Balabanova All Over
#TakeYourTimeOff
About Nadya
Hi there! I am so glad you found me! My mission is to empower you to #TakeYourTimeOff and explore the world. I started this blog as a way to keep family and friends in the loop when I went on a 3-week trip to Asia in 2011. Although I’ve always enjoyed traveling, it wasn’t until a trip to Peru in 2012 that I started to think about ways to make travel a… Read More
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Top Posts
[Seward, AK, Jul 26, 2025] Last year’s Alaska cruise did its intended job – it inspired me to plan my own trip! I felt intimidated by it due to the costs and logistics involved, but with some Alaska experience under my belt, I was ready to strike out on a self-planned trip. Kenai Fjords and Denali are the most accessible. Planning Kenai was easy – the nearest town, Seward, is only a… Read More
[Devil’s Tower National Monument, Jun 21, 2025] Somewhere along the way of planning this trip, I realized that we would be just a couple of hours way from Devil’s Tower, an impressive collection of columns rising almost 900 ft into the sky. The town of Sheridan, WY, was another 1.5 hours west. It was a good place to spend the night because it put us within a coupe of hours of Billings… Read More
[Custer State Park / Black Hills National Forest, SD, Jun 20, 2025] It was going to be another hot day in Custer, so we had to start our day much earlier. With highs forecasted in the 90s, I wanted us to start our 7+ mile hike to the tallest peak in South Dakota as early as possible. We hit our hotel’s breakfast as soon as it opened at 6 am and managed… Read More
[Badlands National Park, Jun 19, 2025] Well, it wasn’t a bad day per se, but it was definitely my least favorite of the trip. There is a reason why the Lakota called this land maco sica – literally, bad land! The proper way to do Badlands National Park would have been to stay in nearby Wall, SD. It’s only 30 minutes away and it would have allowed us to pop into the… Read More
[Wind Cave National Park / Custer State Park, SD, Jun 18, 2025] Today was the longest day on the trip so far but also my favorite! We started out day in Wind Cave National Park. Our cave tour was at 10:40 a.m., but we entered early so we can squeeze in a hike. We stopped for a pic at the sign and saw a lone pronghorn crossing the field behind us. We… Read More