Jean Nguyen

  • California

    Lassen Volcanic National Park

    September 21, 2016 - By 

    California has everything: beaches, deserts, forests, mountains, islands…and volcanoes and hydrothermal basins! Tucked away in northeastern California’s remote wilderness, it’s easy to forget that a mini Yellowstone with active fumeroles, mudpots, and bubbling ponds actually exists in California. Even with its lesser known name and comparatively unspectacular hikes, I knew I had to check off this national park off my list. It is in my home state after all. By now we’ve become experts at road tripping, especially in the United States, and we were delighted to easily find boondocking turf literally outside of the national park thanks to the…

  • Budgeting

    Road Tripping Europe: The Costs

    September 12, 2016 - By 

    How much did our road trip around Europe cost? $24,330 for 6 months for 2 people! First, logistical costs (8%). $2024 Before embarking on our epic road trip around Europe, we acquired 6-month long stay visitor visas from the French consulate.  In addition to the visas, our logistical purchases included international drivers licenses, international health insurance, plane tickets (which were heavily subsidized with airline points), transportation to and from the airport, and porting our phone numbers to Google Voice in order to keep our numbers. First class San Francisco to Berlin via airberlin. Buying an RV and stocking it (22%–our biggest cost). $5,195 We…

  • Tips

    Finding, Buying, & Selling a RV in Germany

    August 17, 2016 - By 

    We sure learned a lot after searching, buying, registering, driving, and living in a RV in Germany and throughout Europe, and then advertising, selling, and transferring the RV when we finished the journey.  I hope the information below helps anyone interested in embarking on an epic road trip in Europe. But first, here are the must-do’s before leaving the U.S.: Know how to drive a manual transmission vehicle.  Chris and I had already broken the American stereotype by having previously owned manual transmission cars–Yay! Most vehicles (including RVs) in Europe are manual transmission.  I certainly didn’t see any automatic options when…

  • Tips

    Getting A Long Stay Visa For Europe

    August 15, 2016 - By 

    I made an ignorant American mistake.  I assumed that with my U.S. passport, I could travel all throughout Europe visa-free, hassle-free, for as long as I wanted.  It was the last part where I was oh so very wrong. Exactly two weeks before our departure to Berlin, Chris discovered that Americans can only travel throughout the Schengen Area (26 European countries with a common visa policy) visa-free for up to 90 days within a 180-day period.  Once the 90 days are up, they would need to exit the Schengen Area (to let’s say the UK, or even Africa) and wait at least another 90…

  • Germany

    Dresden

    August 12, 2016 - By 

    When we started our Euro-road trip in February 2016, our first stop was Prague after buying a motorhome in Berlin. Along the way, we passed through Dresden, a city unknown to us yet big enough to be labeled on Germany’s map, and beautiful enough to lure us back upon our return to Berlin at the end of our Eurotrip. Driving through painfully cold Dresden at sunrise in February: We returned in August to a warmer, livelier Dresden. Albeit shaded by Germany’s summer clouds, Dresden’s reconstructed beauty still shined. Despite the grandeur of the seemingly aged buildings, most of Dresden and…

  • Germany

    The Black Forest

    August 8, 2016 - By 

    After spending a week in the Austrian and Swiss Alps, I knew no hike in Germany’s remote, southwestern Black Forest would leave a lasting impression on us.  But we weren’t there for the hikes, despite the nature-bound name.  We came for the rich Bavarian culture, the villages oozing with quaint adorableness, and the widely known Black Forest Cake and Black Forest Ham! And better yet?  Despite being just as cute (if not more cute) than Germany’s famous Rothenburg, the Black Forest still remains quite untouched by foreigners.  Instead of being flooded by buses full of tourists, the smidgen of towns we visited in…

  • Switzerland

    Lauterbrunnen Valley

    August 7, 2016 - By 

    Lauterbrunnen Valley. This is why people come to Switzerland.  To soak in Switzerland’s widely known natural wonder, to admire one of the rare valleys arguably more beautiful than Yosemite, to fly, to jump, to hike. We had arrived to Lauterbrunnen Valley regrettably too early in the season; late May still saw endless gray skies and there was no end to the rain in the forecast.  Almost every hike in my itinerary was still closed due to snow and unfortunate weather.  After thinking long and hard, we made a choice to leave one dreary morning and return to Switzerland during the high…

  • Switzerland

    Grindelwald

    August 4, 2016 - By 

    We spent one night in the unimaginably beautiful village of Grindelwald. Why? Because we found that hunkering down in our motorhome and illegally “camping” in the Grindelwald Grund rail station for only 6 CHF/24 hours was easy, despite all the “Camping Prohibited” signs displayed throughout the entire valley. The mountain scenery from the parking lot was also incredible.  Yep, this suited us just fine. Oh, and the hikes in and around Grindelwald were lovely too, especially when they involve Switzerland’s most famous aerial cable car, Grindelwald to First. From the Grindelwald Gund rail station to the aerial cable car was a 25-minute…

  • Switzerland

    Trift Bridge

    August 1, 2016 - By 

    At 170 meters (560 feet) long, the Trift Bridge is the longest pedestrian-only suspension bridge in the Swiss Alps.  All aspects of the bridge are incredible–the drive to the bridge, then the hike (or chair lift + hike if you choose) to the bridge, and the bridge itself.  Not even the crummy weather could have dampened our experience. First, in order to arrive to the trailhead from Liechtenstein, we drove along Lake Lucerne. Then we continued up and over Susten Pass from east to west.  Like all passes in Switzerland, the pass left us in awe with its incredible views…

  • Liechtenstein

    Vaduz

    July 31, 2016 - By 

    Since Luxembourg was a gorgeous, worthwhile place to visit, I figured Liechtenstein would be too. Ha, not so much.  Unless Liechtenstein happens to be conveniently located on your driving route (which it was for us between Austria and Switzerland), this principality is definitely not worth traveling a long way for.  Even Vaduz, the capital and primary tourist attraction of Liechtenstein, was rather tame. Now, in addition to all the tourists on day trips from Switzerland, we can say, “Yes, we’ve been to Liechtenstein!” As Liechtenstein is only slightly larger than Manhattan, it was no surprise that we ended up crossing the border 6…