Where to Travel in 2018 According to NY Times, Frommer’s, Lonely Planet, Fodor’s, AFAR, and Me

Many people get excited about the end of the year because of the holidays, the time off, the food, and seeing family and friends. Don’t get me wrong, all of that is awesome (duh), but another tradition I get excited about around this time is seeing the next year’s “where to travel” lists, the pinnacle, of course, being the NY Times’ “52 Places to Go in 2018.” Yes, I was one of the 9,000 people to apply for the job of visiting and writing about each of the 52 places over the upcoming year. I didn’t get it.

Global Bites without the Flights | Swiss Fondue at Cafe Select

When Kater and I were in Interlaken, Switzerland in May, we went to a VERY touristy restaurant where there was a pair of adorable Swiss elders yodeling, playing the accordion, and offering toots on the alpine horn, an opportunity which I obviously took. We ordered some Swiss beers and a pot of fondue, because, when in Interlaken.

2015 Resolution. Check.

It seems that I make resolutions on a weekly basis. Because I am ridiculously hard on myself (as even my Fluent City French teacher pointed out during my third class), I’m always picking things out that I should do better and things I should stop doing. “Always be a work in progress” has been a quote on my Facebook profile since college. But last year for my *official* 2015 resolution, I chose something that wouldn’t make me feel bad about myself and wouldn’t make me question my past mistakes. The resolution, the goal, was to explore 15 new places during the year of ’15.

Bern, Switzerland | Bern without da Bears

What do you do in a town when the main reason you went in the first place isn’t there? Kater and I experienced this dilemma when we went to Bern in the middle of our week in Switzerland. From our standpoint, the most exciting part about Bern was going to be seeing the bears that live in the middle of town.

Lucerne, Switzerland | A Charming Turn in Swiss Lucerne

Lucerne is known as the tourism capital of Switzerland and it’s easy to see why. It’s right out of a fairy tale. I only had a few hours to spend in all its charm, but I think I made the most of it. If you find yourself in Lucerne, make sure you check out the following:

Switzerland | Rösti la Vista, Baby

My cousin Mike once told me, “Every time I see you outside of a family gathering, you’re surrounded by potato skins.” He’s not wrong. I *love* potatoes and cheese. To me, there is no better duo – forget Simon & Garfunkel, Cory & Shawn, and Taylor Swift’s cats, Meredith Grey & Olivia Benson. My list of potato and cheese combinations starts at potato skins, but it doesn’t stop there: potatoes au gratin, cheese fries, cheesy potato soup, cheddar and sour cream potato chips. I can’t get enough.

Product Review | I Just Made You Say “Underwear”

This particular ad on Tim Ferriss had been for ExOfficio’s travel underwear and I decided to give it a shot myself. I’ve never washed clothes while traveling, choosing instead to pack more than I need and tossing things out along the way. But since I was going to be on the train almost every day of my week-long Switzerland trip, I thought I’d do better with a smaller bag. I packed a pair of ExOfficio underwear to save space, in place of a few extra pairs of my normal ‘wear.