FYI: Your City Has a Voice. And It’s Gossiping

Hello Reader,
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Heya Fit Travel Tribe!

For this next Monday Momentum, let's talk about AUDIO walking tours....because...

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🎧 Audio walking tours are THE new hot girl walk🎧

If you're a somewhat experienced traveler, you've likely heard of the traditional free walking tours where you meet at a certain time and tip the guide what you want at the end.

But...

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Ever wished you could explore a city without the awkward group photo ops or racing to keep up with a guide holding a tiny flag? Enter audio walking tours—your new fave travel sidekick.

With VoiceMap, you’re not just walking. You’re time-traveling, story-hopping, and pausing for the perfect cappuccino—all on your own terms.

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Audio walking tours have become one of my favorite ways to explore a city because...I just like the flexibility!

Here's the breakdown for ya...

Overall, I'm a HUGE fan of the flexibility, plus all of the BONUS content you get on the move.

Even if your tour guide communicates through headphones to the group, that just reflects how many people are amassed on the tour, right? (The group is so large, they need a microphone!)

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I've been so impressed with the quality of VoiceMap audio walking tours that I even decided to create one of my own...

--CHECK IT OUT BELOW--
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Wow, I can't believe the last time I wrote my newsletter was from New Jersey two weeks ago...SO MUCH has happened!
And I've been in 8 other locations since then...😮😮😮

Brace yourselves for this list:

• 🛖 We had our final gathering at our family home (it's for sale!). Goodbye dome home - it's been real ❤
• Had a snotty sob fest (of happy tears!!!!) visiting my two fur babies who still live in Jersey 🥹🥹🥹
• Crashed in Philly with travel friends then headed off to Camp Indie! 🚗
• Taught yoga at camp in Connecticut for the weekend and learned that pickleball IS all it's hyped up to be (my new love) 🧘‍♀️

I laughed at my 3 days of travel last week...✈✈🚌🚌

• ✈Monday: Woke up in Connecticut to finish camp & flew out of NY's JFK airport for my overnight flight
• ✈Tuesday: Landed in Barcelona for a long layover & fell asleep in Sofia, Bulgaria
• 🚌Wednesday: Woke up in Sofia, bussed to Skopje, Macedonia & then took another bus to Prishtina, Kosovo for the night

Last time at our family home celebrating "Family Day" (all of the birthdays and holidays between visits)

My two boys: Rutgers & Odyssey. It's such a joy to be able to spend even just a little time with them when I'm in Jersey.

Road trip with travel friends from Philadelphia up to Connecticut for CAMP!

Everyone was always talking about pickleball. Now I get it. It's f*ckin awesome!!!

I taught yoga all 3 mornings, including a 7:15am early bird class on the final day of camp!

On the pickleball court, I said: "I love camp. Everyone's my friend." Which is true. That's the vibe of this community.

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I spent just one night at home in Sofia I'm still working on my visa to live in Bulgaria full-time. Thankfully I had just TWO days remaining for awhile. ​ This means I landed (day 1), slept one night, and then left the next day (day 2). ​ I'm still gradually moving in with my partner so I brought a LOT of stuff (I'm used to packing soooo light nowadays). ​ And it was worth all the travel craziness just to see my partner even for just under 24 hours.

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AND NOW???

I'm currently in Skopje for my official visit. I'll be starting to work my way through Macedonia before Albania. Then it's a big blitz of cities in the Balkans for my 6 week trip out of Bulgaria.

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Oh and I spontaneously visited Prizren, Kosovo. And yes it IS as cute and charming as everyone said.

Sunset at the fortress in Prizren, Kosovo. There were just too many great locations for taking photos. It was hard to pick a favorite.

True story: Walking down from the fortress, I stopped to say hello to a cat outside a hotel (typical) Heidi, and the hotel manager asked me where I was from (P.S. They LOVE Americans here). He quickly insisted we have a coffee and chatted about Bon Jovi, the Kosovar identity, and watched the sunset over the city together. I have found people in Kosovo to be some of the nicest people I've ever met.

Here is my newest project!

I finally hit *PUBLISH* on my first audio walking tour. It's not surprisingly of SOFIA, BULGARIA! (my new home)

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Honestly, it was a great joy to put this tour together and now I'm psyched to make a LOT more for cities that do not currently have one. Sincerely, I've found it to be such a fascinating way for me to LEARN about a city.

After all, they say the best way to learn is to teach someone else...

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Curious how the tour sounds? ​
Click the "preview tour" button on the right side of the page to listen to the first few audio clips.
​(Usually folks cringe hearing their own voice, but it sounds AWESOME!)

📍 Peja, Kosovo — Balkan grit meets alpine beauty 🏞️⛰️​
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Tucked beneath the Accursed Mountains, Peja is your launchpad for wild trails, waterfall hikes, and high-altitude thrills in Europe’s most underrated outdoor playground.

Why go?​
🥾 Gateway to the Rugova Canyon + Peaks of the Balkans trail
🧗 Rock climbing, zip-lining, and Via Ferrata with jaw-dropping views
🌄 Hike straight from town to alpine meadows and panoramic peaks

Bonus perks:​
🏰 Ottoman-era bazaars + a 13th-century monastery (UNESCO site!)
💰 Super affordable — think full adventure day for the price of a U.S. lunch
🍖 Grilled meats, strong coffee, and rakia to refuel like a local

Where raw landscapes + real effort collide: Hiking Rugova’s trails in Peja

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✅I've tried the *moderate* Via Ferrata in Peja last September (it was a THRILL). That blog post is pending.

However, if you're curious about the Via Ferrata experience, check out my beginners guided Via Ferrata in Banff and how it's much more accessible than outdoor rock climbing.

💸 Cash is King: Budget Travel Tips for the Card-Reluctant Balkans 🏦

Y'all know how much I love credit card hacking and racking up points for free flights. The Balkans are a budget traveler’s dream — but your shiny travel credit card won’t always get love.
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Here’s how to play the game smart:

1. Withdraw Smart — Not Often ​
   🏧 Fees add up fast. Every time you withdraw you might be charged by your home bank AND the local ATM (no bueno). Use a travel debit card like Charles Schwabb (no home bank fee) that reimburses you any local ATM fees. Or, if you don't have that, withdraw larger amounts less frequently to reduce each ATM fee hitting bleeding money from your account.
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   Also, always decline conversion if the ATM asks. Local currency, always.​
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2. Book Online When You Can ​
   💻 Want to earn points and lock in a seat? See if you can purchase an online ticket still. I'm sometimes the only person who has a virtual ticket, but I've never had an issue with it being accepted if I booked on a reliable site.
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   ​Here are my go to Balkan bus platforms:​
   🚌Girafa Travel​
   🚌Traveling.com (formerly GetByBus)
   🚌Flixbus.com (though play with currency to remove booking fees common on American site)
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3. Always Carry a Small Stash of Euros ​
   💶 Even if the local currency is lek, dinar, or mark, euros are unofficial backup currency — especially near borders or in rural areas. Taxi driver can’t break your 50? A crisp €10 bill might save you.
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Bonus Tip: Ask Before You Order ​
🍽️ That cozy mountain restaurant might not take cards. Just ask before you dig into the grilled cheese and rakia. Saves awkward moments and surprise dashes to the ATM.

Always on my mind: More money for more travel! It's often worth a little homework for those savings 💸

“ I can't cry about having a lot on my plate when my goal was to eat. ​ ​​ ​ — TBH Pinterest quote

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Happy travels and healthy living,

Heidi​
​Heidirunsabroad.com​

Note: Some images and GIFs sourced from Unsplash and Giphy.