Some months on the road are busier than others. US travel blogger Adventurous Kate just wrapped a July that spanned four countries — Prague, a weeklong road trip through Provence, a birthday weekend in Dublin, and a wind-down on the Italian island of Ischia — and her recap is packed with ideas worth stealing for a late-summer European trip.
The centrepiece was France. She and her partner turned a friend's wedding near the Pont du Gard into a road trip through the south. Highlights included renting a boat on Lac Sainte-Croix for a swim below the cliffs of the Gorges du Verdon, stumbling on an untouristy lavender field at sunset near Valensole, and lingering on the Mediterranean coast around Cassis and La Ciotat — with a standout meal at Le Petit Oyster Bar in Cassis and a beach day at La Boheme Beach Club in Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer. Inland, Arles delivered Van Gogh-related art shows, while Nîmes surprised her most of all: summer Thursday nights bring live music across the city, and the covered market Les Halles is ideal for picnic supplies. One practical warning from the trip: it hit 100°F (38°C) in Provence, and a hotel without air conditioning made it miserable. Her advice — stay on the coast for the sea breeze in summer, or save the interior for late spring or early autumn.
In Dublin for a 40th birthday, she found the city clicked once she got beyond the centre. Swimming at the Forty Foot in Sandy Cove, hiking to Howth, a whiskey tasting at the Teeling distillery and the Guinness Storehouse ("a bit like adult Disneyland") all made the cut.
Back home in Prague, the oddball highlight was a Pitbull concert where roughly half the crowd dressed the part and about a quarter wore bald caps, with Lil Jon opening and shouting "PRAGUE!" in place of his usual "YEAH!". Worth knowing if you fancy it: Pitbull returns to Prague in November. She also rode the T3 Coupé, a sleek vintage-style tram with white leather seats and a bar that opens to the public only a few times a year — and can be privately hired for an hour for 7,700 CZK (about $367), which splits nicely across a large group.
The month ended with spritzes and raw seafood in Naples, then beach time in Forio and Sant'Angelo on Ischia — her favourite Italian island.
There's a cautionary thread here, too. The blogger admits she's burned out after packing trips back-to-back from May to September, and plans to cut her autumn schedule down to almost nothing. For anyone chaining trips around weddings and events, her takeaway is a useful one: build real downtime between them, or the travel stops being fun.
Adventurous Kate
