What's an itinerary?

Here's how to travel to _________ for a week! Only have 3 weeks? Here's exactly where to go when you are here:_______!

This is what I'm seeing when I look online and I always stop to think....

What ever happened to discovery? Going to new places on your own without being told? Making your own on-the-go itinerary and being open-minded to change. What about just booking one night and then making your own decisions once you have in fact seen the city and see where you'd like to head to next?    

Sure myself, as well as others, post where I've/they've been and that's perfectly fine! That's the fun part of traveling. Showing your experiences and memories and bringing joy to others while showing this magnificent world that we live in. 

But there's a difference between writing about your exciting trip and telling someone where to go.  

Being excited about your adventure and writing about it is inspiring to others and hopefully makes someone consider going to that country/doing that adventure. 

But I do not want someone else planning my travels!

What about the amazing places you did not experience because you stuck to your set schedule of what you were doing? Or because you did what someone else did? Is that even considered your trip?

This is for all the travelers out there, including myself, who book their plane tickets and go where they want to go! Kudos to you all! There is so much out there to discover and it would be a shame to have any sort of regret coming back from a trip and realizing you missed out on something.

The number one trip I always have in mind was when I went to Bolivia. Before I went there, I had it in my thoughts to return back to Chile as well. I saw the Santiago area during a previous trip but wanted to head out to the northern region since I was close to the area by being in Bolivia.  But I did not want to set a schedule just in case something special that I didn't know about here in the states popped up in Bolivia.

The time came when I was looking to cross the Bolivian border by land into Chile. The weather was so bad that they closed the roads between Bolivia and Chile and I would not be able to make that trip. If I had planned around that, I would have missed out on a lot. So with no plans, I went straight to Peru! A beautiful country I plan on hopefully moving to towards the end of this year/beginning of the next! *Originally I was thinking Brazil---I'm still going back and forth!

If I had planned my whole trip, I would have not soaked in this incredible world wonder!

Machu Picchu, Peru

  If I had stuck to a planned schedule, I would not have had this spectacular view to see for myself. Not just this trip, but all my adventures, in general. There has been at least one thing I never planned on seeing but had learned about while in the country. 

I'm not a tour guide book reader but what I can assume is that I'm sure not everything is written in the guide books. There are some secret places that are yet to be discovered.

And travel is all about discovery!

So how do I travel?

With no plans of course! I book the plane tickets and just for the day of arrival, I book a hostel for one night. That allows me to figure out what I'm going to do next. Or if I need the day to relax (I have yet to use the first day of travel as a day to relax!). Usually I stay there or I move on to different areas, depending on what the area offers. My schedule is very flexible by doing this. Which I highly recommend because plans don't always stick and issues will sometimes arise. Always have to be prepared for anything! Safety and otherwise.

I do:

Research the country--customs, history, points of interest, safety, food, and ways of travel. That's extremely important to me. I like to be 'one' with the country and not an outsider. To experience it like the locals.

This allows me to be my open-minded and adventurous self. It's absolutely thrilling to travel this way, in my opinion. It's not a rushed schedule at all. It's a go at your own pace traveling style. If you need a day of rest. Take it! If you discovered a new area, book the bus ticket! 

You work so hard to make the money to be able to travel and enjoy yourself. Don't you want to make the best of it? 

As for the future, whether I'm single or not, I still see myself traveling this way. I'll settle in certain places longer than others more as I get older if (and hopefully) I move out of the US permanently as an expat. But it definitely won't stop me from seeing this whole world!

So with all this said, go with your heart and gut. Make and follow your own path, not others. It's your life journey. Make it the best you want it to be!

How do you travel?

Photo of the day - Galapagos Islands

Floreana, Galapagos Islands. 

Off the coast of Ecuador are a beautiful set of islands known as the Galapagos. Pristine and calm islands that are almost all untouched. What I mean by that is these aren't like any normal island you can just head to and go wherever you want. The islands are protected. You can't wander wherever you'd like, like you can on most other islands. You must have a guide outside of the normal ports. One touch on an animal, wildlife, or anything of concern on the islands and you may affect the ecological system. Makes you sit back and appreciate your surroundings and life.

Happy Friday!

Snail Mail Collective: August

A little late but worth the wait!

I joined the Snail Mail Collective last month and it has been great so far! My first partner was Bonnie Rose at A Compass Rose:  www.bonnieroseblog.co.uk

We are both hard workers and busy bees plus sometimes snail mail does move at a snail mail pace! We finally got our packages and our faith in the mail system has been restored!

3 beautiful pictures from Bath, England, a wonderfully written postcard, and a super cute UK Bear!

So what can I say that everyone doesn't know about the wonderful Bonnie Rose?

Bonnie is a wife, mother, blogger, and photographer. How she has time to do everything, I don't know, but she is definitely a superwoman! :-)

I had a great time getting to know her and love that we have some things in common and some things we could take from eachother.

Our similarities:

We love dark chocolate, enjoy reading books, loving outdoor adventures like hiking, love desserts that aren't too sweet, we don't like country music, similarities in how we travel, we enjoy food, and we BOTH BLOG! We also talked about our love of homemade scrubs. We exchanged our scrub recipes. Bonnie also gave me her pie crust recipe and I'm excited to try it out! 

What I'd like to learn from Bonnie?

To balance life better! I'm always on the go but need to learn how to slow down, focus on life, and focus on my blog. Bonnie is great at this! As I know everyone knows her. :-)

I had some questions for Bonnie and here are her answers:

When and How did you get into blogging? 

I started in 2005 to share photos of my son after he was born. I stumbled on a friends blog that had one post while waiting to give birth and thought...I want to do that.

What is the most daring thing you've done in all of your travels?

This was not my choice...but man it was thrilling and scary and emotional. I got my phone stolen in my home town of Napoli ( grew up there six years) and had to go to the police station. They brought me in a room with a door in between me and a suspect that I could see through and he was literally inches from my face, really amped up on adrenaline...Something out of a Guy Richie film. It was so freaky! Esp since I didn't know what I was going to be doing with the language barrier that when I was brought in. I was really freaked out. 

What's your favorite country you've been to?

So many...but Austria holds a lot of memories and I cannot wait to take my husband and boys there and eat germknodel again! 

What's the one place you are dying to go to?

That list is very long, but from a place I've never been, Iceland! 

Three places you would like to go to next? (One is Iceland!)

Austria, and then a trip that includes visiting all the places on one visit: Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark. 

Best travel advice you can give?

Stay away from tourists and touristy areas and travel like a local. 

Farthest you have been from home? 

I can't answer this as I don't have a home per se. But farthest I've been from my parents when I was still living with them was being in Australia for a summer while they lived in Arizona. 

Favorite part of going to the beach?

Hearing the waves and smelling the salt air.

Sea creature?

Mermaids Count?

Thoughts on Food?

I love food! Probably my favourites are from places I've traveled as they are tied into memories.  Like Germknodel. 

Comfort food?

Starch...since we try to stay away from it. So like potatoes and chips (French fries). I get my fill with sweet potato mash and sweet potato fries.

Favorite dessert? 

Germknodel. It's a traditional dessert to eat served at the mountain lodges where you go skiing in the alps during winter time. 

Favorite ice cream?

Gelato in Italy...any flavour! 

Candy?

Dark Chocolate!

Favorite book/s? 

I love Earnest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast followed by a Sun Also Rises. I also love Tolkien's LOTR and the Hobbit, The Chronicles of Narnia, and recently reading the Game of Thrones series. But I could equally read a travel book and be happy. 

What kind of music do you listen to?

Oh all kinds...really almost anything. Depends on my mood. Usually not country though. 

Favorite TV show?

I have quite a few. Some shows I currently love that are in their last season :( are: Burn Notice, Breaking Bad, and Dexter.

And lastly.....

5 items you can't live without!

My camera, may laptop, my glasses, coconut oil, and a good book! 

I had so much fun getting to know Bonnie and I'm so glad I got partnered with her. I hope we get to continue to keep in touch. Love you Bonnie! Check out her blog. She is amazing. :-)

Deep in the heart of Texas!

So I found out Friday I was lucky enough to take the next step in this job opportunity that will hopefully help me in my quest to see the whole world!

I don't want to jinx anything because I am extremely nervous about it so I'll let you all in if I land the job. I'll just say it involves airplanes!

So I'll be heading to Texas on Wednesday.

I'm also hoping for a chance to enjoy some good Texas BBQ.

And get a good job!

I'll be back this weekend.

Do you get the jitters before and during a job interview? Do you have any tips to overcome the nerves?

Photo of the day - Curaçao

Knip Baai, Curaçao (Netherlands Antilles). What a stunning beach it was. Just gorgeous. If you are looking for an island in the Caribbean that not only has incredible beaches but culture, Curaçao is the island for you. Knip Baai is about 1 to 1 1/2 hours from Williamsted. I recommend, though pricy, staying there a couple days and giving into the relaxation. This is one island I would love to return to someday. Definitely not a backpacker-style island but worth saving up for and enjoying once in your life (or five times, according to a couple my friend and I were talking to on the plane!).