ABOUT ME

Family-in-Front-of-the-Lucerne-Lion
Marianne and John
Get to know me!

The Face Behind The Blog

Hi! My name is Marianne and I am the sole writer for Galavanting the Globe. I was bit by the travel bug at an early age, mostly because my Mom also suffers from Wanderlust.

From my early travels to Germany to visit relatives (some even as an unescorted minor) to yearly family vacations in the Caribbean, many of my fondest and most vivid memories were made while travelling the globe.

Now, I want my children to experience the world… literally! I would love nothing more than for them to learn about culture, history, and food through hands-on experiences.

That said, I am also the one who researches, plans, books, and manages all of our travel adventures.

I am definitely an expert on finding places to visit and things to do that are off the beaten path, unique, and still a perfect fit for our family.

Want to learn more? Read more about our story and our travel style below.

Where We Have Been

Travel Destinations

Salzburg-Residenzplatz

Austria

  • Salzburg
  • Innsbruck
  • Vienna
  • Tirol

We have road-tripped through Austria many times. Not only have we spent time in the larger cities, but in many of the small towns as well. The country really is a must-visit with gorgeous scenery, lovely architecture, and delicious food.


Germany

  • Berlin
  • Dresden
  • Heidelberg
  • Munich
  • Rothenberg
  • Stuttgart
  • EVERYWHERE!

We have travelled extensively through Germany, spending time in many of the major cities. And since my family is from Stuttgart, you will find that we are experts on this incredible city.

Athens-View-of-the-Acropolis

Greece

  • Crete
  • Athens
  • Santorini
  • Mykonos

Our family had an incredible time touring both mainland Greece as well as several of the islands. The country is absolutely gorgeous, and there are so many things to see and do. No matter what your interest is, Greece has something for you.

Italy

  • Sicily
  • Rome
  • Venice
  • Milan

Italy is also like home for us. Both John and I have Italian roots, so touring this awesome country was a dream come true for us. While we write about many places in Italy, John still has a lot of family in Sicily. So we tend to visit there often.

Geneva-One-Day-Itinerary-St-Peters-Cathedral

Switzerland

  • Lucerne
  • Geneva
  • Bern
  • Zürich

We have been to Switzerland several times, but mostly to the major cities. This is one place where I would definitely like to venture out into the smaller towns a little bit more. If you are the outdoorsy type, you will love this country!

Turkey - Ephesus archeological site

Turkey

  • Kusadasi

While we have only been to Turkey on one occasion, it is a place I wouldn’t mind exploring a little further. Between the history, the food, and some of the incredible landscapes, it’s definitely somewhere I’d like to explore further.

Our Story

Blogging & Travelling Abroad

Our Travel Style

We are a Canadian family that has set out to explore the world, one country at a time. Our family travel blog is all about popular destinations and off-the-beaten-path activities, road trips, or hiking adventures in Europe!

While we are not budget travellers per se, we are certainly not luxury travellers either. We have found that sweet spot somewhere in the middle where we save money on certain things, and splurge on others.

We also love the outdoors. While museums do find their way into our itineraries (especially quirky ones), you are just as likely to find popular hikes, parks, ziplining or lake cruises.

We also love food! One of the biggest things that we like to do in a new place, is to try the local cuisine. So food tours, markets, and restaurants are always on our itinerary.

Marianne – As I mentioned, I am the sole writer for Galavanting the Globe. I am also the family travel planner, dreamer, adventure-seeker, researcher, finder of hidden gems, and the crazy one who hatches the most extravagant travel ideas. And I do photography too!

John – My hubby John shares the photography and video creation for our blog. He is also the master packer for fitting all of our gear into the car during a road trip, and the lugger of all things while hiking! He is the source of all Dad jokes, partner in crime, and most of all, is willing to go along with all the crazy travel ideas I throw at him.

Miss Sunshine & Mr. Rush – Our two older children, Miss Sunshine, 25, and Mr. Rush, 24, don’t often travel with us anymore, but they will occasionally pop up in our stories. However, they began travelling with us at the ripe old age of four!

Miss Somersault & Mr. Bump – Our two youngest children, Mr. Bump, age 14, and Miss Somersault, age 16, were seasoned travellers as toddlers! These two enjoy adventures as much as I do, have known how to pack a suitcase since they were 7, are learning to speak multiple languages, and pretty much just go with the flow when we travel.

Stuttgart-Sign
Stuttgart Christmas Market

How I Got Started Blogging

I love to travel! I love everything about travel, and travel is never far from my mind. So starting a travel blog really was a no-brainer.

I started blogging back in 2020. Since world travel was at a standstill, it was the perfect time for me to write about past travel experiences.

Not only was I reminiscing about all the wonderful experiences our family has been fortunate enough to have, but it was a way for me to offer inspiration to other families.

Why I Blog

  • A way to document our travels so that the family can look back on it years from now.
  • Offer inspiration to other families who want to experience the world, but may be afraid to take that first step.
  • To pass along my tips and pointers so that other travellers don’t make the same mistakes that we made. Or, on the flip side, can have the same epic experiences that we had.

My Experience with Itinerary Planning

As I mentioned above, I have always been the itinerary planner for our family travels. I have also helped friends and family with planning their adventures.

I enjoy researching new places, and will often ‘fall down the rabbit hole’ when looking for something simple.

I once went from trying to find the name of a local German pastry to booking a mountain coaster ride for our stay in Austria! I couldn’t tell you how I got from one to the other even if I wanted to.

Needless to say, the mountain coaster was amazing, and the pastry, I’m not even sure if I found the answer to that question. Ha!

All in all, I am really good at planning a flexible itinerary that meets the needs of all our family members. I know how to find the best attractions, hotels, and restaurants, as well as planning the best form of transportation.

Where Are We Now?

Our home base has always been Canada. And while I would love to be somewhat nomadic, that just isn’t our lifestyle.

Now that the kids are getting older, we have also had to adjust the way we travel a little. While we are more restricted with the times we can travel, we have way more flexibility in what we can do.

European destinations aside, our top 5 bucket list adventures include Antarctica, Japan, Iceland, French Polynesia, and an African Safari.

What to Expect

What will you find here?

Travel Inspiration

See the wonderful countries we have visited and learn about what makes them so special.


Itinerary Planning Services

Pre-made itineraries and custom travel itinerary planning just for you.


Transportation & Tour Ideas

Learn the best tours to take, what to see and do, and how to get around in our favourite places in Europe.


Travel Resources & Packing Guides

Learn about our favourite travel partners, see our can’t-live-without travel gear, and get your hands on our packing lists.

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