A running list of all my favorite travel everythings — destinations, gear, people, art, culture, food, and, of course, beer. Check back often as I’m continually updating and adding to the list.
Jump to: Europe | Gear & Essentials
Europe
Country
Portugal
Food, history stretching back to pre-Roman times, affordable, lots of outdoor adventure, welcoming people
Big City
Paris, France
Port City
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Small City
Granada, Spain
Mountain Town
Gimmelwald, Switzerland
Hill Town
Volterra, Italy
Coastal Town
Tarifa, Spain
It’s all about the vibe here. This place has a circus school for kids — need I say more?
Neighborhood
El Born, Barcelona, Spain
Food, art, design, handmade crafts and fashion with far fewer tourists than the neighboring Gothic Quarter.
Historic Downtown
Bruges, Belgium
Stunning and delightful, despite the mobs of tourists.
Best Kept Secret
The Alentejo, Portugal
Like Tuscany, but: CONS — less Roman ruins, very little art, extreme summer heat and PROS — better + cheaper wine, great mountain biking + hiking, damn-near no tourists.
Pedestrian Plaza
St. Mark’s, Venice, Italy
This may have been the toughest decision on the list since there are soooo many great ones in Europe.
Roman Ruins
Roman Temple, Evora, Portugal
While the Colosseum is the easy choice here, I dig Evora’s partially standing temple, especially at night.
Train Ride
Check back soon
Viewpoint
Check back soon
Food Market
Mercato Centrale, Florence, Italy
Goods Market
Check back soon
Beer
Anything Belgian
Wine
Check back soon
Street Food
Dead heat between empanadas and french fries.
Fancy Food
Escargot/Caracoles
If it slithers and has a shell, then I’m eating it!
Art Museum
Musee d’Orsay, Paris, France
Military Museum
Imperial War Museum, London, England when all three locations are considered — the Imperial War Museum, Churchill War Rooms and HMS Belfast.
Army Museum, Paris, France if based on just one location.
Science Museum
Galileo Museum, Venice, Italy
While it’s one of Europe’s smaller, lesser-known and least-interactive of science museums, I find the huge collection of scientific equipment simply spellbinding.
History Museum
Check back soon
Kids’ Museum
Check back soon
Castle
Check back soon
Gear & Essentials
Backpack
Tortuga Travel Backpack
Fits as a carry-on? Check. Comfortable, supple hip belt? Check. Basic internal organization? Check.
Daypack
Chico Daypack 15 rePETe
I love a daypack that can store into itself and fit inside my big pack. And this thing hauls an amazing load for such a lightweight pack!
Adapter/Converter
Satechi Smart Travel Router/Adapter
Adapter, router, converter, repeater — this thing does it all in a relatively compact size.
