The Things We Really Miss

On April 25, 2026April 25, 2026 By Dani Francuz RoseLeave a comment

In one of the classes I’m teaching this semester, we’re reading a book called The Culture Map, which discusses various cultural differences by comparing some of the norms and expectations that can be seen across different countries. Unsurprisingly, reading and talking about what it’s like to live and work in places like the US, Poland, China, and Mexico has me reminiscing a whole lot!

In fact, I recently took a look back at some of the posts I wrote about my experiences living and working in these countries, which got me thinking about the things we miss most about each of them, and I started wondering if those A-Z lists I made near the end of our time in Poland (2016), China (2019), and Mexico (2023) ended up being correct, or if there are other things we miss that I didn’t even think of at the time. So, for this month’s post, take a walk with me down Memory Lane as I delve into what we REALLY miss about some of our first homes abroad.

But first, a disclaimer: each of my original lists had some form of “our home”, “our apartment”, or “our neighborhood”, the cities we lived in: Łódź, Hefei, Guadalajara, and their respective languages: Polish, Mandarin, and Spanish on them, and those would easily make it on any list I were to make today because, well, those were our homes and communities, and I simply love language! But for this post, rather than sentimentality, I’m hoping to narrow down all the other features of each place as objectively as possible. Maybe one day I can use this to find the perfect hybrid of a future home country. You never know!

Poland

When thinking about our time Poland, the first thing that comes to mind, which is, in fact, on my original list, is Ryan Air. Although now I’d probably just say “budget airlines” in general as I have no specific allegiance to Ryan Air over Whizz Air or Easy Jet, the concept as a whole is absolutely one of the things we miss most. In 2016, we took a €30 flight from Warsaw to Porto, Portugal. Can you imagine?! A similar distance here would be for us to go to Winnipeg (not even international), and it would cost at least $400. Of course, digging a little deeper, it’s not just the cost, but the variety and closeness that Poland/Europe provided us. We could and did take a bus to four of Poland’s neighboring countries and a local train to several others in the region, and that’s really what we miss: close international options.

Next up would be the grocery stores, which isn’t on the list exactly, but the idea is there in “chleb” (bread), “kiełbasa” (sausage), and “kartofel” (potatoes). We miss the quality and the freshness of Polish products. At first, I remember lamenting the fact that we had to make so many things (like sauces and salad dressings) from scratch, but now I wish we had fostered those skills a bit more. Thankfully, we did learn some lessons and still habitually make our own bread and pickles, but it feels less purposeful and more avoidance strategy here. I also really miss having a huge variety of all the foods I grew up on. Only in Chicago am I able to find several, authentic varieties of my beloved kabanosy and homemade pierogi (although Ottawa gave us a smaller, but still respectable selection as well), but nothing compares to Poland!

And rounding out the podium of things we miss most about Poland has to be the architecture, which is also on the original list. Honestly, that was one of the things that immediately struck me about living in Łódź, and I never grew tired of staring at all the incredible buildings around me. I’m sure this is partially why we keep choosing historical cities like Guadalajara and Québec because I love being even just a small part of the incredible history of the spaces I inhabit. We don’t often find ourselves re-visiting places, but when we do, by far our favorite pastime is to see how the city has changed because even more impressive than the architecture itself is how it’s adapted again and again. Through its factories turned malls and power stations turned cultural centers, Łódź taught us to look a little deeper at the architecture around us, and I sincerely miss seeing those impressive transformations and how they’ve shaped and re-shaped the city.

China

The first thing we miss about China is so obvious because we bring it up all the time: QR-code payment (represented by “WeChat Pay” on the list). We didn’t use cash at all while we were living in China, and that was close to a decade ago! Stores, restaurants, street vendors, farmers selling produce out of the backs of their trucks – literally everyone used digital forms of payment, and I miss it so much. Not only was it way faster and easier for us linguistically-challenged foreigners, but think of all the paper we saved by avoiding all those receipts! Related to the use of digital payment, I also miss the fact that I could go anywhere with just my phone in my pocket. In China, I almost never bothered with a purse or a bag because everything I needed was on my phone. I’m not generally a huge fan of technology, but that’s absolutely one piece of tech I wish was the norm everywhere.

Next up for China has to be the fast trains (or the “gāotiě”). Similar to the budget airlines in Poland, I miss the extensive, cheap, and super-easy-to-use train system of China. I often say you can get anywhere in China without a car, which isn’t exactly accurate, but that’s definitely what it felt like. We never worried about getting from city to city or even planning our trips much in advance because there was always another train. In addition to the plentiful (and affordable) travel options the train system gave us, I straight up just miss taking the train. It’s easily my favorite method of transport, and I’m sad that options for it are limited (to say the least) in North America. There’s simply nothing quite like casually slurping up some ramen while the vastness of China zooms by at 200km/h.

The third thing for China has to be some of my favorite Chinese dishes, which is hilarious because I actually struggled with eating nothing but Chinese food for months after we first arrived. I initially found real Chinese food to be altogether too different from what I was used to, and I just couldn’t get over the lack of familiarity. That is until I found my favorites and learned how to ask for what I wanted, essentially creating a new level of familiarity. And now that we can’t get real Chinese food regularly, I find myself making those things myself (which if you know me, you know is a huge deal because as a general rule, I don’t cook). There’s just something so utterly unique about authentic Chinese food, and once you find what you love (which for me includes but is not limited to Chongqing noodles and jianbing, both of which are on the list), it’s hard to live without it. Of course, it’s also hard to live without Ele.me and free tea everywhere we go too, but I’ll save those for another list…

Mexico

I knew without a doubt that I would miss rainy season when we left Mexico. The US is blessed with an abundance of regular storms, and that was something I quickly came to miss when we first moved abroad. But Mexico upped the ante, and now I miss having a whole season of daily storms and crazy weather. There’s just something about a storm that is so exciting, yet calming at the same time, and being able to set your watch by that phenomenon every day for three months is magical. I know rainy season can actually be dangerous for many people and places around the world, but from my home office in Guadalajara, it was beautiful. And the fact that it brought cooler temperatures every year only added to its appeal. I’m probably one of only a few people in the world aiming for rainy season when I travel, but hey, I knew that about myself then, and it’s still true now!

Another thing we really miss about Mexico was summed up pretty nicely with “spontaneity”, but I don’t think we realized just how much we’d miss it in basically every aspect of life. It could be due to the huge swing back into a super schedule-oriented country like Canada, but we definitely struggled at first getting back into the habit of making reservations and planning things out months in advance. Even now, I sorely miss the ahorita of it all! Nothing felt as rushed or as imperative, and yet everything still got done. When I find myself worrying about things piling up and deadlines fast approaching, I try to channel our GDL years and the tranquilo way of life that everyone loves about Mexico, and rather than making a plan to do something fun next weekend, we’ll up and go right then instead. ¿Por qué no?

And last but not least for Mexico is, of course, the cuisine. Are you sensing a theme? We miss the high-quality groceries of Poland, the unique foods we came to love in China, and for Mexico, it’s all about the perfect collection of ingredients which have come together to make the most delicious cuisine in the world, and you can fight me on that! Tacos – perfect. Molletes – perfect. Palomas – perfect. You name it, I love it. And much like finding authentic Chinese food, the further away you get from Mexico, the less likely you are to find it (especially at a reasonable price). But again, as I reflect, I feel like it’s not just the food that I miss, but the way it was enjoyed. 3am tacos after a night out; molletes for a quick-and-easy breakfast on the go; palomas sipped on a sunny rooftop terrace – the food is incredible, but the atmosphere is even more so!

And while we’re full-on reminiscing here, there was one other thing that happened to be on all three of my original lists: “amigos”, “péngyǒu”, or “friends”, and honestly, more than anything else, that’s what we miss the most. Sometimes it’s hard to have our friends spread out all over the world, but it’s also pretty special. So, here’s to the next time we see each other – reminiscing in one of our homes or off exploring another! Either way, you know we’ll be eating something delicious!

Winter Wonders

On January 10, 2026January 10, 2026 By Dani Francuz RoseLeave a comment

As I sit here listening to the squall winds roar, swirling the snow around and darkening our already shortened day, I am so happy. I know I’ll have to put several layers of clothes on both me and the dog before we brave the cold and the wet for another trip outside, but somehow, I enjoy that too. I often try to share the beauty I see in winter through my photos and memories, but this month, I want to share my feelings through my words as well. Ultimately, I just want people to give winter a chance! It’s so much more than the sum of its parts, but honestly, I think even those are to be enjoyed. So here it goes, my ode to winter wonders.

The Snow

The first thing I love about winter is the possibility of snow. Fresh snow is so magical! It changes everything: how things look, how they sound, how they feel. It brightens, quiets, and softens even the harshest of winter climates. And even if you live in a place that doesn’t get much snow or doesn’t get any snow at all, there’s still the anticipation. Is it going to snow? Will we get a day off? I’ve have friends from tropical countries who were forever intrigued by snow, wondering when they would see and touch it for the first time. It’s certainly one of the more romantic weather phenomena, right? I mean, there are countless songs and poems written about it; millions of paintings that try to capture its essence; it’s the plotline of at least a dozen Hallmark movies – clearly, it’s something special.

Winter sports

Some people need more than just weather to excite them though, and that’s where winter sports come in! Winter allows for a plethora of seasonal activities that often make you feel like a kid again, think sledding, ice skating, snow tubing, and building snowmen. Nothing but smiles when you’re flying down a mountain in a gigantic innertube, am I right? Plus, who doesn’t like variety in their choice of exercise: skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, shoveling, etc. Honestly, I’m much more active in winter because when it’s hot outside, I feel sluggish and gross, but when it’s cold, all that generated body heat comes in handy! Winter also offers its own selection of more exotic options like ice climbing, dog-sledding, and snowmobiling – truly so much variety to be had!

The Cold

Okay, so I know the cold is one of the main reasons people don’t like winter, but hear me out. Do you like mosquitos? Of course you don’t. Well, they die in the cold, which is reason enough for me to like it! But more than that, cold weather can be so refreshing! Invigorating, even. Most people sleep better when it’s cold, and cold weather is said to improve heart health, brain function, and metabolic rates, so even if all those winter sports don’t help you out, apparently just being cold every now and then will. I mean, some people pay hundreds of dollars for “cold therapy” or Cryotherapy treatments for better skin, pain relief, and mood enhancement, but winter gives you all those benefits for free! Also, I’d just like to add something pretty much every Canadian has told us: there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. As long as you have the right clothes, you shouldn’t even feel the cold!

Cozy clothing

And while we’re on the subject of clothes… don’t you just love when you get home and switch your jeans out for sweatpants? Or when you put on your favorite pair of pajamas and hop on the couch? What if you could wear pjs, sweats, and all sorts of soft, comfy items no matter where you’re going? Well, that’s much more feasible in winter given all the outerwear that likely means people will never even see what you have on underneath. I seriously get so excited every year when I get to break out all my cozy clothing: the warm, fuzzy sweaters, the fleecy thermals, my giant sweatpants, and thick, fluffy socks. I’ve definitely never been that excited to put on a pair of shorts or a tank top, and I can’t be the only one either because who feels more comfortable sleeping without a blanket or laying on a hardwood floor without a rug? Only psychopaths, obviously. Comfy is king!

The Holidays

If you’re not on board yet, maybe the holidays will remind you of the magic of winter. Sorry to those of you who grew up in the Southern Hemisphere because holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year are all infinitely better celebrated in winter, and I feel like the vast majority of holiday media backs me up on this. Imagine singing, “Oh, the weather outside is delightful, but the horde of insects is frightful”. And can you imagine if Home Alone took place in summer? It would totally lose its heart-warming, “appreciate your family” vibe! Plus, what about the horror of putting on a few holiday pounds while also having swim practice and/or trips to the beach to think about. No, absolutely not. The holidays are meant to be spent holed up inside with family and friends eating all the things and not feeling bad about it because, hey, we’re hibernating here!

Comfort foods

And speaking of the food… I just don’t think we’d enjoy all our hearty soups, cheesy casseroles, and warm, freshly baked cookies near as much if it wasn’t winter. The cold, the dark, the challenging weather – all of that is part of why the foods we eat in winter are so comforting! They stick to your ribs, which is something you definitely wouldn’t want if it was hot, sunny, and you were already sweating, right? I mean, who wants to turn on the oven in summer? But when it’s below freezing… yes, please! Winter also gives us a chance to eat different things. We might never have discovered the delight of pumpkin spice or peppermint drinks if the seasons hadn’t changed. Maybe we’d have never looked twice at gourds or lentils if our go-to vegetables were as cheap and plentiful as they are in the warmer months. Think of all the different flavors and nutrients we might have missed out on!

The Dark

Alright, the shorter days are another difficult one for some of you, and I get it, but I think the real culprit here is Daylight Savings Time (let’s save that rant for another time though). For my pro-darkness argument, I’ll start off with the coziness factor again, which for me is generally brought about by early evenings, twinkling lights, and flickering candles. Ahh! In wintertime, my apartment generally gives off calming, resort spa vibes, and I absolutely love it. Another great thing about it getting dark early is we tend to spend more time at home, which isn’t a bad thing. Winter is a great time to catch up on your reading list or clean out your closets or simply stay-in and save money – the sanctuary of your hearth and home is your oyster!

Hygge

A lot of what I love about winter is a little hard to pin down, but the Danes use the word “hygge” to sum up the comfortable coziness that I keep trying to describe. Hygge is all about taking the time to enjoy life’s little pleasures. The time spent chatting after or between meals, a warm fireplace on a cold night, a hot chocolate enjoyed in bed, listening to the crunching snow as you walk the dog – these are some of the many little joys we often take for granted; however, I find that I can usually pinpoint and enjoy these moments a bit more easily in winter. Maybe it’s the shorter days or the holiday celebrations or even the starkness of winter landscapes, but something about winter allows for a different kind of focus, and it’s one that I absolutely love!

Slow down

Another great feature of winter is its ability to slow us down. Everything quite literally takes longer in winter: putting on extra layers, driving more carefully, heating up the house or car – it all forces us to slow down, and it’s not just us. Trees and plants go dormant, many animals hibernate, even our pets tend to sleep more in winter, which should be our sign to do the same! Winter is the best (and longest) excuse we have to take our time, enjoy the temporary calm, and just rest. I love to use the dark and the cold to my advantage and simply do less and relax more – something my usual go-go-go self definitely appreciates! The best part of having all the holidays at the beginning of winter is that once they’re over, we still have months left to focus on other things or nothing at all before the warm weather calls our attention elsewhere.

Reset

And my final, favorite thing about winter… it’s the perfect time to reset. Whether you’re a New-Year-new-you kind of person or just an avid spring cleaner, this season has always been associated with change. If there’s something new you want to try, winter is a great time to do it. The year starts over, the seasons start over, you can start over. Winter is the perfect time to plan ahead, but even if you don’t have any changes or plans you want to make, I find that winter is also a great time for reflection. Take a look back and see how far you’ve come since the previous winter or the winter of 2020, for example – hard to believe that was over 5 years ago now! Regardless of how you feel about the idea of winter, it will keep coming around, so maybe this year, your goal could be to reset any biases you have about this beloved season of mine. :)

So, what do you think? Can you give it another chance? Can you learn to enjoy winter just a bit more than before? I hope so because as the proverb says, choosing not to find joy in the snow/cold simply means having less joy without changing the amount of snow/cold. So find your joy and relish the wonders of winter! Bon hiver à tous!❄️

Ten Years an Expat

On September 6, 2025August 27, 2025 By Dani Francuz RoseLeave a comment

Somehow this month marks ten years since Tucker and I first sold most of our belongings and moved abroad. We really had no idea what we were getting into or how we were going to maintain the kind of life we knew we wanted, and even now, I’m not sure I could tell you how exactly we’ve managed to continue moving abroad again and again. I think it’s mostly been an experiment in just how flexible we can be, which is fitting because that’s one of the first skills you develop when you move abroad!

Over the past ten years, we went from the US to Poland and back to the US (to pay off all our student loans), and then we headed to China for a few years and then back to the US (this time for global lockdown), and then onto Mexico, and now Canada. It’s been a crazy decade to say the least, but the places we’ve lived and the people we’ve met have continued to shape us year after year in innumerable ways. And for this month’s somewhat reflective post, I want to share some of the many ways we’ve changed and grown as a result of our expat ways.

We’ve become flexible to the extreme

As I alluded to earlier, when I think of the many skills we’ve developed as a result of moving abroad, flexibility has to be at the top of the list. Whether it’s little things like using Celsius with some people and Fahrenheit with others or big things like not knowing where we’ll be living next year, we’ve gotten incredibly good at going with the flow. When I look back at my early observations from our first year abroad, it always makes me laugh at how hard it was for me to relinquish control. Now I feel like I struggle when I have too much control! It seems I’ve really grown to love letting the universe decide for me.

We’re totally fine with ambiguity

Another early observation I often made had to do with not always understanding what was going on around me. In unfamiliar places with new languages and customs, the level of ambiguity you experience on a daily basis skyrockets. Are we supposed to do something here? Should we ask about that? What does this mean? Questions like these and general uncertainty used to plague us. Until they didn’t. Until we learned that there’s really no wrong way, only different ways. Eventually, we also learned the difference between being expats as opposed to pioneers. Expats get to rely on the experiences of those who came before them, and we definitely do. But if/when that fails, we’ve also learned to simply accept not knowing.

We’re stoic bureaucracy-handlers

One of the most taxing parts of maintaining legal status as an expat has to be all the paperwork: visas, residencies, IDs, taxes, health cards, driver’s licenses, bank accounts, etc. The list is never-ending. After so many years and so many forms and appointments, I can very confidently say that bureaucracy is messy and incredibly frustrating everywhere. We now just assume every process will take a few attempts and several months (if not years) of our lives, which has really helped set expectations and allowed us to remain stoic and unfeeling while jumping through hoop after hoop after hoop. Government office waiting rooms are great places for mindful meditation, you know.

We’re accidental minimalists

In addition to becoming masters at handling immigration processes, we’ve also become expert movers. We know exactly what we need and want in our homes, and over the years, we’ve shed all the fluff. And whenever we happen to collect additional fluff, we’re systematic and unsentimental in removing it before the next move. People are often surprised that we’ve moved countries so many times with nothing but suitcases. Quite a few suitcases, but still. It’s actually pretty easy to do when I remember all the things we took on our first move that we never used. Or when I remember all the things we’ve used in a particular place that wouldn’t make sense anywhere else. These days we tend to take a lot more art with us and a lot fewer dead appliances.

We’re expert home-makers

Speaking of homes though, we’ve had a lot of them over the years. From country to country or even apartment to apartment, every place we’ve lived has always felt like home. Early on in our expat experience, someone advised me to prioritize setting up our home because we’d be surprised at how quickly “later” becomes “never”. Well, we took that to heart and always make sure our apartment is set up before tackling other tasks. We also work really hard to make sure we feel at home in the community as well, which means joining groups, meeting neighbors, learning names and faces. It can be difficult being the new people in town, but we’ve found the quicker we reach out, the quicker we feel at home.

We’re nothing if not adaptable

Another skill that makes itself known every time someone visits one of our far-flung homes is our adaptability. No dishwasher? No problem. Drinking hot water in summer? Sure, why not? Have to do everything over the phone? Got it. Everywhere we’ve called home has changed us in so many ways. Sometimes we forget what was normal for us before moving abroad because we’ve so strongly adapted to several different lifestyles now. This is how I know it doesn’t really matter where we live or what we do because the skill of adaptability is such a broad and encompassing one, that I know we’ll be just fine anywhere.

We’re always adopting new habits

Likely due to all the adapting we’ve had to do over the years, we’ve also gained quite an assortment of international habits. For example, at some point, we became a strict no-shoes-inside household, and when I think back to all the shoes that walked across our carpeted US apartment floors, I shudder. I also can’t believe we lived 25 years without an electric kettle! You’ll have to pry that out of our cold, dead hands now. Similarly, after living in both tea and coffee cultures, we now find ourselves enjoying both regularly. We also find ourselves checking sunset/sunrise times, the weather, and the air quality index more than most, which are all habits we picked up in different places at different times. It’s interesting to note which things stay behind in the places we leave versus which ones we take with us as the ghosts of homes’ past.

We’re an interesting mix of cultures to say the least

Similar to our eclectic mix of habits picked up from around the world, I would say that we ourselves have ended up a strange mix of all our homes. It’s rare that someone immediately places us as American. Even when hearing us speak, our accents don’t give much away, especially when speaking something other than English (you’re likely to hear a very strange combination of linguistic features depending on the day). We also have very strong inclinations toward European showerheads, the use of chopsticks, and what should and should not go on a taco. We self-identify as Polish-American-Canadian-Tapatío laowais, and we’ll happily talk your ear off about life in Poland, the US, Canada, Mexico, and/or China because each of those places is a part of us and always will be.

We’re excited to make every day an adventure

All these fun little quirks keep us tied to the places we used to call home, but one of the best parts of being a perpetual expat (no matter where we are) is the fact that every day becomes an adventure. The smallest tasks are new and exciting, and we never know what we’re going to learn. This is really why we keep doing it; why we haven’t “settled down” yet. We’ve learned to love the daily micro-adventures and mini-challenges that keep us on our toes and forever entertained. Every time we start over in a new place, we get to experience so many firsts again. We get to find a new set of favorites and develop new habits that only enhance our lives. An adventure a day certainly keeps the boredom away!

We’re constantly learning and reflecting

And last, but not least, all this moving and growing and changing allows us to continually learn and reflect. Before each move, we get to look back at our time in a given place and reflect on everything we did, all the changes we experienced, and what we could or should have done differently if given the chance. And then…we get another chance! I sometimes refer to Poland as our “first pancake” because with hindsight, it’s easy to see how we’ve continually gotten better at being expats. All these skills (and more) have been honed over the years, and we’ve learned how to make the most of our time in the places we call home. Of course, we also realize just how lucky we are, so to all our homes: thank you, dziękuję, xièxie, gracias, and merci for the best decade of our lives!

Marveling at Murals

On May 10, 2025May 7, 2025 By Dani Francuz RoseLeave a comment

Over the years, I have developed a huge admiration for murals. At first, I saw them as purely decorative, something colorful to brighten up a dull corner of any given city, but the more time I spent in different cities, the more I amassed a photographic collection of their murals, and that’s when I started to notice different themes emerging. Whether the artists were telling a story, alluding to history or social issues, or just having fun, as a collective, murals seem to embody the culture around them. Here are a few of my favorite examples from some of my favorite cities:

Québec City

Québec is still new to me, but upon my first observations, I’d say Québec is proud. This city is proud of its unique history, its industrious people, and even its imperfections.

Ottawa, Canada

Ottawa is inclusive. This capital city is basically a microcosm of Canada’s Mosaic – there’s a little something from everyone on display here.

Guadalajara, México

Guadalajara is vibrant. This city, and much of the country really, is so alive and so fun, and that is immediately evident in its street art.

Orlando, Florida

Orlando is colorful. The people here are about as colorful as they come, and all those different cultures and backgrounds come together to make the beautiful rainbow that is Orlando.

Hefei, China

Hefei is prudent. This is a place where art and function collide. Like the city and its inhabitants, the art here is generally purposeful as well as captivating.

Łódź, Poland

Łódź is quirky. The dark events of its past are evident, but the people here are experts at remembering the past while still enjoying the present.

Of course, it’s easier to see these patterns and make these connections when living in the heart of a city, experiencing the culture day after day. But I think if you look carefully, you can pick up the vibes of any city from even just a glance at its art. Here are some more examples of murals that I think capture the spirit of their homes.

Athens, Greece

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Bogotá, Colombia

Cancún, México

Denver, Colorado

Hong Kong

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Montevideo, Uruguay

Paris, France

Pisa, Italy

Quito, Ecuador

Reykjavík, Iceland

Singapore

Tampa, Florida

Tokyo, Japan

Toronto, Canada

Townsville, Queensland, Australia

So, what do you think? Do the murals match the vibes?

Initial Québec Observations

On April 12, 2025April 11, 2025 By Dani Francuz RoseLeave a comment

We’re almost halfway through April, and we’ve now officially been living in Québec for six weeks, which is crazy since it feels like the move was just last weekend, but that’s how the first few months always go. We get caught up in a daze of setting things up, collecting documents, making appointments, etc. But luckily, this isn’t our first rodeo! Not only are we completely on top of all our paperwork and logistical tasks, but we’ve also made good progress on our observations list. So how different is Québec from Ottawa? Well, here are the first few things that have caught our attention:

The French

Of course, the absolute first thing on the list has to be the use of French. While Ottawa is fairly bilingual, and we definitely got quite a bit of French exposure there, English was still absolutely the reigning language, sometimes even in Gatineau (which is technically in the province of Quebec). In Québec City, however, we’re not only expected to use French 100% of the time, we’re actually legally required to after six months of living here, which is honestly really great motivation!

The Salutations

Living in multi-story apartment buildings means we tend to have a lot of neighbors, so we’re usually pretty quick to notice how (and how often) acquaintances interact, like in an elevator, the lobby, the parking garage, etc. In Ottawa, most people kept to themselves or smiled politely in passing, but here in Québec, it’s a steady stream of “bonne journées” and “bonne soirées” no matter how brief your interaction is. It reminds me so much of all the “buenos días” and “buenas tardes” we got in Mexico, and it immediately feels so welcoming!

We’re in a Port City

Ottawa is definitely a water city of sorts with two major rivers and a canal running through it, but Québec is even more water-forward. The Québec City icon is fittingly a ship, and with ferries being a common means of transport, international cruise ships docking nearby, and whale watching tours every weekend, we’re not just between rivers anymore, we’re practically seafaring. At least the seagulls make more sense here.

Bizarre Hours

I have no idea if this is a French thing or a Quebec thing or a Québec City thing, but we have noticed that stores, restaurants, and pretty much every kind of business here has bizarre hours. Monday 8:30-4, Tuesday 9-6, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 10-2…I mean, what? Do they just like to keep us guessing or is there some hidden meaning behind these choices? We definitely need more time to investigate.

Laidback Vibes

This might have more to do with Ottawa being the nation’s capital and less to do with Québec, but we’ve definitely noticed things are a little less official here. Our car registration (ou immatriculation) is printed on regular printer paper rather than fancy cardstock, our lease paperwork was submitted while we were still missing a few things, and we’ve gotten several messages along the lines of “X will be sent to you at a later date”. Definitely feels like a slower pace here in general.

Flashing Green Lights

Another thing we immediately noticed (and subsequently had to google) are the flashing green lights or “advanced greens”. Very often in Québec, you’ll come to a stop light and the green light will be flashing, which we learned means it’s basically both a green light and a green arrow. Apparently, this is common in a lot of Canadian provinces (including Ontario), but we had never seen it or at least not regularly enough to really register a difference.

Pedestrian-friendly

Ottawa is pretty pedestrian-friendly as well, but in Québec (at least downtown) the crosswalks are set up to allow for regular double crossing. Instead of waiting for the lights to change and basically taking your turn to cross when the flow of traffic changes direction, cars will be stopped in all directions allowing people to cross diagonally if they want/need. This and the no-touch crossing sensors make this particular pedestrian so happy!

Vestiges from France

I didn’t know how else to label this one, but smoking is much more common here. And by smoking, I mean cigarettes. We went from smelling a lot of marijuana in Ottawa to smelling a lot of cigarettes in Québec, and I can’t help but feel the cultural influences in that.

Drinking Culture

In a similar vein, Ontario seemed pretty strict when it came to alcohol sales/consumption. It was rare to see alcohol (even beer and wine) sold in stores, but in Quebec, that’s the norm. BYOB is also more frequent here, and it’s custom to bring wine to a park for a picnic.

Food Culture

We’ve also noticed a lot differences when it comes to food. The groceries here are overall cheaper, yet the selection of “fancy” food is definitely wider. There are like three types of caviar sold at the grocery store right next to our building, and if you wanted to try each type of cheese sold there, you’d need a few years. Restaurants here also seem to be a bit fancier – for example, there are fewer fast-casual options than in Ottawa, but way more multi-course menus.

Louder

We lived downtown in both cities, and we’re used to hearing a fair amount of shouting, singing, and laughing (especially on the weekends), but I think Québécois voices are literally just louder. Now we can hear the actual words being said, and even the volume of regular conversations here seems to be louder than what we grew accustomed to in Ottawa. Probably still not as loud as our country of origin, but a noticeable difference from the last two years nonetheless.

Colder, Windier, & More Humid

We had our suspicions about the weather being more extreme in Québec. I mean, we are further north and east, both of which usually get hit pretty hard, but we kind of thought we’d need a few months before we noticed if it was really much different. Turns out, we didn’t need long at all. The added humidity and constant wind means that the same temperature feels quite a bit colder. We keep seeing temperatures slightly above freezing, and then step outside only to realize that the real feel is significantly lower. Damp, windy cold is definitely tougher.

Snow-ready

Of course, both Ottawa and Québec are great at handling large amounts of snow, but it seems that they tackle the problem in different ways. Ottawa LOVES salt. The city and its inhabitants go hard on salting everything. Québec uses a mix of salt and sand, meaning that things are a bit slushier here. And maybe for that reason, it’s really common for buildings and houses here to put up tents in their driveways/entryways to keep the slush (and additional shoveling) at bay.

So that’s what we have on our list so far, but as usual, we plan to keep learning and sharing as we go. I’m sure by now it’s pretty apparent that these little differences are one of our favorite things about moving to a new place. Even one province over, there are just so many things to observe! How cool is that?

Life Updates: 2025 Edition

On January 11, 2025February 5, 2025 By Dani Francuz RoseLeave a comment

Happy 2025! How strange to think we’re already a quarter of a century into this millennium. As I’ve shared before, I absolutely love this time of year, not only because I love winter, but also because I love beginnings. I find it really exciting to think about the year ahead and all the things we’ll do and see, and since we’ve got a few bigger changes on the horizon (as well as exciting travel plans, as usual), I thought I’d share a little life update for those who are trying to keep track of us, especially if you want to keep your address book current…which, honestly, good luck! 😆

Our Next Move

So, as you might have deduced, we are in fact moving again! We’ve been in Ottawa for just about two years now, so my feet are definitely starting to itch. Plus, I’ve been feeling extremely lazy as far as my language use is concerned. I mean, I could use French in Ottawa, but English is more common and obviously much less work for me; therefore, in addition to having a new home base to explore, I’m also looking forward to being forced out of my linguistic comfort zone much more frequently. So, with those things in mind, we have chosen to move to…drumroll, please…Québec City!

The good news is this move doesn’t feel quite as tricky as past moves because we’re only crossing provincial borders, not international borders, so there’s infinitely less paperwork! Hooray! The bad news is we decided on March 1^st as our move-in day, so we only have 50-odd days to make this happen. Oh, and it’s the dead of winter. Good thing I like a challenge!

You might be wondering why we chose Québec City instead of Montreal or pretty much any another city in Quebec since they’d all meet our very basic requirements of A) somewhere we’ve never lived before and B) French-speaking, and, honestly, you wouldn’t be alone in that. Just like when we chose Ottawa over Montreal or Toronto, people were a little confused, and well, I guess we’re doing it again. What can we say other than I think we must just be drawn to over-shadowed cities. Also, Québec City is even further north, so I’m hoping for even more snow and longer, colder winters! Who’s with me?!

On the Job Front

The next most common question we get after “Why QC?” is “What about your jobs?” Well, Tucker will be keeping his current job, just as a fully remote employee (again). He was actually hired as a remote employee back in 2023, but it just so happened that the umbrella company of the team that hired him had an office in Ottawa, which is how he became a “hybrid” employee in the first place. Anyway, since his entire team is remote (and spread quite far across the US and Canada), he doesn’t expect much of a difference for him aside from no more snowy commutes.

My job situation is a little less obvious at the moment. Duolingo is…going through…some…things right now, and they have not opted to renew my contract (at least not yet…but also, maybe never…?), so I’m in somewhat of a transitional phase. I’m not sure if I want to continue freelancing/working remotely or if when we move, I might want to teach in-person again. Honestly, I’m also playing around with the idea of applying for literally anything bilingual in an effort to improve my workplace French, so really, who knows what I’ll be doing this spring, but if you happen to know someone who needs a Quebec-based linguist/teacher/writer, do let me know!

Guess it’s time to update all the things…

What about Jenn?

Obviously, Jenn will be coming with us to Québec City, and I doubt the slight change in climate and scenery will matter much to her. She’s definitely got her snow legs now, and her much-loved heating pad will be making the journey with us as well, so no worries there. We’re also only looking at apartments that have balconies, entirely so she can sunbathe in the summer months. Plus, we have promised her that we’ll choose somewhere nearer the equator after Canada, so she can officially start her retirement somewhere warm and sunny (as she should).

Looking Ahead

Of course, where that next place might be is still a bit of a mystery, even for us. We’re planning on spending at least another two years in Canada, which will hopefully allow us to gain citizenship, enabling us to come and go as we please (without having to keep up with the paperwork). However, to complete this process, we’ll have to reside in the country for over three years, apply, take, and pass an exam and interview, and then wait a bit longer for everything to process. So, for now, we’re keeping track of the various deadlines, continuing to learn what it means to be Canadian-American, and just enjoying our time in the Great White North.

Actually, with all this time on our hands, we’re now toying around with the idea of buying property here, fixing it up, and then renting it out when we leave. Unfortunately, I have such a fear of commitment and strings that I’m really not sure we’ll go through with it, but we do love a good project and doing anything new, so stay tuned! We’ll most likely rent for at least six months to a year before we’d take that particular step, but if we do, I’m sure I’ll have a lot to share about the process!

Other Fun Things

We have plenty of other fun plans for 2025 as well! Tucker is going to be putting in more effort on his French now (he basically has no choice); we both dabbled in running a bit more last summer and are eager to start that up again when the temperatures rise a bit; and as a surprise to no one, we’ve got a plethora of trips planned for this year. Next month, we’re off to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories to hopefully see some more aurora and find out how much colder -40 feels. Then we’re looking at Newfoundland in the spring, Peru in July, Maine after that, and a family trip to Central America in the fall if we can swing it! And as always, our offer of hosting anyone who’s interested in visiting our home city is still good, so maybe we’ll see some of you in Québec City later this year!

Honestly, 2025 has a lot to live up to, but it’s off to a great start, and I can’t wait to see how it all shakes out! Happy New Year everyone!

Winter is Coming (Again)

On December 5, 2024 By Dani Francuz Rose1 Comment

Ah, December. The pinnacle of the holiday season, the last month of the year, and the official start of winter – yay! Last winter was our first in Canada, and we gleaned so much information. For example, we know that the first snow Ottawa had last year was on October 30th, and the last snow of the season was on April 24th. The coldest day was January 19th at -20°C (approximately -5°F), but overall, it was really a very mild winter. I, personally, hope this year we get a lot more snow and a much longer stretch of extremely low temperatures. How else will I put all our new northern climate knowledge to the test? Knowledge like:

Preparation is Key

One of the first surprises we encountered last winter was just how much preparation both the city and its inhabitants have to do before winter. Everyone started putting out salt chests and snow markers well before the first snowstorm. Businesses added tents and flaps to entranceways; boot trays and coat racks were everywhere, and we even saw insulated porta-potties at nearby construction sites. For our part, we were focused on acquiring all the right winter clothing, which I’m happy to say was well worth whatever we paid for it all! We also had to buy quite a few car accessories, such as shovels, scrapers, sand, winter tires, and non-freezing windshield wiper fluid. This time around, it has been less buying and more restocking, but still, the preparation really makes for a smoother transition.

Everything Takes a Little Longer

Even after all the preparation was taken care of, we were still surprised by how much longer literally everything takes in winter! Getting dressed, lacing up boots multiple times a day, warming up the car, walking carefully on the ice – it all adds up like we couldn’t believe! Maybe this year I’ll time how long it takes to get the three of us dressed and ready to go outside because I’d guess it’s an extra 10-15 minutes every time. The other time-suck that I didn’t even think about prior to having such long winters was how much more laundry we have. When you’re wearing so many more layers every day, it really turns into a mountain of laundry after just a couple of days.

Winter is Kinda Messy

Having only lived in northern climates as a child (and/or for short periods of time), I was completely unaware of just how messy snowy winters can be. Everyone walks inside constantly dripping on the floor – the floors of restaurants, our building’s lobby, and worst of all, the entryway of our apartment. It didn’t take long for me to put an extra mat and towels by the door (yay, more laundry), but it doesn’t matter because there’s no containing it all. And you might be thinking, “hey, no big deal, water dries”, which is true, except this isn’t just water. It’s salted, which means everything gets a nice crusty white layer of salt even after it’s dry. The salt and sludge obviously got to the car as well, and we ended up having to get a carwash halfway through last winter because we literally couldn’t see out of the windows. I’m pretty sure I could count on one hand the number of times we’ve ever washed our car, and I would have never thought we’d have to wash it in the dead of winter!

There’s Quite a Bit of Extra Work

Okay, so we learned you have to prepare in advance, spend more time than usual, and always expect a mess, which, of course, requires some extra work, but the amount of extra work really kept surprising us! Scrape this, shovel that, clear a path for the dog to get to the “grass” because the snow walls are taller than she is! On and on it goes! Jenn, too, has to put a bit more effort into her daily tasks. She has to endure the multiple layers of clothing, scale snowdrifts when looking for a place to pee, and get wiped down whenever she comes back inside – all to her chagrin. On the bright side, I do feel like we still meet our exercise quotas because walking in the snow and scraping ice are definitely high calorie-burning activities!

So Many New Tricks to Learn

Another huge positive is that we developed a whole new set of skills. The best way to stomp excess snow off your boots? We know it. The best way to layer for easy transitioning between indoors and out? We’ve got it down. We’re also now very attuned to the sounds of the snow plows, which comes in handy, and I’m very happy to report that I didn’t fall on the ice even once last year (which I cannot say about our first Polish winter). I’d also add that we’re now very good at switching between Fahrenheit and Celsius, and we’re pretty much experts in interpreting the various weather alerts and winter vocabulary, regardless of the source. If you want to know more about the difference between hail, freezing rain, and sleet, I got you fam.

Lots of Surprises

All in all, I think we took everything pretty well in stride last year, but there were still a few things that we just didn’t believe until we experienced them ourselves. For example, our neighbors told us to watch out for the sunny days because they’re often the coldest, and wow, they were absolutely right! Apparently, clouds signal warmer temperatures – who knew?! We were also extremely surprised by how quick and easy it was to do some of the winter challenges, like freezing ramen noodles in mid-air. It took less than ten minutes! Another thing we didn’t think much about was how gas mileage would be affected, nor did we think we’d even notice if it was. Spoiler, we absolutely did. And perhaps most surprisingly, it didn’t take long at all for 0°C (32°F) to not really feel all that cold. After a week at -10°C (15°F), hovering right around freezing felt downright balmy.

Luckily, It’s Incredibly Fun and Beautiful!

I know most people reading this will say things like “that’s why I hate winter” or “I never want to live somewhere like that”, but even with these added challenges, we had an absolute blast last winter and are so eager to do it all again (hopefully just a little more efficiently this time). Winter is definitely still my favorite season even if it does require a bit more effort up here. In fact, I’d say we actually enjoyed it more because of those extra efforts. Ultimately, it was fun to slow down, get a little messy, and learn a plethora of new things. For me, winters like these are so fun and so beautiful that I quickly forget about any negatives. So, who wants to come visit us in January and see for yourselves? Our winter wonderland will be waiting!

Our Top Picks for the Prettiest Places We’ve Visited (so far!)

On October 22, 2024October 22, 2024 By Dani Francuz RoseLeave a comment

October in Ottawa is absolutely stunning, but I think regardless of the season, Ottawa might just be the prettiest place we’ve ever lived! But what about all the places we’ve visited over the years? To answer this extremely important question, Tucker and I scrolled through my Facebook albums to come up with our gut-reaction, top 10 prettiest places we’ve been list (in rough geographical order). It wasn’t an easy task, but somebody’s got to do it, right? Okay, maybe not, but it was still fun to do!

#1 Banff, Canada

As I think will become quite clear as this lists progresses, we love a good mountain scene, especially in fall/winter, which is why Banff had to be mentioned. Even before stepping foot into Alberta, we knew Banff was going to be pretty based on all the media constantly swirling around this vacation destination, but we were still absolutely blown away by the dynamic beauty of the Canadian Rockies.

#2 Moab, USA

If you’ve known me for any length of time, you know my favorite place in the United States is Arches National Park, located in Moab, Utah. I don’t know exactly what it is that I love so much, but ever since I first laid eyes on it (around 20 years ago, mind you), it has been one of my favorite landscapes in the world.

#3 Quintana Roo, Mexico

Although not usually beach people, Tucker and I have to concede that the beaches along Mexico’s Caribbean coast are simply on another level. Of course, it’s not just the beaches that we found so alluring – the cliffs, the cenotes, the lagoons, all of the nature and even some human-made structures in Quintana Roo really stand out to us on the prettiness scale.

#4 Cotopaxi, Ecuador

For pure, rugged beauty, there might not be a better example than Ecuador’s Cotopaxi National Park. Volcanos, calderas, pampas – even if you’re not a geologist, you can easily see the beauty these amazing natural features bring to the table.

#5 Ushuaia, Argentina

With beautiful snowy mountains, clear waters, and pink skies, Ushuaia is the closet you can get to Antarctica without a boat, and not only is it pretty, it’s pretty freaking awesome. Known as the “End of the World”, the remoteness only added to the beauty of this far-flung location.

#6 Bergen, Norway

Tired of snowy mountains yet? Well, what if we add fjords to the mix? Bergen is another place we’ll always mention when talking about gorgeous surroundings. Of course, we loved it in winter, but I have friends who visited in summer, and their photos also took my breath away!

#7 Skopje, North Macedonia

North Macedonia surprised us from the moment we landed. We ended up in Skopje because it was one of the cheapest places we could fly to at the time, and I’m so glad it was! The city is full of beautiful architecture, and with Matka Canyon only a short bus ride away, I’m continually surprised that it isn’t yet packed with tourists!

#8 Gorkhi-Terelj, Mongolia

Another one for the “rugged beauty” column, Mongolia is truly in a world of its own. More wide-open spaces than I’ve ever seen in my life and the bluest of blue skies gave us such a pretty picture of a place we never imagined we’d be able to see in person.

#9 Yunnan, China

As with several countries already on this list, sometimes we found it difficult to narrow down to just one region. China has a lot of extremely beautiful places, but the one that tops the list for us (excluding any biases, of course) is Yunnan. A province in the southwest corner of the country, it is blessed with an abundance of flora and fauna, and its capital is known as the “City of Eternal Spring” – it doesn’t get much prettier than that!

#10 Brisbane, Australia

And last but not least, Brisbane, Australia rounds out our list! It’s located between Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast, which even sounds pretty, but what struck us even more than the beautiful beaches nearby was the city itself. Gorgeous skylines, quirky architecture, and the only (and therefore most beautiful) “city beach” we’ve ever seen. Definitely worth the long trip Down Under!

Honestly, getting this list down to just 10 was really tricky, but in the end, I feel good about our choices. Of course, the pictures never really do the places justice, so if you can, I highly recommend seeing these beauties in person some day! If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a trip must be worth a million.

International Trip Planning 101

On September 21, 2024September 21, 2024 By Dani Francuz RoseLeave a comment

So, you may have noticed that we go on a lot of trips. I can tell you, very honestly, that I think about future trips pretty much every day. My mind is always putting together itineraries and thinking up plans for future adventures (both near and far) because I love every aspect of the process! However, I’ve noticed that some people get a little anxious when planning things either far in advance or far away, which is totally understandable. And if you’re one of such people, perhaps a little unsure of how to plan an international trip (or even if you’ve just wondered how exactly we do this so often and seemingly so quickly), this post is for you! Strap in, it’s time to plan!

Who?

We often start with the question of who. Is it just me and Tucker? Or do we have family or friends joining us? What about Jenn (our dog)? The number of people/animals and their particular interests and abilities often affect all the other questions, so first you have to know who will be with you.

When?

Next up is when. This is an important question both in regards to where you’re coming from and where you’re going. We always try to find a nice balance of traveling over a holiday (which means less PTO time needed) and avoiding the crowds at our chosen destination. Often this means choosing to travel over US-centric holidays like MLK Jr. Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, etc. Our preferred duration is typically eight days (ideally Saturday to the following Sunday if we can swing it). If you’re leaving the continent, it’s also good to remember that the travel days to and from your destination won’t really feel like vacation, and sometimes it’s really nice to have an extra day after you get home but before you have to go back to work: aka a buffer day.

In addition to carefully picking our days based on the holidays being celebrated around us, we also have to be aware of holidays in the places we might be visiting. Those are usually pretty easy to check online, but we also try to be aware of the seasons more broadly, which can be a little trickier. Depending on where you want to go and what you want to do, you might want to avoid peak travel seasons (like Europe in summer), rainy seasons (like Central America in fall), or even seasonal extremes (like the UAE in summer or Iceland in winter). Ultimately, it’s a bit of dance between what you want to spend (because some seasons are pricier than others), what vacation time is possible for you, and what you want to do/see at your destination.

I will just add that there’s really never a wrong time to travel. There are busier times, more expensive times, good weather days, bad weather days, etc. And unfortunately, no amount of pre-planning is going to stop the occasional storm from blowing in or that surprise festival/event from happening, so don’t sweat it too much! We once went to Fuji, Japan and didn’t see Mount Fuji. How iconic is that?

Where?

Now the big question. Where to? Usually, this is an easy one when it’s just me and Tucker because we want to go everywhere, but even we still find ourselves asking questions like where is the cheapest flight? Where can we do a lot in a short amount of time? And other similar questions. More recently, we’ve also been asking ourselves about priorities. Where are the places we want to go most? Over the years, we’ve realized that you never know when a global pandemic or political unrest might arise to make a lifelong dream of yours come to a crashing halt, so when choosing where to go, just know that you won’t remember the price of the plane tickets, but you’ll be telling stories about what you did and where you went for the rest of your life.

If you’re not as much of a geography nerd as I am, you might also just not really know what kind of places you’d even like. Or what it’ll be like when you’re there. Luckily, the internet has this well and truly covered – there are countless YouTube videos, blogs, websites, documentaries, basically anything and everything you might want to know about a given destination online, so you can always start there. Of course, recommendations are also great, but definitely take them with a grain of salt because everything about travel is highly subjective, and in my experience, no two people feel the same way about a place (just ask Tucker and I how we both feel about Bratislava).

If you’re still struggling with narrowing down all the options, I also think it’s a good idea to combine your other interests with travel, so if you like hiking/nature, maybe a trip to South America would be perfect for you. Or if you’re history buff, it’s hard to beat Europe. Foodies typically love Asia, and those really up for an adventure don’t mind the long flights needed to go trekking in Africa or scuba diving in Oceania. There’s really so much to see in every corner of the world, so again, don’t sweat it too much! It’s all about the journey not the destination, right?

How?

Speaking of the journey, once you’ve decided (roughly) where you want to go, how do you put it into action? The order in which we typically book things is pretty much always FLIGHTS -> LODGINGS -> EXCURSIONS. Essentially, I have an idea of where I want to go, very often the main country or region I want to see and a possible “home base” or “anchor city”, which is where we’ll fly in and out of, but until we officially look at flights, even that might change.

When we check the flights, we might see that it’s much cheaper to go to a different, nearby city and take a train to where I initially wanted to go. Or I might see there are a lot more flights to a different city in the area and start researching why that is, possibly choosing that as our base instead. We like to let the flights guide us somewhat, but if you already know where you want to go, just book it! Unfortunately, post-pandemic travel is super variable, and there’s no longer a reliable system of finding cheap flights. Gone are the days when leaving on a Tuesday or booking 4 months out might save you some money, so save yourself the headache and just book when it makes sense for you. We usually start our flight search on an aggregator site like Momondo, which allows us to play around with the days, times, and paths to find the best option, but when we do our actual booking, we prefer use the airlines’ websites because they’re much easier to contact if there’s an issue.

Once we’ve figured out how we’ll get in and out, we then work on where we’ll spend our days. If we’re somewhere like Europe and we can easily get from city to city or even country to country, I might split the trip into two or three stops, usually in somewhat of a circle to ensure we get back to the airport city. Other times, I rely on day trips to see more for my money. This is often the easiest way because then I only need to find one hotel/hostel/Airbnb for the duration. In any case, when booking a place to stay, we tend to use Booking.com because the filters really help us narrow down all the options based on what we need for a given trip (i.e. “parking”, “dog-friendly”, etc.). We also have the added bonus of being able to look back at places we’ve stayed in the past, which we’ve used on several return trips.

Whether we go for a loop or a series of day trips, I love a good map!

Throughout our years of traveling together, we’ve basically run the gamut, staying in dormitories, pods, hotels, inns, apartments, houses, etc. It really all depends on what you want to spend, what you’re comfortable with, and what’s available in the destination. My advice when choosing a place is to really focus on the most recent reviews. If there aren’t any reviews from the last few months, there’s probably a reason for that. You should also pay particular attention to the things that are most relevant to you. If you can’t sleep when there’s too much noise, search for that in the reviews. If you have to have AC, make sure you check that on the amenities list, etc. Also, remember that if you are bringing any electronics, you’ll likely need adapters to be able to use them abroad. We’ve forgotten so many times that I now have an army of adapters at home.

Okay, now that flights and hotels are taken care of, we can start looking into the things we might want to do while there. Usually, there are very few things I book in advance aside from transportation and lodging, but if we’re going somewhere very touristy (like Paris, Angor Wat, etc.) then we might need to pre-purchase tickets to the main attractions. Similarly, if we’re making a trip down to Peru with the main goal of seeing Machu Picchu, then I’d like to make sure we have any tickets, tours, or whatever else we might need for a large-scale excursion like that. Thankfully, so much of this can be done online these days although the final process might not be super clear until you actually arrive. There have been many times when we weren’t sure if we did what we were supposed to do ahead of time, but it has absolutely always worked out once we were there. Embrace the ambiguity as part of the adventure and remember that you’re a tourist, not a pioneer – there’s always someone to ask for help if you need it!

What?

And finally, the best part! How will you spend your days? Usually right after we book our flights, I like to start with a general Google search of “things to see in _____”, and go from there. I also love to read blogs written either by other tourists/travelers or even better, by people who live there. This is not only practical, but it also serves to get me super excited for the upcoming trip! Once I have enough ideas/information, I usually end up making a general list of things we might want to do, see, and eat while on the trip, which we can then check off as we go. Of course, I don’t think I’ve ever checked everything off of one of these lists, and things are typically added to it throughout our trip as well, but ultimately, it really helps us in coming up with plans while on the go and making sure we don’t forget anything in all the excitement of exploring a new place.

Once we’ve made it to our destination, we typically spend the first day or two just walking around to get our bearings and get acquainted with the area. We’ll usually wander around the major points of interest on a map or group some of the items from my list and do our own sort of walking tour. Most major cities have their own free walking tours that you can join if you prefer something with more structure. We’ve done many of these throughout the years and have always enjoyed them. Tucker tends to focus on the food during our travels, so whenever we’re hungry, we’ll usually find a park bench or a café, and he’ll go on the hunt (through heaps of Google reviews) for a place that possibly ticks even more things off our list.

Of course, our own research only goes so far, so another thing we love to do is ask locals what they would recommend. Usually starting with taxi/Uber drivers, we try to ask several people throughout our stay what they would recommend to tourists as far as things to see, foods to try, places to go, etc. This is why the list usually ends up with so many amendments! But some of our absolute favorite places were only discovered once we landed and started talking to locals about their home, so don’t be shy! Things are always changing, and those who live there always know best!

So that’s how we do it! As I was writing this, I started worrying whether or not this would be helpful to anyone since there really is so much variance between people, destinations, trips, etc. But hopefully something in here stuck out to you and might be of use during your next trip-planning session! Happy planning and bon voyage!

My Favorite American Things

On July 4, 2024January 26, 2026 By Dani Francuz RoseLeave a comment

Happy Fourth of July!! For Tucker and I, this week has become an even bigger holiday celebration since we now get to celebrate Canada Day on the first, followed by our own hotdog-fueled Independence Day party on the fourth. Double the patriotism, double the fun (I always say)! And while I’ve been writing a lot about Canada over the past year, this month, it’s all about the red, white, and blue!

Every Fourth of July, I tend to do some reflecting about my country of origin, and this year, I thought I’d make a list of some of the things I miss the most about life in the US, a list we can all cheers to today! Because USA USA USA!

Nature/National Parks

First up is, of course, our natural environment and the national parks created to help preserve it. I’ve already written something about my love for our national and state parks, but I still can’t leave it off this list! Having also lived in China and Mexico, which are both heavyweights in their own right when it comes to geographical and bio-diversity, I still think the US wins out in this category. We’re really lucky to be in the absolute perfect location for some incredible natural extremes and awe-inspiring landscapes.

24-Hour Stores

Next on my list is the abundance of 24-hour stores and restaurants. Maybe this has changed a bit post-Covid, but in general, I love that you can go to Waffle House for 3am hashbrowns or CVS for just about anything you might need whenever you might need it. Honestly, I don’t even remember doing this all that often, but it was just so comforting to know that I could!

I could absolutely eat WH any time, day or night…

Direct, yet Friendly People

I know a lot of people have a lot of opinions about American personalities, but depending on where I am in the world, sometimes I really find myself missing their (our?) directness, and sometimes I find myself really missing their (our?) friendliness. We really are a strange mix of totally casual, amicable yet to-the-point, and always ready for an argument. In general, of course. ;)

Fast Food Options Galore

As Canada slowly introduces more US fast food chains to their line-up, I’m reminded just how many fast food icons we have in the US. I sincerely wish I could bring Shake Shack burgers, In-N-Out animal fries, and Culver’s frozen custard to all my friends around the world. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with McDonald’s and KFC (I absolutely love them too), but they’re really only the tip of the incredibly unhealthy but super delicious iceberg that is American fast food!

Highways

Last year we had the pleasure of driving from the middle of Mexico across Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York to Eastern Ontario, Canada. We’ve also had more than our fair share of road trips in both Canada and Mexico, as well as in Europe and Asia. And still, US highways are my favorite! They’re honestly in really good condition throughout the country, super clearly marked, and there are always tons of places to stop along the way (along any way)! I used to think US road trips were so popular because we have no choice but to drive a long way, but that’s not it. They’re just so much more convenient!

Optimism

I didn’t really realize I was an optimist until I left the US (when it was subsequently pointed out to me time and time again). Apparently, it isn’t the norm to constantly feel like “it’ll all work out in the end”. But I do love that despite whatever nonsense is going on around us, which, let’s face it, is pretty constant, Americans generally have the “oh well, let’s just see what happens and make the most of it” kind of attitude, which I tend to find refreshing these days.

Grocery Stores on Steroids

I now completely understand why people take photos of US grocery stores or even the “American section” in their local stores for social media. The number of options we have is insane! The cereal aisle alone would take someone years to get through if they wanted to try ‘em all! Maybe this is why Tucker and I are so good at seeking out all the options and putting them to the test? It is what we grew up with after all.

There was no end to our taste tests during the pandemic lol

Free Refills

This one kills me when I’m abroad! Coffee, tea, and soft drinks will never be worth what you have to pay at a restaurant, movie theater, etc. unless they come with free refills, which they almost never do outside of the US. Also, don’t even get me started on having to pay for water! We might have issues with our healthcare system, but at least we’re not constantly dehydrated!

A Shared Love of Efficiency

Another thing I’ve noticed any time I’m back in the US is that we generally like to be as efficient as possible. Get it done and get it done quickly is the true American way! From self-paying at gas station pumps and doing all your shopping in one place to never actually honestly answering the ubiquitous “how’re you doing?”, there are so many aspects of life in the US that focus on speed and efficiency, and while sometimes that can be a bad thing, I’m usually all about it.

The US Dollar

I think what I really miss about the US dollar is not having to do conversions and calculations every time I see the price of something; however, as someone who is still getting paid in US dollars, I also have to be thankful of its current international standing. I do think we could really do with another redesign though. I want colorful money too!

Ah, there’s nothing like a little reminiscing around the holidays! I hope you enjoyed my list, and I’d love to know some of your favorite American things, so feel free to share! Now excuse me while I go drink a Bud Light and listen to some Lee Greenwood! Happy 4th everyone!

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: