Laying Low in Marrakesh
I had hoped for an enjoyable and relatively uneventful two-day return drive from El Khorbat back to Marrakesh. And it would have been just that, if not for a dumb … Read more
One Night in Ksar El Khorbat
After our Merzouga city accommodations didn’t pan out as expected, we suddenly found ourselves on the hunt for a place to stay for the night after our Sahara Desert camp … Read more
Red Dunes of Erg Chebbi & Sahara Desert Camp
Erg Chebbi is one of those wild and crazy places you see in pictures and movies and dream about going as a kid—you just don’t know it’s Erg Chebbi. The … Read more
Merzouga on the Edge of the Sahara
The drive from Todra Gorge to Merzouga was blissfully uneventful—save for the tiny little detail of getting our first glimpse of the Sahara Desert up close. This stretch of the … Read more
Dades to Todra Gorge (Tinghir & Auberge Le Festival)
Following a big day of hiking yesterday, a restful night’s sleep, and another delicious Moroccan breakfast, we couldn’t help but linger in Dades Valley just a little bit longer than … Read more
Tisdrin Hairpin Road & Monkey Fingers Loop
Dades Valley (also called Dades Gorges) is really a stunning little corner of Morocco. And the weather is wonderful. Here in March, we left rainy Marrakesh behind on the other … Read more
Skoura to Dades Gorges (Kasbah Amridil)
The morning sun is intense here at 4,000 feet on the southern side of the High Atlas Mountains. It darts up over the horizon and blasts through the semi-sheer fabric … Read more
Ounila Valley to Skoura Oasis (via Ouarzazate)
We’ve got a short drive of about an hour to our next overnight stop today. We’ll spend the morning exploring a bit more of Morocco’s famous Aït Benhaddou mud village. … Read more
The Captivating Mud Village of Aït Benhaddou
Today, we got to explore a fascinating UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s been on my list since we arrived in Morocco in early January. Aït Benhaddou is a striking 17th-century … Read more
Crossing the High Atlas Mountains to the Ounila Valley
Yesterday, we set off on an 11-day road trip following the ancient trans-Saharan caravan route from Marrakesh to Timbuktu. The plan is to head over the snow-capped High Atlas Mountains … Read more
8 Days in Marrakesh
When we arrived in Mirleft for the kids’ Worldschool Hub, that was as far as Lori and I had gotten in our travel planning. Not only had we left our … Read more
Mirleft Hub Week #4: Ramadan & Goodbye
Ramadan Mubarak! (Blessed Ramadan). That was the greeting around town on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan. For our fellow non-Muslim readers out there, Ramadan is the … Read more
Mirleft Hub Week #3: Busy Days & Sunshine
Just before we arrived, Mirleft received an extraordinary amount of rainfall, turning the usually-Mars-like landscape into a sea of green, then yellow thanks to an explosion of wildflowers. Then, a … Read more
Mirleft Hub Week #2: French Fort & Dhuhr
Perched above the village of Mirleft are two prominent 20th-century military structures. On the top of the hill is ruined Fort Tidli, which is believed to have been constructed in … Read more
Mirleft Week #1: Our First Worldschool Hub
Mirleft is a small, unassuming coastal town in southern Morocco known for its beaches, surfing, and ruins of a French fort overlooking town. Roughly 7,000 people live in the area, … Read more
Riding on the Marrakesh Express
We’ve spent the majority of our first month in Morocco exploring the northern tip of the country. We’re excited to finally get over the Atlas Mountains to the arid south … Read more
Seeing AND Smelling Fez’s 12th-century Chouara Tannery
Our second week was forecast to bring sunshine. Instead, we got a big storm and more rain. It made for more lowkey stay in Fez than we had planned (we … Read more
Dar Sghira: Staying in a 400-Year-Old Fez Riad
For years, I’ve wanted to stay in a traditional Riad in the Marrakesh Medina. When I started researching accommodation for our Morocco trip, I quickly realized a Riad stay was … Read more
Fez Medina: World’s Largest Pedestrian-Only City
Before coming to Morocco, I had three places in mind to visit: Marrakesh, Tangier, and the Sahara (if we could somehow swing it). With the holidays and Sevilla sightseeing, I … Read more
Rock the Kasbah
It’s been bitterly cold at night up here in the Rif Mountains lately. The past couple of days we’ve even had some rain. So, when we awoke this morning and … Read more
The Blue City of Chefchaouen
Today, we’re looking at a 2.5 hour bus ride up to the Rif Mountains and our destination, the “Blue City” of Chefchaouen (pronounced: shuhf-SHUH-when). The sun is out and it … Read more
Tangier and the Kingdom of Morocco
Due to bad weather, a journey that was expected to take about three hours from Sevilla, Spain to Tangier, Morocco turned into an overnight stop in Tarifa (on Lori’s birthday, … Read more
Stuck in Tarifa
On our final full day in Sevilla, Lori took the boys to an indoor science exhibition. The weather’s turned pretty stormy, so not much outside for the kids these days. … Read more
The Largest Gothic Cathedral in the World
On New Year’s Eve, we caught the celebrations in India before sending the boys to bed at a reasonable hour. But the celebrations around the city at midnight local time … Read more
Flamenco, Tapas & [Another] Year to Remember
It seems we’re in full winter mode now. Highs during the day still creep up into the 50s, but lows are starting to go from cold to frigid. Still, daily … Read more
Córdoba & Mezquita
The week before Christmas, Lori asked me when I wanted to do our day trip to Córdoba. Day trip to Córdoba? Thinking in Mexico terms, I thought, “We can’t do … Read more
A Spanish Christmas
We’ve accustomed ourselves to beach Christmases living in Mexico, so we weren’t really sure what to do with ourselves in inland Sevilla. We did know, however, that this both historic … Read more
The Royal Alcázar
Sevilla’s got a lot of attractions for visitors. But the two big ones are the Cathedral (the largest of its kind in the world), and the Royal Alcázar (pronounced al-KUH-thuh). … Read more
Plaza España and a Christmas Tree
After a week of the flu making its rounds in the family, everyone was finally up and about. That meant, Christmas tree shopping time! I really wanted to get my … Read more
Sevilla Days
On our first morning in Spain, we awoke to sunshine and weather warm enough to open a few of the French doors for some nice European coffee time. Not bad … Read more
Arrival in Sevilla: Night of the Tunas
We head to Spain, today! A mere two hours on a bus and we’ll be in Sevilla—Lori’s former study-abroad home two decades prior and a new country for the rest … Read more
Two Nights in Tavira
We could have stayed a lot longer in the Algarve if we weren’t going into winter. With the temperature dropping and the rain becoming a feature of everyday life, a … Read more
Final Week in Lagos
It’s hard to believe that we’re nearing the two-month mark in Portugal, which means we’ll be leaving Lagos shortly. Some highlights from our final few days. We really wanted to … Read more
Silves: Capital of the Algarve Kingdom
Most of the Algarve’s best-known destinations hug Portugal’s idyllic southern coastline. But historic Silves is an exception. For nearly 700 years, Silves was the capital of the Algarve Kingdom, which … Read more
Visitors & Festivities in Lagos
Lori’s brother and his wife had planned a trip to Portugal before we knew where we would be and when we would be here. Ultimately, we ended up crossing paths … Read more
Barão de São João & Beach Days
We’re always on the lookout for opportunities for the boys to hang out with other kids. Bonus points if they speak a common language and are doing something similar to … Read more
Sagres: End of the World
A day trip to Sagres, known throughout Europe as the “End of the World”. We explore its beautiful beaches, dramatic cliffs, and historic fort and cape.
Storm Claudia & Friends
Just as we were settling into Lagos and getting [too] used to the Algarve’s wonderfully warm and sunny November weather, a nasty storm formed in the Northern Atlantic with its … Read more
Lagos Beaches & Boardwalks
It’s Saturday morning, the sun’s out, bird’s are chirping, and the plaza below is abuzz with activity. It’s time to hit the town! We’re headed to the big Saturday market … Read more
South to Lagos and the Algarve
On Thursday, we wrapped up our time in Lisbon (29 days flew by!) and moved four hours south to the Algarve on Portugal’s sunny southern coast. Lagos wasn’t our first … Read more
Belém: Relics of the Age of Discovery
Before wrapping up our month in Lisbon and moving south, there’s one last major attraction we’ve been holding off on visiting—more like a cluster of historic sights spread out over … Read more
Sintra: Portugal’s Versailles
Visiting the town of Sintra is more or less a must-do if you find yourself in Lisbon. Lori saw this place 20 years ago and wanted to make sure we … Read more
Kid Days in Lisbon
Riley, up for another sunrise and some big days ahead. Both boys journal on a daily basis as part of their “worldschooling”. The boys still love Cover Your Assets, though … Read more
Tram 28 Electrico
The original idea was to find a nice balance between sightseeing, doing school with the boys, working on projects, and laying low to keep things within budget. The weather forecast, … Read more
São Jorge Castle & Alfama
When I was planning my backpacking route through Europe 25 years ago, Portugal wasn’t on my radar. From Athens to the north of Scotland, I don’t recall meeting another traveler … Read more
Around Lisbon
Lisbon has been an ideal place to kick off our European travels for the next year. There’s so much to see and do, and the prices seem very reasonable by … Read more
Cascais: The Portuguese Riviera
The weather here in Lisbon in early/mid-October has been nothing short of perfect. That was all due to change in a couple of weeks, so we aimed to take full … Read more
Arctic Route (Arrival in Portugal)
We made it to Portugal! It’s a beautiful day here in Lisbon as we get ready to head out for a day of exploring. This is the view from the … Read more