A couple years ago, I learned to kitesurf. Well, I tried to learn to kitesurf; I tried really hard.

We default to speed in most every aspect of our daily lives, and yoga is no exception.

“Whoa, this is kinda ballsy, Carly,” I thought to myself. Here I was, alone, striding confidently through the train concourse in a Prague where I knew no one and spoke none of the language.

Recently in my classes I’ve been talking quite a bit about active exhalation, the practice of focusing primarily, or solely, on your exhale rather than your inhale as we tend to do when we think about taking a big, deep breath.

I've always wanted to see Prague in the Winter. Since I came home from Spain in 2013, Prague had topped the list of European destinations that I didn't quite get to during my study abroad. So when I started planning the 2018 Eurotrip, I jumped at the chance to see the Bohemian capital in all its wintertime glory.

There are more than a few things that make Wellington stand out from New Zealand’s other urban areas. It’s a beautiful harbor city perched at the southern tip of the North Island, known for good food and beer, a thriving café culture, hip residents, and above all, its oft-inclement weather.

I think many travelers can relate to the experience of seeing images of a particular place, view, landmark, or monument, and upon arrival it’s just not quite the same. From what I had heard, Taranaki could be one of those places.

“You know, you’ll never get New Zealand out of your system,” she said. “Oh, I know,” I replied, almost before the sommelier had finished her sentence, the minerality of the last pinot noir still lingering on my palette.

Bongos, rowdy Australians, bold ducks, an accordion, fireworks…there’s not much our first freedom camping experience didn’t include (oh, except running water.)

The sun was dropping in the partly cloudy sky as we reached the west coast of the North Island once again. About five minutes outside of town we reached our final destination, Solscape, an “eco-retreat” situated on a Raglan hillside.

Carlindsay is back in action and better than ever; we’ve covered just over 500 kilometers, hit both the east and west sides of the North Island, and checked off more than a few of the New Zealand "must-dos" plus found a couple of our own hidden treasures.

When I landed in Auckland last December, it’s safe to say Nelson wasn’t even on my radar. I certainly would not have been able to place it on a map of New Zealand.

It was never part of the original plan to buy a car and drive down here in New Zealand. Although, when I think about it, I guess there really wasn’t much of a plan at all.