The People Behind the Blog
Hi, we're Nicholas
& Mackenzie.
It started with a Thanksgiving in London in 2021 — Mackenzie's first international trip, Nick's idea of a casual introduction to the world. She showed up with an open mind and zero air miles to her name. He showed up with a spreadsheet.
A few years later: married, temporarily relocated to Texas, and now firmly back in the Pacific Northwest where we belong with a growing list of countries, a strong opinion on what makes a good pastry, and a running tally of trails Mackenzie has confidently navigated us off of.
This is our travel journal. Nothing fancy, no agenda — just honest stories from the road, the trail, and the occasional wrong turn.
Rome, Italy · February 2025
Where We've Been
13 Countries & Counting
Click any marker to learn more. Green markers have a published post — rust markers are on the list.
The Dynamic
Nick vs. Mackenzie
- RoleFlights, hotels, points strategy, Plan B for when it all goes sideways. He asks Mackenzie where she wants to go, then quietly builds a spreadsheet about it.
- Food priorityA good no-nonsense burger. No lettuce, no gimmicks. At a European Christmas market: a Käsekrainer, no hesitation.
- BackgroundGrew up traveling internationally. Has been flying Mackenzie around the world since their second date, essentially.
- Navigation styleHas a Plan B ready. And probably a Plan C. Weather canceled your gondola? He already rebooked.
- Dream tripNorthern Norway — the Lofoten Islands. He's been patient about it.
- Favorite trip so farRome. The history, the food, the gelato every single day without apology.
- RoleResearches the hikes, the restaurants, the bakeries (especially the bakeries), and the things worth seeing. Then shows up and lets the trip happen.
- Food priorityPastries, always. Also on a personal mission to try McDonald's in every country visited — strictly for the menu research, obviously.
- BackgroundBorn and raised in the Pacific Northwest. Did not fully appreciate the outdoors until Nick came along. Now aggressively chasing hiking highs.
- Navigation styleConfident. Directionally challenged. These two things coexist more often than anyone would like. Nick has not let a single wrong turn go unmentioned.
- Dream tripA safari in Africa. Somewhere with big sky and bigger animals.
- Favorite trip so farRome. The art, the history, the gelato — and unknowingly completing a Catholic pilgrimage through all four holy doors during the Jubilee.
How It Started
A Brief, Honest History
We met in early 2020 — peak pandemic, minimal options. Our first dates were hikes, because what else were you going to do. Mackenzie had grown up in the Pacific Northwest and somehow never really taken advantage of it. Nick fixed that, starting with local trails and eventually working his way up to international flights.
The first international trip was Thanksgiving 2021 in London with his family. Mackenzie showed up with no passport stamps and a lot of enthusiasm. She's been hooked ever since — though her enthusiasm for navigation remains, generously speaking, a work in progress.
We got married in June 2022, spent three years in Texas (a chapter we've closed and don't revisit), and moved back to the Pacific Northwest last year. The deal we made with ourselves: actually maximize outdoor time. More trails, more hikes, more of the views that were always right there waiting.
Hiking wasn't always the anchor of our trips — it grew into that. This year Switzerland, the Grand Tetons, and Yosemite are all on the list, all built around trails. We're not serious hikers in any technical sense. We're just two people who discovered that the best way to see a place is usually on foot, and that a pastry at the end of a long day tastes significantly better than one you didn't earn.
This blog is where we write it all down — the trips, the logistics, the food, the wrong turns. Mostly for us, but hopefully useful for you too.