About Me
Hi, I’m Monali
I plan trips like it’s a sport. Scoring Stamps is a space for travelers who move with meaning, not speed. Here you won’t find “top 50 things to do in 24 hours” or one-size-fits-all bucket lists — you’ll find carefully crafted itineraries, honest tips, and the small stuff nobody tells you, rooted in the places that made me slow down and look closer.
Why this blog exists
I’m the person with fourteen browser tabs open and a hotel spreadsheet sorted by season. I plan trips six to ten months out because I want every day — and every dollar — to count. Somewhere along the way I realized most travel blogs are built for two people: the broke backpacker or the luxury splurger. Almost nobody writes for the planner — the traveler who isn’t chasing the cheapest hostel or a five-star suite, but the best version of the trip they’re actually taking.
So that’s who I write for. My promise is simple: I did the obsessive planning so you don’t have to. Everything, organized clearly, with the details that usually cost you a wasted afternoon to learn the hard way.
What you’ll find here
- Complete country guides — one destination covered properly, start to finish, so you’re not stitching together ten half-answers.
- Itineraries filtered by how you travel — slow vs. sprint, one base vs. multi-city.
- “Things nobody tells you” — the train that sells out three months ahead, the last bus that leaves at 6:45, the pass that’s only worth it for your kind of trip.
- Real numbers and real opinions — what was worth it, what wasn’t, and why.
Where I’ve actually been
I write from the ground, not from a press trip. So far that’s meant:
- Switzerland — ten days in the Jungfrau region, where I learned most of what I know about doing the Alps right (and a few things the hard way).
- Europe at Christmas — London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Ghent, Bruges, and Paris in one trip.
- Hawaii — Maui and the Big Island.
- Canada — the Rockies, Banff and Jasper.
- Costa Rica — for when the plan is no plan.
I’m building this out one country at a time, going deep before I move on — Switzerland first.
Come plan with me
Whether you’re mapping a weekend in Paris or dreaming about Swiss mountains, this blog is here to help you discover gentle, curated itineraries, learn the tricks that make the journey smoother, and — when you’re ready — plan and book your escape.
I believe in travel that lingers. If you’re here, maybe you do too.
— Monali