Skiing in Bansko, Bulgaria

To ring in 2026, we spend New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day skiing in Bansko, Bulgaria. I have to start off by saying, I learned about Bansko from a travel podcast that recommended it as a great place to ski that hadn’t been discovered by tourists yet. After visiting, I can safely say that Bansko has very much been discovered by very many tourists!

The ski area was quite crowded, which of course can be expected for ski areas that week after Christmas. Overall, it was less crowded than most ski areas in the US would have been, with hardly any lift lines apart from the main gondola that takes you from town to the ski area. The beginner trails were packed with people and it was hard to find a seat at lunch, but the top of the mountain was emptier and more spread out. The lift tickets were also cheaper than they would have been in the US, coming in at around $65 per day.

We rented clothing and equipment from BSR Ski Rent. The skis and boots were pretty decent, but the jackets and snow pants had seen better days. We got spoiled last year in Japan with their amazing organization systems and high quality rental gear, so we came in with high expectations. Bulgaria, as you might expect, was not so organized as Japan, but we got some skis, boots, and clothing for about $25 and only reserved a couple of days in advance. I don’t think they actually track the reservation system and instead just see what they have when you get there, but our friend “Bob” from Bansko got us set up with what we needed, save for a few rips and tears and limited selection. We brought goggles, hats, and gloves from home, which were all very needed since temperatures were in the single digits (Fahrenheit)!

We stayed in an apartment at the Belvedere Holiday Club, which also had some pros and cons. It was a little overpriced for Bulgaria (at just under $200 a night), but on the other hand, where in the US can you stay walking distance to the lifts for that price? When we arrived, our room had not yet been cleaned from the previous guests—that’s the first time that’s ever happened to me with an Airbnb type of place! But it was an easy fix, and our host had it rectified in under an hour. They made up for it by leaving a bottle of prosecco to celebrate the new year.

The ski area was unique, since you walk to a gondola in town and then the gondola brings you to the base area to take other lifts. At the end of the day, there’s a long ski road to get all the way down into town. I’m not sure if Bryan had fun, since the trails were icy and crowded, but for me, it was enjoyable to get to see what skiing is like in another country.

We were also walking distance from the restaurants in town, so we tried a few places for dinner. The House was nice and cozy for traditional food and Alpen was a deliciously memorable Italian meal. We found that a lot of places would turn you away without a reservation, even if they looked completely empty, so it’s best to book in advance. Generally, Bulgarian food was delicious, with a lot of barbecued meats, fresh veggies, and really good bread. There were slim pickings for breakfast, so if you’re thinking about opening a breakfast cafe or coffee shop—you might find a market in Bansko. We either grabbed protein bars from the convenience store or skipped breakfast altogether, but Station had good omelettes on our last day.

The little town was quaint and peaceful with nice views of the mountains. New Year’s Eve was pretty subdued for us, but there was some live music and dancing at the restaurant we went to for dinner, and we saw a lot of fireworks going off at night.

On January 2nd, we were done with skiing and booked a day at the spa. We chose Pulse Therme in Banya because they have a brand new location with lots of baths and saunas to choose from. There were some issues with our arrival, because as we arrived the electricity went out, so the spa was closed. They brought us to their other location back in Bansko, but as soon as we got there, they told us the electricity had come back on at the first location and that it would be much less crowded. So we went back, and it was still extremely crowded! But after all the back and forth, we settled in, used the gym, and bopped around to all the baths, pools, steam rooms, rain rooms, and saunas that we could fit into our four-hour visit. It was a nice spa, besides being overcrowded, and I’m not sure if it was due to the electrical issue, but the hot tubs were more warm than hot.

That was all for our three days in Bansko. As you can tell, there were some ups and downs, but overall it was a unique experience and new place to ring in the new year. Happy trails!

**It’s a privilege getting to ski in other countries. I make sure I’m covered with affordable and reliable travel medical insurance in case anything goes wrong. I choose SafetyWing because their Nomad Insurance policy covers activities, including skiing, in 185+ countries. To sign up, visit this link.

Kyushu, Japan Road Trip

Please forgive me for a few more delayed Japan posts from last year. My memory is fading in my older age, so it helps me to write these things down so I don’t forget! Kyushu is the southernmost Japanese island. I’m so glad we rented a car and drove around the island. It was a unique and laid-back experience, and we got to see so much more than we would’ve if we had just taken trains everywhere.

I flew into Fukuoka since I was doing a language program there and we flew out of Miyazaki. We spent five nights on this part of the trip. Here is a map of our route:

Fukuoka

I posted previously about learning Japanese and staying with a host family in Fukuoka, Japan in December 2024. From there, Bryan met me in Fukuoka, where it was essential that we eat ramen, since Fukuoka is the birthplace of tonkatsu ramen. We ran around the city visiting Christmas markets and seeing holiday fountain shows for one night, then we started our road trip.

We rented a car in Fukuoka and drove south. I drove—on the “wrong” side of the road and with most of the signs in Japanese to put my new language skills to the test.

Huis Ten Bosch

Our first stop was an unexpected Dutch theme park in the middle of Japan called Huis Ten Bosch. There were rides, performances, and an incredible display of Christmas lights. We spent the afternoon and evening checking out as much as we could. It was a strange sight in Japan but cool to see the amazing lights!

Nagasaki

We stayed in a very interesting, long and narrow hotel room in Nagasaki (Nagasaki House Burabura). The floor mattresses and tatami mats were normal for Japan, the cat murals and shape of the room were not! We enjoyed our stay anyway. The downstairs had a shared kitchen and living room area with tea and coffee and bicycles for rent in warmer weather.

The neighborhood was pretty, and we found a really delicious French bakery nearby (Aulong).

Next was a sobering visit to the atomic bomb museum (I know, a total 180 from the Christmas lights and bakery, but that’s what the itinerary called for). I thought it was a sad but very well-done museum, including a walking path outside to the fountain of peace.

Kumamoto

Before our trip, we watched a show on traveling in Japan with comedian Rhys Darby. That’s how I learned about the cute Japanese mascot, Kumamon, and how I persuaded us to make a stop in the city of Kumamoto. I think Bryan was mainly there for the bao buns:

But then we got to see Kumamon! He does funny dances and films videos to get people to visit Japan and Kumamoto… it worked on us!

Kurokawa Onsen

Our next stop was a “treat yourself” experience. We stayed for at a really nice ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) at Kurokawa Onsen Village (it was called Kurokawa Onsen Oko no Yu). The rooms were very comfortable with a peaceful view of the river outside and a short stroll to the hot springs.

The meals were outstanding and we got to eat them in our robes. I would’ve spent many more nights at this place, and I’m a little sad that we only spent one!

Fun fact, this stop was actually the first sign that my life was about to change a lot! I had been interviewing for jobs for a while, and while we were at the hotel I got the call with the offer of my new job.

Mt. Aso

We made a brief pit stop to see Mt. Aso, the second largest active volcano in Japan, after Mt. Fuji. We hiked around a little bit, but it was mainly just a quick viewpoint.

Takachiho Gorge

We made another short stop that day at Takachiho Gorge. The gorge was really beautiful and impressive. We took a walk along the river and I was surprised to see so many people boating in the winter weather.

We also had the most delicious noodle soups for lunch (sorry for my finger in the photo, but you get the idea!)

Miyazaki

Our “final” stop on this segment of the trip was Miyazaki. We had a truly magical time! We wanted to surf but weren’t sure about waves and renting boards. We ended up staying at a guest house where the owner happened to have two longboards for us to rent and somehow he found two wetsuits that fit our American bodies perfectly!

The waves were tiny (much to my liking) and we had two really fun days of surfing. People in the water were very friendly, and I was really impressed by their surf van setups. Good vibes all around in Miyazaki!

That finished the road trip segment of the trip. We flew out of Miyazaki for Osaka where we would continue our Japanese adventure.

Christmas in Japan

Ok, you got me. We actually did Christmas in Japan last year, while this year we were in regular old New Jersey. BUT, I never wrote about our Christmas in Japan, and it feels like a festive time to do it now.

First things first, a friend of ours had recommended staying at a really interesting looking castle near Kiroro Ski Resort. It was well off the beaten path near the town of Otaru, which is about an hour from Sapporo. So, that’s how we ended up here:

The castle hotel was nearly empty and kind of spooky! But it was interesting nonetheless. We weren’t sure, but I think we were one of the two or three only people staying there. Some things (like our broken bathroom cabinet) were a bit neglected, but it was an interesting experience for sure. Christmas in Japan was in full swing with decorations:

At the mountain, the skiing was fantastic! I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much snow, and it was nice and powdery. The slopes were miraculously uncrowded with hardly any lift lines around Christmas week, which is practically unheard of anywhere I’ve skied in the US. The resort had plenty of terrain and seemed great for families and all levels of skiers. We rented skis and snow clothes and found the whole experience to be very well organized and affordable.

And if you’ve never had ramen as a ski lunch, you are missing out!

Even though we were some of the only guests eating at the hotel, they did not hold back on Christmas dinner. Here’s Bryan modeling our amazing hot pot and Sapporo Classic beer (and giant space heater that was the main heat source in the room):

Our second day of skiing was a total blizzard! We could barely see since we’d brought minimal gear on the trip, but we still had a great time.

We finished the day off by heading to the German beer hall in the town of Otaru (Otaru Beer Warehouse), which was tasty and fun.

And then we took the train back to Sapporo to spend the next day eating soufflé pancakes and visiting the Olympic museum.

I’ve skied in many different places and a few other countries, and I can say that skiing at Kiroro were some of the best or maybe THE best ski days I’ve ever had. I hope someday to return and ski in Japan again!

Recap: New Zealand North Island Surf & Road Trip

Thanks to those of you who followed along our New Zealand north island road trip! If you’ve read all the other posts, feel free to skip this one, but I wanted to do a full recap of the trip in case it helps anyone else with their planning. We found October to be a pretty windy month for surfing in New Zealand, but we got lucky with waves some days and we got to see and do a ton of other amazing things along the way.

This trip took two weeks overall. I flew in and out of Auckland on Air New Zealand, which I really liked. We rented a camper van from Wendekreisen (the Koru 4 Freedom van), which was on the higher end of the options available. You could definitely do it for cheaper, but we wanted extra space because we expected the weather to be pretty cold and rainy, and we thought we might end up spending a decent amount of time in the van, which we did.

The weather ended up being better and less rainy than expected, and I would do the whole trip over again in a heartbeat!

Here’s a list of the places we stopped (with links to each post to read more):

• Whangarei Falls

• Spirits Bay

• Waipu Caves

• Raglan

• Mt. Taranaki viewpoint & Hawera

• Wellington

• Tongariro, Taupo Bay, & Rotorua

• Mount Maunganui

• Hobbiton in Matamata

• Coromandel Peninsula

• Auckland

And a map of the whole route:

Thank you for reading! Onto the next adventure…

Namaste,

Cori

**It’s always a privilege getting to surf in other countries. I make sure I’m covered with affordable and reliable travel medical insurance in case anything goes wrong. I choose SafetyWing because their Nomad Insurance policy covers activities, including surfing, in 185+ countries. To sign up, visit this link.

New Zealand Road Trip: Auckland (my last stop!)

The next stop on our New Zealand north island road trip took us to my last stop—Auckland! We arrived on Halloween evening, returned the van, and stayed in an Airbnb in the Ponsonby area.

The view from our patio was impeccable, and we were just off the beaten path enough to feel at peace, because Ponsonby Road is quite bustling with a lot of bars, restaurants, and shops.

My friend Mike (who I visited in Sydney) was just starting off a New Zealand adventure with another friend, so our paths overlapped for the night. We set off to see what Halloween in New Zealand was all about.

I was actually surprised to see so many people dressed up and places decorated:

We hit a few bars on Ponsonby Rd., including Parade where it was nice enough to sit outside. Then we had a delicious dinner (and a giant beer tower!) at Eden Noodles.

Auckland is a foodie city, and we definitely made plenty of time for eating. The next day was hanging around waiting for my flight, so we did brunch (not pictured) and walked along the streets in Ponsonby and K-Road.

There was a perfect secondhand bookstore called The Open Book where I bought the first book in my new favorite series (The Little Shop of Found Things.)

We did some more eating and shopping at Ponsonby Central. Grown Up Donuts (sadly not pictured) were a big hit.

Then it was already time for me to head to the airport and fly on home. That was a wrap on an amazing two weeks in New Zealand. Bryan would carry on to explore the South Island.

Thanks for following along on the blog journey!

New Zealand Road Trip: Coromandel & Raglan Return

At this point in the trip, after Hobbiton, we were winding down and didn’t have much of agenda for the last couple of days. We decided to voyage up to the Coromandel Peninsula to check out the hot water beach.

It was about a two hour drive from Matamata, and unfortunately we ended up being a little disappointed. You’re supposed to be able to dig into the beach and reveal little hot water pools, but at least at the time we went, the one small spot of beach with hot water underneath was quite crowded. There were a few groups enjoying their hot tubs—and you could see steam coming over—but there were many other groups digging to no avail. We tried our best at digging, digging, and digging, but ultimately there was no hot tub for us!

We didn’t have a set agenda for where to go next, so we decided to head back toward Raglan and try again for surfing Manu Bay. But first, we stopped overnight at a pretty epic camp spot and our best sunset of the trip:

We fared a little better at Ranglan for attempt number two. Bryan got some waves. I tried the point break and kind of caught a wave, but quickly fell off. Oh well, at least I tried, I guess. Then it was sadly already time to pack up the boards in preparation for the flight.

We had our last dinner and breakfast in the van to clear the fridge, then headed north to Auckland—the last stop for me.

**It’s always a privilege getting to surf in other countries. I make sure I’m always covered with affordable and reliable travel medical insurance in case anything goes wrong. I choose SafetyWing because their Nomad Insurance policy covers activities, including surfing, in 185+ countries. To sign up, visit this link.

New Zealand Road Trip: Hobbiton

This might be my most important post of the trip, since we based our whole itinerary around our reservation at Hobbiton. We did the second breakfast tour, and it was well worth it. We lucked out to extreme measures with the weather. It can be really windy, rainy, and overcast in Spring in New Zealand, but we had the perfect sunny day. It even started raining immediately after our tour was done. Talk about good fortune!

First of all, we woke up early here in our van:

We were only a short drive from Matamata, where Hobbiton is located. We drove up through the green rolling pastures (the sheep weren’t featured in any of the movies.) Here we go!

I got a coffee from the cafe, and got scolded (by Bryan) for almost making us late! Then we took a short bus ride to the movie set.

I won’t spoil the experience with all of my photos, but the scenery and hobbit holes looked amazing. There was so much impressive attention to detail. We loved every second of it.

Our guide started out on a working holiday visa. Imagine that being your work away job in New Zealand! And there was a guy on our tour who had learned some songs from the movie on the tin whistle and played them for us.

The general scenery was also gorgeous:

We got to go inside of one hobbit hole. There was so much to see, I think I could’ve stayed all day, or moved in forever! The attention to detail continued, with the fireplace lit and a pipe still smoking on the end table.

Hobbit life alwaysseems pretty sweet to me! Next we headed to the Green Dragon Inn for a pint. I enjoyed a lovely cider by the fireside.

Then we had made it to second breakfast. It’s a good thing we were hungry. All the food was delicious!

I have about a hundred more photos, but it’s best to go see for yourself. And rewatch all the movies while you’re at it! It was a truly magical experience.

New Zealand Road Trip: Tongariro, Bungy, & Rotorua

It was time for our biggest New Zealand day yet! We fueled up on ramen in the van on our last night in Wellington, then we really wanted to squeeze in as much as possible, so we decided to try to fit Tongariro National Park, bungy jumping (for me), and a Rotorua Maori cultural experience in one day. It was packed in, but the schedule was definitely doable with some time to spare.

We woke up super early from our parking lot in Wellington and drove about 3.5 hours north to Tongariro National Park. We started with a short walk to Tawhai Falls (also known as Gollum’s Pool) since we were on a Lord of the Rings streak.

Next, we parked the van in town (not an easy feat, but we were able to street park) and did a longer hike of the Taranaki Falls Loop, which was a little under 4 hours. It was an easy hike with gorgeous views from below and above the falls.

We could’ve enjoyed much more time in the park, but we were on a time crunch to get to my bungy jumping appointment. We grabbed some lunch in the van and drove a little over an hour to Taupo (AJ Hackett Bungy). To be honest, I was feeling pretty nervous at that point and wouldn’t have minded if we missed the appointment! But we made it with time to spare, and they let me walk right up and jump early (lucky me!) I was actually a little relieved to see that it wasn’t as high as the really, really high other bungy jumping locations in New Zealand. I felt less anxious and more excited as I got my harness fitted and walked out to the platform. The staff members were really friendly and reassuring, so I felt better. But when I made the jump, I uncontrollably screamed “OH MY GOD!” I don’t think anything can prepare you for that feeling.

At the bottom, a boat lowered me down, and I got to have a nice little ride back to the dock to hike back up to the starting point. It was the perfect experience! I almost considered jumping again, which you can do for about $80 more, but the weather was starting to turn rainy. Onwards we went to our next destination…

We drove another hour and arrived early to our cultural Maori dinner in Rotorua. Just enough time for a van shower and change in the parking lot before the show. In Rotorua, there are a few different Maori villages that offer tourists the opportunity to learn about Maori culture. We weren’t sure if it would be cheesy and extremely touristy, but we decided to go for it, and I’m glad we did.

We went with the Mitai Maori Village. We spent the evening watching demonstrations and performances, hearing a Q&A session about Maori culture, and eating an amazing (and massive!) hangi meal. I felt like we were able to learn a lot about a special aspect of New Zealand, so it felt worthwhile—though it was a very large group and definitely a touristy activity. After dinner, we walked back down to the stream and saw a few glow worms along the trail in the dark.

And that was a wrap on our most jam-packed New Zealandy day!

New Zealand Road Trip: A Weekend in Wellington

After our rainy and windy drive through Taranaki, we spent the night in a field near Waiinu beach and woke up to this:

The wind was on the waves, so we started to make our three hour drive down to Wellington. On the way in, Bryan had to stop and buy a new laptop, and I learned that driving and parking the van in the big city is no fun!

Luckily, we found a big parking lot for freedom camping and there were a few spots still open. We left the van and opted for Ubering (or DiDi-ing) around the city for the weekend.

We hiked up Mt. Victoria and hit some Lord of the Rings filming photo opps along the way.

I learned that Wellington is very windy! The city gets 175 days a year of over 60 knot winds. We could definitely feel it as we walked up to the summit of Mt. Victoria. The views were beautiful, though!

Burger joints are popular in New Zealand. We tried Burger Liquor for dinner and really liked it. Their burgers, curly fries, beer, and milkshakes met our refined American standards.

Our parking lot overnight stay was just fine. And in the morning we headed to a delicious brunch at Neo Cafe & Eatery, then to the National Museum of New Zealand. I originally wanted to go because I thought it was free, but when we got there we found out it’s only free for New Zealand residents. However, the $35 NZD (was about $17 USD at the time) was really worth it. It’s a very well-done museum, and there was so much to see and discover!

Later that day, we visited Weta Workshop, another of the LOTR stops on our trip. This is where they make many of the props and costumes for the LOTR and Hobbit movies, plus so many other movies with magical props and designs! It was really neat to learn how the actors get into character and see (and touch!) some of original movie props.

We probably would’ve stayed another night because the drive to get to Wellington is quite long, but we had big plans for the next day. I’ll tell you about that next time. But for now, I’ll leave you with some late night van ramen:

New Zealand Road Trip: Rainy Day

After our attempt at surfing in Raglan, we camped overnight near the Three Sisters and Elephant Rock. The freedom camping spot was really pretty when we arrived at just about sunset, but it was high tide. We didn’t end up seeing the rock formations because when we woke up at low tide it was rainy and windy.

What a change overnight:

We had gotten pretty lucky with weather up to this point, so we couldn’t complain. We decided to set out on our route to Mt. Taranaki, even though we didn’t have high hopes of seeing anything. And we were right! Here’s where a lovely view might have been:

On our way to the viewpoint, the van company texted us with a warning that we should pull over due to high winds. So we were actually stuck for a couple hours near the viewpoint. We took a short hike around and had some lunch, then we needed to find a rainy day activity.

Enter, the movies! We had a great time visiting Hawera Cinemas. They had comfy seats, table service, and authentic replicas of props from the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter movies. Plus nice people. We went full New Jersey and saw the Bruce Springsteen movie on the day it came out. It was a rainy day win.

New Zealand Road Trip: Raglan

Before setting off on this trip, we agreed that it wasn’t a surf trip but more of an adventure trip with some surfing along the way. However, we did bring our boards around the world, so we were hoping for some surf. After we made our way around Northland (the northern region of New Zealand’s north island), we headed down to Raglan on the coast.

There weren’t many (or any?) free camping areas in Raglan, so we paid to stay in this big field with bathrooms and showers. It was windy, cold, and rainy the night we arrived, but the next day turned out nice.

The drive out and down a winding hill to the ocean was beautiful. And there were certainly waves that day.

I didn’t take any photos of the actual surf spot, but it was a point break with a long paddle that tested the limits of my comfort zone. I decided to paddle out to see if I felt like being brave enough to go for any waves.

It turns out, I was not brave enough since with point breaks you usually have to start at the most powerful peak of the wave, which is usually also crowded with the best surfers. I lingered on the side hoping for the leftovers if someone fell off early or missed a wave. But, I was a little too timid, so I watched from the sidelines. Then the waves started getting bigger, so it was time to head back in. Bryan and I tried to paddle in, but we were fighting hard against the channel. The only way to get in was to catch a wave, so I caught a huge one and rode it on my belly all the way in.

Whew! I’ll need to work on my point break courage, but there was a debatably well-earned van shower and brunch at Orca Eatery. I also tried NZ’s delicious Hokey Pokey ice cream for the first time. That’s a new favorite.

**It’s always a privilege getting to surf in other countries. I make sure I’m always covered with affordable and reliable travel medical insurance in case anything goes wrong. I choose SafetyWing because their Nomad Insurance policy covers activities, including surfing, in 185+ countries. To sign up, visit this link.

New Zealand Road Trip: Waipu Caves

After we left Spirits Bay, we experienced our first dump station visit. This was my first time staying in a van, so it was a new adventure for me. I thought a dump station would be a bigger, bathroom-type room, but it’s basically just a hole with a water spout nearby. Unloading the grey water and refilling the fresh water were fairly easy—it just took some adjusting to park the van in the right spot for the hoses to reach. And I won’t go into details, but after our first cleaning of the van’s cassette toilet, we decided to only use it in case of serious emergencies! Most of the campgrounds had their own bathrooms anyway, so that plan worked out well.

Onward! That night was another one where we arrived in the dark and didn’t see the view until the next morning. I knew from Google Maps that we parked on the side of Coca Cola lake (Rotopokaka) and that there was a beach nearby. This is the beauty we woke up to in the morning:

The beach wasn’t far away, either. I walked up a sandy hill and came upon this view on the other side:

Wow! What a perfect place to camp for the night. I was hoping for some waves, but there weren’t any, so after my walk we continued on our driving journey.

New Zealand is known for having glow worm caves, and a lot of people go to the Waitomo Caves which are bigger and offer black water rafting. We wanted a less crowded and more relaxed glow worm experience, so we decided to check out the smaller Waipu Caves Scenic Reserve. It was only a short walk from the parking lot until we found this entry to the cave:

We were glad to have our headlamps as we waded in the dark through some ankle-deep water.

I didn’t see any glow worms, and I was actually going to keep walking into knee-deep water when Bryan stopped me and told me to turn off my head lamp. There were glow worms everywhere! As soon as I looked up, I could see hundreds of them on the cave walls above us like a starry night sky.

My iPhone 14 didn’t do it justice, but you get the idea:

Overall, I’m glad we stopped at the caves. The whole Waitomo black water rafting is probably more of an experience if you’re looking for a half-day/full-day experience, but Waipu was an impressive little stop on our road trip.

New Zealand Road Trip: Spirits Bay

Our next stop was my favorite camping spot of the trip. We left Whangarei and drove almost all the way to the northern tip of the north island, Spirits Bay.

It was so picturesque, with horses roaming on the hillside and a short walk to the ocean. We parked our camper van in a field and walked to the beach just in time for sunset.

I wish we had unpacked our boards a little sooner, because the waves were perfect that evening. But they were still wrapped in cardboard and plastic wrap to protect them through the flights. We waited to surf the next morning when it was windier and the waves weren’t as good.

But we still paddled out and had some fun. Then we made a nice breakfast with perfect weather and a perfect view, so I really can’t complain.

I would 100% recommend staying longer than just one night in this magical place. But we only had a couple weeks with so much to see and do, so we headed off that afternoon for our next stop.

Spirits Bay, I hope I get to see you again someday!

New Zealand Road Trip: Whangarei Falls

After stopping in Sydney, it was time for the true vacation part of the trip… a campervan adventure in New Zealand!

I woke up early to fly into Auckland and met Bryan in the airport. Our flights conveniently landed at about the same time without any hiccups. We got a ride to pick up our van from Wendekreisen, and we were all set to move in!

We decided to unpack our clothes into the drawers and leave our suitcases at the office. That ended up being a very good decision, because every bit of space counts when you’re living in a van for two weeks, especially with surfboards.

Our next stop was the grocery store (Pak’nSave) to stock up. I love grocery shopping in other countries to see the local delicacies, like these green-lipped mussels and golden kiwi:

Then we headed north into the Northland region. I was nervous about driving the van in the dark on unfamiliar roads (I would later learn that I didn’t need to be), so we planned to drive about two hours to our first stop. Since it was already getting late, we decided to save our groceries and grab takeout from a burger place on the way.

When we arrived in Whangarei, our plan A campsite was full—not surprising, because we knew it only had four parking spots—so we moved on to plan B (Waikaraka Layby). In the dark, it just looked like a parking lot on the side of the road to spend the night. We set up our bed, put out the window shades, and settled in for our first night in the van.

In the morning, we woke up to this view:

Not too bad for our first morning in New Zealand!

Then it was time to start exploring. Our first official stop in Northland was the beautiful Whangarei Falls. Fun fact I learned: “Wh” is pronounced like an “F” sound. I’m glad my friend told me that before I left home!

The falls were lovely, and they led us to an easy trail where we did a short hike past kauri trees.

Some of the trees are thousands of years old! We had to be very careful to clean our shoes at the boot-cleaning stations, because many of the kauri trees are dying due to a disease from foreign soil.

It was a nice, peaceful walk to took us to another waterfall:

We looped back to the van for some lunch sandwiches, on our newly discovered world’s best bread, Vogel’s Bread, and prepared to drive further north.

We stopped to check the surf at Shipwreck Bay, but it was too small, and there wasn’t anywhere to park the van unless we wanted to take the risk of driving onto the sand. We did not! (And I think the van company forbids that anyway.) But it was another beautiful view:

We continued our drive north to one of my favorite spots on the trip, Spirits Bay, just in time for sunset. I’ll tell you more about that next time!

Cleveland Favorites

My family just found out that next month, my sister will be moving from Cleveland to New Jersey! She’s been living in Cleveland for the past year with her husband who was completing a medical fellowship.

When I first found out that’s where they were heading, I have to admit I was a little bummed. Cleveland has a reputation of being cold and grey… and it’s far away from the east coast! But I had the chance to visit them twice during the past year, and the city absolutely surpassed my expectations.

I was surprised to find lots of nature activities, hip new shops and restaurants, and the usual friendliness and good neighborly vibes of the midwest. We’ll be happy to have them back on the east coast, but I think they’re pleased with their year in Cleveland.

So, in honor of their last few weeks in Ohio, here are some of my favorite Cleveland things they introduced me to:

1. Nature Walks at Rocky River Reservation

   The biggest surprise I found was that Cleveland has a lot of nature areas to explore. The weather might be grey a lot of the time, but the city’s parks are full of color and activity. The Metroparks system has tons of hiking and biking trails to explore.

2. Watching Games at Lakewood Truck Park

Cleveland is definitely a sports city. While we were waiting for my sister to get out of work, my brother-in-law brought me to the food truck park for a few drinks. It was a fun atmosphere with lots of young people watching games, drinking beers, and eating snacks.

3. Spotting the Cleveland Signs

There are six Cleveland signs around the city. I’ve only seen about three, but spotting them can take you to other cool locations, like this view of Lake Erie and downtown from Edgewater Park.

4. Climbing the Tower at Holden Arboretum

The Holden Arboretum is about a 30 minutes drive from the city, but I would say it’s worth it for climbing the Emergent Tower and exploring 20 miles of nature trails. The canopy walk was closed when we visited, but the leaves were changing colors which gave us an awesome view.

5. Hiking at Cuyahoga Valley National Park

I have a goal of visiting all the national parks, so of course Cuyahoga Valley was on my list of want-to-do activities. It’s one of the smaller national parks, and the hike we did was close to the road so not very immersed in nature, but I would still say it’s worth visiting if you happen to be in Cleveland.

6. Day Tripping to Chagrin Falls

We went to Chagrin Falls during both my fall and spring visit. It’s a great place to take visitors or stop for the day, with lots of shops, restaurants, and views of the falls.

7. Sunsets over Lake Erie

I haven’t gotten lucky enough yet to see people surfing on Lake Erie (or to try it myself), but the sunsets sure are pretty.

8. Vintage Shopping at Paradise Galleria

Paradise Galleria is THE COOLEST VINTAGE STORE I’VE EVER BEEN TO. Actually, it’s the coolest store I’ve ever been to! It’s kind of a big warehouse with sections for different vendors, and it’s full of amazing stuff. It has a ball pit and a slide! Wow! I could spend hours there.

9. Mediterranean Tapas at Zhug

My sister took me to lots of yummy restaurants in Cleveland, but Zhug really stood out. I love mediterranean food and all the plates were delicious and very shareable.

10. Indoor Mini Golf at Birdietown

Last but not least, indoor mini golf! We played a quick round at Birdietown and had a great time. The course is neatly designed—challenging enough to keep you interested and fun to play with friends. Plus they have food and drinks.

I guess I won’t be back in Cleveland anytime soon that I know of, but I’d be more than happy to visit again!

Recap: Portugal, Spain, France Surf & Road Trip

We’re back in New Jersey now, so I have more time to recap our whole trip. We spent six weeks in July and August 2025 traversing the coast of Portugal, parts of Spain, and a quick dip into France. This was technically a “surf trip” in that we brought surfboards, but we weren’t expecting much for waves in Europe in the summer. We were pleasantly surprised! Most of the spots we found had at least a little bit of surf. Sometimes the wind was strong, but we made it work and were pretty happy with what we got.

We divided the trip into two parts, because our credit card rental car insurance has a max of 31 days, so we knew we would need to come back to Lisbon mid trip. That worked out well, and I would highly recommend either of these road trip routes. I think you would need a full month to do the first part. We spent 2-3 nights in each place, and we definitely could have spent longer, but I don’t think we could’ve done it in any less time and still enjoyed ourselves the same. We’ve determined that three nights is the ideal minimum stay to truly enjoy a place when you’re road tripping around. The second part of the trip on the southern coast of Portugal could probably be done in any amount of time. It’s a beautiful place, but I’m not sure if we would go back again in August, if given the choice, because of the crowds.

Here’s a list of the places we stopped and stayed:

Part One:

• Ericeira

• Peniche/Baleal

• Nazaré & Praia de Mira

• Porto

• Salinas

• San Sebastian & Zarautz

• Bordeaux & Saint-Émilion

• Capbreton

• Salamanca

• Cascais

Part Two:

• Aljezur

• Sagres

• Burgau & Praia da Luz

• Alvor

• Vila Nova de Milfontes

• Lisbon

And a map of the whole route:

Some other details: We flew in and out of Lisbon airport on American Airlines, and we luckily didn’t have any trouble with the boards in a 7’6” board bag that actually measured a bit too long for their baggage limits. We worked remotely the entire time, and the only place we ran into any issues with wifi was in Alvor, which is pretty deep into the Algarve region.

Overall, it was a lot of driving and moving around, but I’m so glad we did it the way we did. We really got to see some amazing places, and it was a perfect mix of surf, nature, and culture. It was a really nice trip and one that will provide great memories for many years to come!

Thanks for following along on the journey.

Namaste,

Cori

**It’s always a privilege getting to surf in other countries. I make sure I’m always covered with affordable and reliable travel medical insurance in case anything goes wrong. I choose SafetyWing because their Nomad Insurance policy covers activities, including surfing, in 185+ countries. To sign up, visit this link.

Portugal Road Trip: Last Stop in Lisbon

We finally reached the end of the road. And I’m very sorry to tell you, I didn’t take many photos on our last night in Lisbon. It was a busy day.

We woke up in Vila Nova de Milfontes and ate Tomas’ delicious breakfast one more time. Then we went for quite a fun surf. After that, it was about a two hour drive to Lisbon.

We stayed at a hotel near the airport that was pretty convenient (Le Jardin Lisbon). And we tried to clean the intense amounts of dust and dirt off the rental car with a large water bottle.

We were still working—hence not many photos, but we took a break to go into the city for dinner. We found the most amazing Portuguese vegan restaurant (Kong).

They make all the typical Portuguese dishes—bacalhau a bras, octopus, pasteis de nata…—and everything is vegan! We’re not vegan, but we like eating vegan food, and it was awesome. We started with some “sausage” croquette appetizers, and then I had these yummy seitan ribs:

We skipped dessert at the restaurant, because it was time for our last round of pasteis de nata. We went to Manteigaria and bought a dozen to bring back home.

And that was a wrap on six weeks of Portugal, Spain, and France! It was a really fun trip, filled with food, surf, new places, different languages, and an exploration of whether we’d want to try to do a longer term stay in Portugal or somewhere nearby in Europe. After all, I’d say the answer is a definite yes.

Portugal Road Trip: Vila Nova de Milfontes

We saved some of the best accommodations for last! At this point we were nearing the end of the tip and kind of tired from changing locations every 2-3 nights. We knew we wanted to check out Vila Nova de Milfontes based on the surf forecast, but all the places left to stay were looking like duds. I probably would have given up and stayed anywhere at that point. But Bryan never gives up. He kept checking and refreshing booking websites until a diamond appeared in the rough. Apparently, someone had canceled last minute and there was an opening at a beautiful house called Casa do Lado.

We left the tiny streets of Alvor and headed back to the west coast, stopping at a nice beach bar for lunch on the way.

After about a two hour total drive, we made it to Milfontes. I had to work right away (are you sensing a theme here?), but the room was luxurious. It was nice on its own, but it was extra nice after coming from a journey of shared bathrooms and kitchens and sometimes single beds. There was a fruit bowl, tea, and glass water bottle in the room, for goodness sake. It felt like all of our needs had been accounted for.

In the morning, Thomas the owner (with his sister Mariana) served us an amazing breakfast in the garden.

It was a lot to eat before surfing, but we were not about to pass up such a wonderful breakfast! Then we got lucky and found some fun waves.

It was a Saturday, so we spent the rest of the day exploring some nearby surf spots and the town of Porto Covo.

We surfed a couple days, and the one day there weren’t any waves, we went for a coastal hike to a secret beach.

At night, we found a few nice places to eat—a really good vegan spot, a casual pub, and, on our last night, a highly recommended seafood restaurant.

One night, walking back through the town, everyone was out and about and we came across both a clown show and a musical performance in the streets. It was fun to see everyone out and about on a summer night.

I definitely started to feel like Milfontes should be added to the list of places we could stay longer term. I hope to make it back again someday!

Portugal Road Trip: Alvor

The next stop on our southern Portugal portion of the road trip took us even further into the Algarve. We left Sally’s guest house and peaceful patio for the great unknown of European tourism in August.

And we stopped for a bifana (pork sandwich) on the way:

We arrived in Alvor and navigated the tiny narrow streets up to our next guest house. It was a tight squeeze, but we were blessed by the parking gods and unloading the car wasn’t too difficult.

I had to work right away, but later we took a break for dinner in town. Alvor is definitely a heavily vacationed town with a busy strip of restaurants and souvenir shops. We grabbed sushi and walked down to the water just in time for sunset.

I’m in the midst of planning a work event in Australia, so there were some late night calls that week, but the work view wasn’t too bad:

One of the main reasons we wanted to stay in Alvor was to be close to the Benagil cave. And since we were so close, we decided to wake up early one morning for a cave kayaking tour.

How cool! We went into the most well-known Benagil cave with its circular skylight, then paddled around a few other darker caves. And we stopped on a nice beach.

A lot of other tourists were doing the same thing at the same time, so it was quite busy! But overall, kayaking was a nice way to spend the morning.

Afterwards we found a really great spot for breakfast (Earth Shop & Cafe), headed back to work, and at night went out for Portuguese-Mexican food.

That was all for our short and sweet time in Alvor.

Portugal Road Trip: Burgau & Praia da Luz

At this point in the trip, we were flying by the seats of our pants when it came to accommodation. We thought about taking a flight to another European country when we were back in Lisbon exchanging the car, but flights were expensive and that would have meant another trip to plan and missing out on a lot of southern Portugal.

So, we decided to stay and dive deeper into the Algarve.

We got extremely lucky and found an amazing place to stay. It was a bed and breakfast in Praia da Luz owned by a friendly and funny British woman (Salsalito Guest House).

The property was gorgeous and came with a lovely breakfast every morning. We knew there wouldn’t be any chance of waves for surfing, so it was the perfect place to relax and recharge.

Of course I was missing my puppy back home, and as a bonus, the B&B had two very nice dogs.

During the days we worked on the patio, I did some yoga by the pool, and we got the most incredible massages.

At night, we walked into the quaint fishing village of Burgau and found two great restaurants (Miam & A Barraca.)

We also took one night to go into Lagos for an outdoor cinema event. We watched Forrest Gump with wine and popcorn at the marina.

As it turns out, sometimes not planning is the best plan. It leaves room for wonderful surprises of where you might end up.