Explorer Genes

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Portugal
Lisbon
Explorer Genes

A home-free,nomadic,slow-traveling couple w/ an insatiable explorer gene and knack for frugality. 90+ countries. $55/day or less📍 Sweden🇸🇪 🔜 Norway 🇳🇴

We, Greg and Mandy Chase, seek every opportunity to explore the amazing world around us through slow travel and curious exploration, and have been doing so at a $50/day budget or less for more than five years. We live with the motto that one can choose to be blind to the world, or be an adventurer in search of its treasure. The world’s treasure exists everywhere you look, even in your own backyard

. We believe that travel isn’t just about what you read in the guidebooks, or is something that can be found in a top-ten list. We don’t write those at all, nor will you see Mandy posing like a fashionista for the camera in front of some temple or ruin. It’s not about counting countries for us either. Our aspiration is to show you life as we live it, as a narrative...a story, full of facts and knowledge and history that we learn, and not simply a list of “must dos” or “must sees” in any given place. It’s common for us to make up our own destinations, treks, hikes, or journeys, often using the mapping app, Mapy.cz as our by-the-seat-of-our-pants guide. We only aim to embrace and truly SEE a place, make connections with its people, and share our experiences along the way with you. Hopefully we can inspire others to travel to these places as well, or perhaps even find newfound appreciation for the places you already know, live in, or have traveled to. About Us: We met while living and teaching English in Prague, Czech Republic in 2007. United, our Explorer Genes next took us to Portland, Oregon from Prague in 2008. In 2018, we sold everything we owned and left behind full time careers, to embark on a new path which is now leading to a future of a full-time nomadic life. Where our Explorer Genes will take us next... only time will tell. So, we invite you along as we ‘Chase our passion, not our pension.’

10/09/2026

(Aug. 24) There’s one thing we definitely observed during our time in Sweden…little ones.

Oodles of baby bumps, wobbly mini humans, hip dads balancing coffee cups with other handfuls, and lots of good ‘ol family-friendly living.

I guess this is what it’s like when you live in a land of 480 paid maternity and paternity days per pregnancy and heavily subsidized childcare. 🤔

Alongside this were fancy prams with hard-core suspension systems, high-end children’s boutiques and some of the best playgrounds we’ve ever seen.

Best not because they were made of modern day materials with high safety standards, but because they were imaginative and whimsical, involving multiple playhouses and structures. One was even the “home” of Pippi Longstocking!

***Click photos for details

09/09/2026

(Aug.22) When we landed in Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport, which is conveniently located absolutely nowhere near the center, (like in many European cities), we naturally had to find the cheapest way possible way to get to our hotel in Sundbyberg. So, we hopped the 583 bus to Märsta and transferred to the commuter train, which ended up being about $4.50/each as opposed to the whopping $20 fare for the Arlanda Express. This was all blissfully integrated with Google, right on time, and payable to the driver by tapping our phones.

Welcome to Sweden…an enchanting land where things just work…indeed! No wonder the people are happy!

We made our way to the Hyatt Story Hotel…NORTH…a cafe/hotel artsy establishment which definitely wins the award for most uber chic Hyatt we’ve stayed in. And we got it for a terrific trade-in at 5k points a night which we transferred from our Chase Sapphire card (link in comments.) Of course…we booked before the devaluation though you can still get for 6k.

***Click photos for details

07/09/2026

(Aug 22) Slovenia: It’s a Wrap!

Our first trip to Slovenia was purposefully short. Not because we think the country is unworthy of tons of exploration, but because Slovenia is expensive for us. Yes, Western, Central and now even parts of Eastern Europe are all expensive too. Duh.

But the difference is that in Slovenia, we knew we didn’t have a lot of good options for making it cheaper, which is obviously our general aim. No housesits in our window, very few points and miles opportunities, and even fewer or no couchsurf hosts in the smaller towns we wanted to go. Plus, we knew we’d be tired from all the hiking and want our own space to decompress…

Tired because our main purpose of going during the height of tourist season was to spend 4 days and 3 nights on a hut-to-hut hike in the Julian Alps to get in touch with the wilder side of the country and do something we love. We have been actively planning for this since March and dreaming about much longer

Unfortunately our plan backfired because the weather forecast was quite challenging. So we had to whirl a new plan together…

In the end, it was the most exhausting and budget challenging country we’d been in for a long time and we were grateful we’d only planned a week. And yes….both of these things were also because it was seriously fast travel for us. Something we’re appreciating less and less.

Below is our personal list of stats, money saving tips, and personal upsides and downsides for the country.

Time Spent: 7 nights
Money Spent: $884 or $126/day USD/two people. (Our most EVER on a per day basis)
By comparison, our second was $111 during our 2018 trip to Iceland for six days.)

This breaks down to:
-$520 (Accommodation)/$74/night avg.
-$183 (Transportation)
-$94 (Groceries)
-$78 (Restaurants/3 shared meals of pizza or a doner and 3 beers)
-$9 (General)

Our itinerary:
(2) nights Kranj
(2) nights Kranjska Gora
(1) night Slap Sevica hut
(1) night Skofja Loka
(1) night Kranj

Would we return? Maybe, but only with a housesit, and never in the peak summer months.

What we did right:
-only stayed a week and avoided Ljubljana where budget choices weren’t any better.
-arrived early by train to Bled Jezero and then worked our way back to Lesce Bled to explore the lake. This allowed us to hike in the morning before it got too hot and (marginally) beat the crowds.
-Also, we were very glad we kept Bled as a day trip and avoided staying there, for budget AND sanity’s sake
-Saved a lot of money on food by buying markdowns at the supermarkets, WHEN they were open.
-stayed at Hostel Cukrarna in Kranj for three nights ($67), which was a cute town and an immense savings from Bled or other places we’d looked at
-we also left our big bags here for 4 nights while we went hiking/exploring
-Used Wyndham points transferred from Wells Fargo and Chase to save big at the Ramada in Kranjska Gora (about 85% down from $315/night)
-When we had to pay full price for accommodation, we sought out the cheapest options, even if it meant traveling around a bit more. (Still $100-$117/night)
-but this is how we ended up in Škofja Loka, which ended up being our favorite town.
-shared our food when eating out
-kept our alcohol drinking to a minimum
-drank tap water (obviously, almost everywhere in Europe)
-Relied on trains and buses. Still far cheaper than renting a car and quite easy.
-Racked up a ton of bonus points on a couple bookings by using our the Venture X shopping portal during a 10x points on Booking(com) day. (Let us know if you need a great travel card.)

What we should have done differently:
-picked a different week when the weather fit our plans. Ha. Not really possible because August was supposed to be a very good month for high altitude trekking in the Julian Alps.
-planned for the holiday on August 15 which ended up closing all supermarkets two days in a row
-planned a later flight to depart. We had no choice but to rely on a $30 taxi for a 15 minute ride. Unfortunately there weren’t really any feasible options to get us to Sweden.
-known about the $8/day tourist tax they tack onto (some?) hotels
-not taken out cash. We never needed it once.
-Go in shoulder season, and just hoped for the best with the trek

Favorite places: Škofja Loka & Slemenova Špica hike

Our Upsides
-The nature of Slovenia is truly breathtaking…and they have it all from jagged limestone and Alpine peaks to caves to forests to waterfalls to even a small portion of the Adriatic.
-It also offers charming villages
-It was easy to pay everywhere with contactless card. This included on buses and for train tickets, none of which needed to be booked in advance
-Trains and some buses were integrated into Google
-Trains and buses were easy and comfortable to ride
-The trail network is fantastic. Everything is well marked, well connected, well structured for safety, and with buses running throughout.
-Getting by in English is very easy
-The grocery stores did have decent and often discounted to-go options and kept us fed!
-Some places had free tourist buses. We took one from Kranjska Gora to Vrsic which was nice (though crowded)

Our Downsides
-We dealt with late buses and trains a LOT. Also, quite inadequate or nonexistent signage at many stops and stations
-The tourist tax many hotels tack on is not notified upfront
-We knew it would be expensive, but keeping anywhere close to our budget was obviously challenging and it really strained the time and our spirits. And because we didn’t have kitchens, we were also surviving on supermarket salads and wraps, which didn’t treat our stomachs necessarily well.
-There are few options to use hotel point and miles or housesit.
-We had unreliable internet in several locations
-Supermarkets closed on Sundays (and the day before for a holiday in our case.)
-In August, it’s simply overcrowded, (like much of Europe.)

All this said, it just didn’t feel like great value for us as nomads, though may be fine for others as a “vacation.” Most of this was our own doing by coming in August. I’m sure we’d like it more if we chose a different season. Maybe the right housesit opportunity will pop up in the future!

But until then, we’ll stick with countries we can more easily manage on our budget….

That said…Scandinavia…we’re looking at you next! 🤪

05/09/2026

(Aug 20) As the outdoor activity window closed and the rain began to descend incessantly on our last two days in Slovenia, we decided to forgo any additional hiking adventures and stick to some village exploration near Kranj where we would fetch our backpack homes and spend our last night.

This is how we ended up in Škofja Loka, still relatively uncrowded even for August, which showcases one of the most walkable and well-preserved medieval town center’s in the country.

For this reason, even despite the rain, it ended up being our favorite destination in Slovenia.

***Click photos for details

03/09/2026

(Aug. 20) From our mountain cottage near Slap Savica, the weather graciously held out just enough to be able to take two beautiful hikes…one short and quite crowded one to the falls, and another longer and more challenging one to the nearest of the Seven Lakes, which we would have seen on the tail end of our originally planned hut-to-hut adventure.

***Click photos for details

02/09/2026

(Aug. 19) After our heavily discounted nights at the Ramada in Kranjska Gora thanks to Wyndham points, we had to figure out a plan to make up for two more nights when we would have been using our splurge budget for huts on the trail.

So, in search of reasonably priced accommodation, we found our way to Bohinj Lake where we snagged a last-minute cottage near Savica Waterfall which we considered a “good deal.” This meant it was 90 euros, or $103, during high season in Slovenia.

And no, this did not include breakfast, or dinner, but did offer a considerably stuffy experience, bedding, and hot shower, though, no towel.

It was located near where we had originally planned to end our hut-to-hut and would still allow us to do a couple of the same things we had banked on.

But first, we had to spend about 4 hours, and $24, on a flurry of public transport, including a bus, a train, and another bus to get there….

Before coming to Slovenia, we had heard that the country is culturally fascinating because it sits at a crossroads of several European worlds. A little bit Balkans…a little bit Italian and a lot a bit Austrian, which was most touted in the efficiency and infrastructure of their public transportation system.

That said, we had high expectations.

***Click photos for details

01/09/2026

August 2026 Budget Update
$2098 ($423 OVER) of $1675;
(Two people: $55/day or $20,075/year)

We are not the least bit surprised to be over budget for August with two weeks of high season slow and two weeks of fast travel in the countries of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Slovenia, Sweden and Norway.

But what surprised us the most was the amount we spent on long distance transportation. Even though our flight from Slovenia to Sweden was free, bus travel continues to be substantially more than ever and Bla Bla cars were impossible to come by.

Below are the breakdowns for the month.
All prices in USD and are rounded. As always, let us know if you have questions! 🙂

ACCOMMODATION: $916
Despite 10 nights being free, our accommodation budget came in almost neck and neck with what we spent in Sarajevo in July staying in one place.

It broke down as follows:
(6) nights Sarajevo ($29/night) two bedroom Airbnb (stayed five weeks in total)
(8) nights Banja Luka, B&H, ($27/night) one bedroom studio (Booking)
(3) nights Kranj, Slovenia, private room in a hostel ($67/night)
(2) nights Kranjska Gora, Ramada by Wyndham, ($41/night) ~85% discount due to transfer points from Chase and Wells Fargo
(1) night Bohinj, private room in a simple mountain hut ($103)
(1) night Skofja Loka, private room in simple pension ($117)
(3) nights Stockholm, Sweden, Hyatt Hotel (FREE) for 5k points/night
(2) nights Stockholm with friends (FREE)
(4) nights Kullavik with friends (FREE)
(1) night Moss, Norway, Riviera Hotel (FREE) or 12k points

TRANSPORTATION: $591
Prices for 2 people
Local Buses:
-Sarajevo $6 (1 ride)
-Banja Luka $5 (2 rides)
-Slovenia $30 (4 rides)

Local Trains:
-Slovenia $66 (7 rides) or approximately $9 each ride

Long Distance Buses:
-Sarajevo to Banja Luka, $65 (5 hours)
-Banja Luka to Jajce, RT, $42 (1.5 hours each way)
-Banja Luka to Zagreb, $73 (3 hours)
-Stockholm to Gothenburg, $88 (6 hours) Note: the cost of bus travel was significantly less in Sweden if you look at cost/hour!

Long Distance Trains:
-Zagreb to Ljubljana, $58 (3.5 hours)
-Gothenburg to Moss, Norway, $81 (3 hours/high speed)

Taxis:
-To watermills from Jajce, B&H, $6 (15 min)
-To Ljubljana Airport from Kranj, $29 (early morning departure, 15 min)

Stockholm public transit:
-$45 (5 rides @ about $4.50 each), which is quite steep

GROCERIES: $382
We’re definitely beginning to realize being in Western Europe or countries some consider “more developed,” are often cheaper than ones which are not because it’s easier to find deals and discounts. Of course, as soon as we start “fast traveling,” our diets also go to sh*t…or more accurately, carbs, so there’s that…🤣

Another thing that kept our grocery budget under control was the incredible hospitality of our friends, plus the six complimentary breakfasts we got from our hotels (where we naturally stuffed ourselves and did a sensible amount of squirreling.)

I did not check the egg index in Slovenia, but in Sweden it came it at $.32/egg compared to $.18 in Bosnia & Herzegovina.

RESTAURANTS: $151
We ate out six meals this month.
These included:
-1 pizza and 1 beer ($21, Kranj)
-1 small salmon to-go salad and 1 pastry ($21, Bled)
-1 gyro and 1 ayran ($9, Kranj)
-1 large doner and 1 large fries ($15, Skofja Loka)
-2 meals from IKEA ($17, Stockholm)
-1 fish and chips, ($24, Varberg, Sweden)
-7 Treats including beers/wine, pastries, ice cream or coffee ($36) Beers averaged $3-5 in Bosnia & Slovenia and then we abruptly stopped treating ourselves in Sweden. 😅

GENERAL: $59
($29) Sightseeing: 2 catacombs, 1 museum, 2 fortresses, and 2 waterfalls
($12) Tello payment for US phone numbers
($8) Toiletries
($4) Lost currency leaving B&H
($3) Toilets
($1) Apple photo storage

Our “OTHER” Buckets
ANNUAL SPLURGE: ($1000/annually)
We spent $39 from our splurge bucket for wedding anniversary mojitos. Yes, two drinks…in Norway. Undoubtedly, the most expensive drinks we’ve ever had. 🤣

MEDICAL: $3000/annually
We spent $42 from our medical bucket, which included medicines.

31/08/2026

(Aug 18) After abandoning our original hut-to-hut trek plan, we were overwhelmed with possible choices, dependent upon rain, wind, or sun. This is the amazing thing about Slovenia…there are many choices for every weather type, every fitness type and every budget type. Lol. The last one not so much, as we still ended up spending (almost) as much as we would have at the huts.

So, with little time to research, we quickly consulted Chat GPT to help us develop options and an alternate plan. This is how we found ourselves on the moderate Slemenova Špica trail, with just enough of a sunny window to really appreciate being surrounded by the Julian Alps.

It definitely wasn’t the high altitude trek we were anticipating, but at least we got a taste for the main reason we had come. And we were also a whole lot less exhausted after the fact too. 🤣

***Click photos for details

29/08/2026

(Aug 17-19) The main reason we had come to Slovenia in the summer was in hopes of the best possible weather scenario for our four day/three night hut-to-hut trek in the Julian Alps. But, with the looming week of quite questionable weather, this plan totally backfired and we had a series of challenging decisions to make in order to give 48-hour notices for the expensive mountain huts we had booked back in March to be refundable.

Had we not had much experience hiking in drizzling weather or were 15 years younger, we may have just gone for it. But, after our 5-day adventure of hell on Peru’s Salkantay Trek in 2022, which led to my six months of being unable to walk, we have fortunately learned our lesson about weather, as well as listening to our bodies.

Thus, we eventually succumbed to adapting to a new plan for our week in Slovenia, which luckily still involved one day of gorgeous hiking, and some other things we wouldn’t have done otherwise. More valuable practice in embracing the unexpected and adapting along the way!!

***Click photos for details

27/08/2026

(August 16) Lake Bled is THE place most people know in Slovenia.

It dons complimentary screen savers included with TVs and laptops, it prances across “stunning places of the world”calendars, and is slapped on every other travel “influencer”’s Instagram wall as a “must see place before you die.”

It is the essence of a fairytale scene and undeniably picturesque with its church plopped atop an island in the middle of a tranquil blue-green lake. Nearby, an equally charming medieval castle teeters on a cliff overlooking perceived serenity.

Which, in reality is a complete zoo if you choose to visit in the high tourist season of August, a choice we made only because we wanted to be in the country for hut-to-hut trekking season.

In short?! A bit tourist heavy for our tastes when there are so many other gorgeous places to visit in this country.

Still, we’re glad we saw it, and it was well worth a day trip from Kranj….

***Click photos for details

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