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Ready to plan your next trip? Whether you're after an epic adventure, a luxurious getaway, a food safari, or a city stint, we have you covered! Feel free to use the search bar, use the country map and index below, or browse our destination guides by continent.

Where I've been

Asia

Foodie Guide: Where to Eat in Sapporo, Japan

Foodie Guide: Where to Eat in Sapporo, Japan

2-Day Kyoto, Japan Itinerary: Everything You Need!

2-Day Kyoto, Japan Itinerary: Everything You Need!

Volunteering at the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand for One Week

Volunteering at the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand for One Week

Central America

Visiting Guatemala’s Chichicastenango Market: The Ultimate Guide

Visiting Guatemala’s Chichicastenango Market: The Ultimate Guide

Is it Safe to Travel to Nicaragua? A Solo Female Traveler’s Perspective

Is it Safe to Travel to Nicaragua? A Solo Female Traveler’s Perspective

Costa Rica Rainy Season: Why it’s Best & What to Know!

Costa Rica Rainy Season: Why it’s Best & What to Know!

More in Central America >

Europe

Portugal in September: Weather, Travel Tips, Festivals & More

Portugal in September: Weather, Travel Tips, Festivals & More

Sagres, Portugal Guide: Best Things to Do & See

Sagres, Portugal Guide: Best Things to Do & See

The Coolest Lisbon Neighborhoods to Explore

The Coolest Lisbon Neighborhoods to Explore

More in Europe >

North America

Ultimate Guide to Living in Oaxaca City as a Digital Nomad

Ultimate Guide to Living in Oaxaca City as a Digital Nomad

The Most EPIC 3 Days in New Orleans Itinerary!

The Most EPIC 3 Days in New Orleans Itinerary!

10 Best Destinations in Mexico for Digital Nomads

10 Best Destinations in Mexico for Digital Nomads

More in North America >

Oceania

10 Photos to Convince You to Visit Great Barrier Island

10 Photos to Convince You to Visit Great Barrier Island

Snorkeling on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

Snorkeling on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

2 Days on Magnetic Island, Australia: Ultimate Guide

2 Days on Magnetic Island, Australia: Ultimate Guide

More in Oceania >

South America

Three Days in Cusco Itinerary: The BEST Things to Do

Three Days in Cusco Itinerary: The BEST Things to Do

One Day in Lima, Perú: The Ultimate Itinerary

One Day in Lima, Perú: The Ultimate Itinerary

The Ultimate Travel Guide to Paracas, Peru

The Ultimate Travel Guide to Paracas, Peru

More in South America >

Hey there!

I'm Maddy, the cook, world explorer, blogger, and photographer behind Maddy's Avenue.

Maddy’s Avenue is here to inspire you to live a bold life; to discover yourself and the world around you at greater depths – one forkful, or one plane ticket, at a time.

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{Story, Part V} After Japan, life continued in By

{Story, Part V}

After Japan, life continued in Byron Bay. And my long break from blogging continued, too, as I started up a little digital marketing firm instead.

The Kiwi guy and I eventually moved into an amazing apartment next to the beach, and applied for a partnership visa so I could stay in Aus.

Throughout that winter, we flew to New Zealand a few more times for snowboarding trips - including an expedition to a private, hike-in, hike-out, fully-catered mountain, capped at about 150 guests. It was the MOST epic.

We spent a few blissful weeks in Bali, where I was happy to be the passenger on a scooter. Enough said.

We spent another Christmas in Queenstown and road-tripped around the South Island. We swam in freezing rivers, hiked some beautiful trails, tracked wild penguins, visited wineries, mountain biked, and picnicked by the lake.

And in February of 2020, right before shit went downhill (no explanation necessary), I gambled a quick trip home to California, to see friends and family, and to explore Central California with my mom. Think: lush wine country and rugged, wild Big Sur.

I'm so glad I did, too, because I made it back right before the border slammed shut.

Since then, I've been (mostly) happily stuck in paradise, enjoying life (except for the part where I can’t see my friends and family back home and don’t know when I’ll be able to again), and feeling so incredibly grateful for how life has turned out thus far.

I've been cooking all kinds of cuisines, developing and photographing plant-based recipes inspired by my travels (check them out on the blog, link in bio!) eating, hiking, camping, yoga-ing, drinking wine with friends, walking on the beach, working on my digital marketing biz, and getting ready to launch Maddy's Avenue!

And now that we’ve launched, we’re all up-to-date. Keep your eyes peeled for all the food, travel, and expat life content coming soon. If there’s anything in particular you want to see from me, shoot me a DM :)

{Story, Part IV} Back Stateside for the first tim

{Story, Part IV}

Back Stateside for the first time in a year, I reunited with my friends and fam... and my dog; I explored Seattle for the first time (hi, dim sum, I missed you); went on a little road trip down to Baja with some of my favorite peeps, where we our weight in tacos, consumed many cervezas, and I brushed up on my rusty español.

Meanwhile, I awaited a response on my one-year Australian working/holiday visa to go back to Byron Bay.

(BTW, if you're looking for an epic adventure and are under 30 years old - because that's the rule - then I highly recommend looking into this visa, post-COVID!)

Fast forward a month, and I had received my visa. Opting to spend my 23rd birthday alone, in an airplane, I was officially making the (temporary?) move to Australia. By this point, I’d grown used to airport goodbyes, and “see you sometime”s, but this one was the hardest. And also the most thrilling.

The day after I arrived back in Byron, the Kiwi surprised me by taking me back to the airport. Because, apparently, I was going skydiving for my birthday. (“I signed you up to hurl yourself out a plane, and I’ll watch from down here.” Oh... Wow, that’s so thoughtful!) I survived, but I can’t say I’ll be running to do that again.

After a week of settling into my new life in the Bay, we went to Queenstown, NZ again for an early Christmas. (In the summer! A first for me.) And to meet the Kiwi’s whole family. Another first.

Then, two weeks later, I flung myself into the depths of the Northern Hemisphere winter for a month-long snowboarding mission. In Japan, to be precise.

I spent two weeks riding the most insane powder of my life at different mountains around the island of Hokkaido. I met up with my parents in the ski village of Nozawa Onsen, on the island of Honshu. And after that, I continued on solo to eat my way through Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka.

That trip was all snow and onsens. Ramen and sushi and soup curry (omg, so underrated!) and soba. And more ramen. Capsule hotels and traditional ryokans. And swimming snow monkeys. It was absolutely incredible.

To be continued…

{Story, Part III} When I flew into Australia from

{Story, Part III}

When I flew into Australia from Vietnam, I had it all figured out. (Or so I thought!)

I planned to spend a month in Byron Bay, relaxing, doing yoga, and catching up on my online work. From there, I'd go to Bali for a surf camp. Then, I would spend the whole summer traveling through Europe and completing the month-long TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language) course on the Greek island of Crete. After that, I'd move to Colombia to teach English for a year. And I'd blog about it all.

It was exactly what I wanted to do. So in a flash, everything was booked and paid for - in the non-refundable kind of way. I even had a job to teach English lined up at a university in Bogotá.

Then, I changed my mind.

Two weeks into my time in Byron Bay, I decided I wanted to stay.

So naturally, with no real plan and nothing but my backpack, I rented a room in a share-house with two Aussie chicks. (As you do on holiday.)

And I made friends. Including a Kiwi guy, who I spontaneously went on a week-long snowboarding expedition in Queenstown, New Zealand with.

After a week of epic mountain adventures, snowboarding, hiking, and mulled wine drinking by the fireplace, we realized how much fun we had together. And how easy it was. And how maybe, we weren't “just friends” after all. (?)

Back in Australia, with the clock ticking down on my tourist visa, I made the most of my time in paradise.

I learned to surf (kind of), joined a yoga studio and a pottery class. Gave vegetarianism a crack. Picked up phrases like gave it a crack and how ya goin? and words like heaps and mate and arvo. I went to live music gigs, shopped at the local farmers' market, did yoga, spent time with new friends… and the Kiwi. And all of the other “hippy” Byron Bay things. It was the absolute best. I never wanted to leave.

But then, sadly, I had to. So finally, after a year of non-stop (mis)adventures, I went back home to California.

Not for long, though.

To be continued…

{Story, Part II} After a few days in and out of t

{Story, Part II}

After a few days in and out of the hospital, my tiger scratch was on the mend, and we crossed the border into beautiful Laos.

In Luang Prabang, we celebrated Lao New Year, a week-long festival of water fights and parades through the streets. And in Vang Vieng, we hiked, explored caves, and became obsessed with rock climbing. We also partied our faces off. It was a great time.

Next up, was the last stop on our Southeast Asian adventure: Vietnam.

We went out with a bang, eating as much phở, bún chả, spring rolls, bánh mì, and egg coffee as we could possibly consume. Singing karaoke and drinking pitchers of mystery cocktails.

And we rock climbed. And hiked through Sa Pa with a local Hmong woman as our guide. We had clothes custom-made in Hoi An and slept under the stars on a boat in Lan Ha Bay. And spent many evenings, sitting on plastic chairs in the streets of Hanoi, drinking beer out of hoses.

With only a few weeks of our journey left, I contemplated my next move. Because there was nothing urgent (like an employer or a relationship) calling me home to California anymore.

I decided it was time for a new adventure. Solo.

A $200 flight from Saigon all the way to Byron Bay, Australia (a small paradise town I fell in love with a few months before) sealed the deal.

To be continued....

{Story, Part I} Now that we've been properly reac

{Story, Part I}

Now that we've been properly reacquainted, I'll spill the details.

Let’s go back to March of 2018 - when Diana and I had just wrapped up our month-long road trip down the east coast of Australia and flew into Yangon, Myanmar.

In Myanmar, we became professionals at riding scooters on dirt roads. Locals welcomed us into their homes for meals. We hot air ballooned over thousands of ancient pagodas at sunrise. We bonded with our driver over Taylor Swift songs. We ate tea leaf salad and Shan noodles and curries galore. I got food poisoning so bad that a doctor hooked me up to an IV from my hotel bed. But despite that, it's safe to say that Myanmar quickly shot to the top of my favorite places list.

We also went on an incredible 4-day trek through the Burmese mountains, staying in villagers' homes along the way. We sipped tea with a 100-year-old astrologer who told me that, for the next year, business would be great, but my health would be bad. He said I should be with a man born on a Saturday or a Wednesday. And that I must give seven people pineapples. (A task that's still on my to-do list.)

Plus, as we trekked under the blistering sun, and cell service dropped in and out, my ex and I broke up over the phone. Our goals in life couldn't have been more different; he was studying, I chose adventure, and it was never going to work. Plus, I don’t think he was born on a Saturday or Wednesday, so… yeah.

That felt like freedom.

Next, we flew to Northern Thailand to work with rescued elephants. We prepped their food, fed them, shoveled their shit, and cleared dry brush to stop fires. We ate yummy vegetarian food and did yoga as the elephants roamed.

In Chiang Mai, we consumed many Singhas and plates of 3-am pad thai, stayed at some incredible 5-star hotels, and pampered ourselves with more Thai massages. Amen.

And in a rural hippy town called Pai, I realized I'm actually not (at all) capable of driving a scooter; I still have a deep scar on the back of my leg to remind me, should I ever want to try again. It looks like a tiger clawed me - and that's a much better story than what actually happened.

To be continued...

Hello friends! It’s been a loooong time (like th

Hello friends! It’s been a loooong time (like three years) since I’ve been active on the ‘gram. The last adventure I shared with you was the most epic six-month trip with my bestie through Australia, New Zealand, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam… And then, I spontaneously moved to paradise and went offline. Since then a lot has changed...

But the most obvious one is that I’ve rebranded my blog to Maddy’s Avenue, and you can now find me at maddysavenue.com (previously Travel Alphas, in case you’ve totally forgotten who I am and why you followed in the first place!).

Maddy’s Avenue is here to inspire you to live a bold life; to discover yourself and the world around you at greater depths - one forkful, or one plane ticket, at a time. From now on, here and on my blog, you can expect to see:

FOOD: Really delicious, plant-based recipes that will transport you to lands far from your kitchen.

TRAVEL: Inspiration, guides, and expert tips to plan your adventures (and meals) around the world.

LIFESTYLE: How you can live and work abroad, start your own business, and create the life you dream of.

Swipe to take a peek at the new website and branding - the feather is a symbol for freedom, one of our core values over here at MA :)

Before we crack into regularly scheduled food and travel content, over the next few days, I’ll share some of the juicy details that unfolded on that last trip, and since I took a break from the blogosphere. Stay tuned.

I’m stoked to be back online and sharing content that I hope inspires you. I can't wait to connect with you all again, and I hope you'll stick around for the next leg of this journey. ☺️

A little (unedited) iPhone snap of what life looks

A little (unedited) iPhone snap of what life looks like these days in the Bay.

For me, this time of social distancing means spending as many hours in nature as possible - kayaking, snorkeling, walking, surfing (or attempting to, anyway), practicing yoga daily - and going on adventures in the kitchen, developing recipes that transport me to faraway lands.

There are lots of new recipes on the blog, btw. And many more coming soon!

Hope you’re all making the most of this time, doing activities that make you happy and trying new things!

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