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‘Backpacking’ Europe — how I packed for 10 days in one (!!!) backpack

April 8, 2018 Randi

YOU GUYS. I DID IT.

I made it to Europe, around Europe, and out of Europe using a single backpack.

Anyone who knows me knows that this is a spectacular feat.

On my last trip to Europe, I brought a carry-on rolling suitcase in addition to my personal item, and that was only for a five-day trip to two cities.

Toward the end of December, I splurged on the medium-sized Away suitcase, thinking I would definitely need it for my planned 10-day trip to Europe.

I brought it with me on my 10-day trip to Michigan over the holidays, and the friend I visited bluntly told me I was not allowed to bring it with me when I visited him in Europe.

“Uh, why not?”
“…Because we’re going to be going from city to city, and I don’t want to deal with you dragging that thing around.”

…OK. Fine. Probably fair.

Said friend is an ultimate minimalist (seriously, I think he can fit everything he owns into two bags and a box that fit in the backseat of his car) and I didn’t think there was any possible way I could bring a single bag on a 10-day trip.

Buuutttt, when I told my coworker Colleen about my travel plans, she told me she’d actually traveled to Italy for 10 days using only a backpack a few years ago, and it was totally possible.

Soooo, I decided to go for it.

Europe 2018: Istanbul, Prague, Barcelona and Milan

March 15, 2018 Randi1 comment

Hello! Ahoj! Ciao! Merhaba! Hola!

After a crazy insane 10 days jetting from America to Italy to Turkey to Czechia to Spain back to Italy back to America, I have lots of photos and words to share!

Last week, I took 10 days off work and visited four different European countries.

I don’t think I spent anywhere close to as much time as I wanted to in each of these countries, and if I could do this trip again, I probably would have done it a little bit differently. More on that later.

Regardless, I wanted to share with you guys. So here we go!

No problem here, Houston.

February 28, 2018 Randi

Two flights down, eight to go over the course of the next two or so weeks.

I’m not sure whaattt I was thinking booking back-to-back trips, but when I got back from Houston Saturday, I never bothered to unpack. ICYMI, I’m leaving for Europe, um, TOMORROW, so I’m basically still living out of my backpack.

ANYWAY! Houston!

I had never been to Texas before, so when my college friend Waxford invited me to come hang for a weekend, I took him up on it. I packed my backpack, hopped on my Spirit flight (I’m one of the, like, four people in the world that actually likes Spirit Airlines) and headed to Houston for two days.

Global Entry: Why you should get it, what it does and how long it takes for approval

February 16, 2018 Randi

Guys, I’m kinda freaking out a little bit. My flight to Europe leaves in exactly two weeks, and I feel like I’m not even close to being ready.

OK, that’s a lie. I bought a larger-than-necessary backpack (fight me, Ryanair), dug my outlet converters out from underneath my bed… and was approved for the U.S. Customs and Border Control’s Global Entry program! (Woo!)

I’d never really considered Global Entry before, but after my passport was stolen during a trip in and out of Heathrow a few years ago, a friend suggested I look into it to expedite the customs process. I’m now stuck with a passport marked “-THIS PASSPORT IS A REPLACEMENT FOR A STOLEN PASSPORT-” for the next literal decade, and my friend — who has the same problem — said Global Entry approval made entering the U.S. a lot easier for him since he hasn’t once been pulled aside for “additional questioning” since joining the program.

I’d also been on the fence about TSA PreCheck since I’ve started flying enough over the past few years to consider it, and since PreCheck is $85 and Global Entry is $100, I figured the extra $15 for the peace of mind when traveling with my replacement passport was totally worth it — especially since I’m planning to go overseas more than once during the five-year validity of the program.

Plus, considering I’m only bringing a backpack (gulp) to Europe in two weeks, it’ll be SO nice to not have to unpack my laptop/ liquids/ etc. for security since I don’t have a personal item I can just slide them in and out of.

Anyway, a coworker was asking me about the program, so I figured I’d talk a little bit about my experience with it!

12 great Chicago brunches and breakfasts: North Side edition!

January 7, 2018 Randi2 comments

Hi, my name is Randi, and I have a slight addiction to brunch.

(Cue the support group: “Hi, Randi.”)

Breakfast food is my absolute favorite. It tends to lean slightly more vegetarian-friendly than other meals, and vacillating between “savory” and “sweet” offers two entire entities of practically endless combinations. From yolky bennies and toast piled high with avocado to syrup-drenched waffles and flaky jam-stuffed pastries, breakfast options continue practically forever.

And — when you add spicy bloodies and fruity mimosas to the combination? Heaven.

In the few years I’ve lived in Chicago, I’ve spent quite a few weekend mornings eating my way through the city with friends, trying out restaurant specialties, touted deals and drink after drink. I actually started keeping up with my morning meals on Instagram using a hashtag, but since I’ve received quite a few requests for recommendations, I decided to list ’em out.

I’m starting with a few of my go-to brunch restaurants on Chicago’s North Side, since that’s where I live, and hence, where I dine most frequently. Let’s go!

Good riddance, 2017.

January 1, 2018 Randi2 comments

I know most of you are here for it when I say that — for the most part — 2017 effing sucked.

Don’t get me wrong, there were a few — very few — personal highlights. I visited Nashville, northern Kentucky, Colorado and Montreal. I joined a book club. I had my first byline published in the Tribune. I got to visit the Joe Louis Arena for the last time. I was in my friend Caitlin‘s gorgeous Michigan wedding.

And nationally? There were a few good things that happened.

But for the most part? This year was stressful, taxing and all-around sucky.

Montreal weekend road trip

December 10, 2017 Randi

I’m a little late in getting this post up, but I still wanted to take a minute to share some of the photos from my Thanksgiving weekend road trip to Montreal, Quebec!

I was originally planning on going with my sister. Then, my high school friend was going to join. Then we pitched the idea of my friend’s sister (who is pretty good friends with my sister) coming along. Then my sister had to bail for work, so my friend and I invited two of our other friends from high school. Whew, deep breath.

We all had an extended weekend for Thanksgiving, so everything ended up working out perfectly.

After holiday celebrations with our respective families, we all started the 11-hour drive from our hometown (an hour from the U.S./ Canada border, fun fact) to Montreal.

A (mostly Chicago) holiday bucket list

December 6, 2017 Randi

It’s finally December, which means it’s time for alllll the Christmas and holiday activities!

Here’s just a little snippet of my favorite things to do this time of year in Chicago.

Flannel weather

November 30, 2017 Randi2 comments

It’s so hard to believe that fall is just about over. It doesn’t seem like that long ago I was making my seasonal fall bucket list (which, by the way, went mostly unfulfilled thanks to the Cubs), and now tomorrow is December. Temperatures are down to the ’20s and ’30s, and now it’s finally time to start celebrating the holidays here in Chicago!

I wanted to share one last set of photos from the fall before I hide away under my parka for the next three months.

Designing (and publishing!) my own day planner

November 24, 2017 Randi

You guys know I am a suuuuper organized Type A neat freak, so it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that I have the hardest time finding a daily planner.

I wrote about my struggles a little bit last year, when I picked up the Simplified Planner to use. I really liked the planner’s design at first, but it didn’t take long for the bulkiness — combined with the lack of a weekly view and the overwhelming checklist layout — to start proving its inefficiency.

So, I switched to a Plum Paper planner that had weekly views sectioned out by topic — i.e. “day job,” “freelance,” “blogging,” etc. That worked for a little bit, but lacking the space to write out appointments was really frustrating, and I also found myself overlooking tasks and due dates because the layout made it hard to separate scheduled meetings from tasks from general notes.

After hours of scouring the web looking for a suitable replacement, I gave up and made my own!