How to Become a More Confident Traveler

Traveling, particularly when traveling abroad, can be stressful for anyone. When you have anxiety the experience can be particularly stressful. I've got a few tips and tricks that can help calm your nerves and make traveling just a little bit easier.

Tip 1 Plan Ahead

If there are clear stressors for you, like flying, plan for them! If you are a nervous flyer, it may be a good idea to practice a few calming techniques before boarding. Do a face mask, meditate, listen to soothing music, maybe even have a glass on wine. It may not take the stress away completely, but it will help. 

Tip 2 Schedule Down Time

I personally like to schedule down time when I travel. A free afternoon to nap or shop or hang in a cafe, anything! Having a time when you don't feel like you HAVE to be somewhere is a truly wonderful thing! It leaves room spontaneity and can really help you recharge. This is especially important for people who are introverted. Quiet time can help you recharge and be ready for the next adventure.

Tip 3 Take Breaks As You Need Them

During your vacation, remember it's supposed to be fun! If you start to feel overwhelmed, take a break! It's allowed! Don't work yourself up trying to make it through the day - you'll enjoy the experience much more if you take a few minutes to relax and gather yourself before finishing out the day.

Tip 4 Communicate with your Travel Buddies

COMMUNICATE! If you're traveling with someone, chances are good they are your friends. Friends are there to support you, so let them know about your anxiety and stress. Talk with them before the trip so they aren't blindsided, and keep talking with them throughout the trip. Don't be afraid to speak up and let your friends know when you need a break. With everyone on the same page, the trip will go much smoother and more fun will be had by all.

Anxiety, stress and worry are definitely real factors for many people when they travel, but they are nothing to be ashamed of. Open communication and plenty of planning can really make a difference for your trip! If you want some help with planning your next adventure, check out my company at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

City Highlights - Barcelona

I'm starting a series where I'll be covering the highlights of some of my favorite cities. To kick things off, I thought I'd dive into one of my absolute favorite cities: Barcelona. There are so many places in Barca that are worth checking out, but here are a few of my favorites!

#1 - The beaches! Even in the wintertime (which is predominantly when I've spent time in Barca) the beaches are absolutely gorgeous. You can relax and soak up the sun in the summer, or in the cooler months just take a stroll and enjoy the view. There are even spots along the beach with make shift soccer goals set up and workout equipment.

 

 A shot of some beautiful beaches during sunset - taken from a train

#2 Ice Barcelona - If you are into the night life, Barca has several unique clubs and bars, but my favorite is the Ice Bar, aptly called Ice Barcelona! It's a lot of fun! The walls, chair, bar and even the glasses are made of ice. They give you fun, puffy silver jackets to wear along with some gloves. It was a ton of fun!

Hanging in Ice Barcelona around Christmas time

#3 La Sagrada Familia - The legendary Barcelona Artist, Antoni Gaudi designed several structures throughout the city, and arguably his most famous work is La Sagrada Familia. This breathtaking (and enormous) church is an absolute must-see; just be prepared to see some construction since it will be another 10 years or so before the church is completed.

The beautiful (and hard to photograph) La Sagrada Familia

#4 Park Guell - If you want an idyllic view of the city, Park Guell is the place to visit! Like the Sagrada Familia, it was designed by the magnificent Gaudi. The tiling is beautiful and there are some beautiful hikes as well. The outer area is free, but if you want to get the best views you'll have to pay just a few euros to enter the center area.

Park Guell at sunset is my favorite

 #5 - Camp Nou!!! - FC Barcelona, the professional soccer team of Barcelona, is the heartbeat of the city. If you don't have a chance to go see a game in person, at the very least it's worth touring the museum and stadium. Soccer is a huge part of the culture in Barca, so even if soccer isn't your cup of tea, I still recommend checking it out!

Down on the field during the tour

I had the time of my life at El Clasico! If you're not familiar, it's a legendary game between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. The atmosphere was unlike anything I've ever experienced.

I'd love to help you plan a trip of a lifetime to see the sights of Barcelona. Give me a shout at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

Adventure Vs. Relaxing Honeymoon - Which is better?

My fiancé and I are getting married in June and we are so excited for our honeymoon! We both love to travel and adventure, but we know after the craziness of our wedding, we might want to relax on our honeymoon. That sparked the great debate: Adventure vs. Relaxing honeymoon - which is better? There are definitely pros and cons for both, so I'll walk you through our decision-making process.

Let's start with relaxing. After a crazy 6 months of wedding planning, we are already starting to feel burnt out. If we had a few days to just get away from the madness and celebrate our new marriage, we both know that it would be amazing. We both love a good beach day, but aren't sure if a resort of beach town would be the best use of our time off; we really want to make the absolute most of our special trip.

As for adventure, we just had the trip of a lifetime in South Africa this past August. We went bungee jumping, hiking, visiting with elephants and monkeys and even shark cage diving! It was insane! By the time we made it back to the US we were almost more tired than before we left. It was an absolutely amazing trip, and we definitely wouldn't trade it for the world.

We ultimately decided to compromise and do a little of each! We will be going on a road trip through Portugal! There are plenty of beaches where we can rest and relax, but there is lots to see and do as well! We will be splitting our time between slow, relaxing days and adventuring days exploring local towns and immersing ourself in the culture. We may even take a day trip over to Seville in Spain! It's going to require plenty of planning, but I'm up for the challenge. 

I'd love to help you plan your special trip! Check out MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com for more.

My First Cruise - Nassau, Bahamas

I am back from my first cruise, and I had a blast! For my bachelorette party, we decided to take a Carnival cruise from Florida to Nassau in the Bahamas! We had an amazing time relaxing by the pool while our boat was in port in Miami. We spent our days laying out on the beach and drinking plenty of delicious, fruity drinks. But let's start from the beginning.

Miami skyline! What a view!

We were all up at the crack of dawn to meet and drive to the airport for a 6am flight. My sisters, my best friend and I were ready to party! We started with a customary Chic-fil-a breakfast in the airport and boarded the plane for Florida. We got there with plenty of time to spare, and caught the shuttle over to our boat. From there there was some more waiting around, but we were allowed to board early, which was nice.

They took our bags and we made our way on the ship and settled down on the deck with a drink in our hand - just as it should be. We had purchased the unlimited drinks package, which by the way, is actually a limit of 15 alcoholic drinks per day with unlimited sodas and water. Just a note, if you are interested in that package it is required to buy it for the entire cruise for your entire cabin, so be ready for that!

Matching Bachelorette scarves!

Not gunna lie, Friday night we had relaxed, had dinner and went to bed. We were so tired from our travels, we decided to hit the hay early and get up ready for fun in the morning.

Saturday, we took it easy in the morning and got ready for the day! My biggest tip is skip the buffet! It was really rough standing in that dumb line. Instead, hit up the seated dining area. It'll probably take the same amount of time, but it's so much more relaxed and you can sit and enjoy the view.

In the afternoon, we ventured out in Nassau and shopped at a local market and saw some of the area which was fun and I picked up a beach bag. Next up was a ferry ride to a lovely island. It took longer than anticipated, but we were able to stay longer than expected too so it worked out ok.

We opted for the private beach day - TOTALLY WORTH IT! It came with lunch, a nice cocktail and a guaranteed beach chair in a private alcove. It was gorgeous and SO relaxing! After we had our fill of the Bahamian sun, it was back to the ship we went!

On the beach in the Bahamas

We spent the night checking out the shows, enjoying more drinks and even heading out to the club. The show turned out to be a little more Vegas-style than anticipated, but was overall amazing! The club was not quite my thing, but my sisters sure had a blast, ha!

My amazing breakfast of Froot Loop encrusted french toast

Sunday, we literally just laid there and it was glorious. We tried out the water slide and enjoyed the pizza bar, but really we enjoyed the sun and I managed to read 3 books in 3 days. Not bad. Sunday night, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner and another show. This one had some rather risque moves as well, but was still really awesome.

Monday, was a lot of waitting. Waiting to get off the ship, waiting for our flight and waiting to make it home. It was a long, long day, but overall the trip was so worth it! My one regret is I came away with quite the cold. It took almost a week to get over!

All in all, it was a ton of fun! I'm not sure how many cruises I'll be doing in the future as I think I still prefer to pave my own way, but it was perfect for relaxing with my bridesmaids!