Author: Maddie Kramer

going to college in covid
I know, I know, covid class of 2020 needs to shut the f up about not getting to graduate high school. Personally, I am actually glad I could Irish goodbye my hometown and high school to spread my wings and fly.

My first semester of college was fully remote and what I ended up doing with that time is a story for another day. I finally was able to go up to school in upstate NY in January of 2021 on a few stipulations.
- Everyone had to be Covid vaccinated
- Out-of-state students had to spend 3 nights in NY before going onto campus
- Nobody else could help us move in or enter the dorm building
- 2 night quarantine on campus before accessing the campus
It was definitely going to be different than a typical college drop-off experience. I went with my mom to quarantine at my Aunt’s home in Buffalo (editors note: bittersweet full circle that 3 weeks before my doctoral graduation, I spent a weekend back at my Aunt’s house <3). After our 3 night stay, we made the drive over.

I don’t know why I thought I could just breeze through a lake-effect winter with a light jacket, but I left all of my heavy winter wear in MD. I quickly realized this mistake as I had to singlehandedly move all of my possessions into my dorm building in 2 feet of snow.

My Michigan-alumni mom watched with the smug I-told-you-so grin only a mom can have from the heated car as I struggled to carry my items in. I was greeted in my room with a bag of “provisions”: apples, bananas, a loaf of bread, canned tuna, peanut butter, and chips.

The benefit of a 2-night dorm lock-in was that I immediately got to work unpacking my little room. My roommate would be arriving a day later than me, so I was excited to have a second to myself to assimilate to this new environment.

About 30 mins after my mom left, I decided to Facetime my roommate to show her around. In my infinite wisdom, I decided to leave my room to show her the shared bathroom and kitchen. Of course I left my room without any shoes on (?), no mask (BIG no no), and without my room key. And of course the room locked behind me.

The cherry on the cake there was that my RA hadn’t moved in yet, so to get the lock-out key, I had to walk across the quad shoeless to another building to get the key there. In the 2 feet of snow.

I have so many great, nostalgic stories from this time of my life. I look back on it so fondly. There were a lot of rules we had to abide to and ultimately tried to break as often as possible.
- Weekly covid testing by spitting your morning breath spit into a tube. If you tested negative or forgot to test, you were not allowed to leave your room for a week.
- No eating in the dining hall, have to bring all food back to the dorm.
- Sign up for a 30 min time slot at the gym and had to sign up for specific machines to use
- Only lab classes in person, everything else online
- Not allowed to go into anyone else’s dorm room or building
Some of the fun workarounds we found included hosting parties in academic buildings, sneaking between dorm buildings, and going to the most fun house parties since all the bars were closed.

I look back fondly on the baseball players in my building throwing snowballs at my window as they walked by. Going on long walks in the cold because there was just nothing else to do. Raising caterpillars into butterflies in a little net in my room and releasing them at the pond. Passing my organic chemistry and bio classes with flying colors because I am a very dedicated, focused, and diligent remote student…

So while it was a really weird time to be a freshman, I think it was fun. If I could go back in time to this period just for 24 hours, I would in a heartbeat.
April 23, 2026
top 5 restaurants in ithaca, ny

After 6 years of school in Ithaca, NY, I feel like I am qualified to recognize my top 5 favorite restaurants with clarity and decisiveness. I have eaten a lot of delicious meals in this town and while these are my top picks, this list is not exclusive.

Of note, I am also a pescatarian. However, all but 1 of these restaurants have very yummy meat dishes as well (or so I have heard).

asia cuisine

From the outside, this place doesn’t look like a showstopper. However, Asia Cuisine has the best value sushi in all of Ithaca. It is incredible! It’s packed at dinnertime and they stop taking take-out orders once it’s busy, so go for an early dinner or late lunch to get a table.

My order: miso soup, edamame, spicy tuna roll, alaska roll

bickering twins

Bickering Twins is my favorite Mexican restaurant in Ithaca (which is saying something with the steep competition of Viva and Old Mexico). I recommend doing their tequila/mezcal tasting if they start hosting them again!

My order: house margarita, chips and salsa, garlic shrimp taco plate with black beans on the side

moosewood

This restaurant already has all of it flowers as the Moosewood cookbooks are insanely famous. This vegetarian restaurant has a rotating menu with the seasons that never disappoints. Their cocktails are also excellent.

My order: whatever curry/soup vibes they have on the menu in that season

maxie’s supper club

Maxie’s Supper Club is my favorite splurge dinner in Ithaca. Think graduations, birthdays, and anniversaries. This is the only restaurant that I trust getting raw seafood at in all of upstate New York. Make a reservation ahead of time to secure a table.

My order: 4 raw oysters, cajun-seared ahi tuna, fun cocktail

thompson and bleeker

Ithaca frequenters know Thompson and Bleeker is an iconic Ithaca spot that is nearly impossible to get a table at. Their pizza is insanely good. Either show up early before they open at 5pm and wait in line or order out.

My Order: panzanella salad, CLAM PIZZA (just trust me on this one)

honorable mention: northstar public house

One if my favorite hidden spots to bring people was Northstar Public House. They unfortunately have announced they are closing soon </3 I am hoping deep in my heart that they will find a buyer and continue having really delicious fake-meat meals and creative cocktails. I love you Northstar!!!!!

April 21, 2026
living with 20 strangers in san francisco
When I was presented the opportunity to complete a clinical rotation in a prestigious neurological rehab facility in the San Francisco Bay Area, there was no way that I would ever say no. The only minor thing standing in my way was the cost of living in Palo Alto as a broke grad student.

To make matters worse, there was going to be no way that I could find a subletter, so I would be paying both NY and CA rent at the same time. Sigh.

After crunching some numbers, I needed to find the cheapest option possible to be able to afford this rotation. I went to searching AirB&B and similar sites. I came across an interesting phenomena of this region: the Hacker Homes.

These networks of homes across the Bay Area are spaces adults of any background can live for short or long term stays. Surprisingly, they are everywhere here. The reviews were good enough and the places looked very nice.

The communal living room; my favorite place to hide in at 5am for a few precious moments of silence and privacy.

I have extensive experience staying in hostels all over the world, so I wasn’t very concerned about the co-living aspect of things. Additionally, I was moving across the country to a place I have no friends or family at. It honestly felt safer to have SOMEONE that knew I existed out there in case something happened.

I knew it wasn’t ideal, but it was only 10 weeks and I am brave and strong.

What the listings do not address is ratio of males to females in these spaces. When I arrived, I learned it was 5 (including me) girls to 16 boys. My room houses 4/5 girls and the 5th girl was certified psycho, so it was a reallllly interesting dynamic. I also quickly began realizing the differences between a hostel in another country and this.

In a hostel, people are there to save money and make short-term friends for the time being. Here, there were very rich individuals CHOOSING to live in this space for social interaction. If you can imagine 15 socially-challenged tech bros all dying to talk to a woman….. it’s a slippery slope. I genuinely think that talking to me was one of the first times some of these guys got any sort of attention from a girl.

In a hostel, people mind their business. Here, I felt like I was always going to have someone annoying me. I am a friendly person and like to meet new people, but this was too much for me. These people were incessantly asking questions, wanting to know about my personal life, trying to be involved in the things I was doing.

Let me give you a perfect example:

For my birthday, I wanted to have a little entertaining fun and throw myself a party with the odd balls in this house. One individual offered to buy me a cake. He asked my favorite flavor, and then told me his favorite flavor of cake. Great, normal.

On my birthday, he opens the cake and it is HIS favorite cake. Which also happens to be blueberry, which perhaps is one of my least favorite foods ever. He then silenced the room by singing his rendition of happy birthday in Polish at the top of his lungs. Immediately after he asked if he could come to my hospital to have lunch with me. I can’t make these things up.

Birthday photo I forced these people to take with me. Half of my roommates didn’t even show up for my birthday…. rude!

I began a running note of the seriously strange things that were occurring. Some of the highlights:
- Rotting meat in the fridge, owner saying it doesn’t smell bad so he won’t throw it out. It smelled bad.
- Roommate would keep gallons of milk sitting out on the dresser in our room unrefrigerated.
- Roommate getting norovirus and throwing up/pooping in the shower for about 6 hours straight.
- The “gym” in the backyard consisting of a broken mirror, rusty bench + tower with one barbell, and a snapped cables machine. Frequent hangout hotspot for the bros.
- Roommate frequently using a blender at 9:30PM
- Opening the shower to find shaved pubic hair covering everything
- Elderly man roommate telling me he was living there to save up to buy embryos to become a single dad by choice (perhaps the worst one imo)
- Roommate calling the police because she became convinced someone had built a device to open the trunk of her car. I was then selected to be the witness and mediator of their fight.
- Someone leaving the gas burner on the stove on overnight because they “didn’t know it needed to be turned off”
- Bunk mate smelling so bad we bought air fresheners and sprayed her bed daily so the smell wouldn’t waft
- Roommate buying a bunch of cameras and putting them all over the house that only she had access to with no permission or rationale when caught
- Female roommate fell asleep on the couch alone and woke up to male roommate rubbing her feet as she slept.
- Hookups on the communal living room couch
So do I recommend this experience? Absolutely not. I was originally trying to find the bright side to all of this strange behavior, but after being sexually harassed on my last day there, I decided I hated everything about this.

The type of person that will thrive in this environment is a male that is socially awkward, has poor hygiene, is somehow rich, and snores. If that sounds like you, this place is a perfect match!

To give them the benefit of the doubt, there were a handful of normal-ish men living here that I never had an issue with. They tended to spend little to no time at the house. However, I think you have to be slightly weird at heart to thrive here.

Despite all of the above, I loved my time so much in California that if I had to go back and do it all again, I would just to live in this state one more time. However, if I went back to this house I would never talk to anyone and fully keep to myself 100% to avoid the freaks.

P.S. I originally wasn’t going to write this or single anyone out to respect privacy, but after he made inappropriate comments about my body to my face on my last day, I am personally blasting this strange man who wore the ugliest outfits for many days in a row until he reeked. You were weirdest of them all!
April 9, 2026
the perfect santa cruz day trip

When I did my clinical rotation in the bay area over the winter of 2026, I quickly fell in love with my day trips to the coast. Particularly, Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay were my two favorite stops.

If you didn’t already know, Santa Cruz is more or less a 1.5 hour drive from the San Fran region (although may be a lot shorter or longer depending on traffic). I was coming from Palo Alto and my best record was about 45 minutes.

I have cultivated the most perfect itinerary for your solo day trip below. Of note, this itinerary does require a car to get you there. Additionally, this itinerary can be rain or shine (may just want to skip the beach if it’s rainy!)

morning

To begin your morning, leave the city with something caffeinated and a good podcast to complete your drive. (I will always recommend Armchair Anonymous, not sponsored, wish it was). Once you get into Santa Cruz, you’re going to park on the street nearby the Wharf, but not on it. I usually have good luck driving on the cross streets near the hotels on the beach. Use ParkMobile to pay for a few hours (you can always add more time later).

From there, walk to the Picnic Basket for breakfast and THEIR CHAI LATTE!!!! I have had maybe a million chai’s before and this is truly at the top of the list. The breakfast burrito is excellent and filling.

Once you’ve filled up and are happy, you can head right across the street to the beach. On a nice day, it’s the perfect spot for sunbathing and a quick swim. On a colder day, I took the most perfect cat nap bundled up in sweats and reading a book on a blanket.

You can also take this time to walk a bit more down the beach to the Boardwalk. I never rode the rides, but it was fun to walk around and people-watch. Its extremely charming!

midday

Once you’ve either had enough beach morning or seen everything you wanted to see on the Boardwalk, head towards the Wharf. You can move your car here if you want, but I actually really enjoyed just walking it and watching the fishermen and wildlife.

Once you get towards the end, there are lots of souvenir shops and lunch options. I had the best fish tacos at Riva Fish House, but I really don’t think you can go wrong at any of these spots here. Dinner will be light tonight, so splurge on lunch!

I also recommend stopping in Marini’s Candies and getting the chocolate covered strawberries if they have them. So so good!!! I’m sure they have other good things too, lol.

Keep your eyes and ears out for sea lions/seals (idk) under and around the wharf. Sometimes they’re extremely cute and sometimes they look like blobs and you’re concerned if they’re alive.

afternoon

Once you’ve completed your midday experience on the Wharf, you can go back to your car and relocate it towards the downtown area on Pacific Ave. There are various parking lots and street parking options available.

There are many impressive vintage/thrift stores in this area to explore and fall in love with. I could spend so many days exploring these streets! When you need a break from walking, go into Roxa Hammock Cafe. This seems like a tourist trap, but I actually really liked their beverages and it was the perfect stop to read a book and vibe. Ask the barista to do the tarot reading to pick your drink!

Since lunch was big, you’ll just need a quick bite to get you through your drive home. My favorite quick stop was a slice or two from Pleasure Pizza. Two different guys also asked for my number while I was sitting there, so I feel like that means its good luck in there.

Then once you’ve seen all you can see, start to head home before the sun sets! And voila, you’ve had the most perfect day in Santa Cruz ever.

April 7, 2026
locked out of our hostel in Peru

This is the story about how me and my dear friend Kate found ourselves standing outside of our hostel in Peru at 12:30am with no way to enter or to access any of our possessions.

I’ll have to start from the very beginning to help you understand how we ended up here. The story starts with us meeting two English boys in the Amazon Rainforest on our tour. Instantly, we all connected and became a really awesome squad.

They left the rainforest a day before us and were headed to Cusco, which worked out nicely to be our next stop as well. Once in Cusco, we met up with them again to hit a few clubs and explore the nightlife.

One thing led to another and we ended up staying out with those boys until 5am! So scandalous… However, we made it back to our respective hostels and all slept in our own beds. Kate and I had to catch our bus to Ollantaytambo at 9am the next day, so this was the end of our time all together.

We (like zombies) made our 2hr bus and got to Ollantaytambo. I LOVED this city so much, even if we were so tired and hungover. Midday, we get an Instagram DM that they boys had decided to follow us to Ollantaytambo to get to spend one more day with us. Imagine our surprise!

They even ACTUALLY showed up and weren’t just bluffing. We genuinely were too stunned for words. However, we really enjoyed spending time with them and were happy to have 2 more friends with us to explore this city.

We grabbed dinner and payed cards for a few hours in a small bar. At this point of the night, I was so tired I didn’t even feel like I was alive anymore. Pretty sure I was dozing off with my head against the wall while sitting up.

Eventually we decide to leave and head home once again. The gentlemen walk us to our hostel and as we are saying goodbye again, we quickly realize the door is padlocked shut. We start knocking on the door and looking for any sort of intercom or hidden entry with no luck. We even got to the point of desperation of texting people on Hostelworld begging them to let us in, which was also unsuccessful.

Not only are we basically homeless for the night, but reception was not going to open again until 7:00am the next day. We had bus tickets to go to Machu Picchu at 5:30am, and would not be coming back to stay another night in Ollantaytambo. This meant that we would have no way of accessing any of our possessions before the check out of time of the hostel and leaving the city <3

For a situation that was borderline emergency level, we really were not that stressed. I think when really strange things like this happen while backpacking, you just have to kind of throw it to the universe that things will work out one way or another.

THANKFULLY, these boys had decided to come and we had a place we could go so we wouldn’t be sleeping on the side of the road overnight. Had they not decided to come, I don’t know what we would have done here.

Our next day timeline looked like: 5:30am train to Aguas Calientes (1.5-2hr), 2-3hr hike from there to Machu Picchu, and 11am entry time for our tickets to see the ruins. Kate woke up before me and decided to return to our hostel and start calling any number she could find and bang on doors until someone let her in.

It wasn’t until she got let in in that she realized the key to our room was in my purse with me, and not with her. Truly this entire predicament was humbling above all else. She began furiously throwing all of our items into our bags at 5am.

I called her and basically was like hey, we need to just take a second here and really think all of this through. What were we even going to do with our bags once we checked out and went to Machu Picchu. Hike the 3 hours with everything on us? Additionally, I knew there was no way we were going to make the 5:30 train at this point.

Kate and I put our heads together and decided we did need some time to recuperate and figure out what in the world was going on. I returned to our room and we decided that- based on the lack of sleep over the last 2 nights and our general sense of feeling unwell on many levels- a 2-3 hour strenuous hike was a terrible idea.

We bought later train tickets that allowed us enough time to sleep a bit longer, refresh ourselves, and take our time making our way to the train station. Then we caught a bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu and still made it in time for our 11am entry slot to explore everything.

As for our bags, our 2 besties came in clutch and transported our luggage back with them to Cusco. Once we made it back to Cusco after our adventures of the day, we collected our bags, and never saw those guys again.

In conclusion, the true kicker of this story is that allegedly there was an intercom button that would’ve immediately let us into our hostel that night had we seen it! So we got no sort of compensation for being locked out because of this<3 Just two dumb girls exploring the world honestly….

March 26, 2026
steal our peru itinerary

My good friend Kate and I had the best trip ever to Peru in March, 2026. I can’t take any of the credit for this itinerary, Kate really was the mastermind here! If I could go back and do it all again, I wouldn’t change a thing about it at all.

Lima

We started our trip in Lima. This city is pretty massive- just a heads up. It really isn’t that walkable between the districts, but Ubers are ridiculously cheap and very helpful. The best area to stay in would be Miraflores or Barranco for iconic views, good food, and shopping vibes.

We stayed in the city center which had some interesting things to explore and cool architecture, but I would probably recommend one of the options above over that.

The weather here is also very random. By the coast it looked like the photo above, gray and foggy. Just a 10 minute Uber away from the coast it was hot, sunny, and UV 11!

Amazon Rainforest

Kate and I agreed that our rainforest tour was the most unforgettable time of our trip. We did a 2 night excursion through this company. All meals, excursions, and accommodation were included and the guides were super knowledgable.

Just know that they are not playing when they say to bring plenty of bug spray, sun screen, and dry clothes. Once my hair got wet it did not dry for over 48 hours due to the humidity.

To get to the jungle, you will fly in and out of Puerto Maldonado (the smallest airport ever) and arrange transport with your tour company. I don’t think it’s a wise idea to try to rough out the jungle without a guide because pretty much everything is deadly <3

Cusco

Cusco was a bit of a reality check after 3 days roughing it in the jungle. The city feels like a European city dropped into South America. Cusco is at an extremely high altitude, so normally easy activities feel very taxing.

All of the recommendations we read said to take it easy your first day there to acclimate, but our time was precious and we had to make the most of it. Neither of us experienced any sickness symptoms but did feel like our hearts were pounding out of our chests after a small flight of stairs.

If you find yourself in Cusco, you MUST eat at Mauka. This was the best Peruvian food we had (and the food in Peru is already insane). It is worth the slightly higher price tag than most restaurants here.

Ollantaytambo

Our next stop was Ollantaytambo, the last city you can make it to by car before Machu Picchu. I feel like this city often gets overlooked by this, but this was my favorite place we went of the whole trip.

The city is nestled inside of the most beautiful landscape of mountains, blue skies, and colorful artwork everywhere. We also saw our first alpacas here!! I really recommend taking some time to explore this town and fall in love with it.

My best recommendation for this city is to go to Latente Specialty Coffee and get either the ginger or orange cold brew. Best coffee of 2026 for me!

Machu Picchu

To get to Machu Picchu, you will need to first make it to the town of Aguas Calientes. The only option to do so is taking the train from Ollantaytambo. Once there, you can choose to hike or bus up to the ruins.

Our original plan was to hike it, but due to some really interesting events that I’ll tell you about on another day, the best course of action for us was to get on the bus. And honestly, the hikers looked miserable, so I don’t regret it.

To actually see the ruins, you have to book a ticket on their super sketchy website wayyyy in advance. Try to book route 2 if possible!

Another pro tip was that we both really did not like the town of Aguas Calientes. It is unfortunately dominated by the tourist industry and has none of the authenticity of the rest of the cities we went to in Peru. I would totally recommend to stay in Ollantaytambo and just make Machu Picchu a day trip versus spending a night in Aguas Calientes.

March 24, 2026
a sugar daddy paid for my miami trip

Before you immediately go sending my mom this article screaming that I am in extreme danger, I would like to make the disclaimer that I was not the one with the sugar daddy, I just reaped the benefits. I don’t recommend anyone do this or even have a sugar daddy in the first place.

Now that that’s out of the day, I am sure that you are wondering how I exactly found myself in this situation. I had met a great friend (Fiji for this story, her camp counselor name <3) while we both worked together at a summer camp in 2022.

For spring break 2023, we were dying to reconnect, and what better way for us to do this than returning to the state where it all began: Florida. This time the west coast.

She wasn’t 21 yet, and honestly we were both pretty broke overall. Miami in the middle of March isn’t exactly cheap and we were working through our options. Fiji let me know that she had an ~alternate~ source of income that would be helping her out…

From my understanding, she never exchanged anything sexual or freaky with this man. He liked that she would laugh at his jokes and keep him company and would pay her for her time. Honestly kinda seems like a dream. Why am I even laughing at any man’s joke if I am NOT getting paid.

Anyhow, she pitched the idea of him covering her costs for the trip and he went one step further offering to cover some of MY expenses too so she wouldn’t be there alone. At first I felt a little weird about the situation thinking he would expect something from me as well, but that part never came. They also lived on the other side of the country from me so I felt a little safer about it for some reason.

It really didn’t feel real that I was going on this trip not fully funded by myself until I was laying on the beach with a $3 capri sun cocktail that some random man sold me. We probably couldn’t have pulled the money together in time to be able to go otherwise.

The culmination of this experience was when he got us a reservation at the Versace mansion and paid for the dinner. I have seldom felt as glamorous as I did this night since then. We had the best time!!!

I asked her later on about the entire situation and she said after she got back he got weird and freaky so she cut it off. But he never asked for any of the money back or anything like that. I guess thats just part of the job??

Anyways, sorry if this wasn’t the juicy, freaky story you were looking for. It truly was as simple as me having to do nothing to get a trip to Florida. Perhaps the benefits of being a good friend? We both look back on this trip with such good memories and I’ve only slightly been begging her to find a new sugar daddy for our next trip.

March 19, 2026
5 spring break trips

Being that I was in a 6-year college program (minus one in-person year due to COVID :/), I was fortunate enough to get to go on 5 very different spring breaks. If you’re looking for a spring break vacay to fit your vibe, no matter what you’re looking for, I’m sure you will find some inspiration below!

ft lauderdale, florida (2022)

My first spring break truly lived up to the “college spring breakers” experience. Me and 9 other friends rented a small house in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for the week. The house backed up to a pond and had a paddle boat and hammock. We got our best use out of this space and the proximity to the nightlife!

I will always remember the experience of our shared hungover breakfasts, girls getting ready together in one small bathroom, and the insane nights clubbing that we all endured. If you’re looking to party all day and night- this is the city for you.

miami, florida (2023)

The next year, I met up with one friend in Miami that I had met working in FL the previous summer. Compared to Ft Lauderdale, this was a very different experience (primarily because we were not looking for the same clubbing environment). While you can definitely find this here, we were not interested in that.

Instead, we spent many days lounging on the beach sipping seltzers and trying delicious food (Versace Mansion is a must-hit). The state of Florida has really cracked down on the spring break craze, so we were glad to avoid the police surrounding all of the drunk crowds and prioritize R&R.

sydney, australia (2024)

I was extremely lucky this year to have a friend studying abroad in Sydney to visit over break. Was it necessarily logical to fly all the way from the US to Australia for only a week… perhaps not. However, we made the most of this trip and the Sydney beaches are some of the most beautiful to lay on.

Honorable mention of this trip was Bondi Beach and the Taronga Zoo. I also learned that I was allergic to kangaroo meat on this trip! Highly recommend choosing an option where you can visit an abroad friend to save the money you would’ve spent on a hotel for something fun while you’re there.

maui, hawaii (2025)

I once again was visiting a friend on this spring break. Did you know, the resorts on Maui don’t have any way of stopping you from entering if you walk in from the beach? Totally not saying I did that or anything though. I just had plenty of free time to walk all over this island.

All that to say, there is PLENTY to do on Maui even if you are not staying at a glamorous resort. Some of my favorites included ziplining in the jungle, surf lessons, GREAT food, and just laying in the sunshine with a good book.

lima/cusco/ollantaytambo, peru (2026)

For my last ever spring break trip, I took a totally different approach and did a backpacking trip around Peru, rounding out seeing Machu Picchu, one of the 7 wonders of the world. This was TOTALLY different from any of my other trips and so wonderful.

The highlight of this trip for both me and my travel partner was a 2 night Amazon Rainforest expedition. However, Peru is filled with amazing food and beautiful sights so truly the entire trip was like a dream.

In summary, you really can’t go wrong with a spring break trip. As long as you’re going somewhere warm, have at least one friend with you, and have something fun planned- you will be golden!!

March 17, 2026
the cast of characters we met in munich
Kate and I have the very lucky ability to talk to anyone and make friends wherever we go. This was extremely helpful during our time in Europe together and led to many fun detours on our route. On our only night in at the hostel while in Munich, we went on a rollercoaster of personalities and characters.

Our night started with kate and I relaxing on our bunks after dinner minding our own business. All of the sudden, a group of drunk girls with one especially drunk girl barge into the female dorm. They basically drop her off and turn to Kate and I and say “can you watch her?” and then leave.

Obviously not our problem, but suddenly now something we are dealing with- we watched her stumble into (presumably) her bed and fall asleep. We kind of just hoped she would stay there until her friends came back and we left.

We just went to the common space of the hostel where there was a small bar and lots of board games/ping pong/pool, etc. Kate and I order drinks and notice a particular man staring us down. Like uncomfortably staring us down. He makes a few advances that are shot down relatively fast.

As we awkwardly try to enjoy our drinks, a Kiwi (RJ) approaches us and asks if that guy is making us uncomfortable. He quickly becomes an ally and joins our small party. The next time the onlooker (we’ll call him Mr. Hug… foreshadowing) approaches, RJ handles the situation politely and Mr. Hug disappears.

We join a group playing cards in the common area. Of this group, we have Louise, the most unique Scottish woman I have ever met in my entire life. Kate and I started a shared note of the things she was saying, including:
- “Conshume yer alchool”
- “The last time I drank vodka I went to jail”
- “I did five grams of cocaine” (we then asked, isn’t that like 30 lines) “no it’s more like 150”
- “I told him please don’t send me dick pics while I’m on the bus”
- “Whores “(often)
- “All I’ve had to eat today was soup for breakfast”
This was just a small glimpse of the big personality we were in the presence of. She was extremely determined to have us all participate in the various drinking games she knew. She was looking for any opportunity to force others (mainly herself) to drink as much as possible.

Louise and I

At one point, she randomly stands up and says she has to go meet her sugar daddy at the bar and leaves. Lol ok. And just our luck, Mr. Hug has returned from wherever he went and is back again to socialize.

Mr. Hug does not know much English, but with the words he does know, he expresses how much he loves Kate. He asks her OFTEN for hugs, hence the name. We entertain his presence but are firm on the no hug rule.

We played a few rounds of beer pong and everytime Kate threw her ball and it rolled away, he would chase after it to be able to grab it and touch her hand while handing it back to her. And maybe, she might even hug him as a thank you. He held his arms out with a curious look on his face each time in lost hope.

Kate and Mr. Hug

Eventually it was honestly becoming too much. Even as we all tried to just have a conversation, every maybe 5 sentences he somehow looped it back to how he wanted to hug Kate. RJ was sooooo angry and giving up on trying to educate him on being a normal person.

Once RJ gave up and left, Kate and I decided it would be best to stop engaging with this guy. We went back to our (thankfully!!! locked) all-female dorm room. Within maybe 5 minutes, he is knocking on the door saying he wants to apologize and how sorry he was for acting that way.

We kept telling him to leave and he would not go away. We weren’t really scared or anything, but the only problem was that to get to the restroom we had to exit this dorm room and go down a corridor. We knew we would pass him if we went, but we both REALLY needed to pee.

We decided to make a break for it and of course he follows us and is waiting outside of the bathroom. We are loudly discussing a game plan from the bathroom when our savior emerges and asks whats going on.

Chloe is a lovely French girl who was staying in the same room as us and is a member of the French military. She was not going to play around with Mr. Hugs antics. She saw him and sternly told him to get lost and escorted us back. She was so badass!!!

We invited her to join us for the next day as a thank you for her help. Then we headed to sleep dreaming all about the very unique personalities we had encountered that night.

Chloe and I the next day

I recently asked Kate if she had anything to say about this experience and her only response was “Dear God”. How lucky we are to get to experience nights like these!
February 26, 2026
10 day winter europe itinerary

In January of 2024, my friend Kate and I embarked on our first trip abroad together around Europe! This was my first time staying in a hostel, backpacking, and hitting multiple countries in one trip. We did Hungary, Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic

Braving the cold of January in Europe was not for the faint of heart. We found just enough things to do to stay warm and moving! I highly recommend finding the space in your luggage for WARM shoes. My toes were freezing 100% of the trip.

days 1-3: budapest, hungary

On day one, you’ll fly into Budapest and try your best to ward off jet lag by walking around to see the Budapest Opera House, St. Stephen’s Basilica, and the Chain Bridge. Call it a night early because we have an early morning tomorrow!

Day two will start bright and early heading to the Szechenyi thermal baths. They are heated outdoor pools and so fun to paddle around in. Make sure you bring a way to store your wet bathing suits! Also be sure to explore the building to find the salt rooms and saunas.

After the baths, seek out a traditional hungarian lunch (hearty!) and then make your way to Heroes’ Square and Vajdahunyad for the afternoon. By the time you’re done there, you’ll need to refuel with a pre-dinner chimney cake.

To round out night 2, make your way to Szimpla Kert and Instant Fogas for iconic Budapest clubbing experiences. Szimpla Kert is more artsy/alternative with cool cocktails whereas the latter is a true club party vibe. Each floor of the club is a different music genre and scene.

Day 3 starts a little later so you can recuperate from the long night prior. Head to Buda Castle for the view and vibe. Then walk towards Matthias Church and Fishermen’s Bastion. Take the afternoon to see the National Hungarian Museum (but hopefully the staff are nicer to you than they were to us…)

Take it easy that night by finding a good restaurant. We opted for the BEST Vietnamese we just randomly stumbled upon. Close out the night with a beautiful nighttime walk along the Danube.

days 4-5: vienna, austria

Begin day 4 with a quick breakfast before the train ride to Vienna. Be sure to reserve a seat with your train ticket (we didn’t, had to sit on our bags on the floor </3). Keep an eye out for moose throughout the ride!

Austria is open described as the love child of Italy and Germany, so we searched for Italian food as soon as we settled into our hostel. After that, spend the afternoon at Belvedere Palace and around the gardens.

In the evening, we opted to find cheap tickets to the Vienna Ballet for a classy change of pace. After our classy moment, we found Vienna sausages for dinner and then explored the techno clubbing vibe this city is known for.

Day 5 will begin by visiting the Austrian National Library. We added in a quick stop at Cafe Sperl for lunch (made famous by the movie Before Sunrise). Finally, we rounded out our day at the Kunst Historisches Museum and the Parliament Building. Head to bed early before the early train tomorrow to the next stop!

days 6-8: munich, germany

Once again, start the day bright and early on another train ride (this time you definitely remembered to book seats on the train… right?) When you arrive, head to the old city to rub a lion’s face, meaning you will return to the city one day!

The Vienna to Munich train ride is a long one, so there wont be too much to do the rest of your day. If you plan the timing right, some of the evening Christmas markets might still be around and you can grab dinner and warm drinks there before bed.

Day 7 starts with Nymphenburg Palace and the 1972 Olympic Park. It is COOOOOLD so bundle up!!! Head back to the Old City after this for shopping and climb to the top of St. Peter’s Chapel for insane views. For dinner, experience an authentic beer garden at Augistiner Keller Beer Garden. We loved trying curling here!

Spend day 8 more pensively at the Dachau Concentration Camp. Don’t skip this incredibly heartbreaking experience, especially in the chilling winter. We unwinded after this by walking along the English Gardens and meeting many characters in our hostel bar that evening.

days 9-10: prague, czech republic

Catch your last train (this time you DEFINITELY booked the seats with the ticket.) Start your explorations in Old Town, being sure to hit the Astronomical Clock and Dog Bar for drinks. Unfortunately I was sick in Prague, so I didn’t get to do as much as I was hoping to.

Day 10 is for Prague Castle and the National Museum and reminiscing on all of the amazing fun you’ve had in Europe!!! Don’t forget that beer is cheaper than water in Prague, so be budget-friendly!

February 24, 2026