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
[Sturgis / Mt Rushmore / Custer, SD, Jun 17, 2025] Our only objective for the day was to drive down 4.5 hours to Custer, SD, our home base for the next 4 nights. But since we got an early start to our drive, I decided to throw in a couple of noteworthy places on the way. The first 3.5 hours were really boring though. There was nothing but rolling grasslands and farms…. Read More
[TRNP, Jun 16, 2025] We managed to get out the door about an hour earlier than yesterday. However, that hour was eaten up by the fact that we had to drive that long to the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. For some strange reason, the North Unit is on Central Time, not Mountain Time. So don’t freak out if your phone says it’s an hour later than it actually is…. Read More
[TRNP, Jun 15, 2025] Our long travel day yesterday and the late night with the Medora Musical meant that we had to sleep in this morning. But once we got breakfasted and caffeinated, it was time to explore the south unit of TRNP. The entrance station was literally a quarter mile from our hotel in Medora. Only 3 or 4 cars were in front of us, and the line went quickly. You… Read More
[Medora, ND, Jun 14, 2025] I had a day off for Juneteenth, which I used to make a week-long trip to North and South Dakota. There are 3 national parks here to visit. One is in North Dakota (Teddy Roosevelt) and two are in South Dakota (Badlands and Wind Cave). A state park and a few other sights in South Dakota gave me plenty to fill the week with. The closest airport… Read More
[Cascais / Sintra, Portugal, May 16, 2025] A daytrip to Sintra tops the wishlist of many visitors to Lisbon. Its proximity to the capital, the magnificent architecture of its palaces and castles, and its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site all contribute to the draw. I would normally do a side trip like this on my own, but Sintra presented some unique challenges. Due to the palaces’ popularity, a timed entry… Read More