Hi there! We’re Katie & Ben.
We seek adrenaline rushes, good food, authentic experiences and adventures off the typical tourist path. Follow along for responsible & adventurous travel tips, and inspiration that'll get you packing!
Two Wandering Soles
Welcome to Two Wandering Soles: a fun, inspiring and award-winning travel blog created by Katie and Ben, a couple who is passionate about responsible and adventurous travel around the world. Find travel tips and money-saving advice for eco-friendly and sustainable travel on any budget.
Welcome to our Insta World!
![💙💜Happy Holi to you!💛💚
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Alright, so a lot of times we post pretty pictures and tell you the good stories. But this isn't one of those times. This picture has a horror story behind it, actually... [FYI this might not be easy for all to read]
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A few years ago we planned to be in India for Holi Hai, a celebration of color & happiness. I did a ton of research and found the town known to be the birthplace of Holi. It was a dream of mine coming true. One of the first things we noticed when we arrived in this town was that there were literally no women in the street. I didn't give much thought to it though, and we set out into the crowds to get covered in color!
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I’d say about 70% of our interactions were lovely: Colored powder was thrown, hugs were given, a “Happy Holi” was wished. But the other 30% was... rough.
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I had been warned about the groping, but nothing could prepare me for the extent of it. Butt grabs. Boob grabs. Fingers stuck in places they shouldn’t be. A syringe was stuck in my mouth and hot sticky syrup squirted in.
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After an hour of this, I was fed up. I saw a man coming straight toward me and I tried to dodge him. On the side of the streets, there was a narrow drainage way—a flowing brown river where the cooking oil and sewage and colored water was all collected. In my attempt to move out of this man's way, I stepped into what I thought would be a shallow part of the water. But to my horror, I sunk down into my waist. MY WAIST. In sewage.
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This picture was taken before all the madness happened. And on that day 3 years ago, I posted this shot with a happy caption. But in reality, I was literally covered in shi*t and trying to grapple with everything that had just happened. Pretty picture. Not so pretty story.
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Let me conclude this long rant of a post with this: Holi is a beautiful celebration. The entire experience was a rollercoaster of sweet moments and downright awful ones. But at that time, I felt like nobody would want to hear the bad. So I ignored them and only shared the good. But travel, just like any other part of life, has big ups and sometimes even bigger downs.
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Have you ever had a travel horror story?](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5475c689e4b05a135b085d65/5919120429687fd2ca0aeb36/5c94f8a83bb053b0178d1ae3/1553266862122/)
![Pretty walls + hot chicken + live music + champagne + hot tubbing + birthday cake + time with friends + more hot 🍗 + more live 🎶
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Nashville, we ate waaayyy too much (I guess this means we’re back in the 🇺🇸). We didn’t get much sleep and we’ll probably be recovering all week... #ifeelold
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Nashville, you also may have ruined live music for us... I’m not sure where else in the world we’ll find so many incredibly talented musicians in one spot. But I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Still reminiscing about what a fun weekend we had in Music City!
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Have you been to Nashville? What a crazy-fun-delicious city, amiright?!
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[So much fun celebrating @traancs turning 30 🎈If you’re looking for a place to celebrate a special occasion, Nashville makes a great choice!]](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5475c689e4b05a135b085d65/5919120429687fd2ca0aeb36/5c911cce3741983814b1e986/1553013972850/)
![Saying goodbye to Thailand (just for a couple weeks!) for a short trip back to the US 🇺🇸
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First Stop: Nashville to celebrate one of our best friend’s 30th birthday! (Any Nashville must-do’s?!)
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Second Stop: Minnesota for a family wedding ✨💛🥂
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We’ve got 30+ hours of flying ahead of us, but lots to look forward to. Let’s just hope we can power through this jetlag 🥴
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[This shot is from our little getaway to Chiang Dao last weekend. We stayed in these beautiful earthen roundhouses with open-air showers and gorgeous mountain views. If you find yourself in northern Thailand and want a cool experience, shoot us a message and we’ll let you know where it is!]
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📷 @andreaa9 (miss you already!)](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5475c689e4b05a135b085d65/5919120429687fd2ca0aeb36/5c89127087da80f2f03a9557/1552487029590/)
![Right now is a powerful time to be a woman 💃🏻
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Our voices are being heard. Our ideas being respected. Our stories celebrated. Our opportunities expanding.
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And while it feels like there has been tangible change recently, it's important to remember that there are still many places where women are not seen as equal. Where their voices are stifled. Where their options are few.
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May we celebrate women today (and every day) but also remember that the fight is not over ✊🏼 #internationalwomensday
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[swipe 👉🏼 to see a couples of my favorite female travel portraits]](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5475c689e4b05a135b085d65/5919120429687fd2ca0aeb36/5c825f8abc3379537a862772/1552048015168/)
![Unlike how it may appear on Instagram, we don’t spend most of our days chasing waterfalls or frolicking at the beach or getting lost in the city streets.
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Ever since we landed in Chiang Mai, our days been mostly spent behind computer screens. (In super cute cafes with yummy drinks, but still..) Fingers patting away on keyboards and eyes focused on a screen. It doesn’t make nearly as pretty of a picture as an epic hike like this one…
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But from behind that computer screen, I am doing what I love: Writing. Creating. Connecting. Sharing. Learning.
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It’s okay if your day-to-day doesn’t look like an Instagram feed. [Nobody’s does.] Even those Insta-famous influencers with millions of followers spend a lot of time behind a computer screen.
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When you start realizing that little moments can be beautiful and worthy — going on a walk with no agenda, FaceTime with your BFF, belly laughing at a stupid joke, starting your day with a decadent smoothie, doing work that you love — you realize that joy can be found all around you. There’s no need to wait and plan for it. It is in each moment if we take the time to look.
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What “little thing” brings you joy?](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5475c689e4b05a135b085d65/5919120429687fd2ca0aeb36/5c7fbf303741980b9ea632dc/1551875896470/)
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