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It is that time of year again for another seasonal update. This one is going to be my last seasonal update. “What, you aren’t going to travel anymore!?” Don’t be crazy, of course I am going to keep traveling! Moving forward I will be sending monthly updates in my newsletter and save my weekly posts for travel stories, reviews, itineraries and guides. Make sure to sign up for my newsletter so you get updates on what I have been doing and where I have been. I will be including photos, stories, tips and information that won’t make it into my regular weekly blog posts. Don’t miss out on my first newsletter, sign-up today!

If you are new here, you can find my previous updates here: Winter 2019, Fall 2018, Summer 2018.

And now onto my Spring 2019 update. Let me tell you it was a busy, packed spring!

March

Chiloé Island, Chile

From my last update I left you wondering where I was heading to after my five week stay in Santiago. Towards the end of March I hoped on a plane to Castro in Chiloé Island. I spent several days tracking down the UNESCO world heritage churches throughout the island, kayaking in the Chepu River, hiking in Chiloé National park and eating as much seafood as I could. If you are looking for a unique destination in Chile, I would highly recommend a visit to Chiloé Island. Use my guide to plan your visit.

Puerto Varas, Chile

From Chiloé Island I took a surprisingly nice bus (think spacious, reclining seats) to Puerto Varas in the southern Chilean Lakes region. Being the water lover that I am, my days in Puerto Varas were full of water sports. I tried out white-water rafting for the first time and let me tell you, you will be hearing about this activity again. Instantly, I loved it! I also went sea-kayaking in a fjord in Northern Patagonia. That full day adventure was complete with a home-made lunch at a local lady’s home that is only reachable by water (well without walking for over an hour to the nearest bus stop)! Read more about my kayaking and rafting trips in Puerto Varas.

April

Pucón, Chile

At the beginning of April I went from Puerto Varas to Temuco. Temuco wasn’t anything to write home about. I only visited in order to get to Pucón, in the northern Chilean Lakes District. Later I realized a trip to Temuco wasn’t necessary and you can get directly from Puerto Varas to Pucón and directly from Pucón to Concepción. If you are planning to visit Pucón, I would leave Temuco out of the itinerary!

In Pucón I did another one of my favorite water activities, SUP! I also got out on the water on a boat cruise and soaked in one of the many thermal pools in the area. Some of my favorite meals from all of Chile were in Pucón. The healthy meal options were right up my alley!

Concepción, Chile

Concepción was up next on my Central Chile Itinerary. I had a nice apartment in the center and used the week to rest-up, work out at a local gym and catch up on my blog. I made sure to do a little exploring by checking out the University of Concepción and climbing Caracol hill.

Santiago, Chile –> Buenos Aires, Argentina –> Salta, Argentina

After Concepción I spent one more week in Santiago before flying to Argentina! My first week in Argentina was spent in the Salta and Jujuy regions in the northwest of the country. I’m not very familiar with the southwest of the USA, but I am told this part of the country resembles these regions. I based myself in Salta for the week and really took a liking to the city. Salta’s claim to fame of having the best empanadas, was true!

Most of my days were spent doing 12 – 14 hour day tours to see the spectacular scenery. One of my favorites was the la Quebrada de Humahuaca (a mountain valley), Purmamarca (small village) y las Salinas Grandes (salt flats) day tour. With my fellow tour goers we spent the whole time taking fun perspective photos. Another one of my highlights was a day of zip-lining and rafting (I told you it would come up again soon!).

May

Buenos Aires, Argentina

May started out with a week in Buenos Aires. It felt so good to be back in one of my very favorite cities! I needed the week to catch up on rest, exercising and blogging, but I still fit a few activities into my schedule. I learned about Eva Perón at the Evita Museum. Of course, I re-visited some of my favorite sweet shops for dulce de leche treats and discovered a new donut shop, Donut Therapy in Palermo Soho!

London, England –> Windermere, England

From Buenos Aires I took my longest flight yet, 13 hours, to London! Luckily I like a good long-haul flight and the opportunity to rest and watch movies. Arriving in London at 3:30am and not being able to check into my hotel until 2pm was rough though. I didn’t have much time in London, before I met my mom for our yearly international trip! We had two weeks in the UK together. Our first stop was England’s lake district. From our base along Lake Windermere we hiked in the surrounding areas, kayaked in Lake Coninston, and visited the Beatrix Potter sights.

Wales

Before circling back to London, we spent several days in different towns and cities in Wales. In Llangollen we went canoeing through canals and over an aqueduct. Our guide informed us that the aqueduct is a UNESCO world heritage site and the only one in the world you can canoe over. We spent a couple days in Hay-on-Wye, the cutest book town you could imagine. Not only did we got to visit many of the 30 or so bookstores in the town, but we also went to the yearly book festival. Our last stop in Wales was Cardiff where we went to St Fagans Museum of National History and the Cardiff Story Museum.

London, England

My mom and I finished out our UK adventure with a few days in London. We took two free walking tours, one in the West End and one in the East End. The West End one was about theater and the East End was a food tour, so basically two of my favorite topics! We visited the Museum of London, but there was so much to see that it closed before we got through everything. Our highlight, or least mine, would have to be the Warner Bros Studio Tour. If you don’t know already, it is where the Harry Potter movies where filmed. In addition to seeing the sets, we did a “behind the seams” experience that got us up close and personal with the actual costumes from the movies. It was pretty special to be able to wear the actual cloaks that were used in the final film during the battle scene at Hogwarts.

Leidan, The Netherlands

The two weeks with my mom flew by and it was time for me to hop on another plane to the Netherlands. One of my friends who is teaching abroad in the Hague kindly let me stay at her place in Leidan for a few days. Leidan is an adorable cobblestone, canal town. All I wanted to do was saunter around the town, walking next to the canals.

June

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The previous year I flew into Amsterdam to attend the Traverse Travel Blogging conference in Rotterdam. I wasn’t able to do anything in Amsterdam, so I knew this year I had to change that! I only had one full day, but I made use of it. A free walking tour took up my morning and my afternoon was complete with a canal cruise and a curious walk through the Red Light District of course. In between I had lunch at an Indonesian restaurant with someone I met on the tour. Who knew Indonesian food was so amazing? If you find yourself in Amsterdam I highly recommend, Kantjil & De Tijger.

Trento, Italy

Speaking of Traverse, I attended the 2019 conference in Trento in the Trentino region (in Northern Italy). Before the weekend seminar the week was full of free sightseeing events like visiting a gorge and doing yoga at a castle! I stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast that had views of the castle directly from my window!

Verona,  Italy –> New York, New York

After some restful days in Verona I took another long flight to NYC. It’s been said before, but I will say it again, there is no place like NYC. “Once you have lived in NYC no place else is good enough”. I don’t remember who said that, but they were spot on. As much as I like traveling the world, there is always a part of me missing the Big Apple. My next update will include more about NYC and my future endeavors.

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Well that was my spring! How was yours? Where was one of the places you traveled this spring or a fun activity or event you did? 

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