Everyone had so many great questions. Enjoy!

Are you able to be active while you travel?

-Alex C.

Very. According to my Apple watch, I am about 3x more active now than I was at home. Dan likes to go to gyms when he can find them, I like to go for long walks and short runs. We walk a ton in general, and I’ve got the blisters to prove it.

How is traveling with an older pug?

-Alex C.

Reject the premise. Alice is 12 years young. Traveling with Alice is wonderful. She makes friends everywhere she goes, which makes us proud pug parents.

What is European pet etiquette?

-Alex C.

Depends on where you are. In France, dogs go basically everywhere, except for most parks, annoyingly, and museums. And they generally are not allowed in the bigger retailers or grocery stores, but they are welcome in pretty much any restaurant or cafe. And not just outside, your pup can dine inside with you.

Portugal was not very pet friendly. Dogs really aren’t allowed anywhere except outdoor spaces. People do seem to really like dogs, they just can’t go anywhere with you.

Florence is by far the best place to travel with your dog. Alice goes literally everywhere. Dogs are even allowed in the grocery store! They ride in special carts. The other day, two dogs were in their little carts and were being wheeled towards each other and it almost got ugly! I am so so disappointed I did not get video footage of the dog fight near the meat department.

Florence and Paris are both more dog friendly that SF, Lisbon is less. Vets everywhere have been great.

How did you pack for the trip?

Alex C.

It starts with the bag. Dan wanted a bag he could carry on his back so he could walk around with both hands free. He got a 120L Eagle Creek duffle with wheels that he is very proud of. I have two bags, a 90L Patagonia black hole bag, which is much cuter than the Eagle Creek bag but does not have wheels, and my Briggs and Riley carry on. I brought two bags because I didn’t think I could carry a 120L bag on my back very easily but couldn’t fit everything in the 90L, and because I like my two bags. I don’t travel hands free, but I can put the duffle on my back, or roll it around on top of my carry-on. We each have about two weeks worth of clothes, so we do laundry about that often.

In terms of the clothes themselves, I brought my favorite items from home and also went to Banana Republic and bought some basic stuff that I won’t mind tossing as we travel. Dan just crammed as much stuff as he could into the big bag.

Are you buying souvenirs?

-Alex C.

No.

Are you learning new languages?

-Alex C.

Oui! (No).

Any major disasters so far?

-Alex C.

We had one snafu in Lisbon. The apartment we booked was a fraudulent listing, and we spent an annoying amount of time trying to work that out with customer support. But, we ended up in a much nice place in a much nicer neighborhood. And the good thing about things going wrong when you are jobless is that whatever it is that has gone wrong, is far less stressful to deal with than when you had a job! It’s amazing.

How are you managing the low level anxiety of being unemployed and traveling?

-Alex C.

There is no anxiety. Hardest part was getting out the door.

For Dan, what is the secret project you have been working on?

-Alex C.

Sports writing. Plus some other stuff he’ll tell you about later.

Where do you do your Pulitzer worthy blogging? On the train? In the morning? Will Alice ever get a byline?

– Katie S.

Most of the Pulitzer worthy stuff happens in our apartments or cafes. I usually write in the morning because sometimes in the afternoon I need naps. Alice has Pug Corner, and she doesn’t need any more credit for having me translate her screams into words.

What is your favorite city so far?

-Katie S.

Paris.

How do you make those clever maps with the escargot on them?

– Anonymous

Great question, Anonymous. We have to keep some secrets secret. But I’ll say this, it’s a time-consuming art.