Travel Stories

Albania: Europe’s Best-Kept Secret Summer Travel Destination

Albania: Europe’s Best-Kept Secret Summer Travel Destination

For many enthusiastic travelers, European summer trips are well underway. However, we at Untraveled recommend taking a different approach to our sunny getaways. Why not forgo the crowded beaches of the French Riviera or the overpriced Amalfi Coast, and instead opt for a hidden gem tucked away in Southeast Europe: Albania.

Blue Flag Beaches

Blue Flag Beaches

If you’re looking for the best beaches in Europe, keep your eyes peeled for one thing: the Blue Flag. This international accreditation carries the seal of approval for cleanliness, conservation, and quality when it comes to the best beaches around the world. This short but sweet list of hand-picked locations is equal parts variety and consistency in visitor experience.

LGBTQ Friendly Countries

LGBTQ Friendly Countries

For almost everyone, where we travel is often dictated by where we’re welcome. This is especially true for the LGBTQ travel community. For many queer adventurers, safety is at the very top of their travel priority lists. For this article, we considered the perspective of safety through the lens of public policy. Unfortunately hate is everywhere, and just because something is technically legal doesn’t mean it’s necessarily welcomed or encouraged. However, if you’re a traveler wondering where you are simply even allowed to be gay much less are invited to visit, we hope this list helps inform your travel considerations.

Interrailing: Everything You Need to Know

Interrailing: Everything You Need to Know

Unlike air travel with its chaotic security lines and trip-ruining delays, or driving with its parking challenges and navigation stress, train travel in Europe offers a uniquely relaxed way to witness the changing landscapes, architecture, and cultures as you cross borders. For the truly adventurous traveler, the flexibility of an interrail pass is unparalleled. Hop off a few stops early to explore a hidden gem town recommended by the friendly locals you met in the cafe car. Or reschedule your ticket and stay one night longer to buy a bit more time with that lovely person you locked eyes with across the market. While train travel is considered slow travel, it’s never time wasted.

Thru-Hikes Around the World

Thru-Hikes Around the World

Skip the tourist traps. Lace up your boots. These thru-hikes around the world promise something different: slow travel, local culture, jaw-dropping landscapes. From Iceland’s steaming highlands to Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, these long-distance trails offer immersive, low-impact adventures that get you off the beaten path—and deeper into the heart of a place.

Puffins in Ireland: Complete Guide for Spotting the Beloved Seabirds

Puffins in Ireland: Complete Guide for Spotting the Beloved Seabirds

Ireland’s rugged coastline provides the perfect habitat for one of the world’s most beloved seabirds – the Atlantic Puffin. Puffins in Ireland have become iconic symbols of the country’s diverse coastal wildlife. Unfortunately, climate change and habitat destruction threatens their existence. So while seeing puffins may be a bucket list item for many travelers, it’s important to observe them responsibly.

Solo Female Travel Itinerary: Weekend Road Trip in Ireland with My Dog

Solo Female Travel Itinerary: Weekend Road Trip in Ireland with My Dog

Solo travel as a woman can be freeing but also a little intimidating, especially if you’re heading somewhere remote. Few places in Ireland get more remote than County Kerry. I’m based in Dublin, but when presented with the opportunity to get out of the city for a long bank holiday weekend, I seized it. Full disclosure: this was my first road trip alone! Unless you count my dog, which I do, so it was a great starter solo trip – like traveling solo in light mode. Luckily, Kerry has everything you could ever want to do and more in Ireland, so I knew we’d be too busy to be lonely. Read on for my solo female traveler tips, things I’d do differently next time, and the full four-day road trip itinerary through Kerry, Ireland.

10 Days in the Heart of Oregon

10 Days in the Heart of Oregon

This itinerary is meant to showcase the best of Oregon–including tasting world-renowned wines, rafting raging rivers, and hiking atop (or even swimming in) ancient volcanoes. Portland International Airport (PDX) is the most popular airport to fly into and lands you right on the northern end of the Willamette Valley, where this itinerary begins. Other options for flying include Eugene (EUG), Medford (MFR), or Redmond (RDM), where this itinerary also start or end.

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