MILES & MEMORIES

Our Schengen visa was issued by Iceland. Our plane tickets were for Paris. This is a move that is technically legal, emotionally reckless, and a masterclass in bureaucratic Jiu-Jitsu. It means explaining to a stoic border agent why your first point of entry is a country famous for croissants when your visa is from the land of Björk. For appeasing the travel gods, we booked our exit flight from Copenhagen.  Arrival: Logistics Before Romance From the airport, we opted for a long-distance coach—the civilized middle ground between lavish and broke. Pro-Tip for the Discerning (or Cheap) Traveler: From Beauvais (BVA):  This airport is famously not in Paris. The official shuttle bus to Porte Maillot is your most direct path. Book online via the airport's site or a third-party like Terravision to use a QR code and avoid the terminal scramble. From Charles de Gaulle (CDG):  You have options. The RoissyBus is a dedicated airport-to-city line. For a more "local" experience, RATP bus...

September 24, 2024 – Uber Adventures It was our first taste of Croatia and it came in the form of a very Croatian landing, right in the middle of the night. The Ryanair plane hit the Split runway with confidence, volume, and zero hesitation. I immediately knew this wasn’t a “smooth” landing by any standards I’ve experienced. The cabin burst into applause. My wife, asleep until that exact moment, opened one eye, clapped on instinct, and went straight back to sleep. We ordered an Uber, trying to be classy on a budget. Our driver, Zorana, was apparently playing har d to get. A series of "I'm far away" texts followed until, finally, a loud honk signaled she'd found us, like a prize at the end of a hunt. One hour later, we reached an area that the driver insisted was our destination, but we still couldn’t find the house. Zorana asked for 20 Euros, but my half-asleep wife handed her 30 and waited for change that never came. We were still lost, but thankfully, Nina, our supe...