NYC in the summertime. So nostalgic. So whimsical. So carefree. Sounds like it would make a romantic movie or lighthearted book.
WRONG!
It's a concrete hell full of heavy, human air and relentless sun as its rays harshly reflect off glass windows above and burn straight down through your sweaty skin cells to your core. No air to breathe. No shade. No a/c inside buildings.
Maybe, despite all of my salty negativity, these photos will portray an illusion of fun, whimsical, carefree New York in the summertime. Either way, I had a blast on this trip because there's always so much to do and see in NYC and it never gets old to me.
Read MoreI miss London. All the time.
There are always places while traveling that call my name that I know I will return to, or even have returned to, because I can't stay away. The Scottish Highlands, Italy, and London are the top ones I always go back to.
London is the most extraordinary city I’ve visited. It is vast, diverse, and rich in history.
Moreover, London is simply one of those places I feel homesick for even though it’s not my home.
I last visited London this May and am already planning to go back next year. Missing London is my part time job.
My brother-in-law asked me the other day what was the thing I missed most about London and my first answer was “pubs!” but he wanted a more serious answer so I had the idea to create this list to show why I’m always homesick for a city that I haven’t even lived in.
The top 10 reasons why I miss London:
Read MoreLondon is a massive city and it's the best city. In here you'll discover my love for London versus NYC with a Buzzfeed quiz on which of those cities you belong in as that is of the upmost importance, my own walking tour I created based on London's color, Harry Potter locations I visited in London, and parks and other photogenic scenes of this incredible city.
I decided to make myself my own walking tour on my first day in London. I only had two days for zone 1 and 2 so I wanted to see as much as I could in the beautiful city I hadn't visited for three years.
I made a color tour. I love unique perspectives and I figured if I really want to see London in a different way then I should seek out its color. That's why so many pictures in here are colorful and I didn't even add half of them and even more are included in the next blog. I like colors, can ya tell? Brooklyn might have better street art but London wins when it comes to colorful charm.
Read MoreA month ago I visited Naples + Sorrento + Positano + Capri + Pompeii and hiked Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods). I only had 4 full days of touring as 2 days were flight days.
I read so many blogs and spent hours trying to get this trip just right. And guess what?! It paid off!
I found the best way to hike the Path of the Gods without wasting time & I found the the best way to see as many beautiful cities as I could before I left.
Read MoreTechnology for the win! I know many people have qualms with technology and social media. I totally get it and you do you. I've met travelers who don't even have phones. For me, I put a lot of trust and information into my phone for smoother travels.
In no particular order, these are 10 apps I use either daily or weekly while traveling.
Read MoreThe lake was so blue and clear that I kept thinking it was the sea.
It was one of the first amazing days that felt like spring. The sun was out and the sky was clear and it felt uhhhhhhmazing.
A large market of white tents lined the blue lake that was framed with stones. Across sat restaurants, sculptures, and people sunbathing while eating their lunches.
Read MoreVerona, Italy is where Romeo and Giulietta lived and made that one no-big-deal decision to each commit suicide for love. Awwwww adorbs. Juliet is the name most of us know if you didn't catch on.
The city is full of hearts and romantic sentiment. While I'm not typically a romantic and a far fan from Shakespeare's story, unless it involves Leo and Claire, I truly enjoyed the love theme of the city. Not gonna lie. It was pretty cute.
Read MoreOn the tour, we made our way to Durmitor National Park. Durmitor National Park is the epitome of a getaway.
It has the Black Lake and Europe's deepest gorge. In the summer, there is hiking, biking, fishing, swimming, canoeing and kayaking, and more. There are cabins and the fresh mountain air is cool. The lush trees are skinny and tall and everything smells sweet. Local vendors collect herbs and flowers for tea, wild berries, and honey for purchase. Durmitor also holds Europe's largest ski resort.
Have I sold you on visiting yet?
Read MoreI've been traveling around the Balkans since mid-July. I've seen plenty of Croatia, which is the most popular tourist country here in the Balkans. Or at least I observed that from my personal perspective. However, the surrounding countries around Croatia are absolutely stunning.
I came to Croatia thinking I'd spend most of my time here. I thought it was a dream come true. However, I have discovered that of all the Balkan countries I've visited which is not all and I will return to complete this mission is that Croatia is actually my least favorite.
GASP
How could this be so?
I still love Croatia but hear me out.
Let me tell you about Montenegro.
Read MoreDubrovnik is known as The Pearl of the Adriatic Sea. Its beauty entrances each viewer, like a siren at sea, making one never want to leave its city walls. Majestic buildings of white proudly stand tall, encompassing the beautiful village. The blue sea calmly rests next to the fortress walls. Grand arches and dignified architecture decorate the buildings as vast and long walkways lead to open courtyards. Multiple alleyways, perpendicular to the main walkways and courtyards, secretly lead away and uphill amongst knobby steps while green ivy drapes overhead like Mother Earth's hair itself. The alleyways are shaded and quiet where residents live. Tourists relax at outdoor cafes and restaurants, gelato shops, and beautiful fountains with steps. The sea and its pebble beach, sprinkled with small boats, also attract tourists.
Read MoreStop what you're doing right now and quickly Google in this order:
1. Where is Croatia?
2. What are the Balkans?
Ta-Da! You have learned something new today. And you know what? Now I think you should start considering traveling here. Because it is uhhhhhhhhmazing here!
Oh and you know what else is awesome? Croatians invented the necktie. Pay your respects Don Drapers of the world. You wouldn't be half as swag-a-licious without this Croatian tradition.
Read MoreOnce again I am combining 2 weeks worth of iPhone photos. These last two weeks have been incredible but I have been traveling like crazy. On the road. Touring. Partying. Booking hostels. Missing WiFi and work but busy as a bee and I've been so happy. I feel like I'm becoming the person I've always wanted to be. (Now how to maintain this lifestyle....)
Read MoreThere’s this concept that those who travel have hit an identity crisis or have lost a loved one, maybe even themselves, and have to travel to heal and to find their true soul. This is not true. So, like Tolkein says, just because you’re a wandering soul does not mean you are a lost one.
With that being said, I often get asked why I travel.
They say, “Why do you travel? To find yourself? To become a better person?”
And if you’re curious why I travel then I’m afraid you will not get a direct answer.
I don’t travel to find myself.
Read MoreNext, you'll see fish photos. The Au Pairs and I stopped by the fish market before hitting up the beach. We wanted to see what it was like. It's a very popular market in A Coruna. The fish and seafood here are amazing! Tatiana and I bought uhhhhmazing sushi at the fish market. The second fish photo is actually really hilarious. We can't decipher if it's true or not because some locals told us this isn't true but many locals told us that it absolutely is true. The pile of weird looking things on the table are fish penises. Yes. And it's a delicacy. This provided us much amazement and laughter because we were shocked that this was an actual thing.
Read MoreAt midnight, fireworks began to explode across the water. My back and face suddenly grew hot as the night illuminated from dark blue to bright orange. Every bonfire around us was being, towering tall above us. In another direction, from a nearby beach, paper lanterns were floating towards us. The sky was filled with fire.
I'm not gonna lie. The rest of the night was a bit of a blur. When you're sitting on a beach and have no clue where you are, in an abyss of litter, bonfires, smoke, and drunk people, time becomes warped.
Read MoreThis trip consisted of a large group: Mariah, Paige, Morgan, Ben, Hugo, and me. We all traveled together a lot and Greece was one of our longer trips because us girls had a few extra days off from school.
Things don't always go as planned while traveling.....
Like that one time that we walked what felt like miles in the heat to see a museum that Ben told us about only to find out that it was closing when we arrived. We really let Ben hear our frustrations. Poor Ben.
Or the time that we sat in front of Zeus's temple for a break and we all got a tan but Ben turned into a lobster. I also lost my watch there and although I loved that watch it was like a fateful gift to Zeus so at least it went to something cool.
Read MoreThe place where our family congregated—where we grew up learning about snakes, coyotes, and horses, fixing fences, shooting guns, playing in the woods, and staking an identity from childhood to adulthood as we learned the importance of family comes first; this place where heartbreak and mending happened, a place of growth and later in life a place of quiet respite where steak was grilled, cigars were smoked, porch sitting was sat, and the birds and frogs were heard; this place where cows and goats found our front yard, where all the neighborhood dogs assembled, where old trails, creeks, interesting mushrooms, and deer were spotted on our long hikes on our land; this place where our mother sat outside with us after exploring the woods to tell us which birds were singing in the trees, the place where our father saddled up horses so we could ride or drove his car down country roads as we ran so he could make sure we were safe; this place where loved pets died but were also born and the place where I sat on the sidewalk on summer nights watching the Texas stars shine bright; this place where our roots became intertwined with the landscape that reflected our hearts and identities because this place was our comfort, our stories, and our home.....
Read MoreImagine being in a place where you can’t understand written words or language, you don’t know the layout of the city, and you are all alone. Sounds enough to give anyone anxiety right?
I think I painted that picture a little dramatically, but still, that’s basically what I’m experiencing.
Read MoreI am a traveler with plans to make it full time. I hear a lot of things from others about my lifestyle.
And I know everyone gets judged by their lifestyle. I know it’s not just me.
However, there are a lot of misconceptions about traveling perhaps due to it not being a common lifestyle.
I have listed the top comments I hear about my life with my response.
Read More