We named this site Three Weeks A Year because that’s how much vacation time we get. Since 2008 we’ve been on a mission to make the most of every single one of those days. From long weekends in European capitals to week long African safaris we’ve managed to squeeze a whole lot of adventure out of three weeks a year.

Our travel philosophy is simple; plan well and pack light. We made this website for a few reasons 1) we thought it would be cool to document all the places we’ve been in the public domain, 2) we wanted to share some of our suggestions for restaurants, hotels, and sights, 3) to provide some visual encouragement for anyone else thinking about a vacation, and 4) because so many travel blogs are written by people who have quit their jobs to travel the world or are already travelling the world for their job. We’re just regular 8-6 office workers. We go to the same building everyday, eat at the same lunch spots, and spend slow Friday afternoons dreaming about exotic lands.

People seem generally surprised when we tell them how much we’re able to travel on just three weeks of vacation. But we like to think we’ve become experts at strategic planning and squeezing the most out of just a few days. Initially our addiction to adventure began during the great recession when no one was flying and round trip direct airline tickets to Europe were cheaper than domestic tickets are now. We got accustom to flying to Paris for just two nights on a weekend because…why not? We even did a one night trip to London once but we’re a little old for that now.

Just by the nature of that early travel we’ve seen a significant amount of Europe, particularly the urban areas. But over the years we’ve expanded considerably and hit every continent except Antarctica.

We think the best way to illustrate our travel philosophy is to share a few of the most important tips we’ve learned over the years:

• Always fly direct when possible. This saves time and headaches.
• Never check bags…ever…under any circumstances.
• Get Global Entry. For $150 and a 30 minute meeting you’ll never wait in passport control again. Worth every penny. The amount of gratification you’ll get the first time you stroll past the customs line makes the whole thing worthwhile. [Tip – some credit card companies will even pay for this! Check with yours to see if it’s covered]
• TripAdvisor is the most overrated website there is. Use it for cross-referencing purposes only. If you plan your trip around TripAdvisor be prepared to pay more, many top rated hotels exploit their rating to jack up their rates. More often than not you’ll find the top hotel has strikingly similar reviews to the 15th highest rated hotel.
• Better yet skip the hotel all together and sign up for Airbnb. There is no better way to feel like a local than to live like one.