thegetAwayZ | European Travel Podcast

Send us Fan Mail

We are back with Lisa's sister Laurie, for Part 2 of their trip to Vilnius, Lithuania.

We pick up where we left off on their walking tour, with two huge churches standing right next to each other and a stop to try some Lithuanian specialties, including tree cake and apple cheese, which doesn't actually contain cheese. Lisa also tries the famous bright pink beet soup, and they take the funicular up to Gediminas Castle Tower for views over Vilnius.

We talk about their visit to the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights, housed in the former KGB headquarters, and their walk up to the Hill of Three Crosses through the fall leaves.

Lisa and Laurie finish with their thoughts on Vilnius, how many days you need to see the city and what they'd recommend if you only have one day.

Missed Part 1? Start there, and find more on Vilnius at thegetawayz.com.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Lisa is back from Vilnius, Lithuania, and this week we're joined by a special guest, her sister Laurie, who came along for the trip. Erin stayed home for this one, so she's hearing most of the stories for the first time.

We start with the practical side of visiting Vilnius, including flights, getting from the airport to Old Town and finding a great place to stay. Then we head out on a walking tour that takes us through the city's history, hidden artwork, Jewish Quarter and some of its most interesting streets.

We also visit the Portal, where you can wave to people around the world in real time, and explore the Republic of Užupis, an artistic neighborhood with its own constitution, passport stamps and some rather unusual rules.

This is Part 1 of our Vilnius trip. We'll be back next week with more from Lithuania's capital.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Switzerland is one of our favorite countries in Europe, and after several trips, we keep finding reasons to go back. This week, we're exploring the French-speaking part of Switzerland, from Lausanne and the shores of Lake Geneva to the mountain villages around Sion and the medieval town of Gruyères.

We're sharing our experiences staying in a chalet high in the Swiss Alps, visiting an underground lake, skiing in Villars-sur-Ollon and relaxing in some of Switzerland's incredible thermal baths, including Leukerbad. We also talk about Swiss wine tasting, fondue in Gruyères and a few memorable experiences along the way.

Of course, Switzerland isn't cheap. We discuss what makes it worth visiting, what to budget for and a few things to know before driving there, including the Swiss motorway vignette.

For more European travel stories, destination guides and recommendations, visit thegetawayz.com.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

We spent a weekend in Antwerp, Belgium, with Lisa's nephew Brian joining us for his first visit to the country. Just back from the trip, we're talking about what we saw, where we ate and why we'd happily go back.

We explored Antwerp's historic Old Town, learned the stories behind the Brabo Fountain and the Dog of Flanders statue, walked through the pedestrian tunnel beneath the Scheldt River and visited the De Koninck Brewery. There was plenty of traditional Belgian food along the way, including Flemish stew, some excellent fries and a memorable dinner that we had exactly 45 minutes to finish.

We also talk about visiting Antwerp with Rex, getting around the city and how it compares to other Belgian cities we've visited.

Listen as we share our weekend in Antwerp and why this city is worth adding to a trip through Belgium.

For more European travel guides and podcast episodes, visit https://thegetawayz.com/.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

We’ve returned to Umbria several times over the years, staying in Paciano and Ficulle and visiting Assisi, Orvieto, Perugia and Lake Trasimeno. In this episode, we talk about medieval festivals, chocolate, narrow farm roads, unexpected stops and the little memories that kept bringing us back to this part of Italy.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

We spent three days in Cardiff and South Wales right after Christmas. It was wet and cold, and we still loved it. We talk about the Christmas market in Bute Park, tubing at the Cardiff Ski & Snowboard Centre, and Katie's hunt for a Bad Sisters swim robe (Lisa found one at Primark for £19.99). Our walk down to Three Cliffs Bay ended up being one of our favorite beach days ever. We also stopped at Castell Coch and ate a huge Welsh rarebit at Madame Fromage, where Rex was on his best behavior. At the end we cover what we missed and want to do next time.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

We’ve been traveling to the Dolomites and South Tyrol since our first trip in 2017, and it’s still one of our favorite parts of Italy. This week, we’re talking mountain hotels, incredible hikes, traveling with kids and dogs, alpine food, cowbells, Christmas in Trento and why we keep finding reasons to go back.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

We traveled to Finnish Lapland in winter hoping to see the Northern Lights, but the weather had other plans. We stayed at the Star Arctic Hotel above Saariselkä, went on a reindeer safari, snowmobiled through the snow and took on the long toboggan run down Kaunispää Fell.

In this episode of The Getawayz Travel Podcast, we’re sharing what it was really like to visit Lapland between Christmas and New Year’s, from the extreme cold and limited daylight to traveling with a ten-year-old and the Northern Lights that never appeared.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Our very first episode back in November 2024 was about Christmas markets, and we have been to a lot more since then. This one picks up there, starting with glögi and lit-up reindeer in Helsinki and the Christmas version of Tivoli in Copenhagen, which we had been wanting to do for years.

From there we get into Paris at the end of the Champs-Élysées, Winter Wonderland in London, and the Dutch markets that are now home turf for us: Amsterdam, Haarlem, Den Haag and Leiden. We also talk about Ljubljana and its very memorable street lights, two smaller Alsace markets in Riquewihr and Mulhouse, and Cardiff in the pouring rain.

At the end we run through where we are going this winter, including Nuremberg, Bamberg and Würzburg, Dresden, Kraków, Valkenburg and Aachen, plus the Krampus Run in Salzburg that Erin is far too excited about and Lisa is skipping entirely.

Our full 2026 Christmas market list with dates and what to see is at TheGetAwayZ.com.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Iceland Part 2 picks up on the glacier, where we went snowmobiling for the first time and discovered that an hour on a snowmobile is a much bigger workout than it looks. From there, we get into the ice cave tour and the helicopter ride that became one of the most memorable parts of the entire trip.

We also talk about Reynisfjara and the black sand beach near Vík, the puffin cruise from Reykjavik and our last night in the city during Iceland’s Euro 2016 quarterfinal against France. Along the way there are snowball fights, a few things we would skip if we were trying to save money and plenty of disagreement about what happened in what order.

If you are planning a trip to Iceland, this episode covers some of the activities we would absolutely do again, what we would cut and why that helicopter tour is still one of Lisa’s favorite travel experiences.

Find our Iceland travel guides and trip-planning resources at TheGetAwayZ.com.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

We went to Iceland in July 2016 after finding a $99 fare from Los Angeles on the newly launched WOW air.

In Part 1, we talk about arriving in Iceland and heading straight to the Blue Lagoon, staying in Reykjavik and spending a very long day driving the Golden Circle and South Coast.

We stop at waterfalls, geysers and black-sand beaches, get stuck behind a herd of Icelandic horses on the road and somehow get pulled over for an alcohol check when there is barely another car around.

Part 2 picks up with snowmobiling on a glacier, the helicopter tour I accidentally spent about $3,000 on and our last night in Reykjavik during Iceland's Euro 2016 quarterfinal.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Rotterdam is not the Netherlands most people expect, and that’s exactly why we love it.

After living in Rotterdam for four years, we have a LOT to say about this city. In this episode of The Getawayz, we’re sharing the best things to do in Rotterdam, from the Cube Houses, Markthal and Erasmus Bridge to the museums, food halls and some of our favorite ways to get out on the water.

We’re also talking about the WWII bombing that changed Rotterdam forever, the city’s incredible modern architecture, the Port of Rotterdam and the small markers in the streets that trace the boundary of the devastating 1940 fire.

Plus: the Water Taxi, Pancake Boat, our very memorable Duck Boat experience, Fenix Museum of Migration, Hotel New York, Station Bergweg and why we think you should make time for Kinderdijk.

If you’re planning a trip to Rotterdam, Netherlands, this is the episode to start with.

🎙️ Rotterdam Travel Guide: Best Things to Do, Eat & See in Rotterdam

Listen to The Getawayz wherever you get your podcasts. Link in bio.

#Rotterdam #RotterdamNetherlands #VisitRotterdam #RotterdamTravel #RotterdamTravelGuide #ThingsToDoInRotterdam #NetherlandsTravel #VisitNetherlands #HollandTravel #EuropeTravel #EuropeTravelTips #TravelPodcast #TheGetawayz

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

We’ve covered Munich and Oktoberfest before, but this episode is about another side of Bavaria: Franconia. We talk Würzburg, a Baroque wine town where we stumbled into a wine festival at the Würzburg Residence, and Bamberg, a UNESCO-listed old town known for its smoked Rauchbier at Schlenkerla and the hike up to Altenburg Castle. Plus, we talk Nuremberg, our December Bavaria plans and what it’s like traveling through Germany with a teenager and a dog. Full written guides at thegetawayz.com.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, we go to the second biggest city in Austria that most tourists skip on the way to Vienna or Salzburg. We stopped in Graz on our road trip to Croatia and liked it so much we came back a week later with Dylan.

We cover the Schlossberg clock tower with its backwards hands, the largest underground slide in Europe, a church with Hitler and Mussolini in the stained glass, a modern art museum that looks like a giant blue blob and a gondola ride up Schockl mountain for Alps views that looked straight out of The Sound of Music. We also talk about the food, including the Styrian pumpkin seed oil we are now putting on everything at home, and the hotel staff who planned our entire visit after our Airbnb turned out to be 37 degrees inside.

Graz is walkable, dog friendly and easy to do in one or two nights. If you are driving through Austria or looking for somewhere beyond the usual stops, this one is for you.

For more, visit http://www.thegetawayz.com

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

SUMMER REWIND: We are wrapping up our summer rewind series with Corsica. Wild beaches, canyoning, natural pools you have to hike to and an island that feels more rugged than anywhere else in the Mediterranean. We talk about how to get there, what surprised us and why Corsica does not get nearly enough attention.

For more, visit http://www.thegetawayz.com

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

SUMMER REWIND: This week we are replaying our Croatia beach guide while we are actually in Croatia right now. We cover the water (it really is that clear), the rocky shores, where to swim and the beaches that are worth the effort to find. If you are planning a Croatia trip this summer, this is the episode to listen to before you pack.

For more, visit http://www.thegetawayz.com

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

SUMMER REWIND: This week it is Puglia. We have spent multiple summers in this region and it is one of our favorite places in all of Italy. We talk about the beaches, the towns, the burrata situation and why Puglia keeps pulling us back. If you listened to our recent Matera episode, Puglia is right next door and the two pair perfectly.

For more, visit http://www.thegetawayz.com

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

SUMMER REWIND: This week we are bringing back our Sardinia episode. We have been three times and each trip taught us something different about the island. We talk about the beaches (some of the best in Europe, honestly), how to get around, where to stay and what we would do differently if we were going for the first time. Three trips worth of honest advice in one episode.

For more, visit http://www.thegetawayz.com

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

SUMMER REWIND: We are replaying some of our favorite summer episodes while we are on the road. This week it is Sicily. We cover the best towns for a summer trip, the beaches worth finding, the street food that will ruin you for any other Italian food and why Sicily deserves way more than a day trip from the mainland. If you are planning a trip to southern Italy this summer, start here.

For more, visit http://www.thegetawayz.com

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

We have been to Cologne twice now and somehow the cathedral still surprises us every time. In this episode we cover everything you need to know about one of Germany's most underrated cities: the Kölner Dom and the remarkable story of how it survived World War II, the Kölsch beer culture that only exists here and the very specific way you have to order it, Old Town, the Rhine Promenade, the chocolate museum on its own little island and the ancient city gate with three-euro spritzes outside it. We also get into the origin of cologne the fragrance (an Italian perfumer in the 1700s, not what you would expect) and the Carnival season that officially begins every year at exactly 11:11 AM on November 11. Plus a quick detour to Phantasialand, the amusement park twenty minutes away that Dylan insists is the best in Europe. He is not wrong.

Support the show