the getAwayZ Podcast

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...

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...

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...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we go to one of the oldest continuously inhabited places on earth and one of our favorite spots in all of Italy. Matera is built into limestone caves that people have lived in for at least 9,000 years, it's been called the second Jerusalem and it went from being the shame of Italy to a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We talk about the history of the forced evacua...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we go back to the city we called home for over five years, Turin. We make the case for why we think it's the most underrated city in Italy and walk you through everything from the French inspired piazzas to the second largest collection of Egyptian artifacts in the world outside of Cairo. We talk about the Shroud of Turin, the Egyptian Museum, the Mole Antone...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we continue our two-part Tuscany series by heading beyond the famous hill towns. We talk about Lucca, Pistoia, Pisa, Viareggio, Greve in Chianti and Pienza, along with the beaches, festivals and food that made us keep going back while we lived in Italy. From Lucca Comics and the giant Carnevale floats in Viareggio to the eight course meat feast at Dario Cecchini a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we start our two-part Tuscany series by exploring some of the region’s most unforgettable hill towns and wine villages. We talk about Cortona, Montepulciano, Montalcino, San Gimignano, Volterra and Siena, along with the festivals, food and moments that made each place stand out to us. From Christmas markets inside castles to medieval festivals, underground wine ca...

Send us Fan Mail Paris is one of those cities everyone has an opinion about, which is exactly why we put off recording this episode for so long. In this episode, we’re breaking down how we would plan a first trip to Paris if you have three or four days. This is the actual itinerary Lisa gives people when they ask what to do, based on our own trips, living there for six months and all the things we...

Send us Fan Mail Trying to figure out where to stay in Europe and going back and forth between a hotel and an Airbnb? Same. We do this every single trip. In this episode we talk through how we actually decide. Not the perfect version, the real version. When we book hotels, when we go with Airbnbs and the times we’ve gotten it completely wrong. We get into how to choose the right area first because...

Send us Fan Mail After a week in Puglia and another on the Amalfi Coast, we headed to Elba Island and it ended up being one of the most unexpected highlights of the trip. In this episode, we’re sharing what it’s really like to visit Elba, from beach hopping and hiking to the things no one warns you about, like jellyfish stings and the tiny fish that bite your feet. We stayed in Rio nell'Elba,...

Send us Fan Mail If you're planning a trip to Croatia and wondering whether to visit Krka National Park or Plitvice Lakes National Park, this episode is for you. We've been to both and they are not the same experience at all. Krka is an hour from Split, manageable in half a day and a genuinely beautiful introduction to Croatia's waterfall parks. Plitvice is Croatia's oldest nat...

Send us Fan Mail If you've ever seen a photo of Provence in June and thought you needed to go there immediately, same. This week we're talking all things Provence during lavender season, which is hands-down one of the most beautiful places either of us has ever been. Lovely with a capital L. We cover the lavender fields (yes, you can actually walk into them, unlike the tulips), the farm...

Send us Fan Mail Dubrovnik is stunning, but it’s not the effortless postcard people imagine. We’re fresh off a rough stretch of sickness and finally back behind the mic to unpack what Dubrovnik, Croatia actually feels like on the ground: steep cliffside neighborhoods, relentless summer heat, and the kind of views that make you forget your legs are shaking from the stairs. We walk through our full...

Send us Fan Mail Planning to rent a car during your trip to Europe? Driving can be one of the best ways to explore the continent, especially if you want to visit smaller towns, scenic coastal roads, and countryside regions that are harder to reach by train. In this episode we share practical tips from driving across Europe in countries including Italy, France, Germany, Croatia, Slovenia, Denmark,...

Send us Fan Mail We've been to Luxembourg City four times and it started as a total accident. In this episode, we explore the UNESCO-listed upper and lower city, walk the underground Casemates built in the 1600s, stop at the famous Chocolate House right across from the Grand Ducal Palace and share one of our all-time favorite hikes in Little Switzerland. We also talk about what Luxembourg doe...

Send us Fan Mail This is Part 2 of our two-part series. After covering Giverny, Honfleur, Étretat and Rouen in Part 1, we head to the D-Day landing sites. The beaches, the history, and the places that make this region unlike anywhere else in France. In this episode, we walk through Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery, Utah Beach and its museums, the craters at Pointe du Hoc, the airborne town of...

Send us Fan Mail We have been to Zermatt twice and both trips were completely different. The first time we drove through a blizzard after a delayed flight into Milan, arrived at 3am, and learned quickly that cars are not allowed in Zermatt. The Matterhorn barely showed itself and wind shut down part of Glacier Paradise. The second trip was calmer. Clearer views, hiking along the river, Dylan doing...

Send us Fan Mail Milan is a city we’ve spent real time in. Living nearby meant it was never just a stop on a trip and that changes how you experience it. In this episode, we talk about what it’s like spending time in Milan. The neighborhoods we kept going back to. The food. The design. How the city works day to day and why it feels different from other places in Italy. We also talk about why Milan...

Send us Fan Mail Erin hosts a fast paced European food trivia showdown with Lisa, Dylan and Meghan, and it got competitive fast. From iconic dishes to regional specialties and a few trick questions, this episode puts European food knowledge to the test. We cover classic foods people think they know, regional details that spark debate, and questions guaranteed to make you second guess yourself. Pla...

Send us Fan Mail In Part 2 of our Rhône-Alps series, we continue beyond Chamonix and talk about spending time in Annecy, Aix-les-Bains, Chambéry and Grenoble. We talk about what Annecy feels like once you’re there, how crowded it can get depending on timing and why it stands out compared to other lake towns we’ve visited. We also talk about Aix-les-Bains and Chambéry as quieter stops, how they fel...

Send us Fan Mail The Getawayz is a travel podcast about exploring Europe the way people actually do. We moved from Los Angeles to Europe in 2017 and have spent years traveling by car, often with a teenager and a dog. We talk honestly about where to stay, what to skip, what’s worth planning around and what we learned the hard way. If you’re planning a trip to Europe or thinking about living abroad,...

Send us Fan Mail In Part 1 of our Rhône-Alpes series, we’re starting in Chamonix , one of the most iconic mountain towns in the French Alps. We talk about what Chamonix is really like beyond the photos, how the town feels when you’re walking through it and why it stands out compared to other mountain destinations we’ve visited. We cover the Mer du Glace glacier experience, the ice cave, hiking to...

Send us Fan Mail Spending New Year’s in Sweden, in the middle of winter. We spent New Year’s in Gothenburg with fireworks everywhere, busy streets and just enough going on without overplanning the days. Winter was fully in place and the city felt active without being overwhelming. In this episode, we talk about how we spent New Year’s in Gothenburg , from walking the city and spending time in Haga...

Send us Fan Mail Europe celebrates New Year’s in ways that are fun, strange, symbolic and older than most people realize. In this episode, we break down the traditions and superstitions that show up across countries like Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Croatia, France, the Netherlands, the UK, Ireland and Sweden. Some places eat twelve grapes at midnight, some wear red underwear for luck,...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we talk about the expectations we all had before living in Europe and how those ideas compare to real life once you arrive. We cover safety, taxes, food and the small cultural shifts that stand out the most. Some things feel easier than expected and others take a little more adjusting, especially during the first year. Meghan joins the conversation as someone who...