Wandering Footsteps: Wandering the World One Step at a Time » A travel journal following a family on their overland trip around the world.

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  • Welcome to Wandering Footsteps, the travel journal of a nomadic family on an overland trip around the world. With thirty years of travel experience, a round-the-world trip already under our belt, a newly-converted bus, and a new baby in tow, this journey is bound to be interesting! Join us in our global wanderings - we've saved an extra seat just for you!

    - Brittany, Bruno, and Phoenix

Posted in Africa,Asia,Europe,The AmericasTags:

Wandering Footsteps has faithfully charted my development as a person, a traveler, and a writer for an entire decade. I’ve shared reflections, profound experiences, funny stories, challenging moments, inspiring encounters, and lessons learned. Through Wandering Footsteps, I’ve become who I am today.

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  • Nanette - Happy blogiversary Brit!! I must admit I’ve fallen out of the habit of keeping up with your your blog lately. It’s a happy time to check back. What a lot you’ve seen, and I know you and Bruno have much ahead of you! I’m glad I can keep up with you on Instagram now too. xoxReplyCancel

    • Brittany - Hi Nanette! Thank you so much for checking back into Wandering Footsteps, and especially for taking the time to write! I really appreciate it and LOVE getting comments on the blog!

      Looking forward to the possibility of meeting up with you and Karl somewhere on the road (maybe as soon as this winter, I hear!!)

      Until then! 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Freya Gnerre - Dear Brittany, Happy 10th Blog Anniversary. A job very well done. Louise and I will definitely let you know about all our adventures in Turkey. Really looking forward to it. Next February, I’ll be cruising through the Panama Canal and spending some time in Cartegena, Colombia. I’m busy checking off my bucket list! I can’t wait to see you next summer – we’ll have so much to talk about. Once again, congratulations! Love, Auntie FreyaReplyCancel

    • Brittany - Thanks for the message! I’m certain that Wandering Footsteps will be documenting a few of my own bucket list items this coming year – perhaps a long-distance hike through Spain and an African music festival in the desert? Who knows, but I’m so looking forward to sharing my next adventures with you! 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Brittany - It’s only fitting that my first two comments on this entry are from my parents… the only two living people for whom this blog was originally meant. Thank you both for following my journey these past ten years – and for your endless support on my adventures. I know it wasn’t always easy to have me so far away, but I hope this blog has helped make me feel just a little bit closer.

    Much love to you both,

    Your daughterReplyCancel

  • Rcs - Holy Shit…that’s a lot of countries. I’m twice your age and have been in only 13!!!
    But I do remember the pic of you in front of our Mississauga home on your way to Senegal…I must say the feeling today is much happier than that day 10 years ago.ReplyCancel

  • Elizabeth - Congratulations to you on the 10th anniversary of your travel blog, Brittany! What a special way to record your travels, your experiences,your thoughts and insights over the years. Having followed you from the very first entry, I can say it’s been a perfect way to keep up with you and to armchair travel through your eyes. So proud of you for your tenacity in continuing to write even at times when it felt more like a chore. Please keep writing as planned for many years to come as we look forward to accompanying you on your many future adventures.

    With endless love,
    MomReplyCancel

Posted in Europe,Southern EuropeTags:

No trip to Italy is complete without pasta, wine, risotto, and gelato – especially for a travel foodie. And ESPECIALLY for a travel foodie with unfinished food business in Italy. Our five nights in Italy were thus a personal quest for me to experience Italian culture through its food. The quest was easier said than done.

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  • Louise Jones-Takata - Nice going Brittany, There is so much to Italy and all of it seemingly delicious. It is after France my favorite European country to visit from head to toe!ReplyCancel

    • Brittany - Yes, Italy is incredibly delicious! For me, because of its language and picture-perfect villages, I may actually love it MORE than France!!!ReplyCancel

  • Rcs - The ‘gelato-queen’ will now be a moniker I can use in certain future moments.
    I really enjoyed this entry for many reasons…the pictures always add to your explanations but this time the descriptions seemed even more alive than normal.ReplyCancel

    • Brittany - Thanks for the compliment! “Gelato-queen” is a better moniker than “Alpha Wolf” so I’ll take it! 🙂

      Hope you’re enjoying all these recent food entries! I’m finding my niche!ReplyCancel

  • Eric - Comme c est beau … Et bon l Italie !!!!ReplyCancel

    • Brittany - Ah, clairement! Vous avez des regions de l’Italie a recommender pour notre prochaine visite?ReplyCancel

Posted in Europe,Southern EuropeTags:

Our five days in Croatia and Slovenia included a visit to the infamous Plitvice Lakes National Park, the UNESCO-protected Škocjan Caves, a brief jaunt to the coast of Croatia, and full-on run-ins with mass tourism at its height. Included in this article are tips for a quiet experience of Plitvice Lakes and encouragement to join the tour.

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  • Rcs - One way to remember the difference between stalagmites and stalactites is the “c” and “g”. C for ceiling hangs down and G for grows from the ground up.
    I too would love to have the opportunity to visit sights without hordes of people…you’re getting methinks.ReplyCancel

    • Brittany - Thanks for the tip. I’ll try to remember it for my next cave blog entry!

      You, just like Nathan, will soon have an opportunity to see the world my way, if I have any control over the situation! 🙂ReplyCancel

  • mimika - Coucou Britt. Je suis heureuse d’avoir revu des images de plitivice. En revanche je me souviens avoir visité un jour d’alternance entre pluie et soleil et il n’y avait pas beaucoup de touristes justement. J’avais effectivement beaucoup apprécié le site….. car nous avions le sentiment de l’avoir rien que pour nous !!!
    Il faut croire que vous aviez choisi un mauvais jour.
    Bises à toi et à ta familleReplyCancel

    • Brittany - Je pense que vous avez en la chance d’y avoir visite non seulement une journee moins ensoleille, mais d’y avoir visite il y a quelques annees. Peut-etre c’etait moins connu – c’etait l’experience de Bruno la-bas en 2005. Oye, ca a change!!! Mais bon, c’etait quand meme tres, tres joli.
      Bises a vous tous de nous tous!ReplyCancel

  • Nathan - What you call “mass tourism” is what the rest of us simply call “tourism”. This is certainly what Ara and I experienced in Peru; I sure would like to do it your way some day…ReplyCancel

    • Brittany - Haha, you’re right. I guess I’m a bit spoiled. It’s like with anything – once you get the best of something, it’s harder to appreciate anything less.
      One day SOON, I hope you will experience travel my way! It would make me SOOOOO happy!ReplyCancel

  • Louise Jones-Takata - Lovely, and don’t for one moment that you are spoiled when it comes the privacy factor!ReplyCancel

    • Brittany - Hi Louise! I’m wondering if, with your extensive travel, you’ve had a chance to visit any Balkan countries…?ReplyCancel

Posted in Europe,Southern EuropeTags: ,

Our time in Bosnia was perhaps the most educational (and emotional) visit we’ve ever had. In six days we learned about the Bosnian War, the Siege of Sarajevo, the Srebrenica Genocide, postwar life in Bosnia’s capital, and the ongoing tensions in the country and Balkan region.

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  • Rcs - Makes me want to pull out some old maps to compare to what it is today…and, of course, to read the events of history. Very sad to think we can’t live beside one another and be accepting of our differences.ReplyCancel

    • Brittany - It seems that intolerance is often the cause of war, violence, and destruction. Maybe everyone should travel a little more, because travel teaches us the beauty of difference.ReplyCancel

  • Lisa - I just kept thinking while reading about the war in Bosnia how religion was to blame. Neighbours that once lived in harmony killed each other during that war. Very tragic & sad.ReplyCancel

    • Brittany - It does seem like religion is often the thing which differentiates ethnic groups from one another, and ends up being divisive rather than unifying. That was one of the saddest parts of Bosnia’s story – that all these groups had once lived together in peace.ReplyCancel

  • Julia - Wow Britt, you’ve done it again; you’ve laced so much history into your extremely well-written and easy-to-read post that I’ve learned a ton without feeling like I’m sitting in a classroom. You’ve got such a talent! Thanks for sharing, and thanks to Bruno for those amazing photos that really help me feel like I’m there with you guys! I’m so excited that it’s summer and I now have more time to read your blog! Xo J.ReplyCancel

    • Brittany - Awww, thanks for the compliments Julia! I gotta say that I learn a ton more on the road than in the classroom too, as I’m sure a high school teacher taught me about the Balkan Wars…

      Happy to say that more and more of the photos on my blog are taken and/or edited by me! I’m learning photography on the road, too! 🙂

      Happy summer!ReplyCancel

Posted in Europe,Southern EuropeTags:

We were only on our second country of the month, and already the flaws in our travel plan were starting to show: I was entering Serbia more unprepared than I’d ever entered any country, ever. Read on to see how unplanned trip can turn out and as good a reason as any reason for the need for to down-time in overland travel.

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  • Rcs - There is the song by Simon & Garfunkel that says “Slow down, you move too fast, You got to make the morning last, So kickin’ down the cobble stones, Look at the sun and feeling groovy.”
    Take your time…ReplyCancel

    • Brittany - Wise words for nomads and sedentary people alike. 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Elizabeth - It is a shame that you lacked the time to grasp the essence of Serbia. I’m certain there are treasures to see and much to experience. The last photo of a Serbian town is lovely and with it you do give us a little taste of what it has to offer.ReplyCancel

    • Brittany - You’re right, it is a shame. But I learned that, as a traveler I can’t always expect a country to unfold itself to me unless I’m willing to put in the work. That might mean prior research and preparation, or it might mean giving a country the time it deserves. Without one or the other, travel is left fairly meaningless. A good lesson to learn! 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Lisa - Hi from Toronto…just read your latest blog. Thought I’d let you know that the famous bridge in Paris with all the locks was caving b/c of the locks so the wall of locks is now gone. Lovers will have to find a new place for their locks.

    See you soon!

    Love Lisa xoxoxoxReplyCancel

    • Brittany - Thanks for filling me in. What a shame about the locks – such an icon of Paris! At least there’s an alternative in Serbia!ReplyCancel