The crowds are real. Here's where to go instead. 👇🏽 Something this Grand European adventure has confirmed for me — with my own two eyes and sore feet — is that overtourism isn't just a headline anymore. It's your reality the second you try to walk down a street in a popular city, stand in line for a coffee, or God forbid, try to get into a major attraction without booking weeks in advance and arriving before sunrise. We've experienced it firsthand. And it's a lot. The good news? There are still places on this planet that will absolutely blow your mind — without the chaos, the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, or the tourist-tax price gouging. So I pulled together a tight list of **5 underrated destinations** worth adding to your travel radar. These aren't random picks — they're vetted, relevant, and genuinely worth your time and money. **🌍 THE LIST: 5 Places That Deserve to Be on Your Radar** **1. Šibenik, Croatia** *(instead of Dubrovnik)* Medieval streets, TWO UNESCO sites, fortress views, beach resorts nearby — and a fraction of the crowds. This is what Dubrovnik used to feel like before the cruise ships took over. 👉🏽 [More on underrated European gems](https://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/travel/2026/0617/1578981-3-underrated-european-destinations-to-check-out-this-summer/) **2. Vis Island, Croatia** *(slow, stunning, and barely on the radar)* Named on Intrepid Travel's official 2026 "Not Hot" list — meaning it's genuinely under-visited but fully ready for travelers. Remote, gorgeous, accessible by ferry. That's the sweet spot. 👉🏽 [Intrepid's full 2026 Not Hot List](https://www.travelpulse.com/news/tour-operators/intrepid-travels-2026-not-hot-list-spotlights-10-underrated-destinations) **3. Loreto, Mexico** *(instead of Los Cabos)*

After missed connections, over sold planes, 36 hours of traveling --> we made it. Was it worth it? Damn right! London is a pretty cool spot, and even though we're only a full 24 hours into it ~ we're having the time of our lives. Today looked like: - Coffee and Breaky - Tour the British Musuem (did you know The British Museum's collection actually totals around 8 million objects, making it one of the largest and most comprehensive in existence) - High Tea on the River Thames (OMG everyone must do this at least once) - Tower of London, Big Ben and Parliment - Walking across the London Bridge - Home to work and meet w/ clients (on the West Coast) - Dinner at 11pm (like a real European) So, my question for tonight ~ if you had someone deposit a plane ticket to anywhere in the world, where would you go? and if you've been to London and you have recommendations - let us know!

HERE IS WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT WHO ELSE IS ON THAT NETWORK AND HOW TO STAY SAFE. Two years of house sitting. New WiFi password on a little card at every single home. And we never once asked — who else is on this network? Until San José, Costa Rica changed that for us. Turns out when you connect to a homeowner's WiFi you're also connecting alongside their smart TV, security cameras, previous house sitters, the neighbour who got the password two years ago — and a router that's likely logging every website your devices visit. We got a VPN that same week. Never sat without one since. The quick fix: Get NordVPN or ProtonVPN, then immediately turn on two settings most people miss — Kill Switch (cuts your internet if VPN drops so nothing leaks) and Auto-Connect (VPN connects before anything loads on any new network). Then ask every homeowner to set up a guest network — separate lane for your devices, separate lane for theirs. Five minutes. Game changer. Save this checklist. Run it every time you arrive somewhere new: ☐ Ask homeowner about setting up a guest network ☐ Connect VPN before doing anything else online ☐ Confirm Kill Switch is on — all devices ☐ Confirm Auto-Connect is on — all devices ☐ Note where smart speakers are located ☐ Update all devices if updates are waiting ☐ Use phone hotspot for banking and sensitive work ☐ Run a DNS leak test at dnsleaktest.com Inspired by the amazing work of RECLAIM™ — a free digital privacy movement. Worth following: thereclaimmovement.substack.com Not yet on TrustedHouseSitters? Grab 25% off right here. Hope this finds you surfing the web safely and your information protected Brandi + Sandra 🖤

Here's the thing about traveling full-time — you think you've done your homework. You've got your flights, your accommodation, your itinerary sorted. And then something comes along that you had NO idea was even a thing. That's what happened to me when a friend sent me this REEL about EES. The EU's new Entry/Exit System. It went fully live on April 10, 2026. And if you're a non-EU traveler (yes, us Americans), every time you enter the Schengen Area, you now get biometrically registered — fingerprints, face scan, passport data. Digital record of every entry and exit. Passport stamps are gone. This is the new reality. Now here's where it gets real. People are waiting UP TO 6 HOURS in Portugal right now because they showed up with no idea this was happening. Long lines at border control, confused travelers, delayed flights. It's a mess for the people who didn't know. (This was almost us!) But here's what I know — and now you know too. There's an official EU app called "Travel to Europe" (free, App Store + Google Play — do NOT download any version that charges you, those are fakes). You can pre-register up to 72 hours before you land — scan your passport, take a selfie, answer a few questions. When you arrive, your data is already in the system. You still go through border control, but you move through significantly faster. That's it. That's the hack. Download the app. Do it before you fly. A few other things that came up that you should know: 🇬🇧 If you're routing through London — London is NOT Schengen. It's a completely separate border. And as of February 25, 2026, Americans need a UK ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) to enter. It's £20, takes 10 minutes to apply for, valid 2 years. Don't skip this or you could be denied boarding. (see my POST earlier last week to learn more about this!)

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