always open for questions and comments!
