thegetAwayZ | European Travel Podcast

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Paris is one of those cities everyone has an opinion about, which is exactly why we put off recording this episode for so long.

In this episode, we’re breaking down how we would plan a first trip to Paris if you have three or four days. This is the actual itinerary Lisa gives people when they ask what to do, based on our own trips, living there for six months and all the things we always go back to.

We talk about starting with a walking tour or a slightly ridiculous vintage Rolls-Royce tour, having a low-key picnic in Luxembourg Gardens, taking a Seine cruise at sunset and building in time for Saint-Chapelle, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, Sacré-Cœur and a few classic Paris food moments.

We also get into what is worth booking ahead, where Paris feels overwhelming, why you need to watch for pickpockets and why sitting at a café doing absolutely nothing is still one of the best things to do in the city.

In this episode we cover:

• How to plan 3 days in Paris
 • The best first-day activities in Paris
 • Luxembourg Gardens, Saint-Chapelle and the Seine
 • When to visit the Eiffel Tower
 • Why Montmartre is still worth it
 • Paris with kids and teens
 • Pickpocket tips and practical travel advice
 • A few favorite food stops, including La Dôme, La Rotonde, Homer and street crêpes

For more Paris travel guides, visit The Getawayz.

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Trying to figure out where to stay in Europe and going back and forth between a hotel and an Airbnb? Same. We do this every single trip.

In this episode we talk through how we actually decide. Not the perfect version, the real version. When we book hotels, when we go with Airbnbs and the times we’ve gotten it completely wrong.

We get into how to choose the right area first because that matters way more than the place itself. Using real examples from Paris, Amsterdam, Florence and Copenhagen, we break down what actually works and what doesn’t.

We also cover:

•  when hotels are the better move 
•  when Airbnbs make more sense 
•  how people end up booking in the wrong location 
•  why cheaper is not always better 

This is part planning, part rambling and a lot of what we’ve learned from traveling across Europe with a teen and a dog.

We break this down city by city on our site with full guides on where to stay so you can actually book the right area the first time.

If you’re planning a Europe trip and want to get your stay right the first time this will help.

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After a week in Puglia and another on the Amalfi Coast, we headed to Elba Island and it ended up being one of the most unexpected highlights of the trip.

In this episode, we’re sharing what it’s really like to visit Elba, from beach hopping and hiking to the things no one warns you about, like jellyfish stings and the tiny fish that bite your feet. We stayed in Rio nell'Elba, a quieter part of the island that gave us a more local feel and easy access to some of our favorite spots.

We break down the beaches you should actually go to, including Spiaggia di Cavoli and Spiaggia di Polombaia, what to expect when you get there, and why Elba feels completely different from places like Amalfi. We also talk about visiting Napoleon's Residence, where Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled, plus some of our favorite moments from the trip, including octopus sightings, charcoal ice cream, and the spiciest pizza we’ve had in Italy.

If you’re looking for a beach destination in Italy that is less crowded, more relaxed, and still full of incredible scenery, Elba might be exactly what you’re looking for.

We’ll also be sharing a full Elba beach guide on the site this week.

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If you're planning a trip to Croatia and wondering whether to visit Krka National Park or Plitvice Lakes National Park, this episode is for you. We've been to both and they are not the same experience at all.

Krka is an hour from Split, manageable in half a day and a genuinely beautiful introduction to Croatia's waterfall parks. Plitvice is Croatia's oldest national park, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most extraordinary places either of us has ever been. Sixteen terraced lakes connected by waterfalls, turquoise water so vivid it looks unreal and wooden boardwalks that put you right in the middle of it.

We talk through what each park is actually like, how long to spend there, the best time to visit and which one to do first if you're doing both. We also cover what it's like to visit with a dog and the Rex swimming incident at Krka.

Find full show notes and photos at thegetawayz.com.

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If you've ever seen a photo of Provence in June and thought you needed to go there immediately, same. This week we're talking all things Provence during lavender season, which is hands-down one of the most beautiful places either of us has ever been. Lovely with a capital L.

We cover the lavender fields (yes, you can actually walk into them, unlike the tulips), the farm stands set up along the roads where you can stock up on honey candies, soap and candles and basically anything lavender can be put in. We also get into the stunning Gorges du Verdon and Lac de Sainte-Croix, the tiny ridiculously French village we stayed in and the Airbnb situation that earned us our one and only bad review. Spoiler: they wanted us to do the laundry. European laundry. With no dryer. Rebuttal filed.

Plus timing tips for catching peak bloom and what to know before you go.

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Dubrovnik is stunning, but it’s not the effortless postcard people imagine. We’re fresh off a rough stretch of sickness and finally back behind the mic to unpack what Dubrovnik, Croatia actually feels like on the ground: steep cliffside neighborhoods, relentless summer heat, and the kind of views that make you forget your legs are shaking from the stairs.

We walk through our full travel logistics, from taking the Ancona to Split ferry during the COVID era to sitting for hours in blazing heat at immigration, then driving south through the strange little Bosnia and Herzegovina corridor that splits the Croatian coast. Once we land in Dubrovnik, we get specific about where to stay near Old Town, how to navigate the elevation, and why walking can be exhausting but also the best way to see the city.

Then we hit the Dubrovnik essentials: an Old Town tour that pairs fairytale architecture with visible war scars, the Dubrovnik city walls walk at the crack of dawn, and how cruise ship crowds can flip the experience from calm to chaotic. We also share our favorite escapes, including a Lokrum Island day trip, a private boat day with swim stops and lunch on Lopud, and beach notes from rocky shores to the dramatic cliff-access Pasjaca Beach. Along the way: seafood, ice cream, and the Bosnian favorite Taj Mahal, plus a haunted night tour that ended up being one of our most memorable nights.

If you’re building a Croatia itinerary or searching for a practical Dubrovnik travel guide, hit play, then subscribe, share with a friend planning Europe, and leave a review so more travelers can find us. What would you prioritize in Dubrovnik: walls, islands, or beaches?

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Planning to rent a car during your trip to Europe? Driving can be one of the best ways to explore the continent, especially if you want to visit smaller towns, scenic coastal roads, and countryside regions that are harder to reach by train.

In this episode we share practical tips from driving across Europe in countries including Italy, France, Germany, Croatia, Slovenia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom.

We talk about the things travelers often don’t expect, including international driver permits, highway tolls and vignettes, speed cameras, alcohol limits, roundabouts, parking rules, and differences between European and North American driving.

If you’re planning a European road trip or renting a car during your trip, this episode will help you feel more confident before getting behind the wheel.

For more destination guides and travel tips across Europe, visit TheGetawayz.com.

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We've been to Luxembourg City four times and it started as a total accident. In this episode, we explore the UNESCO-listed upper and lower city, walk the underground Casemates built in the 1600s, stop at the famous Chocolate House right across from the Grand Ducal Palace and share one of our all-time favorite hikes in Little Switzerland. We also talk about what Luxembourg does better than anywhere else in Europe (free, genuinely excellent public transit), what's still on our bucket list for next time and why this overlooked little country just keeps pulling us back. 

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This is Part 2 of our two-part series. After covering Giverny, Honfleur, Étretat and Rouen in Part 1, we head to the D-Day landing sites. The beaches, the history, and the places that make this region unlike anywhere else in France.

In this episode, we walk through Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery, Utah Beach and its museums, the craters at Pointe du Hoc, the airborne town of Sainte-Mère-Église with its famous church and we end on a high note at Mont Saint-Michel.

We share what each site is actually like to visit, what to expect, which museums are worth your time, tips for visiting with kids, and how to fit all of this into 2–3 days, whether you're adding it onto a Paris trip or making a dedicated Normandy getaway. We also have a special guest this week: Jonathan, who visited the beaches with Lisa and shares his experience seeing it all for the first time.

Whether you're a history lover, a first-time visitor, or planning a family trip to France, the D-Day beaches are an experience that stays with you long after you leave.

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We have been to Zermatt twice and both trips were completely different.

The first time we drove through a blizzard after a delayed flight into Milan, arrived at 3am, and learned quickly that cars are not allowed in Zermatt. The Matterhorn barely showed itself and wind shut down part of Glacier Paradise.

The second trip was calmer. Clearer views, hiking along the river, Dylan doing the Forest Fun Park ropes course, fondue, hay soup and Matterhorn-shaped chocolate.

In this episode we talk about what it is really like to visit Zermatt, how the car-free system works, whether Glacier Paradise is worth it and what can go wrong at nearly 4,000 meters.

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