Two Wandering Soles | Responsible and Adventurous Travel on a Budget

Green Tea Fields Responsible & Adventurous Travel

EBC Mountains Responsible & Adventurous Travel

Bryce Canyon Responsible & Adventurous Travel

Cliff Jump Responsible & Adventurous Travel

Shi Shi Beach Responsible & Adventurous Travel

Sky Lantern Responsible & Adventurous Travel

Vietnamese Soup Responsible & Adventurous Travel

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Hi there! We’re Katie & Ben.

We are backpack-wearing, camera-toting, coffee-loving travelers who are passionate about showing others how they can travel responsibly & adventurously on any budget -- big or small.

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Follow our wandering soles around the world & watch our everyday stories.

Instead of posting a pretty picture and talking about Mother Nature’s beauty for #EarthDay, I want to get REAL. (Although this pic from Idaho is one of my favorites!)
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Whether we want to believe it or not, our Earth is in danger, and we are responsible. Each and every one of us.
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I’ve been guilty of thinking I’m not harming the planet because I don’t litter and hey, I even recycle! I’ve blamed other people — the guy in the car ahead of me who throws a fast food bag out the window or the teenager who flicks their cigarette butt into the ocean — instead of taking responsibility for what I CAN do. And truthfully it takes sacrifices that I’m sometimes hesitant to make.
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But we can’t ignore it much longer. If we do nothing and go on living our lives as we always have, there is damage being done right now that is irreversible. IRREVERSIBLE.
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So what can you do? A lot. Bring reusable bags to every store (not just grocery shopping). Refuse plastic straws and water bottles. Support companies that are doing good things for the environment. Choose produce that is NOT wrapped in plastic on a styrofoam tray. Take inventory of your weekly trash bin: what waste can you eliminate? Think more about each purchase you make: “Do I really need this? How long will I use it before it ends up in a landfill?” Buy second hand. Compost. Consciously recycle. Eat less meat. Buy in bulk to reduce packaging. Rethink your toiletries: can you buy (or DIY!) products that don’t come in plastic bottles? Educate your friends and family.
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This is just scratching the surface of little changes we can make. I’m still working on a lot of these and am far from perfect, but I’m starting to truly believe that one person really CAN make a difference. And that keeps me going.
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At some point, it’s going to come down to what people value more: Convenience vs. the Earth. And think of how much we have to lose if Convenience wins... our rivers and oceans, waterfalls and hot springs, pristine mountains and old growth forests, and all species of wildlife (except maybe cockroaches!) just to name a few things at stake.
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Comment below with what YOU can commit to doing for the Earth. #MotherNatureDeservesBetter

Wandering around Mexico City in search of the best churros, the prettiest tile walls and the cutest accordion players. Check. Check. And Check. We are seriously loving this city and can't wait to tell you WHY.
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Have you ever been to Mexico City? What did you think? Were you as surprised as we are?!

The food in Mexico City is UNREAL. In fact, it's often listed among the best cities in the world for foodies. So how can you try a ton of food on a little amount of time? So glad you asked, fellow lover of all things edible. A Food Tour: That's how!
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Yesterday evening, we took a tour with @mexicanfoodtours and went to 7 places around one of the city's "foodie neighborhoods". In total, we tried 7 different dishes and 5 drinks. The places were all super varied in atmosphere, from a hip cantina packed with twenty-somethings meeting up for drinks and food with friends, to a hole-in-the-wall taco shop that has only a handful of stools but draws locals in the dozens, to a famous chocolatier. Let's just say after 7 courses, we woke up this morning still full.
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Have you ever taken a food tour? What country would you LOVE to do a food tour in?!

Have you ever underestimated a place only to find that it is so much better than you were expecting?
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To be honest, Mexico has been a country that we’ve overlooked for a long time. We always thought of it as all-inclusive resorts in Cancun or Cozumel, surrounded by other Americans…And truthfully, we hadn’t heard much about Mexico City other than it was dangerous and polluted.
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Yet here we are. And so far it has blown us away. The people are friendly, the food is great, the weather is beautiful, and there’s plenty of green space.
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Yesterday we explored some incredibly cute neighborhoods, complete with streets shaded by big flowering trees, peaceful parks and colorful colonial homes. Including Frieda Kahlo’s home (pictured!) 💙
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Today we were reminded yet again that a country is so much more than its stereotype. Mexico is more than than Señor Frogs and spring breakers. China is more than selfie sticks and crowds. India is more than scammers and America is more than overweight people. Every country has its stereotype, yet when we take the time to look past it, the world becomes so much brighter.
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What is a place that surprised you in a good way?

Time to say goodbye to the snow ❄️ ❄️ ❄️ Next time we're back in Minnesota (in July!) we're looking forward to green grass instead of snow, t-shirts instead of ski jackets, and beers on patios instead of being stuck inside... But for now we're off to eat all the tacos we can fit in our bellies ✈️🌮 🇲🇽

Tomorrow we say goodbye to the US after a few weeks spent seeing family & friends and putting in LONG hours of work in preparation for this next big adventure to Mexico & Central America.
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First stop: Mexico City!
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Our bags are packed and there are 4 things on my mind...
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1) I don't know how we always end up booking EARLY morning flights, because after each one I say "never again." But once again we have a 6 am departure. Oh, joy.
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2) I'm SUPER proud of how little we packed. I am a serial over-packer but I really have it whittled down to the essentials. And we've got a few new travel items we are stoked about! Do you want us to share more about our packing list and tips? If so, comment below!
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3) I love Minnesota, but I'm not sad to say goodbye to this snow. How can there be a blizzard in mid-April?!
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4) We're really looking forward to this next big adventure -- we have so many amazing things planned that we can't wait to share with you (like trekking to a volcano in Guatemala and island-hopping in the Caribbean)... but we're still looking for suggestions! If you have any tips for Central America (towns you loved, amazing hikes, cultural experiences, anything food-related, etc.) pretty please share them in the comments below and you'll be rewarded with good karma ✨

Hats off to the man who wakes up early to cook me breakfast on a daily basis, even if we're living in a campervan 🍳🥓🥞
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Super proud of this guy for dabbling in video editing, which is quite the 180-degree shift from his engineering/business background. {And if you've ever tried it yourself, you know how time-consuming and frustrating (cue curse word) it can be. I'm super impressed by all of you who do it full time!}
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Head over to our Youtube page (link in bio, and I'll love you forever if you subscribe to our channel!) to see the video he created that perfectly captures what life was like living in a campervan for 3 months. Oh, how I miss it!
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Have you ever thought about doing a campervan trip? Comment below with your #vanlife questions and we'll do our best to answer them!

Yes, this place actually DOES exist! (And yes, that water really is THAT blue!)
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Have you ever returned to a place that you traveled to as a child only to discover that it is even better than you remember it?!
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I have fond memories of road tripping with my family in the PNW as a child, and I hoped I wouldn't be let down when I returned as an adult. But there was a whole new element I could appreciate now that I'm older.
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One thing's for certain: Oregon is the PERFECT road trip state. Mile after mile of coastline, national forests with hiking trails, waterfalls, hot springs and swimming holes so blue it looks like Kool Aid (this photos is NOT edited btw!)... And I'd go out on a limb to say Oregon has some of the coolest big cities and small towns in the entire United States.
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If you want to see how to get to this crazy blue pool (plus some other epic places in Oregon you didn't know exist!), head to the link in our bio!

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