Author: Erin
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How to Spend 4 Days in Kyoto
Kyoto is considered the heart of traditional Japan. With over a thousand temples, quiet wooden streets, refined cuisine, and centuries-old rituals woven into daily life, it’s a city that rewards finding small moments under the hum of modern Japan – lantern-lit canals, incense drifting from temples, and the rhythm of seasons shaping everything from gardens…
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Beginner Bike Maintenance: Pre-Ride Checks
When I first started cycling (and let’s be real, to this day), Mark is my bike mechanic. And my friends’ bike mechanic… I have a few colleagues who cycle and think “bike maintenance” is something best left to professionals with expensive tools and mysterious knowledge. However, there will be time that I will have a…
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5 Days to Explore Tenerife Island
Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands, sits in the Atlantic off the northwest coast of Africa. It’s a place where rugged volcanic peaks meet lush valleys and golden beaches. Sometimes also given the nickname “Island of Eternal Spring,” due to its mild climate (similar to Madeira), which makes it a year-round favourite for hikers,…
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Mount Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route Part I: Getting to the Mountain
Kilimanjaro didn’t start for me on the trail. It started with research and probably less exercise than I should have done. Climbing a mountain the size of Kilimanjaro was not something I’d done before. In fact, I had done very few overnight hiking trips where we were hiking more than just in and out. I…
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Guide to Japanese Food & Restaurants (for Beginners & Visitors)
Japanese food is a sensory experience. Subtle flavours, seasonal ingredients, and beautiful presentation all work together to create dishes that feel both comforting and artful. Whether you’re slurping ramen in a busy station, savouring melt-in-your-mouth sushi, or discovering a local specialty in a small coastal town, eating in Japan becomes an adventure of its own.…
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8 Tips for Building Mental Toughness on the Bike
If you’d asked me early on what made cycling hard, I would have said hills. Or distance. Or speed. When it comes to cycling, people usually focus on fitness — stronger legs, better lungs, higher watts. But after a certain point, it’s not your body that wants to stop first. It’s your brain. Some rides…
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Kauai Island: 10 Things to Do & See
Wild, lush, and wonderfully untamed, Kauai feels like stepping into another world. Known as the Garden Isle, it’s a place where emerald cliffs plunge into the Pacific, waterfalls spill from jungle ridgelines, and quiet beaches invite you to slow down and stay awhile. Whether you’re hiking dramatic coastal trails, floating through old sugarcane tunnels, or…
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Day Hike on the Nā Pali Coast, Kauaʻi
The Nā Pali Coast was the moment on our Kauaʻi trip that genuinely felt unreal. Jurassic-green cliffs, knife-edge ridgelines, and valleys plunging straight into that vast Pacific blue — it’s the kind of landscape that makes you stop mid-step just to stare. The Kalalau Trail is the only way to access this rugged coastline by…
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Trains & Metro in Japan: How to Get Around
Trains in Japan are famously efficient, clean, and almost always on time. They form the backbone of travel across the country, whether you’re zipping between cities on a shinkansen or navigating local metros and trams. While Japan’s rail system can look intimidating at first—multiple companies, lines, and ticket types—it quickly becomes one of the easiest…
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Cycling the Golden Gate Bridge
Few bike rides are as iconic as cycling the Golden Gate Bridge. One moment you’re weaving through city streets, the next you’re floating above the Pacific with fog drifting in and out. The iconic red towers rise around you like something from a film set. But the bridge itself is only part of the experience.…