We are coming up on our honeymoon! We are so excited to road trip around Portugal this September and our plans are finally coming together! Ordinarily, I would have had this trip planned out long ago but we got married and moved so we've been busy! Here's our general gam plan:
Start our in Porto: We are pumped to fly into this city and spend the day exploring (especially the world famous bookstore!!!)
Move on to Lousa and visit Tomar. We are excited to explore some smaller towns on our way down to Lisbon. We are even staying in a palace!! It's going to be epic.
Spend a couple days in Lisbon living the good life! We are pretty excited to dive into the architecture and heartbeat of this city.
Next stop? The Algarve! We will be spending 3 days down in Lagos hiking, laying on the beach and enjoying ourselves. We splurged a little on the hotel and are excited to see what it offers. I'll definitely do a review once we've stayed!
Close out the trip by road tripping back up to Porto. We will be stopping a few local towns to explore along the way.
Lucky for us, Portugal is a relatively small country, so we will be able to cover quite a bit of ground! It's only 5 or 6 hours between Lagos and Porto so we are doing it up right! Hopefully, we've left enough time in our schedule for relaxing. Depending on how we feel, we may even bop over to Spain for a day! We shall see.
We are so excited for this trip,and can not wait to celebrate our new marriage and our new adventures together. Get ready for some Portugal-heavy content coming your way soon!
Monday, July 31, 2017
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
How To Be A Tourist In Your Hometown
If you love adventure but are still saving up for your next big trip, satisfy your wanderlust with a bit of hometown tourism! My husband and I used to have "Date Days" where we would pick a few major attractions in our town and make a day of it! We used to live in Raleigh so let's start there.
Visit the Local Museums
While it may not be NYC, Raleigh has its fair share of awesome museums - many of which are free! Each date day we would pick a new one to go visit - the art museum, history museum and arboretum to name a few!
Check Out The Best Restaurants
On these date days, we liked to shake things up! Instead of going to the same old restaurants for dinner, we ventured out! We went out of our way to the heart of downtown and loved to try some classic Raleigh hot spots like The Raleigh Times or Busy Bee. So good! You can also go on sites like Trip Advisor and see what other people and tourists have enjoyed. You never know what you'll stumble across.
Get Out in Nature
Finally, check out the local foliage. We like to go on a little hike in Umstead park and have a picnic by the water. It's a great way to get exercise and get some fresh air. Even in the biggest of cities, a park or hiking trails are sure to be nearby.
Make the most of your weekends and don't be afraid to try new things!
Malena
Visit the Local Museums
While it may not be NYC, Raleigh has its fair share of awesome museums - many of which are free! Each date day we would pick a new one to go visit - the art museum, history museum and arboretum to name a few!
Check Out The Best Restaurants
On these date days, we liked to shake things up! Instead of going to the same old restaurants for dinner, we ventured out! We went out of our way to the heart of downtown and loved to try some classic Raleigh hot spots like The Raleigh Times or Busy Bee. So good! You can also go on sites like Trip Advisor and see what other people and tourists have enjoyed. You never know what you'll stumble across.
My handsome husband at a local Brew Pub on our date day!
Get Out in Nature
Finally, check out the local foliage. We like to go on a little hike in Umstead park and have a picnic by the water. It's a great way to get exercise and get some fresh air. Even in the biggest of cities, a park or hiking trails are sure to be nearby.
The perfect picnic spot!
Malena
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Tips on Hostel Life
Staying in a hostel is a wonderful thing! I've met some amazing people while staying in hostels, and I've had some truly memorable experiences. What's even better is through careful research, I've been able to avoid any bad experiences. Here are my top tips for having a great experience out there in hostels across the world.
1) Pick a safe, clean hostel
This is far and away the most important aspect of ensuring you have a stellar hostel experience. No one wants to sleep in a sketchy bed full of bugs, dirt and much, much worse. I've heard of hostels with a "chess room" that was available by the hour - aka it had very little to do with chess, but had a locking door. Ew!
I've avoided these really gross hostels by doing a ton of research ahead of time! I like to look on hostelworld.com for the safety and cleanliness ratings. Generally I aim for AT LEAST an 80 percent, but preferably a 90 or above. These hostels are still going to be affordable but will be WAY safer than hostels that scored in say the 50th percentile for cleanliness and safety. It's worth the few extra bucks per night to feel safe. Trust me.
2) Don't forget sheets, towel and lock (depending on the hostel)
Depending on where you're staying you may need to bring some of the basics with you. Believe it or not, some hostels don't even provide sheets! It's important to check on those sorts of things before you go. If you aren't keen on traveling with a full set of sheets and a towel, oftentimes you can rent them from the hostel for a small fee. I've done this in the past and it's been fine - just make sure you factor the cost into your budget!
And always always always bring a lock! Majority of hostels provide lockers, but not many provide locks.
3) Use a locker
My next tip is to use that locker! Even if your bunk/roommates seem like amazing, nice people you just never really know. Locks keep honest people honest. I have never had anything stolen from a hostel (knock on wood), but I'm also very careful to always lock up my valuables, even if I'm stepping out for just a minute or two.
4) Don't be afraid to socialize
Finally, HAVE FUN! Hostels are a great place to meet people from every corner of the world. I personally love to hang out in the hostel's common room or bar. It's a great way to socialize with strangers while having a bit of a safety net - there are usually staff nearby that can step in if needed. A lot of hostels even have movie rooms, game areas or a communal book shelf. Take advantage of these! If you invite someone to play monopoly and they say no... who cares? You probably will literally never see them again. And if they take you up on it, you may just make a life-long friend!
Hostels are a great option for travelers on a budget - just make sure you're prepared! If you'd like some help planning out your next trek, visit MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.
1) Pick a safe, clean hostel
This is far and away the most important aspect of ensuring you have a stellar hostel experience. No one wants to sleep in a sketchy bed full of bugs, dirt and much, much worse. I've heard of hostels with a "chess room" that was available by the hour - aka it had very little to do with chess, but had a locking door. Ew!
I've avoided these really gross hostels by doing a ton of research ahead of time! I like to look on hostelworld.com for the safety and cleanliness ratings. Generally I aim for AT LEAST an 80 percent, but preferably a 90 or above. These hostels are still going to be affordable but will be WAY safer than hostels that scored in say the 50th percentile for cleanliness and safety. It's worth the few extra bucks per night to feel safe. Trust me.
2) Don't forget sheets, towel and lock (depending on the hostel)
Depending on where you're staying you may need to bring some of the basics with you. Believe it or not, some hostels don't even provide sheets! It's important to check on those sorts of things before you go. If you aren't keen on traveling with a full set of sheets and a towel, oftentimes you can rent them from the hostel for a small fee. I've done this in the past and it's been fine - just make sure you factor the cost into your budget!
And always always always bring a lock! Majority of hostels provide lockers, but not many provide locks.
3) Use a locker
My next tip is to use that locker! Even if your bunk/roommates seem like amazing, nice people you just never really know. Locks keep honest people honest. I have never had anything stolen from a hostel (knock on wood), but I'm also very careful to always lock up my valuables, even if I'm stepping out for just a minute or two.
4) Don't be afraid to socialize
Finally, HAVE FUN! Hostels are a great place to meet people from every corner of the world. I personally love to hang out in the hostel's common room or bar. It's a great way to socialize with strangers while having a bit of a safety net - there are usually staff nearby that can step in if needed. A lot of hostels even have movie rooms, game areas or a communal book shelf. Take advantage of these! If you invite someone to play monopoly and they say no... who cares? You probably will literally never see them again. And if they take you up on it, you may just make a life-long friend!
Me with some new friends in a hostel in Florence, Italy
Hostels are a great option for travelers on a budget - just make sure you're prepared! If you'd like some help planning out your next trek, visit MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Why I Travel
People travel for all kinds of reasons - personal
discovery, a change of pace and so many others. For me, it's always been about
seeing new places, challenging myself and learning about far-off cultures. I've
been lucky enough to get to travel quite a bit in recent years - to over 20
countries in fact - but it seems like that urge to travel is never fully
satisfied! I'm always planning my next trip, regardless of how recently I've
traveled. Luckily, I get to venture abroad fairly often for work! I own a travel
company (MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com), and so I often get to
help others realize their dreams as well! Anyway, here are my top 3 reasons
that I travel:
I Travel for Adventure
Somewhere in my soul is a need to see new places
and try new things. I want to go everywhere and try (just about) everything! So
far, I've gone bungee jumping in South Africa, swimming with elephants in
Thailand and hiking up a mountain in New Mexico. Going out and trying something
new is very fulfilling for me, and I find I am at my happiest while on an
adventure.
Getting ready for my bungee jump off Bloukran's Bridge in South Africa
I Travel For Personal Growth
When I travel, and particularly when I travel solo,
I've found that I come back with a different, more open perspective on the
world. I learn things about myself that I don't think I ever would have
discovered while at home in my safe zone. I'm so much more capable than I ever
realized - I even backpacked by myself for 10 days through Italy, a few years
back. I researched the trip, booked everything and navigated my way through
foreign cities in a country where I don't speak the language - and what's
more? I had a blast! I was independent, brave and above all, capable! That was
incredibly empowering and an experience I'll never forget.
On my solo trip through Italy
I Travel to Learn About the World In Person
I love to learn, but I find that the lessons stick far better when I
experience them first-hand. Reading about the history and architecture of say,
Barcelona for example, will never do the beautiful work of Gaudi justice. Gaudi
was an incredible artist and his work is truly inspiring. I had seen photos of
Park Guell and some truly amazing paintings, but it completely dulled when
compared to the real thing. Some things you just have to experience.
Me hanging out at sunset in Park Guell in Barcelona
The long and the short of it is traveling is amazing and life-changing. I encourage you to travel as often as possible. Just get out and go!
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