Jeremy

Jeremy founded Living the Dream in 2008 to chronicle his long-term trip around Asia. Since then he has been on two long-term trips, visited 69 countries, and is just getting started. He is now on a Lifestyle Design quest to build businesses to pursue a life of travel.

Is Budapest One of the Best Cities in Europe? We Think So!

Within moments of our arrival to Budapest, Angie and I were overwhelmed with a feeling of familiarity. The city felt like we were returning to an old favorite, one we had explored countless times in the past. 

But this was not the case; not only was it our first time visiting the city, but it was also our first time in the country of Hungary as well.

When reflecting on it, we knew the reason for this familiarity, and it was due to the fact that Budapest felt a lot like home. 

It is this feeling that makes us think a city is truly great, and Budapest hits on all five of the major points we look for when saying it is among the best cities in europe.

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10 Highlights from Biking on the GAP and C&O Canal

When going out on the 335-mile bike ride on the Great Allegheny Passage and the C&O Canal Towpath, you can imagine that there is a lot to see. 

Although there were long stretches where we were biking through the woods or passing along a river/creek, it really did feel like we saw something new every few miles to help mix things up. So in this one, we thought we’d share ten of our favorite highlights from the ride between Pittsburgh and Washington DC that you will see when on the trail!

Before jumping into it, it is important to note that we are omitting what are perhaps the three biggest highlights of all- Point State Park in Pittsburgh, Mile 0 in Cumberland, and Washington DC.

It should go without saying that finishing each respective trail, no matter the direction, is going to be a big highlight, even if the C&O’s terminus in Washington was a bit of a letdown (go to the Nartional Mall instead for your celebratory “end” if heading east!). For this one, we wanted to share our favorite stops along the trail outside of these.

So, let’s jump into it and share our favorites, starting in Pittsburgh and working our way towards DC!

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Where to Stay When Biking the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O

After a decade of talking about it, we finally got up the courage to tackle the 335-mile bike ride from Pittsburgh to Washington DC on the Great Allegheny Passage and the C&O Canal Towpath.

As it turns out, the ride was a ton of fun and is one we regret not doing sooner, despite pushing ourselves further than we had ever biked before by a decent margin.

While these trails are quite popular with those who like to camp, you can also bike it and enjoy amenities in towns while staying at B&Bs. So in this one, we thought we’d take a look at where to stay when biking the GAP and C&O, and put a particular focus on towns that have dedicated accommodations!

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Walks of Italy Florence Review – A Perfect Tuscany Day Trip

I didn’t expect to find myself going back to Tuscany in 2019, but when my family wanted to take a trip to Italy I was game to join in.

They had heard of my stories of taking a Tuscany day trip from my 2013 visit, and were eager to get out and visit some of my favorite spots- namely San Gimignano, Siena, and wineries. We opted against doing this one on our own as my driving in Tuscany experience on that trip was not the best. So instead we hopped on a tour with Walks of Italy (now Take Walks) to take the driving component out of our trip.

As I later found out, going on a Tuscany tour with a guide allowed for a more insightful visit about each destination, and, in the case of the winery, allowed for greater drinking capacity in not having to drive!

In this one, I wanted to break down some of those points from the Walks of Italy tour in greater detail. 

Note: I was a guest of Walks of Italy on this tour. All opinions are my own.

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