Travel
I like to travel, and sometimes I get to do it for work. Here's where I talk about it. Every new country I visit, I like to read a relevant book to better understand its history and culture. I'll explore and write about these countries from a few different lenses: a brief overview of what I've learned about the country, my experience in the country, and a potential itinerary for you to better plan a trip.
2 Nights in Nuremberg, Germany
Nuremberg: An Instant Favorite I visited Nuremberg nearly 20 years ago during the 2006 World Cup. I don’t remember much from that trip as a kid, and I was hoping this might spark some memories. Some places have an uncanny way of making you feel something. Whatever it was
Alex Weiker
2 Nights in Stuttgart
Stuttgart was fine. I spent two nights there, and while there were definitely some cool moments, it didn’t leave a huge impression overall. Part of that was on me—I was pretty distracted with work and visa/relocation changes, and I didn’t prepareor research much in Stuttgart. Day 1:
Alex Weiker
4 Nights in Barcelona
Antoni Gaudí, Country-wide Blackout, and an Unforgettable Ham Sandwich Not quite magical. But definitely memorable. I didn’t know what to expect with Barcelona. I heard bits and pieces from fellow travellers I met in Madrid and Seville. I’ve learned to not let other people’s opinions negatively influence
Alex Weiker
3 Days in Seville, Spain
I rolled into Seville (se-VEE-yah) by train on a Wednesday afternoon, catching an Uber straight from the train station to my hotel. The main accomplishment for the day felt like doing some strategic sink laundry, a critical travel skill. Later that night around 9:50 PM after wrapping up work,
Alex Weiker
5 Days in Madrid
Madrid was my launchpad—the first destination on my journey to the UK. As soon as I landed, the surreal feeling hit: this is real. I was alone in a new country, my Spanish rusty, and the plan was explore. TL;DR and pictures at the bottom. 🛬 First Impressions & Getting
Alex Weiker
A Day in Cuenca Spain
I hadn’t planned on visiting Cuenca. Originally, I’d booked a tour of Toledo (Spain, not Toledo, Ohio), but with much of the town closed for Easter Monday, that plan fell through. In its place, the tour company offered a visit to Cuenca and a nearby winery. It turned
Alex Weiker
Choosing a Hotel Rewards Program: Hyatt
For a long time, I didn’t think about hotel rewards programs. I booked whatever was convenient, close, or had decent reviews—and moved on. And usually, picking a hotel for my trip took far too much time, so a rewards program would make traveling even easier. But eventually, that
Alex Weiker
The Stages of Packing & Moving
1. The Optimism Phase It always starts with confidence. The road to hell is paved with good intentions… and neatly labelled bins. “It’s not that much stuff.”
“This’ll be easy - 90 minutes, max.”
“I’ll pack everything neatly, label the boxes, maybe even color code.” Maybe we
Alex Weiker
Preparing to move overseas
This isn’t my first time moving abroad and not the first time doing so alone. This time, I’m headed to London! I’m beyond excited and have a world of opportunity ahead of me. Growing up, I lived in Australia for 3 years, and in college I lived
Alex Weiker