Things No One Tells You Archives | Practical Wanderlust

34 Things Nobody Tells You About Traveling in Nepal

October 11, 2019

Snowy mountaintops reaching into the sky. Gently bellowing yaks. Fluttering prayer flags. That was my mental image of Nepal before I visited. But now that I’ve been there, my new mental image of Nepal is quite different. It turns out that all the things I thought I knew about Nepal were .. not wrong, exactly, just like … overly simplified. This semi-useful Nepal travel guide addresses questions like: What’s up with squatty potties, though? Is Nepal Hindu or Buddhist? What does “namaste” actually mean? What foods should you definitely try in Nepal, and what should you avoid? Here are 34 things about traveling in Nepal you never thought to ask!

United States

29 Things Nobody Tells You About Savannah, Georgia

April 26, 2019

Have you ever CLICKED with a place? We clicked hard with Savannah and we’ve been trying to figure out why. Was it the town’s stunning beauty? Was it the fact that everything or we ate or drank was absolutely incredible? Was it the thrilling tales of ghosts and murder and hoodoo lurking behind the closed shutters of Savannah’s elegant, refined homes? Was it the weird quirks, the unexplained mysteries, the myths and legends and nuanced history of a city that’s older than the country it’s in? Well… yes. Here’s 29 of our favorite quirks, stories, and anecdotes from one of the most fascinating places we’ve ever visited: Savannah, Georgia.

United States

29 Things Nobody Tells You About Oakland, California

April 5, 2019

Just across the Bay from San Francisco, Oakland, California is an urban cultural mecca that stretches from the coast to redwood-covered rolling hills. Did you know that Oakland is home to TWO huge redwood parks, a lake in the middle of downtown, 3 historic Art Deco theatres, a food and coffee scene that rivals San Francisco, a system of hidden staircases, and over 600 street art murals? We’ve lived here for 8 years and we’re STILL discovering new things to love about our home city every day! Here are 29 things nobody tells you about Oakland, California.

Europe

40 Things Nobody Tells You About Southern Italy Travel

Last Updated: January 28, 2020

You know when people who travel a lot say stuff like “each part of [country you’ve never been to] is SO different,” and you kind of roll your eyes because it just sounds like a way to brag about how many different parts of the country they’ve been to? Well … in Italy, it’s SUPER accurate. From the language to the food to the social norms, southern Italy is very different than the rest of Italy. Sure, there’s pizza and pasta everywhere in Italy, but in Sicily your pasta come served with anchovies and dusted with pistachios, and the pizza in Naples is leaps and bounds more delicious than anything you’ll get in Florence. (Important note: I did do some things other than eat on this trip, but not many.) In this post, I’m laying out all the things no one tells you about visiting Southern Italy. I can’t guarantee you that they’ll actually help you during your trip, but I thought they were interesting.

Asia

25 Things Nobody Tells You About Backpacking Bali, Indonesia

Last Updated: December 12, 2019

From overly aggressive monkeys in Ubud to that time we crashed our motorbike to reusable straws to what you’re supposed to do with your toilet paper (we’re still not sure?), we learned a lot during our first ever trip to Asia. Most importantly, we learned that Bali actually IS worth the hype! Here are 25 things that nobody told us before our trip to Bali, Indonesia.

Couple's Travel, Personal Posts

32 Things Nobody Tells You About Long Term Travel as a Couple

Last Updated: March 27, 2019

Traveling with your partner is one thing. Long term travel with your partner? That’s like, a whole other, totally different, completely not the same thing. My husband and I spent a whole year traveling the world together as a couple …and lived to tell the tale! We’re even still happily married, I swear. It can absolutely be done, and it’s an incredible and enriching experience for any relationship. But … there are a FEW things that nobody told us about before we jetted off on our around-the-world trip. And so, to prepare/warn you, we’re laying it alllllll out.