About Nicki
As soon as we book a trip somewhere, my first priority is finding out the scoop on the local food: dishes a region is known for, what kind of street food to expect to encounter, something that might be a nice souvenir to bring home (usually spices). I’ll try anything once, as long as black licorice or shrimp aren’t involved. If there’s a farmers market happening during our visit, you bet I’ll be there. I also climb a number of things I shouldn’t be climbing.
About Paul
I’m all about assembling the puzzle of trip planning. Usually this starts with picking a destination, and several hours later I’ve got at least 3 or 4 options for getting there and back with extended layovers en route to get an extra country or two.
I’m also the resident “learn some of the language” person – once we book a trip to a non-English speaking location, it’s time for the audio language lessons while clearing the snow, mowing the lawn, etc.
I like finding food, just within reasonable distance of my normal comfort zone. I love collecting model buildings (they’re a great scavenger hunt to find and a way to remember where we’ve been), and am slightly obsessed with knowing as much as possible about where we are going before we even get there. It really helps to make the most of our time by not getting lost, but usually gives me a strange sense of déjà vu, like I’ve already been there.
Traveling Together
Being stuck seeing a city at the mercy of a tour guide is our worst nightmare. We’re not afraid to explore a new city on foot, and use local public transportation.
We both enjoy researching things to do, but in general, Paul takes care of transportation because fresh-from-a-flight Nicki cannot be trusted. Nicki finds the food. We pick the rest of our activities together. While we don’t completely avoid the typical tourist attractions (they’re popular attractions for a reason), we try to find something more off the beaten path everywhere we go.
We Are Into…
Climbing the tallest building possible in a new city to get a bird’s eye view, exploring foreign grocery stores (where we find some of our best souvenirs), interesting geographical phenomena, live music, science museums, sculpture gardens, food halls and public markets (because we can both find something to eat), and visiting every MLB stadium.
