Europe

It was difficult to return to a hostel dorm room in Inverness after being spoiled at friends' cottages in the north tip of Scotland. We only had to stay for just one night at the Inverness Student Hostel...

My godfather Malcolm referred to England’s Lake District as “Heaven on Earth” as he unfolded various topographic maps on the coffee table. When Britnee and I found out we had a week to spare before...

A whole lot of hills! We enjoyed four days of hiking and a little relaxing while staying at the YHA Helvellyn Hostel near Glenridding in the Lake District, England. Thanks to some guidance from Mark's...

We chose to stay at YHA Helvellyn during our time in the Lake District and we chose right! This hostel is tucked away in the old Greenside Lead Mine area a mile from the village of Glenridding where we...

It was a familiar footpath that I’d walked countless times before with my grandparents, my parents, my brother and now on which I walked with my wife. Crossing through fields, over a small bridge and down a...

While in Vienna, my friend Rachel and I visited Der Wiener Zentralfriedhof, a large cemetery outside of the city. It is known as a place where many esteemed locals are buried as well as famous musical...

We visited Somerset, England, for some family history where we stopped in Sampford Brett, the home town of Mark's late grandparents, and explored the quaint coastal towns of Minehead and Watchet with a ride on...

It almost felt like home while visiting the "city of salt" in Salzburg, Austria. Coming from Salt Lake City, I didn't realize that "salz" meant salt and that I'd be visiting what could be the sister city of my...

As the world's oldest salt mine, the Hallstatt Salt Mine is a must-do while in beautiful Austria. To get to the start of the tour, my friend Rachel and I took a steep funicular ride up the mountain where we...

After exploring the town of Salzburg and touring the fortress, my friend Rachel and I hiked onto the top of the hill overlooking the town to find our hostel, Stadtalm Naturfreundehaus. When we came to it we...

While in Belgium, my friends and I took a day trip from Brussels to Amsterdam to visit Anne Frank's house. We were caught in a downpour as soon as we stepped off the train in Amsterdam. So with newly...

While I'd initially planned on sticking around Berlin for eight whole days, I soon decided to explore elsewhere in Germany and give my hosts their kitchen floor back—where I was sleeping and recovering from...

After spending a sleepless night in the Oslo Airport, I took an early morning flight to the quaint country of Belgium where I met up with my friends Rachel, Emily and Brendan, who just arrived from the United...