The Netherlands
We have been wanting to do a longer trip to The Netherlands ever since we moved abroad. We visited the small town where my partner’s grandparents are from on a day trip from Cologne, Germany but hadn’t spent a significant amount of time exploring the country.
We ended up with a four day weekend over Easter and found decently priced flights into Eindhoven, the airport in the south. I will say: this was not the best time of year to plan a last minute trip. Not only was it a holiday weekend, but it was peak tulip season. The prices of things like AirBnB’s and hotels…made me want to cry. But we made it work!
Malta
We had an impromptu 3-day weekend in Malta, flying in from Naples for some much-needed relaxation. We stayed at the Hilton in St. Julian’s, which had amazing views, a fantastic pool, and great service. We spent Friday by the pool, then wandered around Valetta before heading to Mdina the next day. The highlight was definitely our private boat tour around Comino and Gozo—swimming in the Blue Lagoon, exploring sea caves, and just soaking in the beauty of the islands. Malta was such a surprise, and we can't wait to go back!
Austria: Vienna // Slovakia: Bratislava
Vienna completely took me by surprise with how quickly and easily I fell in love with it. We were only there for a four-day weekend (as per usual), but I’d go back in a heartbeat to keep exploring. After a quick flight from Naples and an easy train ride into the city, we checked in, grabbed a bite to eat, and started getting ready for the main event—the Officers’ Ball at the Hofburg Palace. It’s been on my Europe bucket list since moving here, and thanks to my mom flying in to babysit, we got to experience every magical moment.
Greece: Delphi, Meteora & Athens
We spent an incredible 4 day weekend in Greece to celebrate our 6 year wedding anniversary and as our “Labor Day” weekend trip. The way things work for my partner’s command, he has a four day weekend for almost every US federal holiday. We are able to travel within Europe without taking leave, or PTO, over those weekends. On this trip, we managed to squeeze in Delphi, Meteora, and Athens.
Andorra: My 20th Country
We spent Thanksgiving in Andorra and it took us by surprise how much we loved it! We were definitely there in the shoulder season because there was no snow and the ski season hasn’t started so it was quiet, but the scenery is unreal. Andorra is a tiny principality (non-EU) tucked away between France and Spain in the Pyrenees mountains. It was about a 2.5 hour drive from Barcelona.
Ireland: County Kerry & County Cork
When my partner spontaneously got a few days off of work, we looked at Skyscanner, and found last minute cheap flights from Naples into Dublin. We had an absolutely fantastic trip exploring a bit of County Cork and a fair amount of County Kerry with our three year old. Here is how we spent our long weekend. The Dingle Peninsula is now one of our favorite places we have traveled to in all of Europe.