Author: madisonellingsworth

Over the past few weeks I have been fortunate enough to get to go on some long weekend trips! I have filmed these for my own documentation, as I tend to forget everything, but also to share my adventures with friends and family. One was to New York City in early September with my parents and partner to celebrate our six year anniversary. We have all been several times now, but it never gets old! 

The other was a few weekends ago to volunteer with the Common Ground Fair. This had been a dream of mine for the last few years, but obviously could not happen during COVID, and then I was out of the country last year! So it was a relief to finally get to do my part and see the fair from the working side of things. 

My recordings of these two trips are available to watch at: New York City and Common Ground Fair. 

What can be said about Greece that has not been said before? It was as warm, sunny, picturesque, and delicious as everyone claims. In May, two friends, my partner, and I flew to Athens to begin our island hopping journey through the Aegean, ending with a beautiful three days spent in Chania, Crete. Out of every place we stopped in—Mykonos, Santorini, Milos, Heraklion—I would say that that little coastal city had to be my favorite. Incredible Venetian-style architecture, perfect weather, water as clear as a window-pane; Chania had it all! Our trip was three weeks of lounging, swimming, and taste-testing, as we ate our way across the islands. If I could recommend one food, it would have to be the cheese ring filled with olives and tomatoes that I ate on our last day, or the baklava we had after dinner many nights. Much love to you, Greece! Looking forward to having your olives again someday.

After a fall spent scrimping and saving, it was time for another trip in February. I went with my dad to visit Auckland and Wellington on New Zealand’s beautiful North Island before we flew to Sydney, Australia for a month-long working vacation. We spent our time hiking, eating, and getting plenty of steps in as we explored such wonderful, distant places. Though the flights were long, the trip was well worth it. Some highlights: completing my first ultramarathon, seeing two wetapunga on Tiri Siri Matangi Reserve, surfing at Bondi Beach, and hiking the tallest mountain in Australia! Here’s to more father-daughter trips in the future, and hopefully another chance to go back to these two incredible and exotic destinations.

Below is a link to the videos I made documenting our trip. I hope you enjoy!

After a brief hiatus from traveling at the end of the summer, my partner, Tyler, and I set off on our next adventure: a central-Europe backpacking trip! We met up in Berlin, Germany—he had been traveling around the country for two weeks before I flew over—and from there we took the train to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague. After having our fill of poffertjes, stroopwafels, and Tony’s chocolate, we took the train to Belgium, stopping in Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, and Brussels. We ate so many amazing waffles (noticeably sweeter than American waffles), walked the beautiful canals, and wandered through the many engaging and interactive museums that the country had to offer. Out of any place I have ever been, I would say Brussels boasts the best museums. We then took the train and, after a rather complicated transportation issue, made it to Bayeux, France, for a stop at Mont St. Michel. Finally, our trip ended in Paris, where we feasted on authentic pastries and baguettes.

This trip was a success (another one for the books!) despite a few hurdles, and officially labeled us “seasoned travelers.” We tried a variety of new foods, learned the intricacies of unfamiliar cultures, and all while getting our steps in. I would say that is three weeks very well spent. The documentation for this trip is available on my YouTube channel, at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyuYXZlJA5SMYgaaJn2YpGJyOThIhtbBe  

Looking ahead to future trips and experiences!

The highlight of this July was a trip that I took with one of my best friends, Georgia, to Maui, Hawai’i for nearly two weeks. We stayed put this time (no backpacking around) and made our home at the North Shore Hostel in Wailuku. Our trip was spent surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, and hiking- in short, it was two weeks of paradise! I documented this trip, once again, in video form, and uploaded the videos to my YouTube channel. The playlist is available at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyuYXZlJA5SOu_B-Pk9FUI8nulCnITFNi 

This is, as I wrote in my last travel entry, hopefully not the final trip of the year. We shall see where the next few months take us!

This spring/summer I backpacked through Italy for over three weeks with my partner. We flew to Milan before taking the train to Lecco, Venice, Bologna, Naples, Rome, Florence, and Genoa (with some scattered day trips along the way). It was an adventure we have been discussing for years now, but could only seriously plan after I had graduated college. I documented our travels on my YouTube channel and have sorted them into a playlist, available here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyuYXZlJA5SPXEXvHFEAvLCHoNDVfIvpR

If all goes according to plan, this will not be my, nor our, last trip of the year. Looking forward to additional action-packed experiences as the months go on.

Bon voyage!