Disappointing photos show what it's really like to backpack across Europe

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
Left:  young smiling backpacker checking city map on smartphone with downtown buildings behind here. Right: The author in a black backpack walks next to a train with other travelers around her
Business Insider's reporter expected an Instagram-like backpacking adventure in Europe, but the reality was much less glamorous.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

A mom who's been traveling with her kids for 19 years shares the biggest mistakes she's made since they were babies

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
A family of four squeezes together for a selfie in front of a canyon
Tara Cannon spoke to Business Insider about the biggest mistakes she's made when traveling with her kids.

TheBetterBeyond.com

A Texas boomer couple who retired to an expat hot spot in Ecuador explains how it helps them save money

Tech Insider : Economy, Economy, Travel
Karl and Brenda smiling on a mountain
Karl and Brenda love to travel in retirement.

Courtesy of Karl and Brenda

I paid over $3,000 for a matchmaker. I met my husband on my second date.

Tech Insider
A side-by-side of a bride and groom smiling at the camera and looking at each other at their wedding.
Lauren and Ryan Leon met through a matchmaker.

ANS Photography

I spent $1,000 to have a room to myself on a 30-hour Amtrak ride. It was the best experience I've had on an overnight train in the US.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
The author relaxes in an Amtrak bedroom traveling from Miami to NYC.
The author relaxes in an Amtrak bedroom traveling from Miami to NYC.

Joey Hadden/Insider

I was born and raised in the Caribbean. People are wrong to reduce it to sun, sea, and sand.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
tenille clarke carnival
Tenille Clarke, pictured at Trinidad Carnival earlier this year, was born and raised in the Caribbean.

Querine Salandy for Chambers Media Solutions

So you think you got a 'shut-up ring'

Tech Insider
A n engagement ring with a bar through the center over an open mouth

iStock; Rebecca Zisser/BI

I stayed at one of the best hotels in Arizona, complete with 5 pools and a luxury golf course. Take a look inside my $500-a-night room.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
The author stands on a balcony with pools, palm trees, and palm trees
Business Insider's reporter booked a one-night stay in a grand deluxe room at the Phoenician in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I ranked every sausage I could find at Trader Joe's, and I think the best could be used in almost any recipe

Tech Insider
Selfie of the writer at Trader Joe's
I went to Trader Joe's and bought every kind of sausage I could find.

Ted Berg

A mom who's been traveling with her kids for 19 years opts for cheap, unique accommodations over all-inclusive resorts

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
A small child sits in a hammock on a bamboo balcony with green trees in the background.
Tara Cannon has taken her kids to more than 30 countries and loves staying in unique accommodations.

TheBetterBeyond.com

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