There were several reasons that I chose to explore Turkey on a group tour instead of just with Michael. First, I had toured Morocco on a group tour before, so I knew from experience that we would learn so much…
Istanbul, Group Travel, and Relearning How to Talk to Strangers
When I traveled to Morocco with Travel Talk in 2019, I believe there was a rule that participants were supposed to be between 18 and 39 years old. This wasn’t a strict rule at all. On my Morocco tour, there…
First Glimpse of Istanbul
I’d been planning my trip for nearly 3 years by the time I flew to Europe, but the first thing I officially booked was a group tour to Turkey. I took a group tour to Morocco at the end of…
Sofia and the Journey to Istanbul
This is the part of my trip where most people would have gotten on a plane. I want to tell you that it was only for environmental reasons that I refrained—that I wanted to be an example of sustainable travel…
Ohrid, Skopje, and Why Macedonia Isn’t the Worst Place to Get Food Poisoning
Macedonia was another country where I didn’t know what to expect, and it ended up being such a surprisingly joyful memory. The name of the country is technically North Macedonia, but there is no South Macedonia. It’s complicated, but basically…
Tirana, Albania, Bunkers, and History Lessons
In my original itinerary, I planned for 3 weeks in the southern Balkans (before my “failure to launch,” as my dad calls my failed attempt at my initial flight). When I reconfigured the whole first part of the trip, I…
