Carpe Diem - Don't Wait to Take That Trip

While I am a HUGE planner, sometimes you just need to take a leap and DO IT. Obviously it's unrealistic to just seize the day and travel everyday (Gotta pay those bills somehow!). However, I think it's really important to still keep that sense of adventure and excitement in your life. That's why when my husband brought up his desire to explore New Hampshire, specifically he white mountain region, in the fall. He was initially thinking of planning a trip for next year, but I suggested we head out in a few short weeks! We had the vacation days, we will be road tripping and camping so the cost is low, so why not?

The long and the short of it is you aren't guaranteed a tomorrow. While I think it's unrealistic to expect every day of your life to be a grand adventure, I DO think it's incredibly important to put your plans into action. We ordered a guidebook and next weekend we are off on an adventure to see the leaves change color. Oh and did I mention we bought our plane tickets to Australia yesterday? Heck yes!

Seize the day doesn't always mean traveling on a dime, but it does mean you need to take action. Whether that action is hopping on a plane or just buying the ticket, go do it!

If you need help getting started, I'm happy to help! Check out my website at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

How to Save Up for the Trip of a Lifetime

Love to travel? Have no money? I feel you. Luckily, over the years I've found ways to work around that problem and I'm here to help you out.

Step 1: Set a goal amount. This amount is calculated based off of flight, cost per day in the city you want to travel to, and any major attractions you want to visit. It's also a good idea to consider how to travel cheaply - look at hostels rather than hotels, trains over planes and remember to pack your lunch!

Step 2: Set a realistic monthly savings goal (and set up a budget!) Set aside a little bit each month. I know that seems obvious, but it can be very difficult to maintain! By building travel into your monthly savings goals, you are making it a real priority. Each month you'll be able to see that number grow and get one step closer to your goal.

Step 3: Stay motivated! Pick a target date and make a count down. I personally like to write a literal count down along the bottom of my agenda. Seeing that trip inch closer each day keeps it in the forefront of my mind. I also stay motivated by planning! Picking out which attractions you'll get to see and what you'll be doing on your trip is always so exciting and sure to keep you motivated.

Step 4: Buckle down and do it! Take a look at your life and see where you can cut back. Saving for big things like retirement, a house or a car are obviously important, but it can definitely help you save faster by cutting down on things like movies, shopping and fast food. At the end of each month, see where you have spent the most money and brainstorm ways to "beat" that number the next month. Turn it into a game or challenge amongst your friends. You'll be sure to save money in the future.

You'll be on the adventure of a lifetime before you know it!

My sister and I having a BLAST in Cape Town, South Africa!

If you need some help planning it, we can help you out at Miles Into Memories Travel.

Shark Cage Diving in South Africa

We left Cape Town bright and early to drive up the coast to go shark cage diving! We actually got a call the night before that we would need  to leave one hour earlier than originally planned to try to beat an incoming storm. We made our way down to the lobby of our hotel and stumbled into the van. After a few hours through the dark country side, we were ready to pay a visit to the Shark Lady. Apparently that's actually what the shop is called! So funny! They sat us down for some breakfast and  briefed us on the rules and tips etc. Everything was pretty common sense and I was excited! They even had pictures up on the wall who had gone shark cage diving there, like Prince Harry and Tom Cruise!

They gave us bright orange waterproof coats, but unfortunately ran out so poor Schuyler wound up getting pretty wet! 

 These are our super-pretty early morning smiles through the lens of our GoPro.

We set out on SUPER rough water and even tried heading to different areas but weren't really having any luck. The waters were throwing us around and I think literally half the boat got sick... including me. I was doing alright until we threw anchor and wound up spinning in circles while rocking. It was still pretty great, but we ended up not being able to put down the cage. It was pretty lame, but I don't really want to die so, ya know. Probably the right decision.

Still got a pretty cool picture of said Shark Diving Cage!

Still got that morning smile. I love it!

We did ultimately get to see some Great White Sharks in the water because a nearby boat was throwing chum in the water. None really came up to our boat, unfortunately. But still! I got to see Great White Sharks out in the wild off the coast of Africa! That's still awesome! Ya win some, ya lose some. I'll have to try again one day!

Don't forget to check out my travel company at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com!

Safari in Pilanesberg

I've always wanted to go on an African safari, so naturally it was a top priority for us while we visited South Africa. Of course, we wanted to do it responsibly and ethically. We had no interest in hunting, so we opted for a reserve. The animals are technically enclosed, but you would never know it except for when entering or leaving. We drove around for hours and hours and never saw a fence. It was pretty spectacular!

We had the chance to get up close to all kinds of beautiful animals! We had a wonderful time and got to ride in an honest-to-goodness safari jeep. 

We managed to catch some elephants getting a drink! We were a ways off, so the picture is a little blurry, but still rather impressive. So cool!

This guy came right up next to our jeep! We would stop whenever we saw an animal and the driver would pull around for us to admire the beautiful animals.

We even got to see some cats! We caught some lions on the prowl. Hard to tell in this photo, but definitely some lions. It was pretty awesome. We also got to see a cheetah eating its prey! Didn't manage to get a photo of that one.

We had an amazing time on the safari. They even stopped half way through for a quick bathroom break, some beers and a snack. Truly a memorable experience and I'm so so so glad we were able to fit it into our schedule! 

Don't forget! I can help you with your dream vacation, too! Check out my travel company at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com!

Table Mountain - Cape Town, South Africa

Our trip to South Africa was pretty jam packed, so we wound up only having a few hours of free time in Cape Town. We put that free time to good use by visiting Table Mountain! It was absolutely beautiful and the views were amazing.

Essentially, you can either hike or take a cable car up to the top. Then, up at the top there are some beautiful trails for you to hike!

On one side of the mountain is the ocean and on the other are some pretty spectacular views!

The Ocean Side of the mountain

My sister and I on the city side of the mountain

You can even see the world cup stadium! So cool!

Cape Town has a bit of a reputation for being dangerous, but we kept our wits about us and didn't go out after dark. We, thankfully, never felt unsafe and had no problems when traveling through this beautiful country.

Our trip was a blast! And don't forget, if you're loving these travel posts to check out my travel company at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

Elephant Reserve in South Africa

While in South Africa, we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit the Knysna Elephant Park. It  was a beautiful reserve where the elephants are treated very well and get to live in HUGE pastures. So huge that you can't even see the fence.

That thing in the background isn't actually a fence. It's where they go to stand if they want to be fed. It keeps them from stealing the whole bucket of fruit that tourists hold to feed them.

My sister is a veterinarian and absolutely loves elephants, so it was a dream come true for her!

We even got to feed the elephants! They really liked grabbing fruit out of our buckets. 

There were also scientists sitting and observing our interactions, which was neat. I think it's amazing these gorgeous animals have somewhere safe to live and eat tasty treats.

Overall, this experience was amazing and I'm so glad we had the chance to meet these beautiful elephants! 

Don't forget! If you want to learn more about my travel business, visit MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

Bloukran's Bridge Bungy Jump in South Africa

I've been lucky enough to have some pretty amazing adventures recently, but I must say one of my absolute favorite experiences was bungy (That's how they spell it in South Africa) outside of Cape Town! 

It was terrifying and absolutely exhilarating. I'm just surprised that I got the whole group to do it with me! 

First, they walked us out alone this absolutely terrifying/beautiful walkway that led out to the middle of the bridge. We were literally underneath of where cars were driving. It was pretty scary, but also awesome. Cars were just driving along while we flung ourselves off the bridge.

The whole gang before we jumped!

Before we went they weighed us and put our weight (in kilos) and our jump order and time. I weigh 63 kilos, I was Jumper 2 and our jump time was 9 a.m.

My "I'M SO NERVOUS" smile

Getting hooked up! I definitely asked them to make sure I was hooked in nice and tight. They then waddled me over to the edge and counted down, "3-2-1-BUNGY!" They didn't give me time to think AT ALL (Probably Definitely a good thing). When they said "BUNGY" I just did it! I even managed to leap and sort of swan dive off this HUGE bridge!

I DID IT! 

After you jump they lower someone down to help reel you back in. 

We are working on a YouTube channel where the full video will be posted soon! It's pretty epic.

Bungy jumping has been on my bucket list for a very long time and I am SO happy that I was able to finally cross it off! Bloukran's bridge is the world's largest bungy. How cool is that? It was my first time ever bungy jumping, so why not go big? It was such a rush! The free fall was far and away my favorite part - the dangling afterwards? Not so much. Though my sister was the exact opposite. 

Overall, I absolutely recommend doing this jump if you're ever near Cape Town. Something to note is it is a bit of a drive outside the city - like 4 or 5 hours. We broke the trip up with some fun stops along the way. You'll  learn all about those in upcoming blog posts!

Meanwhile, check out my company at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com and sign up for an adventure of your own!

Lots of love,

Lena

Wanderlust

I know the stereo-type is for a 20-something to want to get out and explore, but for me (to be cheesy) the struggle is real!

I recently stumbled across a Bucket List I had made a while back - majority of it is definitely travel-based!

As you can see quite a few things have been crossed off. In the next year I am hoping to cross off a few more! I am backpacking Italy next January and maybe next July I'll go to Greece or Austria. In fact, this August the company I work for has a tournament in Florida and rather than take my bonus and go traveling, I think I might go skydiving! It would be sort of like a birthday present to myself. It's something I've always wanted to do and if not now, when? We shall see.

Right now I am focusing more on Europe-based travel simply because finances are tight and I spend a lot of time there for my work so its cheaper for me to travel close to those spots. As I get a little more established (think build up my savings account and pay off my car) I plan on exploring Africa, Asia and Australia more! In fact I have ambitions of bungee jumping in South Africa. How amazing would that be?

My big problem is that every time I travel, I end up adding more places to explore on my bucket list!

Malena